15 Favorite Trader Joe's Products
Before I get too deep into this article, I wanted to acknowledge that I know everyone does not have access to Trader Joe’s. However, to those people, if you ever come across one or move closer to one I urge you to go check it because they have a lot of great PKU friendly, and just delicious foods.
I don’t ever remember going into a Trader Joe’s store when I was little, but I do remember that my dad would typically get me these low-protein frozen waffles from there that only had like 1g of protein in them. I LOVED being able to eat “real” waffles like my sister and other people in my family. I don’t really eat waffles anymore, but that’s just because I’m not the biggest breakfast person.
I’m going to share a lot of my favorite foods from Trader Joe’s, but I do take Kuvan, so I can tolerate up to 30g of protein a day. Before I jump into that, I guess I should explain the type store to expect when going into Trader Joe’s for those who haven’t been. (Also, none of this is sponsored in any way, I just love the store). I would describe the store as a smaller, cheaper, specialty grocery store. A lot of their products are things you will only find at their stores, and tend to be on the cheaper side. They do have a great variety of frozen foods, it’s probably my favorite section to browse. The one downside, is I can’t always do all of my shopping there because they don’t have everything I need (like vegan cheeses or non-dairy creamers).
Just for ease of viewing, I am listing these foods from the least amount of protein to the most amount of protein. Some of these products can easily be found in any other store, like marinated artichoke hearts and veggie chips, but I included them because if you’re gonna make a trip to Trader Joe’s, you gotta know what they offer. I also just want to note that this is not a comprehensive list. I always find new products that I want to try at Trader Joe’s, so these are just some of my regular purchases and other good products I’ve found from them. I found the phe amounts using the How Much Phe website.
Canned Green Jackfruit
A great product to keep on hand to use as a meat substitute for tacos, burgers, and plenty of other recipes.
Serving size: 1 cup
Servings per container: 2
Protein: 0g
Phe: 22.86mg per serving
Perfectly PKU recipe: BBQ jackfruit, Jackfruit Salad
Sweet Plantain Chips
A great low-pro snack at home, or an easy snack to add to your kids lunch or your own work lunch. (also gluten free)
Serving Size: 12 chips
Servings per container: 5
Protein: 0.61g
Phe: 20.7mg per serving
Scandinavian Swimmers
A great low-pro option for a gummy treat.
Serving Size: 6 pieces
Servings per container: 14
Protein: 0g
Phe: not listed on HMP
Olive Tapenade
A great spread to use on low-protein crackers or use as a dip.
Serving Size: 2 tbsp.
Servings per container: 9
Protein: 0
Phe: not listed on HMP
If you want to check out my homemade olive tapenade, click here.
Veggie Chips
Yet another great snack to throw into your lunch. This is also a great healthy alternative to traditional potato chips as they are gluten free and lower in phe!
Serving Size: 28g or about 26 chips
Servings per container: 6
Protein: 0.5g
Phe: 30mg
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
A great option for pizza crust, especially if you don’t want to take the time or don’t have the time to make your own pizza dough. Be careful when flipping the crust when cooking it, it is very fragile!
Serving Size: ⅙ of the crust
Servings per container: 6
Protein: 1g
Phe: 33mg
Hashbrowns Shredded Potatoes
These are a great potato option for breakfast. They can easily be made in the toaster oven, or a regular oven if you’re fancy. I also used to bring these to school for lunch as a kid. I would cook them in the toaster oven and then wrap them in foil to keep them (kinda) warm by the time I ate lunch at school.
Serving Size: 1 patty
Servings per container:10
Protein: 1g
Phe: 37mg
Speculoos Cookie Butter
I love using this butter as a substitute for peanut butter in recipes. It doesn’t give the same flavor as peanut butter, but it works as a substitute for most recipes.
Serving Size: 1 tbsp.
Servings per container: 27
Protein: 1.1g
Phe: 55 mg
Perfectly PKU recipe: Banana Cookie Butter Sandwich (my first ever recipe!)
Gluten-Free Toaster Waffles
These are the toaster waffles I remember loving as a kid.
Serving Size: 2 waffles
Servings per container: 4
Protein: 1.4g
Phe: 0.97mg
Marinated Artichoke Hearts
Just some yummy hearts to have alone as a snack or add to a salad.
Serving Size: ½ cup
Servings per container: 4
Protein: 2g
Phe: 60mg
Asian Vegetables with Beijing Style Soy Sauce
A great thing to keep in the freezer to make a quick stir-fry recipe.
Serving Size: 1 cup
Servings per container:3
Protein: 2.2g
Phe: 96mg
Vegetable Bird Nests
Great to keep in the freezer for a quick meal when you don’t want to cook.
Serving Size: 3 pieces with sauce
Servings per container: 2.5
Protein: 3g
Phe: 75mg
Kung Pao Tempura Cauliflower
Delicious, saucy, cauliflower that you don’t need to spend a ton of time cooking.
Serving Size: 1 cup
Servings per container: 6
Protein: 3.1g
Phe: 117mg
If you would like to cook your own low-pro cauliflower check out my BBQ Cauliflower.
Yellow Jackfruit Curry
These are more likely for those only Palynziq or Kuvan. But this meal is a great microwaveable meal when you are short on time and easy to store in the freezer.
Serving Size: 1 container
Servings per container: 1
Protein: 8g
Phe: not listed in HMP
Vegan Tikka Masala
Also like the jackfruit curry, for those with higher phe intake, and a great microwaveable dish to keep in the freezer.
Serving Size: 1 container
Servings per container: 1
Protein:12g
Phe: not listed in HMP
Leave your favorite Trader’ Joe’s products in the comments below! I’d love to hear what you guys like to eat from TJ’s!