A Week of Healthy & Easy Trader Joe’s Meals
This is one of my family’s go-to weekly dinner plans for busy weekdays. We rotate between a few different meal plans to keep planning and grocery shopping easy. These are some of our absolute favorite meals lately and they are easy enough that I can make them with a toddler and a 5 month old during their “witching hours” which says a lot haha… Enjoy!
**For those with special diets i.e. vegetarian, dairy free, etc.- you can easily trade out ingredients that do not work for you.
Monday: Ground turkey cilantro bowls
Tuesday: Salmon bowls
Wednesday: Chicken Elote bowls
Thursday: Veggie + chicken sausage bake
Friday: Carnitas bowl
Grocery List
**Keep in mind the quantities will vary based on portions and family sizes. This is what works for us: 2 adults and 1 toddler.
Produce:
Bag of sweet potatoes (or about 5)
Box of cherry tomatoes
Avocado (we used 4)
Cilantro
Cucumber
Mango (can get precut to make life easier)
Zucchini (6 worked perfect for us)
Cauliflower rice
Southwest salad kit
Meat:
Package of TJs carnitas (premade)
Package of TJs grilled chicken (premade)
2 packs of salmon
Precooked chicken sausage of choice (I like the TJs sweet italian)
Package of ground turkey or beef
Dairy:
Queso fresco or feta (optional)
Cottage cheese OR greek yogurt- plain
Other:
Jasmin rice (in freezer section)
2 bags frozen roasted corn
Can of garbanzo beans
Seaweed snacks
Condiments and spices- you likely have many of these. Some are TJ’s specialty items:
Rice wine vinegar
Coconut sugar (optional)
Honey
Lime juice
Olive oil &/or avocado oil
Dijon mustard
Maple syrup
Crunchy chili onion (comes in a jar)
Gochujang paste
Ground ginger
Chili lime seasoning
Taco seasoning
Elote seasoning
Garlic powder
Directions:
Ground turkey cilantro bowls
Preheat oven to 375. Cube sweet potatoes and season with oil and spices of choice (I use avocado oil and taco seasoning). Bake for 30 minutes or until desired texture is reached.
Assemble southwest salad kit with dressing provided.
Cook ground turkey/ beef in a skillet with desired seasonings (once again I used taco seasoning).
Cut up some cilantro and avocado.
Assemble bowls: salad, ground meat, sweet potatoes, avocado, and cilantro. Drizzle some extra dressing on top if desired!
Salmon bowls
Mix 2 parts gochujang paste with 1 part honey, 1 part rice vinegar, and a heaping scoop of coconut sugar and ground ginger… I never measure it out and it always turns out delicious! Just eyeball it.
Place your salmon in an airfryer, and then take about a quarter of that paste mix and brush it on your salmon (top and all sides but the bottom)! The remaining mixture can be put back in the red container and frozen to use next time! Air fry the salmon at 400 for 8-12 min depending on salmon thickness. *I’m sure you could bake instead if you don’t have an air fryer.
Heat up the Jasmin rice as directed and cut up the mango, avocado, and cucumber.
Assemble your bowls: rice, avocado, salmon, mango, cucumber, and seaweed snacks. If you like spicy, you can always drizzle some more of your spicy mixture on top. I like to mash it all up before eating!
Chicken Elote bowls
Put grilled chicken breast in skillet with chili lime seasoning to heat.
In a separate skillet, saute your cauliflower rice (or heat up jasmin rice as directed) and add in the frozen roasted corn.
Mix together your cottage cheese (or greek yogurt if you prefer) with the Elote seasoning. I put a TON of the seasoning in, but see how much you like!
Cut up some cilantro
Assemble bowl: rice & corn mix with chicken, cilantro, the elote cottage cheese, and optional feta cheese on top!
Veggie sausage bake
Preheat oven to 375
Cube some sweet potatoes and zucchini and put on a baking sheet with oil. Add a box of cherry tomatoes and a can of garbanzo beans (I like to rinse these first). Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Bake for 20-30 min.
Slice up your precooked sausage and add it to the baking sheet.
Continue baking about 10 more minutes until sausage is hot.
Make sauce: mix together 1 part dijon mustard, 1 part maple syrup, and 1-2 parts olive oil. Serve with the sauce on top!
Carnitas bowl
Chop zucchini and saute with frozen corn (I used avocado oil and taco seasoning here).
Heat and shred carnitas as directed.
Chop cilantro and avocado.
Assemble: veggie mixture, carnitas, cilantro, avocado, lime juice, crunchy chili onion drizzle (this is what makes it delicious in my opinion), and optional feta cheese!
Enjoy!! I’d LOVE to see your meals so if you want to share them on social media, tag me @openbarrevirtual 😀