For busy people, who have minimal time to cook!
I have a passion for all things food – I spend a good amount of time coming up with ways my clients can integrate more balanced meals at home. I personally love cooking, but many of my clients don’t, or don’t feel they have the time. Trader Joe’s is one of my favorite places for these clients to shop because of their wide selection of semi-prepared food options. They make meal prep SO much easier for these clients.
I thought I’d share a few tips for creating quick meals, and easy meal combinations from Trader Joe’s.
When picking meal combinations, I like to start with a good quality protein, then pick a vegetable to add in, followed by some kind of carbohydrate. You don’t really need to focus on getting fat sources in, because typically we will find those in some of these foods already, or you’ll add some in for flavor.
I do recommend reading ingredient lists, and looking for foods with simple, and easily recognizable ingredient lists.
I rarely write down specific portions of these foods, because everyone is different! I would typically recommend most clients hit at least 20 g of protein per meal, and at least 2 cups of non-starchy vegetables per meal.
Here are a few of my favorite meal combos (as of Summer 2022 because we all know Trader Joe’s mixes things up).
TJ’s Pesto Chicken Ravioli
Ingredients
- 1 Container Chicken Ravioli
- 3 Whole Zucchini Sliced
- 3 Oz Mozzarella
- 1/3 C Pesto
- 1/2 C Cherry Tomatoes Halved
- 1/2 Tsp Olive or Avocado oil
- 1 Pinch Salt
Instructions
- Lightly cook veggies in a pan with a little oil, mixing every so often until lightly browned. (If you don't have tomatoes + zucchini, use other veggies! Spinach, yellow squash, mushrooms and onions are all great options)
- Cook TJ’s chicken ravioli according to package instructions.
- Mix veggies, and ravioli together, stir in pesto and top with cheese.
Notes
The Trader Joe’s Chicken Ravioli has a decent amount of protein – but if you’re shooting for a higher protein goal, just add some of their precooked chicken breast, or chicken sausage!
TJ’s Chili Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 Container TJ's Turkey or Chicken Chili
- 1 C Cauliflower Rice Frozen or fresh
- 1 Handful Whole Grain or Seed Crackers
- 1/4-1/2 Avocado
Instructions
- Pour chili into a microwave safe bowl, and mix in cauliflower rice. Heat in the microwave, stirring occasionally until fully heated through.
- Serve with crackers, and optional avocado slices on top.
Notes
Remember that canned soups/or chili in this case, are typically higher in sodium. Other than the high sodium, these Trader Joe’s chili’s have very reasonable ingredients.
TJ’s Quick Corn Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 Package TJ's Corn Tortillas
- 1 Package TJ's Chili Lime Chicken
- 1 Package TJ's Salsa
- 1 Package Shredded Green Cabbage
- 1 C Plain Greek Yogurt
Instructions
- Toast tortillas in a pan with a little oil or butter.
- Heat chili lime chicken, and add chicken to each tortilla.
- Add a little green cabbage to each tortilla, and salsa.Enjoy!
Notes
To add a boost of fiber, and flavor, use A Dozen Cousins beans in each taco.
To add a little more protein, opt for some greek yogurt in place of sour cream.
If you need more heat, use a little hot sauce!
If you want more vegetables, make a side salad using the extra cabbage, with whatever vegetables you’d like to add, and a mix of salsa and greek yogurt (with a pinch of Everything But The Elote) for dressing.
TJ’s Roasted Rosemary Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 Package TJ's Roasted Rosemary Chicken (This comes with wild rice)
- 1 Package Broccoli (or at least 3 c of some kind of vegetable)
- 2 Oz Cheese or grab some pesto Something to add to the vegetables
Instructions
- Steam your veggie or roast it in a pan with a little oil or butter. Season it with some cheese or pesto.
- Heat your chicken + rice, and add the veggies to the meal. Divide the meal into 2 servings.
Notes
The Roasted Rosemary Chicken will say on the back of the package that it is 3 servings. This is ridiculous, I would recommend eating at least half of the package per person. If you divide the package in half, you get 25.5 g protein per serving, so you’re hitting your protein goal, and it does provide a reasonable amount of carbohydrates. It seems low in vegetables on it’s own, so I just recommend adding some to bulk it up.
