I have been loving Trader's so much lately! It is a little bit of a drive, well only 15 minutes but I literally live on top of another grocery store so any drive is a lot, but really worth it.
Here is where I will go over all my must haves for Trader Joes. I will leave a quick list right here and further detail out the items below, including my review and WW points. If you have any more suggestions, leave them in the comments below and I will check them out.
- Just Grilled Chicken Strips
- Lite Shredded Mexican Cheese
- Shredded 3 Cheese Blend
- Reduced Fat Cheese Puffs
- Maple Chicken Breakfast Sausages
- Light Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges
- Southwestern Chopped Salad
- Cauliflower Gnocchi
- Reduced Guilt Mac and Cheese
- Mini Chicken Tacos
Just Grilled Chicken Strips
This chicken has seriously changed my life. I used to be so against freezer chicken because I could not find any good, zero-point options, until now. This chicken is not fatty like a lot of those other freezer chickens that you can get. It is also zero-points, which is hard to find because most freezer chickens are fatty (aka not zero points) or have some sauce/marinade on them that increases their points. This chicken also tastes amazing and makes your whole house or office smell like a gourmet chef is in there cooking. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
WW Points per 3 ounce Serving:⠀⠀
💚: 2 💙: 0 💜: 0 ✔️: 80 calories
Lite Mexican Blend (Shredded)
I will go so far out of my way to get this cheese. It may be my number one find here at Trader's. I love using reduced fat cheeses in my recipes and you all know I love my tacos, so this is a must. You really cannot tell that it is 'lite', all of the flavor and texture is still there. It also melts and freezes perfectly. I usually buy a couple bags and keep them in the freezer. ⠀
WW Points per ¼ cup Serving:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
💚: 2 💙: 2 💜: 2 ✔️: 80 calories
Shredded 3 Cheese Blend
This cheese is a mixture of low-moisture mozzarella cheese, monterey jack cheese and cheddar cheese. While I think the taste is pretty comparable to the one listed above, the real difference is how fine the cheese is shredded. This one is thicker and I like it more for sprinkling on top of tacos because you get those big pieces of cheese.
WW Points per ¼ cup Serving:⠀⠀
💚: 2 💙: 2 💜: 2 ✔️: 80 calories
Reduced Fat Cheese Puffs
If the first thing you do when you walk into Trader Joe's is grab 4 bags of cheese puffs, you are wrong. At least in Winter Park you are because those are front and center. These things are probably too good but you can have so many for so little points. They taste like the real deal too, no compromises here. My husband eats them too which is a huge deal!!
WW Points per 35 pieces:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
💚: 4 💙: 4 💜: 4 ✔️: 140 calories
Maple Chicken Breakfast Sausages
If you are not eating two of these for breakfast every single morning, you need to! I stumbled upon these a couple weeks ago and I cannot eat anything else for breakfast. They are slightly sweet, hence the maple, yet have such a great classic chicken sausage flavor to them too. I usually cut them in half and cook them on a pan, slice side down, for a couple minutes, until browned. They are seriously so good.
WW Points per Sausage Link:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
💚: 1 💙: 1 💜: 1 ✔️: 45 calories
Light Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges
I do not know how they do it but these things are literally so buttery and soft. You will never find a creamier cheese than a laughing cow cheese wedge. They are low point and really good on a rice cake for breakfast. There are a couple different flavors but I always get the light original.
WW Points per Wedge:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
💚: 1 💙: 1 💜: 1 ✔️: 35 calories
Southwestern Chopped Salad
There are a ton of varieties for this Trader Joe's salad kit but we like the Southwestern Chopped Salad version the most. My husband eats this for lunch a couple times a week and I will usually grab a few bites of it on the weekend. You can pair it with a different salad dressing to lower your points but I just think this is a great way to have a salad without having to buy and chop up every ingredient. It also pairs so well with the chicken I mentioned above.
WW Points per 1 cup Serving:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
💚: 5 💙: 5 💜: 5 ✔️: 160 calories
The dressing is included in this nutrition info.
Cauliflower Gnocchi
I usually try to keep some of their cauliflower gnocchi in my freezer. The kale one is good too but I like this one better. I like to sear it on a pan over the stove and pair it with a low point sauce, like my homemade tomato sauce linked here. A really great, easy lunch.
WW Points per 1 cup Serving:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
💚: 4 💙: 4 💜: 4 ✔️: 140 calories
Reduced Guilt Mac and Cheese
First off, my favorite thing about this is that a serving size is an entire box. No tricks. While this is probably the least fanciest item I buy, it is good. The sauce is creamy and slightly salty, in all the best ways. The sauce to pasta ratio is perfect and making this dish is a breeze. It is great if you are craving Mac and cheese but do not want to cook.
WW Points per Box:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
💚: 8 💙: 8 💜: 8 ✔️: 270 calories
Mini Chicken Tacos
These are not my favorite thing from Trader Joe's but they are good and I seem to keep buying them. They make for an easy lunch when you are in the mood for tacos. My only complaint is that some parts do not get crispy. I cook them in the air fryer for a little longer than it says. Overall, the flavor is really good and I love eating them.
WW Points per 4 Tacos:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
💚: 5 💙: 5 💜: 5 ✔️: 190 calories
If you want to make my version of this, check out my recipe.
What should I try next!?
Stephanie Pence says
My staples from Trader Joe’s are vegetable fried rice, kung pao chicken and mandarin orange chicken!