Something I love about Trader Joe’s is that they have great products that you can’t find anywhere else. But Keto can be tricky, something may seem perfect and then when you look at the ingredients, they are full of carbs and sugar.
I recently made a Trader Joe’s weekly grocery haul and will be sharing with you the products I purchased and what I made with them. You could definitely use this as a shopping list/cooking guide.
Below is the full haul. I am separating out the products by category with more information about why I selected them.
PRODUCE:
Baby wild arugula: I love a spicy green. Not only is arugula delicious, it is super low in carbs. Once cup only contains 1g of carbs so you could eat this entire bag with no guilt.
Cruciferous crunch (shredded kale, brussels sprouts, broccoli, green cabbage and red cabbage): This bag has pretty much all of my fave keto veggies and contains a total of 4g net carbs. Yum!
Baby Bok Choy: Another very low carb veggie that can go with any Asian inspired dish. One cup has less than 1g of net carbs.
Arugula spears: I buy asparagus almost every week. I love it grilled, roasted and even shaved raw. They should be a staple for your Keto diet because one cup contains about 2 1/2g net carbs.
Riced cauliflower: If you have been doing Keto for any length of time, riced cauliflower should have made it’s way into your kitchen. It is so versatile and can replace any recipe that uses rice. Also, if you microwave it with some cream and butter, it mashes very easily. Once cup has 4g net carbs which should fit easily into your daily macros.
Baby bella mushrooms: oh mushrooms, wonderful mushrooms. I was so thrilled when I found out mushrooms are very Keto friendly! I use them all the time, in my eggs, in my braises, salads, or just roasted in oil with salt a pepper. Once cup of chopped raw mushrooms have 2g net carbs. Horray!
Shallot: Sometimes I like to use a shallot in my recipes instead of onions because they are so sweet and yummy and have about 5g net carbs per shallot.
Jalapenos: I’m a sucker for spicy foods. If I could, I would carry jalapenos around with me everywhere I went to add to my food. This little bag had mostly green jalapenos with a few red jalapenos too! The red ones are spicy but have some sweetness to them as well. One pepper has about .5g of net carbs. I normally use one or two peppers in my recipes so the carb count is very small.
Avocados: If you aren’t eating an avocado a day, you need to start incorporating this into your daily routine immediately! They are packed with potassium and awesome fats and one of these little babies have only 2g of net carbs.
Yellow onion: I might get some grief from the Keto police for this one. But I absolutely cannot give up onions. Please don’t come at me. I know they are on the borderline of approved veggies. I only ever use 1/4 of a small to medium sized onion which has about 9g net carbs.
Garlic: What can I say about garlic except that it is pure gold. I used it in almost everything. It is high in carbs by weight but because there is so much flavor in garlic, you don’t need much. One clove has 1g carb so keep this in mind when cooking.
Pantry Items:
Olive oil: extra virgin. Great for cooking or marinades and dressings.
Green Dragon Hot Sauce: omg, this sauce is incredible! Made with jalapenos, tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, spinach powder and a few other awesome ingredients, it can go over eggs or keto taco bowls and has less than 1g of carbs. No hidden carbs in this sauce!
Green Chilies: I grabbed these on a whim for the day I want some green chili something or other. One little can has about 8g carbs so they are on the higher side for Keto carbs ingredients.
Umami Spice: I am freaking out about this spice! I didn’t even know what I was going to use it for but knew I needed to add it to my spice cabinet. It’s made with salt, dried onions, ground mustard seed, mushroom powder, black pepper and thyme. Oh, and it has ZERO carbs.
Truffle Marcona Almonds: you might be able to see that this bag is already opened. I couldn’t help myself and tore it open on the drive home. I had to make sure that they were as delicious as they looked. Don’t worry, they were outrageous! Salty, trufflley, almondy, I mean what else do you want in life? 1/4 cup of these beauties have 3g net carbs and 1 g sugar. Love these!
Macadamia Nuts: some say these are the perfect nut. Being very high in fats and low in carbs should make these a permanent part of your Keto pantry. 10 nuts have 1.5 net carbs so you can snack away.
