2025 will go down as the year I fell for the Trader Joe’s cult. For years I was perplexed by their loyal following. I like to cook and Trader Joe’s is far from a full service grocery store. But they have a knack for creating a line of products that are convenient, cost effective and addicting.
So here are my fav foods from Trader Joe’s. But a disclaimer first: I’m sharing what products I love which also reflects me in 2025: a cost conscious and health conscious shopper. There are a lot foods people love from Trader Joe’s but my focus here is more on whole foods and what I can feed my kid and get him off my back.
My son eats this at least four times a week. Now before you say “Ali, why don’t you just make Penne Arrabiata from scratch?” Well, I have and it’s marginally better. Bottom line is my kid eats penne arrabiata so much, we need some frozen stuff on hand. It cooks up in minutes(pro tip: use a good nonstick pan) and the sauce is freakishly delicious.
A spatchcocked chicken is when you cut out the backbone and flatten a whole chicken. This allows for a shortened cooking time and you while getting juicy chicken with crispy skin.
It’s not too hard to spatchcock a chicken yourself, if you have poultry shears or some decent knife skills. But that plus the marinade equals time plus mess. Added bonus: the Trader Joe’s spatchcok chicken is the perfect size, usually like three pounds.
I know I could come up with a better marinade if I am being honest. But the convenience and the size of the chicken are what is key here. It’s actually hard to find a chicken under 4lbs at a typical grocery store and those Frankenstein birds take a lot longer to cook. Trader Joe’s spatchcock chicken is a literal time saver and everyone in the fam loves it.
I eat a big ass salad like 4-5 times a week at least. I like to keep some cooked protein on hand like chicken breast, but half the time I am reaching for canned tuna. By far the best canned tuna I have found for the price is at Trader Joe’s. First off there isn’t a ton of water. And you get big chunks of tuna.
Sometimes canned tuna seems like cat food. And then there is Trader Joe’s canned tuna, the best you can get for the price IMO.
Don’t you hate it when your Trader Joe’s discontinues that one product you liked? That’s what happened when they stopped selling this frozen paella. We would cook the paella and add this frozen seafood blend of shrimp, scallops and calamari and it made for a simple, solid weeknight meal.
Well now we have Trader Joe’s frozen Spanish rice which isn’t the same as paella but still works. You cook the seafood while frozen and the liquid released makes a nice broth to cook the frozen rice in. The cooking process almost seems like a Chef’s reaction video but I swear it’s a remarkably tasty meal.
My kid loves a meatball sub. And I hate spending $15+ on a mid sandwich from some sandwich chain. The solution? Trader Joe’s ready cook meatballs. Given the price of ground beef now plus the additional cost of the essential meatball ingredients of parmesan, eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley and garlic, these meatballs are a great deal.
I toss these meatballs with some jarred marinara sauce and a can of crushed tomatoes and let it cook for about two hours or until the meatballs hit an internal temp of 160 degrees. Meatballs simmered in sauce is gold, whether your Nonna is making them all day over a stove or Trader Joe’s in a slow cooker.
I finally see the light. Once you find that meal or product at Trader Joe’s you get hooked. My only wish is that the ones in Texas sold liquor. When I lived in LA, you could get decent scotch at Trader Joe’s believe it or not. Oh TJ’s . . . I see now. It took me almost 30 years but I see you.
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