My lovely sister-in-law had a request for a Trader Joe”s specific shopping list.  SO, I will do one, and many of these things have substitutions at other stores, but this one will be specifically about Trader Joes.

There are plenty of carb UNFRIENDLY things at Trader Joe’s, albeit most of them are healthier choices, and certainly more affordable items.

Low-carb shopping list at Trader Joe’s…

1.  SALAD:  The salad mixes are all very nice.  I like the more designer ones.  They also have pre-made salads, which are very good, but most are HIGH in carbs.  Look for ones that have mostly meat and egg and less beans, corns and chips.

2.  PROTEIN:  Protein bars.  Power Crunch is my favorite.  Protein shakes, all good.

3. CHEESE:  Great choices.  Try for low fat, but there are so many delicious choices.  Mini Baby bells and string cheese are great snacks. The Havarti is so good with meat or just to snack!

4.  MEAT:  Turkey burgers and their organic roasting chickens are heavenly.  Their sliced meats and hot dogs are low in carbs and really good, fresh.  ALSO, they have little hamburger patties that are so lean and so delicious, that when we grill them, they taste like filet mignon.  Totally recommend them!

5.  MULTI-CULTURE:  Their enchilada sauce and pizza sauces are really good for the cauliflower based pizza and the Taco Bell-esq burrito concoction I have written about.  Low-carb tortilla there is very low in carbs.  Decent pasta sauce for Miracle Noodles or my low-carb chicken parm.

6  FRUIT:  Fruits are good.  Strawberries, tomatoes, oranges.

7.  VEGGIES:  Veggies are delish.  All of them.  Stay away from corn, potatoes and starchy things.  The mixes for salads are great and convenient.

8.  SALAD DRESSINGS:  TJ’s salad dressings are good.  They have a great balsamic vinagrette.  Great oils and such too.

9.  MILKY ITEMS:  Great low-carb Greek Yogurt choices and organic milk.  The larger container of Dannon Fit and Lite at Costco is more cost efficient.  They have good butter spread made of yogurt.  My husband uses one called, Earth Balance.

10.  EGGS:  Boiled eggs in a bag!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I use these daily.  Also their regular eggs are good, as are egg white cartons.

11.  NUTS/SEEDS: They have a great selection of nuts and seeds there.  Although, I think the containers at Costco are more cost efficient.  Great peanut and other butters.

12.  FROZEN MEAT:  In the freezer section.  Sometimes they have great fish choices to keep in your fridge for protein and quick fix items.  Turkey burgers too.

13.  DOGS:  Their peanut butter treats are heavenly and actually made by the Blue Dog Bakery.  My dogs love them.  And they are natural.

14.  PRE-MADE MEALS: Great pre-made meals, but check out the carb content on the packaging.  If you go over 25g of carbs for your own dinner, you might be getting a little too high.  I work to keep my numbers between 50g and 100g and the closer to 50f, the happier I am.

15,  WATER:  A lot of choices.  No or low carbs….

THE RECIPE OF THE DAY IS TO AVOID CERTAIN THINGS AT THE MARKET:

I stay away from bread and rice, but they do have one ok bread, their TJ California Protein bread at 15g a slice.  However, Sara Lee’s 45 calorie wheat bread is about 7g per slice, so I prefer that and that is not sold at TJ.  It is less than $3 at Target and just under $5 at the other markets.  They have great mixes for brownies and banana bread, but those are not low-carb.  Beware.  There are so many wonderful choices, so just stay away from the bad stuff.