It’s also a little lower in fat, so if you feel like you’ll be hungry, feel free to add some sliced avocado – or even a little brown rice – as it just contains a moderate portion of carbohydrates.
TJ’s Balsamic Chicken Pita
Ingredients
- 1-2 Servings TJ's Balsamic Chicken Precooked
- 2 Small Whole Wheat Pita (or 1 large)
- 2 C Arugula
- 1/4 C Shredded Carrots
- 2-4 Tbsp Hummus
Instructions
- Toast your pita, and add in balsamic chicken for protein, some arugula (and possibly shredded carrots) for vegetables and texture, and a little hummus or avocado for healthy fat and flavor.
- Serve with extra carrots and hummus on the side.
Notes
The Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat pitas are awesome for stuffing with SO many things. I also love them with hummus, sprouts, and TJ’s smoked salmon, canned in olive oil.
TJ’s Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
Ingredients
- 2-3 Servings TJ's Teriyaki Chicken In the frozen section
- 2 C Brown Rice, Precooked You can also find this in the frozen section
- 4 C Broccoli (or a combo of broccoli & carrots) Frozen or fresh
- 1 Whole Avocado Sliced
Instructions
- Heat teriyaki chicken, brown rice, and broccoli. Steam carrots if you like and add them to your bowl. Serve with avocado sliced over the top.
Notes
I also like adding coconut aminos for additional flavor (this is lower sodium than low sodium soy sauce).
TJ’s Mediterranean Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Package TJ's Steamed Lentils These are pre-seasoned, and cooked in the fridge section
- 2 Red Bell Peppers Diced
- 1/2 Red Onion Diced
- 1/2 C Feta
- 1/4 C Pepperoncini Peppers Chopped
- 1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 3/4 tsp. TJ's Alium Salt
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together, and enjoy! Serve this hot or cold, or stuffed in a toasted whole wheat pita with some greens.
Notes
Lentils are a great source of plant-based protein, and add a reasonable portion of fiber and resistant starch to your plate! Wonderful for feeding those healthy gut bugs.
TJ’s Simple Glazed Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 Package TJ's Mushroom Risotto
- 8-10 Oz Salmon (2 Pieces)
- 1 C Mushrooms
- 1 Bunch Asparagus Trim the ends
- 2 Tbsp. Balsamic Glaze
Instructions
- Spray salmon with a little avocado oil, then top with salt/pepper or TJ’s alium salt.
- Cook salmon however you prefer! I love using the air fryer, or pan frying it.
- Cook mushrooms in a skillet with a little avocado oil for a few minutes. Then add in mushroom risotto, with 2 tbsp. water. Allow this mixture to cook for 7-10 more minutes.
- Serve salmon with your mushroom risotto, and at least 2 cups of nonstarchy vegetables (steamed broccoli etc). Drizzle balsamic glaze over your salmon and vegetables to add flavor.
Notes
Fatty fish are some of the healthiest foods you can include in your diet on the regular basis. SMASH is the acronym used to help us remember what these are – Salmon, Mackerel, Anchovies, Sardines, and Herring!
TJ’s Mediterranean Lentil Pita
Ingredients
- 1 Large Whole Wheat Pita Sliced in half
- 3/4 C Lentil Salad (or 1/2 c TJ's Steamable pre-made Lentils) Lentil salad recipe above
- 2-4 Oz Precooked Chicken Simply Chicken TJ's
- 2-4 Tbsp. Tzatziki or Hummus
- 2 C Mixed Greens
- 1 C Carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes Any veggies you enjoy, chopped
Instructions
- Cut the pita in half and toast each half.
- Stuff the toasted pita with hummus, lentils, greens etc.
- Serve with extra veggies and hummus on the side.
TJ’s Lentil Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 3 C Red Lentil Sedanini, Precooked TJ's Red Lentil Pasta
- 3 Tbsp. Red Wine or AC Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 C Cucumber Diced
- 1 C Red Bell Pepper Diced
- 2 C Arugula
- 1/2 C Feta or Mozzarella
- 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Instructions
- Cook lentil pasta according to package instructions.
- Allow pasta your pasta to cool. Chop vegetables.
- Mix pasta with vegetables, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, feta and alium salt to taste.
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