I’m a nutritionist who shops at Trader Joe’s for 2. Here are 13 things I always buy there

I love getting groceries from Trader Joe’s for my household. Candace Nelson I’m a nutritionist who shops at Trader Joe’s for my two-person household. I love buying frozen spinach, chocolate-covered strawberries, and sweet-potato gnocchi.

I also buy pre-crushed garlic, tahini, and unsweetened applesauce from Trader Joe’s.   I use chopped spinach every day. Trader Joe’s frozen chopped spinach is a staple in my kitchen.

Candace NelsonI sprinkle Trader Joe’s chopped spinach on pizza, scrambled eggs, baked potatoes, and pasta sauce. It’s my way of getting some extra leafy greens in my body. I aspire to get my life together and grow and freeze my own spinach.

Until then, I prefer the Trader Joe’s chopped spinach to the bricks of frozen stuff available in most freezer sections. Bell peppers are a favorite, too. Finding bags of bell-pepper slices in the freezer section was a life-changing discovery for me.

Candace NelsonI love having pre-cut bell pepper at the ready for the same dishes I throw chopped spinach into. I usually like to add bell pepper to breakfast scrambles and homemade pizza.  The only problem is that the bag includes green bell peppers, and my household really prefers yellow and red.

But we take the shortcuts we can get. Everything but the Bagel seasoning is my secret for tasty vegetables. A little bit of seasoning can punch up a dish.

Shutterstock/Walker PhotographyI’m not above adding seasonings, dressings, and sauces to make veggies more exciting. Everything but the Bagel seasoning is a great pick, and it helps make awesome air-fried cauliflower bites that are tough to refuse.  I do what I need to do to get vegetables in the bodies of those I feed (including my own).

There’s also no shame in sprinkling some cheese on broccoli to get someone to try it. If you need more inspiration, take a gander at Trader Joe’s dressings, marinades, and dips.  Crushed garlic is good to have.

I love using fresh garlic, but I use pre-crushed stuff in a pinch. Candace NelsonWe measure garlic with the heart in our house. I like to use fresh garlic, but sometimes it sprouts before I can use it.

 It’s those days when I’m glad I have a backup in frozen cube form. Frozen strawberries are my secret to being the cool auntie. Trader Joe’s organic strawberries make for a killer smoothie.

Candace NelsonMy niece frequently requests a strawberry smoothie when she visits, and I’m happy to make them with her. I prefer blueberry smoothies, but I live here full-time, so I buy them in bulk at Costco. Fortunately, Trader Joe’s has the perfect-size bags of frozen strawberries for my favorite occasional visitor.

While my dear niece’s head is turned, I also like to sneak a few of Trader Joe’s frozen beets into our smoothies. They blend in nicely because the sweet strawberry flavor masks the earthiness of the beets. Beets are packed with antioxidants and heart-healthy nutrients.

Tahini is a staple. Trader Joe’s organic tahini can be used to make hummus. Candace NelsonWe love Lebanese food at my house, so having a jar of tahini on standby is a must.

If you’re not familiar, tahini is ground sesame. It’s a main ingredient in hummus and baba ghanouj. Tahini is a good source of monounsaturated fatty acids AKA the good kind.

When made into hummus, tahini is also a tasty dip for carrots and cucumber slices. Sweet potatoes are my favorite root vegetable. I love to put sweet potatoes in the air fryer.

Candace NelsonSweet potatoes are among my top five favorite foods. I don’t go to Trader Joe’s for the produce since I don’t love that most of the products are plastic-wrapped. But sweet potatoes don’t come in plastic.

I just put a few loose in my cart. I recommend using them to make chili, enchiladas, or air-fried fries.    I can make pumpkin muffins all year round thanks to the canned pumpkin.

I use Trader Joe’s organic canned pumpkin for muffins and breads. Candace NelsonA fun way to get a serving of vegetables or fruit is by baking with them. Zucchini and pumpkin are especially perfect for bread or muffins.

I especially like to keep the canned stuff on hand because sometimes a pumpkin-muffin craving hits when there’s not a fresh pumpkin to be found. Unsweetened applesauce is versatile. Trader Joe’s unsweetened applesauce is good for baking.

Candace NelsonLike pumpkin, a jar of no-sugar-added applesauce is a great pantry staple. I like to use applesauce in place of oil or sugar when I bake. But it’s also good to serve on potato pancakes or as a snack on its own.

I use Trader Joe’s rose-water facial toner. Trader Joe’s rose-water facial toner helps my skin feel refreshed. Candace NelsonI am not a connoisseur of fine beauty products, but I have rosacea and my face is sensitive to heat.

The refreshing spritz of Trader Joe’s rosewater facial toner after a workout, on a summer day, or when I’m wearing a particularly warm sweater feels so nice. I always pick up a frozen treat. Trader Joe’s nondairy strawberry “ice cream” is delicious.

Candace NelsonAll of my Trader Joe’s trips must include something fun or unexpected. On my recent trip, I grabbed an oat-milk frozen dessert. Trader Joe’s also has fun seasonal ice creams and desserts that I like to try, too.

For a treat, I grab Trader Joe’s Gone Berry Crazy! dark-chocolate-covered strawberry pieces. Trader Joe’s Gone Berry Crazy! dark-chocolate-covered strawberry piecesCandace NelsonGone Berry Crazy! chocolate-covered strawberries are perfect to keep in the back of the freezer for days when I’m craving chocolate.  Not only do I hit my chocolate craving, but also I get a serving of heart-healthy, antioxidant-rich strawberries.

The chocolate-covered banana slices also frequent my freezer. Just don’t be fooled by the headlines about chocolate being a superfood. It’s still candy.

Trader Joe’s frozen sweet-potato gnocchi with butter and sage passes my requirements. Trader Joe’s sweet-potato gnocchi is easy to prepare. Candace NelsonThe FDA considers anything with more than 20% of the daily recommended amount of sodium per serving high.

So I make it a rule to check labels and take a pass on high-sodium processed foods. TJ’s sweet-potato gnocchi with butter and sage comes in just under at 19%. It’s an excellent quick meal for two.

If you want to add serving sizes and dilute the salt in packaged foods like this one, try adding veggies, beans (rinse the brine off canned beans), or no-salt-added tomato sauce. Click to keep reading Trader Joe’s diaries like this one. Read the original article on Insider.