I love Trader Joe’s. I could easily spend hours looking at all of their goodies if I could go kid-free. 🙂
So many of their items have become my go-to because you can find tasty items, some without a lot of added ingredients. I’m planning (and excited!) to share more of my favorite TJs items in future posts. They have so many fun seasonal items, so stay tuned for some of my favorite healthier (and some not-so-healthy, but really delicious) items.
Until then, I wanted to share some healthy/healthier Trader Joe’s items we always have stocked in our freezer for quick meals. They are life savers during busy nights when we’re short on produce, don’t have much time and/or I don’t feel like cooking.
Kale Gnocchi
Honestly, my first reaction when I saw this in the store was: gross! But I gave it a try and I actually like it better than the Cauliflower Gnocchi. The texture is better and it has more protein, at 7 grams per serving.
Quick dinner idea: Delicious baked and topped with pesto or marinara.
Carrot Spirals
We love these! They’re quick to heat up and they are delicious. I love the sweetness carrot spirals give instead of other veggie noodles.
Quick dinner idea: Follow the directions and use them in place of pasta. They’re delicious with a Ground Turkey Marinara or Turkey Meatballs (below).
Fully Cooked Falafel
These do have quite a few ingredients, but are great to have on hand when I need a little extra protein with lunch. Each serving has 8 grams of protein.
Quick lunch or dinner idea: Follow cooking directions, then add to a salad (or a wrap) with tomatoes, cucumber and lemon juice.
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
This is such a good alternative to traditional pizza crust, and it’s good. The texture is different from dough, but it’s tasty and a really good way to get in more servings of veggies.
Quick dinner idea: Top it with tomato slices or marinara, favorite veggies and cheese. Or pesto, artichoke, tomato slices and mozzarella.
Stir-Fry Vegetables
I love heating these up for lunch or dinner. It’s such a good mix of veggies: snap peas, mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, water chestnuts and soybeans.
Quick dinner idea: Heat them up with a curry sauce and Organic Brown Rice (below). Curry sauce can be as simple as 1 can of coconut milk, 1 can of diced tomatoes and yellow curry powder.
Organic Brown Rice
Brown rice can take a long time to cook, even in an Instant Pot. So this box is great to have for a quick side dish.
Quick dinner idea: Serve alongside Stir-Fry Vegetables (above) and curry sauce. Yum.
Cauliflower Gnocchi
We eat these and the Kale Gnocchi a lot — probably every other week. They’re so good and my girls love these too. We stock up on these!
Quick dinner idea: Defrost them for 1-2 minutes, then bake these and the Kale Gnocchi 12 minutes at 425 degrees, then top with pesto. Or bake, then top with marinara and mozzarella and broil until cheese is melted.
Organic Riced Cauliflower
I usually buy a few bags at a time to keep on hand for quick meals. They’re great instead of or mixed into rice or quinoa as a side dish (try it with cilantro, lime juice and salt and pepper).
Quick dinner idea: Use 2 bags for my favorite Cauliflower Fried Rice (get the recipe HERE!).
Chili Lime Chicken Burgers
I love that I recognize the ingredients in here, so I know exactly what I’m eating. Great if you don’t feel like making your burgers from scratch.
Quick dinner idea: Heat them up on the grill, and top with guacamole or avocado, tomato slices and lettuce (bun optional 🙂 )
Organic Veggie Pizza
This is my go-to frozen pizza, a “healthier” version. 🙂 I feel better about it because it’s topped with lots of veggies, and my girls like it too. Not the healthiest, but it’s all about balance.
Quick dinner idea: Serve it with a big delicious salad, or roasted broccoli.
Turkey Meatballs
Since these are already fully cooked, they’re good to have on hand for quick dinners.
Quick dinner idea: Heat them up with marinara and serve on top of Carrot Spirals (above).
Organic Frozen Blueberries
I love having these frozen blueberries on hand for breakfasts. Really, all of TJs frozen fruit are great to have for yogurt toppings and smoothies.
Quick meal ideas: Add these to pancakes (we love Kodiak Cakes pancake mix), smoothies or on top of yogurt with granola (we love Purely Elizabeth).
I’m always looking for an excuse to visit Trader Joe’s. 🙂 What are some of your favorite healthier TJs freezer items? (Or any TJ item!)
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