REVIEW: Top five things to get at Trader Joe’s

By Molly Burke,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Ever since its opening in 2010, Trader Joe’s has been my go-to. With tons of cheap options and tasty originals, I can’t resist buying a million things whenever I stop by. However, with so many good options, choices can get difficult. And so, I compiled a list of the top five things to get at Trader Joe’s.

#5 Everything but the Bagel Spice ($1.99)
This Trader Joe’s original spice mix makes any food have all the flavors of an everything bagel. It is full of garlic, salt, onion, sesame seeds and poppy seeds.

It can go on practically anything– stir it into hummus, add it to salad or a marinade, mix it into savory baked goods or blend it with eggs and toast.

It’s pretty salty, so make sure you have a glass of water nearby, but it does the job in spicing up any meal.

The price is really inexpensive considering the spice lasts a long time (unless you’re using far more than you should).

#4 Reduced Fat Cheese Puffs ($1.99)
A Trader Joe’s take on classic Cheetos, these airy, cheesy snacks are perfect for snack cravings. They have 33% less fat than their originals, but just as much flavor. The crispy puffs are not fried, but baked, making them significantly more healthy.

One’s yellow-orange, dusty fingers serve as proof to how delicious they are. They are dangerously addictive and it is extremely easy to go through the whole bag in one sitting. Because of the low price for a 5.5 oz bag, you can stock up and grab several bags that can (hopefully) last you more than a couple days.

#3 Chickenless Mandarin Orange Morsels ($3.29)
This soy-based entree comes in the frozen aisle and is easily cooked within 10 minutes. Though it is vegan and far healthier, it tastes just like fast-food orange chicken. I am not typically a fan of meat alternatives, but this dish is super flavorful, masking any odd taste of soy.

This dish has many servings so it can be made as a full meal, especially paired with rice or vegetables. Overall, it gets you a lot of bang for your buck.

#2 Brownie Crisp Ice Cream Sandwiches ($3.99)
These small frozen desserts come in a four pack, with brownies sandwiching coffee ice cream. The brownies are textured with chocolate chips and are thin and crispy. The coffee ice cream is very strong and not too sweet, complimenting the sugary brownies.
This is by far my favorite of Trader Joe’s varied selection of ice cream, though there are a million I’d always love to try.

#1 Speculoos Cookie Butter ($3.69)
If I could only bring three things to a desert island with me, it would be three jars of cookie butter. This peanut butter-like spread is made of TJ’s own speculoos gingerbread cookies. It is a weird consistency for this sweet flavor, but one quickly grows to love it.

They also carry cookie butter with chocolate, chunky cookie butter and cookie butter ice cream, all of which just add to the scrumptious taste.

All in all, Trader Joe’s is a great one-stop-shop for all things cheap and delicious.