I'm a competitive marathon runner. Here's what I buy at Trader Joe's to fuel myself and my 2 kids.
Megan Harrington
- I'm a competitive marathon runner and a busy mom of two young children.
- While training for marathons, I rely on Trader Joe's for meals and snacks that keep me energized.
I'm a competitive runner in my late 30s and recently ran my 12th marathon. I'm not a professional runner by any means, but I enjoy training at a high level.
In addition to being a runner, I'm also a busy mom of two school-aged kids.
While training for my latest race, I relied heavily on Trader Joe's frozen meals and pantry staples to keep me energized.
From packaged grains to nut butters, I would have had a really hard time fueling for training without Trader Joe's convenient and low-cost items.
Here are some of my favorite Trader Joe's items for when I'm training for a marathon.
Trader Joe's 10-minute farro is a great source of fiber, protein, and iron.
I like Trader Joe's version of farro because it cooks in just 10 minutes.
It's a solid source of fiber, protein, and iron, which I pay attention to during heavy training.
I like to combine the cooked farro with a lemon vinaigrette, chopped walnuts, grated Parmesan, and massaged kale for tasty make-ahead lunches.
Trader Joe's frozen fruit is a must-have for smoothies and parfaits.
When fresh berries aren't in season, Trader Joe's Very Cherry Berry blend of frozen fruit is a great-tasting and inexpensive alternative.
This blend includes frozen cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
I like to add frozen berries to smoothies and defrosted berries to yogurt parfaits and oatmeal bowls.
I also love that the frozen fruit contains antioxidants that help combat inflammation.
Trader Joe's frozen brown rice is great as a side dish or a meal.
When I'm short on time, I pop a bag of Trader Joe's frozen brown rice in the microwave, and it's ready to enjoy within three minutes.
I'll either use it as a side for dinner or add a fried egg to make a quick meal.
Like the farro, Trader Joe's brown rice is packed with carbohydrates, fiber, and protein.
Trader Joe's buttermilk protein-pancake mix is a family favorite.
Pancakes and waffles are popular for quick breakfasts and dinners in my house.
I love that Trader Joe's buttermilk protein-pancake mix has 10 grams of protein in each serving, which is helpful during training.
After workouts, I try to get in a good mix of carbs and protein to help kick-start muscle recovery.
I also like that you only need water to make these pancakes.
I love Trader Joe's creamy salted peanut butter.
I go through a jar of peanut butter about once a week, and I love that Trader Joe's creamy salted peanut butter only contains two ingredients — peanuts and salt.
Peanut butter is a good source of protein and fat, and I use it to add staying power to my smoothies and toast.
I sometimes use Trader Joe's garlic naan as a base for pizza.
Naan is another one of my favorite carbs. I'll usually have some as a side to homemade Indian food or stews.
Sometimes, I'll even use it as a base to make a pizza.
Trader Joe's plain Greek yogurt is packed with protein.
Trader Joe's plain Greek yogurt is a real workhorse in my daily diet.
I have yogurt almost every morning, and since I don't eat a ton of meat, I appreciate the 13 grams of protein it has per serving.
I prefer the whole-milk variety because I feel like it helps me stay full longer.
I love having Trader Joe's dark-chocolate peanut-butter cups with my coffee.
I love the taste of Trader Joe's dark-chocolate peanut-butter cups.
My calorie needs are pretty high when training, so I regularly have some of these with my afternoon coffee or for dessert.
Trader Joe's Trek Mix is calorie-dense and easy to eat.
When I'm on the go or chauffeuring my kids around, I need something that's calorie-dense and easy to eat.
Trader Joe's Trek Mix tastes great and has a good balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber.
I really like that it's made with just three ingredients: almonds, chocolate chunks, and cashews.
Trader Joe's tomato-and-burrata ravioloni is great for a quick meal.
Trader Joe's tomato-and-burrata ravioloni is the best when it comes to quick lunches and dinners.
Once you boil the water, this refrigerated ravioli can be ready to eat in under five minutes.
I like to mix in some spinach and top with olive oil and grated cheese for a super fast and carb-rich meal.
Trader Joe's fresh-squeezed lemonade helps me to meet my daily carb goal.
In the days leading up to my races, I aim to take in over 400 grams of carbohydrates per day.
The only way I can reach that goal is by consuming some carbs in liquid form.
Trader Joe's fresh-squeezed lemonade is a tasty way to add 30 grams of carbohydrates to my day.
It's also great mixed into mocktails and cocktails.
I use Synergy raw kombucha as a replacement for an evening glass of wine.
I'm always trying to get more fermented foods like kombucha in my diet since I find they help my digestion.
My local Trader Joe's sells Synergy kombucha for under $4.
I like to use it as a replacement for an evening glass of wine.
Trader Joe's dried-mango slices make a great snack.
I keep a bag of Trader Joe's Just Mango slices in my car for a quick hit of energy.
They have 28 grams of carbs per serving, so they're great to have right before a run or workout.
They last long, so I'll often stock up on a few bags before a training cycle.
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