One thing that America offers plenty of is choice. Take the ice cream section in any supermarket for example. Gone are the days where you could only choose from vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and maybe a fourth flavour if you’re lucky. In addition to the basic varieties, you are offered the choice of dairy-free, low-fat, fat-free, all-natural, organic or regular. After narrowing down your dietary preferences, you can decide whether you want a bar, tub, cone, or stick. After solving those dilemmas do you only go on to choosing your preferred flavour. Mint chocolate chip, peanut butter cup, coffee, chocolate chip, coffee chocolate chip, birthday cake, cake batter, cookies ‘n’ cream, raspberry ripple, cherry chocolate chunk, maple pecan, banana nut, fudge brownie….and this is just a teeny tiny fraction of the flavours available, at least based on my experience.
Coming from Bombay, I unsurprisingly found grocery shopping in NYC a thrilling, yet overwhelming, experience. My eyes just did not know where to look! Although I browsed a number of grocery stores during my trip, obviously I was most interested in Whole Foods & Trader Joe’s. Although Whole Foods is often renowned for being the ‘Mecca of Healthy Living‘, one trip to Trader Joe’s was enough to convert me. For those of you who haven’t heard about Trader Joe’s, it’s basically Whole Food’s cooler twin. Their aisles are filled with the most incredible products that are sold at more attractive, chain-like prices. Not all Trader Joe’s products are organic but based on the ingredient lists, it’s obvious that they carefully select their products. Many of the products sold are their in-house brand, but taste is definitely not compromised.
As several of my readers live in/travel often to the U.S. of A, I wanted to share some of my Trader Joe’s favourites that I stocked up on. If you happen to be so lucky & visit a Trader Joe’s store in the near future, try these out:
1) After spending a fair amount of time debating which kind of nut butter, crunchy or creamy and then salted or unsalted, I settled for a jar each of their Crunchy Salted Peanut Butter & Creamy Salted Almond Butter. Despite merely contain nuts & salt, both varieties taste absolutely heavenly. The only issue with these nut butters is stopping at one serving ;)!
2) You know what goes great with a spoonful of their nut butter? Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips! Rather than actually bake with them, I prefer to eat them by the handful or add a few to my Greek yogurt bowls.
3) Speaking of chocolate, I impulsively bought their Belgian Dark Chocolate with Almond Bars 3-Pack while in the mammoth queue to pay. Given each bar’s cute 47g size, I tend to keep one in my handbag- you just never know when the chocolate craving is going to hit!
4) It’s rare to find a seasoning that contains no sodium, so I obviously snatched a number of their Taco Seasoning Mix sachets after a quick scan of the ingredient list…even more so when I saw that each sachet cost a mere $0.89.
5) I’m all for homemade dressings but sometimes convenience wins. I was debating whether to buy their Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette or Champagne Pear Vinaigrette but ended up going with the former given my love for Asian flavors. To beat Mumbai’s heat, I currently seem to be on a ‘salad-a-day’ kick & this dressing helps keep things exciting.
6) Ummm why did I only just buy just one box of their Just the Clusters Vanilla Almond Granola Cereal. Although granola tends to be quite calorie-dense & high in both sugar & fat, their in-house variety have a decent nutritional profile: 153 calories, 8g sugar & 4.4g fat per 40g serving. Most granolas can easily contain up to 200 calories, 10g sugar & 10g fat per 40g serving. Nutritionals aside, these clusters taste dreamy especially when combined with berries & Greek yogurt.
I wasn’t endorsed by Trader Joe’s for this post- ha I wish! I am just so pleased that stores like Trader Joe’s make healthy living both affordable and tasty.
What’s your favourite Trader Joe’s product? All of the above ha!
What’s your favourite supermarket? Waitrose or Marks & Spencer
What’s your favourite ice cream flavour? Vanilla or chocolate chip cookie dough
I would go broke if I set foot in Trader Joe’s! haha I already know that I’m going to go crazy in Whole Foods when I get back to London. I’ve been separated from peanut butter for so long!
I got your back girl- I’m eating enough nut butter for the both of us ;)!
I can’t have many of TJ’s products because of the whole “may contain nuts” thing, but I’m absolutely obsessed with their coconut chips!
Mmm I am all over coconut chips lately- so moreish!!
everything you listed above are a regular in my kitchen too..and m typing as i eat that granola :p
Haha eat some for me- wish I had some to snack on too!!
Never been but definitely one of life’s goals!!
I do miss waitrose actually – always loved being able to have the time to have a wonder around there. And I never left empty handed!
You and me both Jen- grocery shopping is one thing I miss in Bombay! Of course we have grocery stores but the aisles are nowhere near as exciting!
I love Trader Joe’s to me, they are a lot more easier on my purse than Whole Foods seems to be and, Khushboo, I couldn’t agree more, their PB and AB are so yum! Recently they had a uncured bacon ganache bar that was out of this world – that and their Organic chocolate syrup!
I don’t even eat bacon but that bar sounds delicious- you had me at ganache!!
We don’t have trader joe’s here, but i will be looking out for some of these on our next trip across the border!
You must :)!
my TJs list is so long! though i do think I love WF more because of the variety and range of products 🙂 as for nut butter- i love the raw, crunchy AB. it is only one of 2 brands that i could find that carry it, and it’s such a good price and SO good!
i also love their sun dried tomatoes, dried apricots, freeze dried fruit, corn tortillas, and marinara sauce!
Oh wow I will definitely need to try out al your suggestions next time I’m in the US!
Your post has got me all excited! I’m moving to Canada this September and plan to make the most of TJ andWF!! Can’t wait!
Honestly, Khushboo I’m hooked to your blog! It is inspiring me at all levels while I’m personally on a weight loss journey! Kudos to you!!
Ah your comment made my day, Aakriti! Thanks for letting me know and best of luck on the rest of your weight loss journey- I am sure you are going to KILL it!
Long time!
I love TJ’s.
I’ve tried everything you listed.. my fave is their Creamy Almond Butter made with cashews too. So divine!!!
Welcome back Nisha :)! TJ’s almond butter is seriously crack- dangerous to keep at home ;)!