A few months ago, I went to Trader Joe’s with my friend in an attempt to delve outside my comfort zone and explore products I wouldn’t necessarily choose myself. I find that whenever I go grocery shopping, I always reach for the same products so I figured inviting a friend could help change that! I’ve done this with my sister too and it’s so fun to swap recipe ideas and get real-time reviews on food items. Perhaps in the future I’ll have said friend or sister do a guest post on their favored items but for now here are my go-tos:

1. Mandarin Orange Chicken: I love having bags of this in my freezer for an easy weeknight dinner. The kids crush this chicken and I typically pair it with sticky rice, air-fried broccoli, and seaweed. Chef’s kiss!
2. Rice Orzo Pilaf Mix: I believe my sister introduced me to this item and I’ve been a die-hard ever since. The flavor is so delightful using butter and water but you can also make it a little richer by subbing chicken broth for the water. This is also kid/toddler approved and I’ll make this with a veggie and a protein (typically chicken thighs) as another weeknight dinner win!
3. Original Savory Thin Crackers: These crackers remind me of Nut-Thins- they’re light and delicious and I’ll often load them up with tuna or egg salad for an easy, high protein lunch. I add these to the kids’ lunches as well and they also come in a bagged version of mini crackers.
4. Hold the Cone mini ice cream cones: I have at least one box of these in my freezer at all times. They’re a great little treat for kids and adults alike and you can’t go wrong with any of the flavors. I personally appreciate these for portion control as I tend to go off the rails if I have a pint/gallon of ice cream calling my name from the depths of my freezer. TJs recently came out with strawberry minis which are delightful!
5. Cheese: I’m going broad here but the cheese at Trader Joe’s is top notch and I always love venturing into the cheese area to discover something new or new-to-me. I currently have a bag of Unexpected Cheddar in my fridge which I’ve been adding to my salad but others I’ve tried and loved include: burrata, triple cream brie, manchego, colby-jack sticks, chevre goat cheese…I mentioned the burrata right? Add it to your eggs, salads, pizza, skincare routine (jk?), etc. Ya just can’t go wrong with any of them in my book.

I’d love to hear what YOUR favorite Trader Joe’s products are!