Three Trader Joe’s Meal Hacks

I think I may be the only reader on your blog who is NOT impressed with TJ’s. I went in once…browsed…and left with nothing. I can find most of the things that are mentioned here at just about any grocery store. I don’t understand the cult following, but if you are a member, I am happy for you! ha

This hack was actually inspired by food columnist Jenny’s newsletter.

1 bag of TJ veggie fried rice
1 package of pancetta
Chopped 2 cloves of garlic, 1 inch of ginger, small shallot
Shredded kale
2 eggs, beaten

I brown the pancetta in saute pan and mix in veggie fried rice. Cook according to instructions on package. Add fresh garlic, ginger, and/or onion. Cook for 3-4 mins. Stir in handful of shredded kale. Clear space in middle of pan and cook scrambled eggs while stirring it into the rice as it sets.

Drizzle with sesame oil and maybe a drop or two of soy sauce if needed.

So fast and delicious.

A can of cooked lentils and a jar of TJ bruschetta sauce makes a great and SIMPLE appetizer. We serve with tortilla chips.

TJ’s has dave many a meal over here. I’ll have to try those tacos. They sounds delish.

2 packages TJ’s frozen cauliflower Gnocchi
1 package TJ’s frozen Turkey meatballs
Cheese of choice

Spray/oil skillet. Pan fry gnocchi for 10 minutes flip/stir takes about 10-12 minutes. Add frozen meatballs. Heat through maybe 10 minutes.

When cooked through add a few splashes of olive or cheese or any type of sauce. My kids love this!

1. White Cheddar Mac & Cheese
2. Pesto (Two tablespoons)
3. Italian Chicken Sausage
4. Two Bell Peppers

Make mac and cheese separately. Chop up the peppers and sausage then cook them to the sausage instructions. Mix all ingredients together. Best dinner or lunch, easy to heat up again.

A winner this week: TJ’s black bean & cheese taquitos, topped with pico de gallo (homemade but they sell it too), sour cream, guacamole and salsa. I didn’t put any chili in the pico so my kiddo loved it too.

I swear you posted this Boursin and pea ravioli here years ago. It was a quick staple for a long time until our youngest developed a severe dairy intolerance (and we moved to. Place without a Trader Joe’s).

My favorite:
A couple boxes of reduced guilt macaroni and cheese
cubed marinated and pre-cooked tofu
chopped tomatoes
frozen broccoli (or fresh that has been cooked) heated up
Prepare the Mac and cheese according to the package directions. Put into large bowl. Add cubed tofu, chopped tomatoes, and broccoli. This massively extends the macaroni and cheese and you can sub anything you prefer in Mac and cheese.

Boursin cheese will uplift pretty much any other food item to another level:
Salad a little bland: Boursin chunks
Eggs a little boring: Smear a bit of Boursin into it
Ham & Cheese need a face lift: Boursin will do the trick
Need to win first place at the Mashed Potato contest: forget the cream cheese, throw in a puck of Boursin!
Bagel a little dry: Boursin will rescue it after it’s toasted! Level up with some sliced avo too!

On regular rotation at my house: Throw some orange chicken and frozen broc in the oven, pan fry some potstickers, make rice, all done in 30 minutes (if you use the quick cook on the rice cooker).

Easiest TJ’s last minute-meal that is always a hit with my 4 year-old twins:
1) Heat up 1 box of Trader Joe’s Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup while boiling pasta water.
2) Cook Trader Joe’s Spinach Cheese Tortellini in boiling water for 3 minutes.
3) Transfer tortellini to soup pot. Stir.
4) Serve with lots of grated parmesan.
*Sometimes the adults add handfuls of fresh spinach to the soup.

Tortillas and their refried beans. Any other stores is unfortunately not as good.

Frozen fried rice (the kind with seaweed) add frozen peas to stretch the mix.

Naan pizzas with their spaghetti sauce and your fav cheese and the frozen tri color peppers.

^^ fast frozen favorites^^

TJ’s saves m on so many nights with little kids. Tonight we did their cheese tortellini mixed with broccoli, feta, and butter. Earlier this week we had their Gorgonzola gnocchi mixed green beans. This weekend we had friends over and made their family size thin crust pizzas – perfect for whatever veggies you want to throw on top!

not really a hack but

buttered toasted crumpets + boursin + runny egg + fresh cracked black pepper + Crystal hot sauce ushers in a huge rush of that “everything is going to be okay” feeling

No Trader Joes in Canada. But what you’ve never had, you don’t miss!

TJs sweet potato butter and sage gnocchi (frozen)
Pesto
Arugula salad (Tjs packaged one or make your own or just throw pile of arugula on your plate)

BAKE gnocchi for 15 mins at 400
Add cut up sausage if you want
Take out of oven and dallop with pesto
Serve with salad

We love their brioche hamburger buns with the frozen mahi burgers, shrimp burgers, or (homemade) Weeknight Vegetarian veggie burgers. On the side, we either bake the frozen sweet potato fries or heat up the sweet frozen corn in a skillet with Everything but the Elote seasoning. Add the mustard-garlic aoli to your burger for the win!

One box Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup + one bag frozen chimichurri rice + one can of chicken! The most delicious, hearty soup.

Ok, as a busy working parent to three little ones, I’m seriously going to comb through these comments and compile them into a doc and send them to the Cup of Jo team. Cup of Jo Community cookbook anyone??

We do a fish taco from TJs, that both adults and kids in our family like:

Small tortillas (your choice of flour or corn)
Box of frozen breaded cod
Bag of sesame chop salad kit
Vegan dill dressing
Toast tortilla, add dressing, top with fish and then salad. Eat! We have chips and guacamole as a side

I’m just sitting here crying because my nearest TJs is 482 miles away.

Found my favorite somewhere on IG. Red lentil pasta with the tomato basil hummus as a sauce and arugula mixed in. Yummy and filling!

There’s no need to cook the peas and the pasta separately for the boursin pasta. Depending on the pasta cooking time, you’ll need to figure out whether to throw in the pasta or the peas first and return to a boil before adding the other. One less pot to clean always makes me happy. You can also throw in some TJ’s prosciutto, which is pretty cheap but great.

Seconding the idea of making this a regular feature! Please please please! These are all awesome, and I’m trying one tonight!

I am obsessed with the tune from the linked Trader Joe’s song (Antônio Carlos Jobim’s “Águas de Março,” a stone cold Brazilian classic that is fabulous no matter who covers it), and I am ESPECIALLY obsessed with versions that feature the cuíca, a fabulous percussion instrument that always sounds to me like a joyful balloon animal rubbing its forearms together.

Here are the lyrics in English:
https://genius.com/Antonio-carlos-jobim-waters-of-march-aguas-de-marco-lyrics

Here’s Cibo Matto’s cover, because Cibo Matto will always rule:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vt7x_g6lv8

And here’s an intensely cuíca-forward version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqTlFa3Fnlk