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

I try to mostly follow a Mediterranean diet and buy a lot of my staples at Trader Joe's. Susan Dawson-CookMy husband and I stay active and buy groceries for our Mediterranean-style diet at Trader Joe's.We keep Trader Joe's pico de gallo salsa, 21 Seasoning Salute, and organic coconut milk on hand.We like Trader Joe's three-layer hummus and Asian-style vegetable stir fry, too. I'm a retired personal trainer in my 60s living in Tucson, Arizona, with my husband. We both live fairly active lifestyles. 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. We always keep crunchy almond butter in our pantry. I like the simple ingredients of Trader Joe's crunchy almond butter. Susan Dawson-CookClery sticks spread with crunchy almond butter is one of my favorite lunch sides. I buy Trader Joe's unsalted almond butter because it only contains almonds — no inflammatory oils or sweeteners — which often appear in other brands.A 16-ounce jar of Trader Joe's chunky almond butter cost us $6.Trader Joe's colossal olives stuffed with garlic cloves are a great snack. The olives pair nicely with cheese. Susan Dawson-CookThese 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. Trader Joe's baby Swiss cheese comes in blocks. Susan Dawson-CookWe 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. Hummus can pair with almond crackers. Susan Dawson-CookI like that this three-layer dip contains tasty layers of traditional hummus, cilantro-jalapeño 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. The vegetable stir fry is convenient. Susan Dawson-CookTrader 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 can be found in the refrigerator section of the store. Susan Dawson-CookTrader Joe's pico de gallo salsa contains fresh-tasting ingredients like tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeños, 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.Trader Joe's dolmas vine leaves stuffed with rice are vegan. Susan Dawson-CookPopular 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. I like drinking green tea with breakfast.Susan Dawson-CookGreen 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 use Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute to add flavor to proteins. Susan Dawson-CookWe 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 has a range of mochi ice cream. Susan Dawson-CookTrader 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. Trader Joe's organic coconut milk is a pantry staple for us. Susan Dawson-CookWe 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 13-½ -ounce can of Trader Joe's organic coconut milk costs just under $2. Read the original article on Business Insider

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