I'm a Brit who has fallen in love with Trader Joe's. Here are 12 of my favorite things to buy at the US chain.

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Janine ClementsJul 18, 2022, 19:13 IST
I'm a Brit who has fallen in love with Trader Joe's. Here are 12 of my favorite things to buy at the US chain.

Trader Joe's is an American grocery chain.Janine Clements

  • I'm originally from the UK, but now I live in the US and love shopping at Trader Joe's.
  • A realtor introduced me to the American chain when I moved here from Singapore seven years ago.
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The frozen crushed-garlic cubes speed up cooking prep.

The frozen crushed-garlic cubes speed up cooking prep.
Simply add one of these Dorot Gardens' garlic cubes to a pan.Janine Clements

I regularly use garlic but don't enjoy peeling and crushing it — it's fiddly and you can't get the smell off of your hands.

So I love Dorot Gardens' frozen, hassle-free garlic cubes because you simply pop them into the pan for instant flavor. A cube is equivalent to one clove of garlic.

I keep a couple of boxes in the freezer and use them in everything, from soups to stir-fries.

A box of 20 cubes costs $2.49.

Trader Joe's tasty pastry bites with feta and caramelized onions are the perfect appetizer for entertaining.

Trader Joe's tasty pastry bites with feta and caramelized onions are the perfect appetizer for entertaining.
Trader Joe's pastry bites with feta and caramelized onions are both flaky and creamy.Janine Clements

I love entertaining, but sometimes I don't have time to make food from scratch, so Trader Joe's is my go-to for quick and easy frozen apps.

These pastry bites with feta and caramelized onions are my favorite. They take 10 minutes to cook in the oven and taste like they're homemade.

I keep a few boxes in the freezer for emergencies. A package of 12 costs $4.99.

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My daughter loves the maple-pecan clusters cereal for breakfast on school days.

My daughter loves the maple-pecan clusters cereal for breakfast on school days.
Each box of Trader Joe's maple-pecan clusters cereal costs under $5.Janine Clements

My 11-year-old daughter is hooked on this maple-pecan clusters cereal. She'll have a bowl with milk for breakfast and usually another as an after-school snack.

The cereal contains clusters made of oats and pecans, corn flakes, and multigrain flakes.

Each box costs $4.49, and I usually grab a few since they don't last long in my house.

I add these organic roasted-seaweed snacks to my kids' lunchboxes.

I add these organic roasted-seaweed snacks to my kids' lunchboxes.
Trader Joe's seaweed snacks come in packs of six.Janine Clements

These crunchy seaweed sheets are one of my go-to savory lunchbox snacks, as my kids love them.

They come in three flavors — original, sesame, and my kids' favorite, teriyaki.

Six individual packages cost $3.49.

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These frozen silver-dollar pancakes are a quick and easy breakfast for busy weekends.

These frozen silver-dollar pancakes are a quick and easy breakfast for busy weekends.
Trader Joe's silver-dollar pancakes heat up in the microwave.Janine Clements

I love making pancakes or waffles on the weekend, but between my kids' sports and other activities, mornings are often a rush.

So I keep a box of these bite-sized silver-dollar pancakes in the freezer.

You heat them in the microwave for a minute, then add your favorite toppings, like maple syrup or banana slices and Nutella. They're so easy to prepare that my kids often do it themselves.

One serving size is 11 pancakes, and a box of about three servings costs $2.49.

Trader Joe's fig-and-olive crisps are a real crowd-pleaser.

Trader Joe's fig-and-olive crisps are a real crowd-pleaser.
I love pairing Trader Joe's fig-and-olive crackers with Brie and goat cheese.Janine Clements

These crunchy fig-and-olive crisps are great for amping up a cheese plate, and I bring them out every time we entertain.

They contain dried mission figs from California and brined Kalamata olives, as well as flax, sesame, and sunflower seeds.

These tasty crackers pair well with Brie and goat cheese, and a 5-ounce box costs $3.99.

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The organic mixed-berry blend is perfect for breakfast smoothies or Champagne cocktails.

The organic mixed-berry blend is perfect for breakfast smoothies or Champagne cocktails.
Frozen fruit is cheaper than the fresh alternative.Janine Clements

Trader Joe's sells an impressive selection of organic frozen fruit, and my favorite is the mixed-berry blend of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

My teen adds them to her breakfast smoothies, and I use them to jazz up Champagne cocktails along with a splash of Chambord (a raspberry liqueur).

A 12-ounce bag costs $2.99.

The mandarin-orange chicken is an easy weeknight dinner and a family favorite.

The mandarin-orange chicken is an easy weeknight dinner and a family favorite.
Trader Joe's mandarin-orange chicken is an award-winning product.Janine Clements

When my husband and I don't want to cook after work, this award-winning mandarin-orange chicken – voted Trader Joe's best product by shoppers in the 13th annual Customer Choice Awards – is a quick and easy weeknight entrée.

Even my ultra-fussy 11-year-old loves it.

Simply bake the battered chicken for 20 minutes and heat up the orange-ginger sauce in a pan, then combine and serve.

Selling for $4.99, a bag is enough for my family of four.

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Trader Joe's organic jasmine rice makes weeknight cooking a breeze.

Trader Joe's organic jasmine rice makes weeknight cooking a breeze.
Trader Joe's frozen jasmine rice cooks in three minutes.Janine Clements

This organic rice is a real time-saver and a freezer staple.

Stick a precooked, frozen pack in the microwave for three minutes, and you'll have fluffy rice that's ready to eat.

It's the perfect accompaniment for the mandarin-orange chicken — I usually use two pouches for the four of us.

A box of four packs costs $4.29, so it's way more expensive than a regular bag of rice but the ease of preparing it makes it worth it.

These decadent chocolate lava cakes are always a hit.

These decadent chocolate lava cakes are always a hit.
Trader Joe's chocolate lava cakes heat up in the microwave.Janine Clements

I'm usually not a fan of chocolaty desserts but these gooey, dark-chocolate lava cakes are irresistible. My kids love them with whipped cream.

I often stash these in the freezer to whip out for last-minute entertaining.

A box of two costs $3.49, and the cakes are ready to serve in an instant since you heat them in the microwave.

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The chain's mac and cheese is an easy meal for my kids.

The chain's mac and cheese is an easy meal for my kids.
Trader Joe's mac and cheese contains four different cheeses.Janine Clements

The Joe's Diner mac and cheese is always a hit with my kids. It's the ideal meal when we're in a rush after school and they need a quick, tasty dinner.

Creamy, cheesy, and flavorful, this pasta contains cheddar, Swiss, Gouda, and Havarti. I keep one or two boxes in the freezer to whip out in a hurry.

One 14-ounce box serves two and costs $2.99.

I love Trader Joe's great selection of fresh flowers that don't break the bank and last.

I love Trader Joe's great selection of fresh flowers that don't break the bank and last.
I specifically love the lilies.Janine Clements

Having fresh flowers in my home always puts a smile on my face, so I usually add a bouquet to my shopping cart.

You can find everything, from roses to mixed bouquets of all sizes.

The lilies are my favorite — they're affordable, smell divine, and last a while. A bouquet with three stems costs $5.99.

Click to keep reading Trader Joe's diaries like this one.

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