Trader Joe's is hands down my favourite place to grocery shop [1]. Before I started shopping at the budget store, I never thought I'd ever hear myself say "enjoy" and "grocery shopping" in the same sentence, but it's true. I really love my weekly trip to meal-prep heaven [2].
Trader Joe's is the land of endless possibilities. It has every ingredient you can dream of, from pesto-marinated chicken to gluten-free granola [3] — I could spend hours in the frozen food section [4] alone, and I definitely didn't know how many ways there were to prepare cauliflower [5] until I started shopping at the store — all at reasonable prices.
But with options comes responsibility. It is easy to get overwhelmed by all of the different choices at TJ's, especially when you're trying to stick to your healthy eating goals [6] and are tempted by delicious things like birthday cake popcorn [7] and peanut butter cups [8]. That's why I've broken down a few quick and nutritious meal-prep ideas that use a few favourite Trader Joe's finds.
Breakfast: Yoghurt Parfait
Ingredients (5 parfaits):
- 1 32-ounce jar of Trader Joe's Greek Yoghurt With Honey
- 1 12-ounce package of Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Granola
- 1 pint raspberries
Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day [9]. This week, I made yoghurt parfaits with Greek yoghurt and gluten-free granola from Trader Joe's (I chose Cranberry Maple Nut) that's packed with corn-based granola, dried fruit, nuts, flax, sunflower and sesame seeds. It also goes well with almond milk, or even as a snack on its own.
Breakfast: Yoghurt Parfait
Yoghurt parfaits are simple to make [10] and perfect for a nutritious breakfast.
This recipe makes enough for five parfaits. First, I layered 1 cup of yoghurt in each jar. I used Greek yoghurt because it's full of protein and I like its rich texture, but any yoghurt will work. Next, I added in 1/3 cup of the Trader Joe's Cranberry Maple Nut Granola, and lastly 4 ounces of berries. Raspberries are a personal favourite, but any fruit would be great to add to the mix. I would recommend adding in the granola on the day you are eating each parfait so it stays crunchy. If you want to get fancy, you can layer each ingredient so that each bite has a great yoghurt-granola-berry ratio.
Lunch: Pesto Chicken Salad
Ingredients (5 salads):
- 2 bags Trader Joe's Sorrento Blend Lettuce
- 2 Trader Joe's Pesto Genovese Chicken Breasts (1 package)
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 3 small avocados
- 1 bottle Italian dressing
- Optional: 1/2 cup feta cheese
Salad is always my go-to when I'm meal prepping for lunch [11]. Since I eat it most weeks, I try to switch up which vegetables and proteins I include so it never gets boring. This week, I grabbed the Trader Joe's marinated Pesto Genovese chicken to cook in my Instant Pot and decided to base my lunch around that. Other than cooking the chicken, everything in this salad can be pulled together in just a few minutes.
Lunch: Pesto Chicken Salad
The pesto chicken can be cooked any way you'd like, but I prefer pulled chicken, so I put it in my Instant Pot to pressure cook for 15 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, chop the tomatoes and cucumbers.
Next, put the lettuce, veggies, and feta in five plastic containers for the week, making sure to divide the portions evenly. Add about 4 ounces of the chicken to each salad, plus a fifth of your tomatoes, cucumbers, and, if you like, feta cheese. On the day you're eating each salad, add half of a small avocado [12]. Pack a small container of dressing (2 tablespoons per salad) and mix it all together right before eating.
If you are looking for extra protein, you can add 1/4 cup of quinoa [13] to each salad.
Dinner: Veggie Pasta Medley
Ingredients (3 dinners):
- 3/8 pound Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice Quinoa Spaghetti Pasta
- 3 Trader Joe's Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage Links
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 courgette
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning powder
Pasta has always been one of my favourite meals [15], so I love trying to find ways to make it healthy. Trader Joe's has a lot of different options to choose from, but I settled for the Organic Brown Rice Quinoa Spaghetti Pasta because it's a great gluten-free alternative and has more fibre and protein than your average box of spaghetti.
Dinner: Veggie Pasta Medley
This satisfying recipe makes enough for three dinners and is sure to keep you full. While the water for the pasta heats up, slice the cherry tomatoes, courgette, and chicken sausage.
In a medium-size frying pan, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and cook the chicken sausage on medium heat for about 6-8 minutes. Flip them over every few minutes and cook until lightly brown on each side. After they are done, set the chicken sausage aside and use the same pan to cook the veggies.
Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the pan and cook the tomatoes and courgette on medium heat, this time for about 5 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, sprinkle the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning mix — about 1/4 teaspoon of each seasoning.
Once the veggies are cooked, add the chicken sausage and pasta into the pan with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and cook on medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently to mix all of the ingredients together.
Dinner: Cauliflower Crust Pesto Chicken Pizza
Ingredients (2 dinners):
- 1 Trader Joe's Cauliflower Pizza Crust
- 6 ounces (1/2 bag) Trader Joe's Organic Broccoli Florets
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 Pesto Genovese Chicken Breast
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning powder
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Optional: 1/3 cup feta cheese
No, you can't have too much cauliflower. In fact, to quote Mean Girls [17], the limit does not exist. It's a great substitute for pasta, rice, and (my personal favourite) pizza crust [18]. The Trader Joe's version is free of gluten and dairy, and it still tastes great.
Dinner: Cauliflower Crust Pesto Chicken Pizza
The best part about a premade crust [19] is that you can have your pizza prepared in a fraction of the time it would take to make crust from scratch.
While the crust is baking per the directions on the box, start chopping and cooking the veggies. In a frying pan, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 6 ounces of broccoli, and 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, and cook on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes. The pesto chicken can be pressure-cooked for 15 minutes in an Instant Pot at the same time.
Once the crust is cooked, spread one teaspoon of olive oil on it, then put the veggie and chicken mixture on top and bake for 5 minutes. You could also swap the layer of olive oil on the crust for a layer of your favourite Trader Joe's tomato sauce [20]. Lastly, sprinkle a bit of feta cheese (if desired) to complete the dish.