Friday, May 27, 2016

Eating at Home: Trader Joe's

We arrived home from Utah yesterday but we only have two days until we leave again. And we wanted to eat home-style meals: lots of fruit & vegetables but without too much going to waste. So I went to Trader Joe's -- not quite ready-made, but also not too much work!

Lunch ingredients are to the left: pearl tomatoes, apricots, tortillas, pepper-jack cheese, eggs (OK, they were already here and from Whole Foods), and Avocado's Number Guacamole. Trader Joe's best stuff! A far cry from airport/airplane food.


My plate: a tortilla with melted cheese and a fried egg, salsa, & guac, and veggies and apricots on the side.

Dinner also from TJ's -- a small steak, more tomatoes, and broccoli cooked with onion and red bell pepper.
Dessert: A small melon cut up and mixed with a package of raspberries.
I'm a big fan of Trader Joe's for allowing an easy time cooking but without using over-processed food. Later maybe I'll sneak in some of TJ's irresistible sweets, though.

17 comments:

Beth F said...

Wow. Glad to see that TJ is a hit for you. We pretty much never find anything there that calls to us.

Mae Travels said...

Beth -- I think the most obvious offerings for actual meals at TJ's are their completely ready-to-eat items, which don't look great to me either. But I like the components for preparing a low-energy meal. And everybody seems to like their party food -- or at least they bring a lot of these items to parties! But everyone is different, and maybe you are committed to much less processing than I am.

(Diane) bookchickdi said...

I love Trader Joe's Heart Healthy Whole Grain Blueberry Oatmeal. I can't start my day without it.

Cheri Savory Spoon said...

Hi Mae, Trader Joes is one of my favorite places to go, when we are in Phoenix I go there almost once a day,I love the people and the food.

Esme said...

After being gone for three weeks I just said the same to my husband. No eating out. Just lots of vegetables.

Jackie McGuinness said...

Sadly never been in one. Was on my list last october when in Palm Springs but never made it.

Deb in Hawaii said...

Trader Joes is always one of the first places I hit when visiting the mainland. I love the selection and the prices. Looks like you made some fabulous quick and easy meals from your haul. ;-)

Margot said...

You've given me a couple of very good ideas. I too love Trader Joe's. Speaking of their sweets, have you tried their chocolate covered pretzels? Sooo good.

Claudia said...

We don't have Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, but our Natural Foods Market has plenty for easy meals and prepared as well, so no real loss there. Though the competition might be good if Whole Foods opened here.

Katherine P said...

This looks delicious and fresh! We unfortunately don't have a Trader Joes here though we keep hearing rumors that they're coming. My fingers are crossed!

Carole said...

We don't have Trader Joe's so I don't know what it is like. Cheers from Carole's Chatter

Molly said...

TJs came to our area about two years ago. I am slowly learning to incorporate their offerings into our weekly meals.

Joy Weese Moll said...

It took a while to find something that was low-salt enough, but our favorite "fast food" these days are TJs frozen eggplant cutlets, no-salt-added marinara, and parmesan. We serve it with a little spaghetti and a salad.

jama said...

I like browsing in TJ's every once in awhile to see what's new and different. Looks like you found some healthy, satisfying items.

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

I've never tried TJ's guacamole, largely because I always make my own. I would like to find a good one to use in a pinch though. I will be going on a TJ's run next week to buy up the frozen almond croissants that we really enjoy.

Laurie C said...

I always crave vegetable meals after traveling, too! We don't have a Trader Joe's near us, but whenever I go in one, I'm attracted to all the "healthful" junk or party food. It turns out the TJ brand is mostly processed on equipment that also processes wheat, so we would now end up buying mostly the kind of food there that you bought for your yummy at-home meals and leaving all the party food and fancy granolas on the shelf.

Anonymous said...

I love Trader Joe's! The one that's "close" to me isn't actually that close, so I don't go too often. But I always find great stuff when I do.