I'm vegan, but the rest of my family isn't. These 7 Trader Joe's staples get all of us through the week.
Stephanie Dreyer
- I'm the only vegan in my family, but I'm the primary grocery shopper, and I love Trader Joe's.
- Premade animal proteins make it easy for me to cook one meal with options for everyone.
Trader Joe's is a vegan haven with its plentiful assortment of plant-based products. But as the only vegan in my family, it's also a lifesaver when it comes to feeding my meat-eating kids and husband each week.
Even if my kids aren't vegan, I plan "plant-core" dinners that accommodate all of our dietary preferences and nourish us throughout the week. After all, incorporating more plants into your diet has proven benefits, especially concerning gut health.
Here are my go-to Trader Joe's products.
Frozen rice is a good base for quick and easy bowls.
Food bars make a weekly appearance on our dinner plan because they allow each family member to customize their meal. Rice bowls are one of our favorites.
Trader Joe's frozen jasmine rice is perfect in a pinch because it can be ready in three minutes. I serve it alongside various toppings, including teriyaki tofu and chicken, shredded cabbage, chopped cucumber, shredded carrots, edamame, avocado slices, and sesame seeds.
Whether I change up the toppings, proteins, or sauce, the rice is the perfect base for almost all of our bowl creations.
Taco Tuesday is a weekly event in my house.
If it's Tuesday, I'm serving tacos for dinner.
The fillings and toppings vary for each of us at the table, but Trader Joe's simple corn tortillas are everyone's base.
I like my tortillas toasted on the burner, but the rest of my crew prefers them fried.
I love Trader Joe's Just Chicken.
I rely heavily on Trader Joe's preprepared animal proteins to have options for my meat eaters. The store's Just Chicken is one of my favorites because it's cooked simply with olive oil, salt, and pepper — making it adaptable for pretty much any recipe.
Since it's ready to heat and serve, I can easily offer it up as a topping on an entrée salad, pasta bake, or rice bowl while keeping the main meal plant-based for me.
The precooked chicken is one of my secrets to serving one meal with options for everyone.
The store's vegan Caesar dressing gets my kids to eat salad.
Trader Joe's vegan Caesar is the easiest way to ensure my family eats their fair share of greens.
I toss it with chopped romaine and kale, roasted chickpeas, avocado chunks, and a sprinkle of Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend. My kids devour these salads at least once a week.
The dressing is also delicious on pasta or drizzled over tofu or chicken. And it saves me lots of time when I don't want to make a dressing or marinade from scratch.
Frozen pizza saves the day on busy weeknights.
There's something for everyone in my family in the frozen-pizza section at Trader Joe's. I keep several vegan and traditional pizzas stocked for those nights when I need something quick — or when dinner doesn't go to plan.
Salad pizza (tossed salad served on top of a pizza) is another way I get my kids to eat their greens. Trader Joe's three-cheese pizza is the perfect canvas for their meal.
My kids have also recently added the store's frozen flatbreads to their list of favorites.
The organic vegetarian chili is a winner with my meat eaters.
Trader Joe's canned vegetarian chili is affordable and delicious — as in I-could-eat-the-whole-can-by-myself delicious — and as a bonus, it's vegan. Plus, my kids love it.
It's the perfect filling and topper for a variety of meals, from stuffed potatoes and classic chili bars to chili burgers and casseroles.
I can’t get enough of TJ's fresh pesto sauces.
Making one meal for my mixed-diet family is significantly easier with Trader Joe's vegan pesto and Genova pesto sauces. They sit side-by-side in the refrigerated section, so it's easy to grab both on a shopping run.
I use them as bases for salad dressings, marinades for proteins, and, of course, pasta sauces.
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