I'm a retired personal trainer on a Mediterranean diet. I swear by these 11 buys from Trader Joe's.

Business Insider

04-05-2025

I'm also a certified yoga instructor, swimmer, and author who's published four fitness books — including "Fitter Than Ever at 60 and Beyond." My husband regularly swims, lifts weights, runs, and practices yoga.
To support our healthy habits, we try to eat a Mediterranean diet rich in lean protein, eggs, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
We like shopping at Costco with our executive membership, and we also buy a lot of staples at Trader Joe's.
Here are some products from the chain that we swear by.
Trader Joe's colossal olives stuffed with garlic cloves are a great snack. These garlic-stuffed olives from Trader Joe's are a fairly light and delicious pre-dinner snack, especially when paired with cheese.A 16-ounce jar of Trader Joe's colossal olives cost $4.50 on this trip.
The olives pair well with baby Swiss. We usually pair our olives with a few thin slices of baby Swiss cheese.It usually costs about $5 per pound at Trader Joe's.
Three-layer hummus is delicious. I like that this three-layer dip contains tasty layers of traditional hummus, cilantro-jalapeo hummus, and spicy hummus. It pairs nicely with blue-corn tortilla chips or almond crackers.We usually pay $4 for a 12-ounce container of this dip from Trader Joe's.
Trader Joe's Asian-style vegetable stir fry is easy to turn into a full meal. Trader Joe's Asian-style vegetable stir-fry mix includes snap peas, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and more. I like cooking these pre-chopped veggies in olive oil with a protein, like lean ground turkey, to whip up a satisfying dinner within minutes. The 18-ounce bowl of veggies costs $5.50.
We use pico de gallo salsa in a few ways. Trader Joe's pico de gallo salsa contains fresh-tasting ingredients like tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeos, and lemon juice. It's a delicious side with any meal, and we sometimes add it to scrambled eggs for extra flavor or use as it as a dip with blue-corn tortilla chips.A 12-ounce container of Trader Joe's pico de gallo salsa cost us $3.
Dolmas can be a nice snack before lunch or dinner. Popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, dolmas are grapevine leaves typically stuffed with rice, onion and seasonings. We like the ones from Trader Joe's, which are especially nice as a light appetizer before lunch or dinner.A 9.86-ounce can of Trader Joe's dolmas cost us $3.50.
Green tea is a staple. Green tea is high in antioxidants, and I often drink it with breakfast.A box of 20 bags of Trader Joe's green tea cost $3 on our last trip.
Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute is great to have on hand. We like using Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute on meat, poultry, or fish that we cook outside on our grill.The spice blend contains a flavorful mix of ingredients like onion, black pepper, celery seed, cayenne, parsley, basil, and oregano. A 2.2-ounce bottle of it cost us $2.50.
My husband loves mochi ice cream. Trader Joe's mochi ice cream is a hit with my husband, who especially enjoys the vanilla and dark-chocolate flavors.These tasty gluten-free treats are essentially a chewy rice dough filled with ice cream.A package of six vanilla mochi usually costs us $5 at Trader Joe's.
Organic coconut milk is the key ingredient in one of my favorite sauces. We regularly eat baked wild salmon with a dill and lemon sauce. One of the sauce's key ingredients is coconut milk, which adds a nice creaminess to the dish without making it too heavy. A 13- -ounce can of Trader Joe's organic coconut milk costs just under $2.