Olive Tapenade: I picked this up for some more snacking options. I don’t usually snack during the week but on the weekend, I love having little snacks my and the hubby can munch on. 1/4 cup has 2g carbs. You could also layer this on top of roasted chicken thighs, tilapia or swordfish.
Dairy:
Kerrygold Irish Butter: of course. Kerrygold butter for everything. Grass-fed and rich in flavor.
Heavy whipping cream: I’ll use this in my bulletproof coffee, in cream sauces and some keto desserts like chocolate mousse.
Pimento Cheese: absolutely one of the best dips in the universe. It may seem like I’m exaggerating but I do love this stuff! Sometimes I like to make my own but when it is this good and ready to go, I can’t resist. Great with pork rinds or sliced cucumbers or celery. 2 tbsp = 1g carbs. What? Really? Yep. Go for it.
Basque Cheese: this is some seriously stinky, soft, sheep’s milk cheese. Not for the faint of nose. But I am not afraid of stinky cheese so I say, “bring it on!” Cucumber slices help to balance out the strong flavor. And one ounce has zero carbs.
New Zealand Sharp Cheddar: cheese, wonderful cheese! Some Keto people have been able to give up dairy, but not me! Especially when it comes to cheese. And high fat foods with zero carbs. Amirite?
Parmesan, Romano and Asiago Cheese: Shaved aged cheeses that you could literally eat right out of the container or throw on top of salads and proteins. And zero carbs.
Meats/poultry/fish:
The following products with the exception of the scallops are zero carb.
Nova Salmon: I grew up on lox and bagels. So I have found ways to continue to eat smoked salmon and the Trader Joe’s product is very good. I will throw it on top of scrambled eggs or layer it with some cream cheese and spinach. Simple and delicious.
All Natural Chicken Thighs (skin and bone-on): Roasting up some chicken thighs is a weekly occurrence in this household because it is easy, quick to clean up and yummy.
Ground Pork: Another quick meal go to is ground pork. Throw it in a pan with some coconut aminos, spices and Keto veggies and you have a perfect Keto stir fry. Or make some meatballs.
Uncured Bacon, Ends and Pieces: I have to get this item every time I am at Trader Joe’s and if it is in stock. It’s very popular some sometimes they are out. And then I’ll quietly cry for a moment, giving a little salute to the empty shelf. But if you see this, get it. And cook it up like you would normal bacon. For me, this means on a sheet pan in the oven.
Boneless Ribeye Steaks: This cut has tons of marbling which means two things: flavor and fat. If you haven’t tried making a reverse sear ribeye, I highly recommend it because it comes out to a perfect medium rare pretty much every time.
Fresh Sea Scallops: I hadn’t eaten sea scallops in quite awhile when I saw these at Trader Joe’s and thought I’d give them a whirl. They do contain carbs: 4oz have 3g so keep that in mind when making your recipe. But I will say that these tasted fantastic and were a very reasonable price so I would definitely purchase these again.
Now for the meals:
Seared Ribeye Steak over fresh arugula tossed in oil and vinegar and topped with shaved cheese. For this meal, I cooked the steak in a cast iron skillet in butter and olive oil, 3 min each side.
Seared sea scallops over mushroom cauliflower “risotto”. Maybe one of the best things I’ve ever made. I will be posting a recipe link soon. The mushroom risotto had a sprinkling of that umami spice which took it to a whole new level of mushroom flavor awesomeness.
Butter Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs with sautéed asparagus and mushrooms in a cream sauce made from the pan drippings. Can you say yum?
Chinese 5 spice pork bowl with sautéed cruciferous crunch, mushrooms and onions, served with charred garlic bok choy. Holy moly this was good. Done in 30 min with one pot and a sheet pan.
Dill cream cheese scramble with smoked salmon. Link for recipe https://www.wifeycooksketo.com/?recipe=dill-cream-cheese-scramble-with-smoked-salmon
Overall, I was pretty happy with this grocery haul from Trader Joe’s. The meals I made with these products were really good and made for a happy home and meal prep.
If you have any products from TJ’s that you want me to try, comment below.
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