Trader Joe's Favorites

Trader Joe's is not my family's regular grocery store but there are things I like getting from there every time we go there, which is not often. This is not necessarily a list of things I consider staples on my plant based diet but they're things I do like to get from Trader Joe's. This is also unlike many lists of vegan Trader Joe's finds because many of the ones I've read center around the processed foods that I try to stay away from as much as possible. As such, this one doesn't center around the processed foods as much.

1. Mini watermelon. Our fridge is super small and refrigerator clutter bothers everyone in my house (except me) so we don't really like to take up a lot of space with a normal sized watermelon but that's all they have at our regular grocery store. Trader Joe's has mini ones that are much better on our space budget. I like using watermelon as the base for my green juices. Watermelon is a good juice base because it certainly lives up to its name of being over 90% water and it blends very easily. It's magic if you don't have a juicer! Of course, watermelon is also a wonderful way to cool down and rehydrate in the summer.

2. Marshmallows. The marshmallows at Trader Joe's use tapioca instead of gelatin, making them the only vegan marshmallows I know of.

3. Tofu spring rolls. These are a super easy light meal that can be found in the refrigerator section where the lunch meats, cheeses, and salads are. There's tofu and veggies in the rice paper and it comes with some peanut sauce and it pairs wonderfully with a side of seaweed chips, which Trader Joe's also carries.

4. Organic 3-grain tempeh. This is the only tempeh I've ever had and I have no regrets at all. Sure I'll try other tempeh but so far, this is the only one I've ever spotted and it's absolutely wonderful tempeh. It produces absolutely amazing vegan bacon that is a hit in my house and it's only $2 a pack. And it's not single serving. I usually use half of it every time I make bacon and it yields enough for each person to enjoy a couple slices and there are still left overs.

5. Green kombucha. I have had this green kombucha and the green kombucha from G.T.'s brand and I don't really like the G.T.'s brand green kombucha. I like some of their other flavors but the green one tastes nothing like greens. The spirulina in it is overpowering and it tastes too fishy for my liking. The Trader Joe's green kombucha on the other hand is so much better. It tastes more like sparkling apple juice. While there still is spirulina and chlorella in it, it's just like it's supposed to be: there's enough in to make it green and to reap the benefits from it but not enough that I can taste it. The apple in it also adds a nice flavor.

6. Frozen mango. I really enjoy mango in my smoothies. While frozen mango is not hard to come by at other grocery stores, including our regular grocery store, Trader Joe's gives double or triple what we can get at our regular grocery store for only an extra $.50 so it's just more cost effective to get it there.

7. Avocado oil. I really like to use avocado oil when I'm cooking, especially when what I'm cooking is slower cooking, in which case the oil gets hot but the food still has a long way to go. Avocado oil has a higher smoke point so I worry less about setting off our very active smoke alarm and scaring the dog and I also worry less about the oil oxidizing and becoming toxic. I use avocado oil when making tempeh bacon because tempeh takes a lot of time to cook. It's also good in salad dressings.

8. Ginger mints. These are the only ginger mints I've ever seen. And these are not ginger flavoured, for those of you who don't like mint. These are made from ginger and come in a container similar to an altoid container. These are good to have on hand on long road or plane trips (or even at the amusement park) if you or someone you're with gets motion sickness. I have used these many times when traveling so I can attest that these work like a charm but you don't have to worry about being caught carrying drugs in places that have strict policies about medicines. They're also amazing if you like spicy foods, which I do.

9. Orange vinegar. We love their orange vinegar in our house. When combined with olive oil, it makes one of my favorite salad dressings.

10. Canned green jackfruit. Jackfruit is a little known meat substitute (in comparison to tofu, tempeh, and others) but it's an excellent one. So excellent that you could easily fool meat eaters with it.

So those are some of my favorite items when we go shopping at Trader Joe's. I'd be interested to hear what your favorites are there and comment down below if you would like for me to share essential grocery items that I always need to have in my house.

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