Trader Joe’s Favorites & Butternut Squash Tomato Basil Soup

Hello my darlings! I'm going to keep this intro brief, because the post is very self-explanatory! I get lots of requests about what I buy at Trader Joe's so I thought I'd put a post together that you can bookmark and refer back to. I've also included some notes about how I enjoy certain items, but please always feel free to email me with specific questions. Apologies in advance if your TJs isn't carrying some of these items—it seems to change per store and per season!

And then before we dive in....THIS SOUP. It is creamy, vegan, paleo, full of nutrition and so simple to make if you use the Trader Joe's pre-cut bagged butternut squash. I actually love to cook noodles and stir them into this soup, or enjoy it with some sourdough toasted with goat cheddar and pesto.

Alright, here we go!

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LL's Trader Joe's Favorites

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PRODUCE:

• Organic romaine heads
• Organic baby arugula (my favorite green to toss with white balsamic, olive oil, S&P for a quick salad)
• Organic berries 
• Bags of Limes and Lemons 
• Cauliflower Rice (for Chili Lime Cauliflower Rice)
• Pre-chopped Butternut Squash (for today's recipe! And tossed with coconut oil, a touch of maple syrup and sprinkles of cinnamon & sea salt)
• Pre-Chopped Cauliflower Florets (for my Turmeric Tahini Cauliflower)
• Organic Zucchini (for making zucchini noodles or throwing in smoothies)
• Bags of avocados
• Bags of Cara Cara Oranges (pink on the inside and so sweet!)
• Organic Persian Cucumbers (sweeter and crunchier with thinner skin than regular cukes. So good in salads and munching with hummus)
• Organic Apples (pink lady and honeycrisp are my faves)
• Organic Basil/cilantro/mint/rosemary/chives
• Bags of Garlic
• Bags of Shallots
• Bagged Sun-dried Tomatoes (I love sautéing garlic in butter and then adding cooked pasta with some of these, chopped olives, pine nuts and S&P. Then top with feta 🙂
• Bags of Purple Sweet potatoes (they taste like cake! I just eat them roasted with a 1:1 mixture of honey and dijon mustard)
• Bags of Tricolored Carrots (great peeled and dipped straight into hummus or guac)
• Bagged shredded carrots (great for my Morning Glory Muffins or just throwing on salads)
• Pre-Cooked Baby Beets (awesome sliced with fresh citrus and goat cheese drizzle with olive oil or tossed into grain bowls, or even eaten as a snack)

REFRIGERATED SECTION (DIPS/PROTEIN/DAIRY):

• Pesto (I usually make my own but theirs is my favorite store-bought option)
• Eggplant Hummus (this is one of the few oil-free dips and it's amazing. I can't always find it though!)
• Extra Firm Sprouted Tofu (for my Sesame Tahini Tofu Eggplant Bake)
• Organic Tempeh (for Nachos, Sloppy Joes, Curry or "Sushi" Burritos!)
• Boneless Skinless Organic Free Range Chicken Breasts (for Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken Cutlets, Skillet Pizza Chicken, Seared Sesame Chicken & Miso Kale, or Asian Chicken Lettuce Cups)
• 100% Grass-fed Beef (for Crockpot Salsa Beef or Meatloaf Meatballs)
• Greek Style Feta (the one that comes in a rectangular container)
• Goat's Milk Cheddar
• Creamy Goat Cheese
• Kerrygold Unsalted Butter

CHOCOLATE:

• 72% Pound Plus Dark Chocolate Bar (My favorite affordable dark chocolate for snacking) 
• 72% Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds (heavenly, and perfect when I want a sweet treat with a little extra staying power from protein and fat)
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks (my favorite for baking; I prefer these over chocolate chips because you get big chunks of melty chocolate and smaller bits scattered throughout)

SNACKS:

