OOOh! The little frozen pizzas with Trader Giottti’s on the label.
Too damn good. They’re in packs of three.
Half gallon of Cherry Garcia. I’ve never seen it sold elsewhere.
I tried to resist, but the temptation was too much for me! You must try the small yellow cake. What’s best about it, though, is actually the frosting, which is some of the most delicious frosting I’ve had ever, honest! It has a slight touch of lemon, but that just enhances it!
Beyond that, I’d get the boneless leg of lamb and the TJ coffee beans. OMG, but I could very easily spend $50 there.
That’s funny- when we lived in Boulder, there was no TJ’s and I would drive 40 miles r/t to get to Costco! 
Costco meat is quite good, and their filet is only $9.99-$13.99 per pound, and the NY, rib eye and flank steak are even less.
TJ’s is also a great resource for organic and kosher items, including meats.
They have the best tasting low-fat English muffins I’ve had. Also, I’m not sure if they still have the portobello burgers. Yummy. Good on the muffins with low-fat Helman’s mayo. They also have a hard cheese that’s low-fat that tastes like the real thing. …is there a low-fat theme here? Why am I still fat?
Creamy Mediterranean hummus–or any hummus.
Multigrain crackers–quite tasty.
Sesame multigrain pretzel nuggets, mmmmm.
Yeah, the Legolam is very tasty. And easy. The seasoning is just right, and it only takes an hour to cook. But I’ve had a helluva time finding it at my local TJ’s. Frozen ribs? Yes. Frozen chops? Yes. Fresh lamb steaks? Yep. But no severed limbs. For months. So I’ve decided that I’m going to stop looking. If they have it and I notice it, then I’ll get one. If not, then I’ll just get one from Don & Jon’s at Pike Place Market. I have to season it myself, but it’s fresh and local.
Still, for convenience and the price, you can’t beat the frozen Legolam at Trader Joe’s. If they have it.
The humble vanilla wafer is elevated to heavenly heights at Trader Joe’s.
Gorgonzola crackers. Sweet zombie Buddha are they yummy. The peanut butter is out if this world, which I don’t understand. It’s peanuts and salt, but richer tasting than other pure PB’s I’ve tried. Either it’s made from roasted peanuts, or crack.
Funny thing is, I’ll pack a shopping basket to damn-near overflowing and dread the total at the checkout line, and it’ll still be like, $39 bucks for what would probably run me $55 at Safeway.
Their peanut butter-filled pretzels are the best anywhere…and the cheapest I’ve found. Same with the roasted cashews and raisins and water.
Try the chocolate-dipped bananas
I agree with the previous suggestion of cashew butter, it’s really good.
Also, Tom Yum Cashews. I just found them on Friday, and they are delicious. Sort of crispy and chewy at the same time. I managed to actually get 2 servings out of the bag (they’re small, like 2.5 servings per the nutritional info). But it was tough.
**Frugal Beer **FTW! Nice, cheap basic beer for those who are tightwads and not fancy beer snobs.
The spicy chocolate wedgie thingies are da bomb.
I like TJ’s but I don’t feel it’s a cheap as everyone else seems to. There are some values but I wouldn’t do all my shopping there; produce is quite expensive and only can be bought in packages of several. I like their meat but I find that it’s more expensive than my local grocery store. Bread is about the same price as a regular store, same with pasta and tomato sauces. I find their snack selection good but very limited. If it was closer I’d go there and do more cherry picking of things I like, but it’s a 40 minute round trip for me so I get there once or twice a month.
That said there are awesome things at Trader Joe’s. The cheeses are great and better prices than the supermarket, particularly specialty cheeses like Boursin or Laughing Cow. I get my almond milk there at a great price, coffee too. They have a lovely salad blend with butter lettuce- the best lettuce ever- and radicchio. Milk is priced well, and yogurt is good, too. Generally staples are on par priced with the supermarket, often cheaper, so if I were trying to get the most from a gift card I’d stock up on pantry staples like chicken broth, condiments, sauces, coffee and tea.
I know the OP specified against frozen prepared things, but that is really where Trader Joe’s shines so I have to list some of my favorites. Their garlic naan is spectacular and they have great frozen rice blends and frozen veggies. The favorite thing in my household is the Mandarin Orange Chicken, like General Tso’s from a Chinese restaurant but without the massive amount of calories, and cheaper than takeout. They have a teriyaki chicken that’s pretty good, too, if a little fatty. The Tarte Alsace is really good.
Also, toilet paper and wine. And seconding the advice against the cat tuna. Blech. I love my cat.
I’ve just discovered Trader Joe’s frozen chocolate croissants. 4 for 4 dollars. Let rise over night and bake in the morning. Buttery, chocolate goodness. Best croissant I’ve ever had outside of France.
Their 12" frozen pizza magherita is beloved in this house. Buy some frozen shrimp or Italian sausage at the same time and you can top it as you like. The pizza’s made in Italy, so someone knows what they’re doing.
Greek stuffed grape leaves (dolmas) in jars.
Canned Cuban style black beans.
Yes, the big bottles of “Kalamata” brand Greek olive oil. About $8 a liter, which is cheap for good quality extra-virgin olive oil.
The brand of egg substitute they carry tastes precisely like Eggbeaters but costs a lot less.
Their own brand of dairy products (organic milk, cottage cheese, cream) are very good indeed.
Seconding the frozen Indian meals. We recently had some TJ’s frozen butter chicken (which came with a good serving of basmati rice pilaf) which was just as good as that we find at Indian restaurants.
TJ’s brand of chewy granola cereal bars is yummy, yet costs less than Kashi or Quaker.
Any of the following things:
They also have the best peanut butter cups in the known universe, and I love the chocolate-covered Joe Joe’s cookies beyond reason.
But I’ll never forgive those rat bastards for discontinuing the Tandoori Spice Poppadum chips.
Last time there, I spent $30 on coffee alone. My favorite is the Mocca Java, but I buy several blends. The Volcano is great if you like your coffee sturdy and dark.
Also, Mochi balls. I do so love them, oh mango and green tea little balls of ice cream. sigh
We drive over 3 hours each way to go to TJ’s. 
Usually we try to visit Trader Joe’s while we’re in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, or Chicago on other business, but once in awhile we’ll run to Minneapolis to just visit TJ’s and IKEA. I swear, TJ’s would make a killing in central Iowa; there’s nothing like it near here (not even a Whole Foods), but there’s plenty of demand. We end up taking orders for stuff from all of our friends and bringing back cases of wine and bags upon bags of food, and lots of people return the favor. I just got a delivery this morning from a friend who went up over the weekend (Spicy Tangy almonds, yahoo!).