• Whole Grain Crispbread Crackers (I love these savory and sweet, with hummus and mashed avo or nut butter and banana. These are really sturdy and travel well so I take them with me on short vacations to have a cheap breakfast or snack)
• Beet Chips (Seasonal, but so divine if you can find them! They're just dehydrated beets so full of antioxidants but they satisfy like chips do)
• Kale Chips (the most affordable kale chips that taste pretty good! Alive and Radiant is still my fave brand but this is a great option if you want a savory snack full of nutrition)
• Olive Oil Popped Popcorn (most popcorn is popped with inflammatory vegetable oils so I love that this uses olive oil, and it tastes fantastic)
• RX Bars (blueberry is my favorite flavor that TJs carries; I love these on-the-go, and sometimes I'll break them in half and have half with nut butter for a little less sugar. Also great for pre or post workout)
• Epic Bars (the uncured bacon & apple and bison cranberry are my faves; made from 100% grassfed beef, they're like beef jerky bars and they're awesome for stabilizing blood sugar.)

JARRED/CANNED:

• Organic Unsweetened Applesauce (snacking, baking, topping oatmeal!)
• Cowboy Caviar Salsa (So good with Siete Foods Nacho Chips...or any chip of choice! Also yummy spooned onto chili)
• Organic Crunchy Unsalted Unsweetened Peanut Butter  (nuff said)
• Crunchy Unsalted Unsweetened Almond Butter (nuff said)
• TJ’s Mixed Nut Butter (new product and soooo tasty. A touch of salt and a hint of hazelnut)
• Organic Canned Beans (I try to get no salt added when possible)
• Jarred Artichokes (great on homemade pizza, salads, avocado toast or grain bowls)
• Organic So Salt Added Diced Tomatoes
• Tomato Paste
• Dijon Mustard with White Wine (the BEST dijon mustard ever! It is very sharp but has a delicious flavor)
• Extra Virgin Coconut Oil & Coconut Oil Spray
• Toasted Sesame Oil (the best price I've seen and it's great quality)
• Avocado Oil (same as sesame oil!)
• Balsamic Vinegar: Aceto Balsamic Di Modeno I.G.P (it's aged so it's a little sweeter, thicker and less acidic than regular balsamic)
• Low-sodium Free Range Chicken Broth
• Low-sodium Vegetable Broth

DRIED & BAGGED:

• Red lentils (for my Sweet Potato & Curry Lentil Stew and an exciting pizza recipe in my upcoming cookbook!)
• Bagged Jasmine Rice (my favorite rice; I prefer white over brown in taste and texture, and I get so many nutrients from food that I don't worry that it's less nutrient dense)
• Quinoa
• 10-Minute Farro & Barley (these are awesome for quickly-cooking these denser, nuttier grains. These are some of my favorites in cold grain salads or added to soups)
• Gluten-Free Rolled Oats (nuff said)

 BREAD & CEREALS:

• Sprouted Flourless Whole Wheat Berry Bread (does contain gluten, but is made from whole-food ingredients and I love the chewy, dense, nutty texture. It's best when toasted, and it's perfect with a smear of mayo with a fried egg, mashed avocado & sea salt, or nut butter and jam or banana
• 100% Whole Wheat British English Muffins (also best toasted, simple ingredient list and a really nice flavor. We use these as our burger buns)
• Corn Tortillas (these are not labeled as Non GMO but per the Trader Joe's website, they only source from Non GMO ingredients)
• 100% Wheat Shredded Wheat Squares (simple ingredients, no added sweeteners and my husband loves these! A nice complex carb that reminds you of childhood :). )
• Nature's Path Flax Plus Flakes (one of my favorites cereals; low in sugar but does have a bit added. Otherwise, solid ingredient list and great flavor. I love using this in my Homemade 1-Bowl Cereal)
• GF Rolled Oats
• Brown Rice Quinoa Pasta (GF)
• Black Bean Rotini (GF and Grain Free)
• Red Lentil Sedanini (thin, tube-shaped noodles. GF and Grain Free)

FROZEN:

• Frozen Wild Boreal Blueberries (smoothies or over oatmeal)
• Frozen Organic Strawberries (smoothies)
• Frozen Organic Spinach (smoothies or my Vegan Spinach & Artichoke Dip)
• Frozen Wild Shrimp (for Avocado Pasta with Garlic Shrimp, Bang Bang Makeover Shrimp, New Nashville Shrimp N Grits)
• Frozen Wild Cod & Salmon Filets (for 3-Ingredient Glazed Salmon or Blackened Salmon & Strawberry Salad)
• Frozen Sweet Cherries (I love allowing these to defrost for 15 minutes then scooping some So Delicious Whipped Topping over them as a bedtime snack. SO GOOD!) 
• Frozen green Peas (I throw these into everything for an extra bit of nutrition! I especially love them added to soups, frittatas or quiche and pasta)
• Frozen Fire-Roasted Corn (this corn has such a wonderful smoky flavor which pairs perfectly with the pop of sweetness. Use them in cornbread, chili, tortilla soup, over my Crockpot Fajitas, Tempeh Nachos or even tossed with a little butter and salt as a side dish
• Frozen Organic Non-GMO Shelled Edamame (similarly to peas, these are a quick way to get color, vitamins and minerals. I like to toss these into Asian-flavor dishes like my Easy Beef & Veggie Stir Fry or in my Umami Edamame Dip, or mashed with some olive oil, salt and pepper and served with my Asian Salmon Cakes)

DRIED FRUIT & NUTS:

• Unsulphured Dried Apricots (my favorite dried fruit; these are completely different than the bright orange ones you're used to. They have no preservatives and have an addictive rich, caramel flavor. I love dipping them in almond butter or melted dark chocolate, or mixing with cashews for a quick trail mix)
• Thompson Seedless Raisins (for my Easiest Cinnamon Raisin Granola, Morning Glory Muffins, or as a topping for my Crockpot Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal)
• Medjool Dates (in the refrigerated section)
• Raw cashews, pecans walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
• Roasted unsalted almonds (I prefer to keep roasted around over raw because they work well in baking and they're my favorite for snacking)
• Thai Lime & Chili Cashews (omg these are addicting! They're a bit of a treat, as they're made with rice bran oil, which is a processed oil. But rice bran oil is lower in Omega-6s and higher in Omega-9s than vegetable oils, so it is less inflammatory)

BAKING/SUPERFOODS:

• Grade A Maple Syrup (my favorite liquid sweetener for baking, drizzling on oatmeal or obviously pancakes; they have several and I just check to make sure it's from Canada or Vermont)
• Coconut Flour (for Bananas Foster Walnut Muffins, Pumpkin Spice Pecan Bread, or Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake)
• Cocoa Powder (I use cocoa powder for baking instead of raw cacao because it's less expensive, and the TJ's one has great flavor. Some faves are my Double Chocolate Paleo Loaf Cake and Holy Fudge Black Bean Brownies)
• Baking powder/soda
• Hemp Seeds (I use these for added plant protein on top of salads, soups, pasta and grain bowls)
• Flax meal (freeze this) (I use for making "flax eggs"= 1 tbsp meal plus 3 tbsp water. Allow to sit 15 minutes then use in baking as you would an egg. Also a great addition to smoothies and oats for added fiber and Omega-3s. TJs also sells flax seeds but I like the meal, as flax seeds cannot be digested whole & have to be ground)
• Chia Seeds (Also great source of Fiber & Omega-3 fats, as well as calcium. They have a gelling quality, which is great for Vanilla Chia Pudding, Hot Chocolate Chia Pudding, or Strawberries & Cream Overnight Porridge. Unlike flax seeds, they don't have to be ground in order to be digested)
• Nutritional Yeast (grown on molasses and harvested, "Nooch" is a single-celled organisms from the fungus family, like mushrooms. It has a wonderful cheesy flavor and is rich in B12, so it's the perfect dairy-free, vegan cheese sub. I love it in my Sweet Potato "Rotel" Dip, Sriracha Ginger Roasted Broccoli and Creamy High Protein Mushroom Alfred0)

BEVERAGES:

• Organic Mint Melange Tea
• Pumpkin Spice Roobois Tea (seasonal)
• Candy Cane Green Tea (Seasonal)
• Coconut Water
• Spindrift Seltzer (faves are watermelon and grapefruit)
• Unsweetened Almond Milk (not the "cleanest" but a good option in a pinch)

NON-FOOD:

• Greeting Cards
• Flowers
• Dr. Bronner's Soap Bar
• yellow pop-up sponges

What are your Trader Joe's Favorites? Am I missing anything awesome? I'd love to hear from you!