Trader Joe's Food Haul: My Favs

Trader Joe's has a way of making my life easier and tastier :)

I'm so excited that a new Trader Joe's opened up just walking distance from my apartment. I dropped in a few days ago and wanted to share some of the items I purchased along with ideas on how to use them.

Cauliflower Rice: I was making cauliflower rice before it was cool, and now it's EVERYWHERE! Now, Trader Joe's does most of the work by ricing the cauliflower for you. Use it for cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza, cauliflower pancakes, cauliflower bread, and cauliflower oatmeal! Not only is it easier than doing it yourself, it's also cheaper than buying a head of cauliflower.

Trader Joe's Sprouted Wheat Bread: Basically a cheaper version of Ezekiel bread. It's hearty and delicious, and perfect for avocado toast! 

Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs: I'm not vegetarian, but I do like vegetarian food. These are by far the best vegetarian meatballs I've ever had. My favorite way to eat them is with spaghetti squash and tomato sauce.

Trader Joe's Cilantro and Jalapeno Hummus: I usually just go regular, but wanted to try this flavor to spice things up. Use it on sandwiches, as a topping for chicken, as a dip for veggies, or even as a "dressing" for salad!

Trader Joe's Sweet Basil Pesto Smoked Chicken and Turkey Sausage: Healthier substitute for regular sausage! I love using this in stir-fries, pasta dishes, and even sandwiches (with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella- YUM). This is great to have on hand for quick meals.

Bagged Arugula and Spinach: I use spinach almost daily in my eggs, and was really feeling arugula for my salads this week!

Pastrami Smoked Atlantic Salmon: Smoked salmon can get pricey, but TJ's keeps it affordable. I used this in a giant salad with lots of veggies and goat cheese the day I bought it, then used the leftovers on TJ's Sprouted Wheat Bread toast with low-fat cream cheese!

I also loaded up on some essentials such as veggies, fruit, and eggs! What's some of your favorite products from Trader Joe's?

Cauliflower Sandwich Bun

I figured if you can make a pizza crust, there’s no reason you can’t use cauliflower in place of a sandwich bun. I was really happy with how these came out. This would actually be a great cheese-less pizza base if you just modify how you shape it!

Cauliflower Sandwich Bun

Ingredients:

1 cup grated cauliflower (Ninja!)

¼ cup egg beaters

1 tablespoon flaxseed

2 teaspoons coconut flour

Salt and onion powder to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450. Use a food processor to grate your cauliflower.
2. Combine the cauliflower, egg beaters, flaxseed, coconut flour and spices in a bowl. Combine well.
3. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Form the crust ingredient two circles resembling the top and bottom of a bun. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and cook until the crust is lightly browned, 15 minutes.
4. Let buns cool on a cooking rack while you set your oven to broil. Set the cooling rack on your cookie sheet and place in the oven. Broil until a little crispy, about 2 minutes.

I melted some low-fat cheddar on the bun while it was under the broiler, then sandwiched a Boca burger inside. Incredibly bun-like!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (Not soggy!!)

The cauliflower pizza crust was all the rage a few years back. I experimented with it a few times, and although some recipes were tasty,the texture was not so great. Most of the time they were too flimsy and soggy.

A few people started to incorporate different flours, more cheese, added binders, etc. which helped the texture, but made the calories skyrocket. I feel like I found a really nice balance with this recipe. It didn't come out soggy like some of the basic recipes I’ve tried in the past, it’s MUCH more reasonable calorie-wise,  AND it’s really flavorful!

NOTE: For this recipe, I used a low-fat cheddar blend in the crust because it was what I had on hand. A low-fat mozzarella cheese would be a more traditional choice.

However, the cheddar crust would be great topped with a low-sugar BBQ sauce (instead of tomato sauce), grilled chicken, and avocado.  Or, spread with fat-free refried beans, grilled chicken, and topped with cheddar cheese. The possibilities are endless!

I made my own tomato sauce for this version and topped it with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, and a homemade olive tapenade. This recipe was inspired by Kalyn’s recipe- I modified some of her ingredients and was very happy with the results. 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

 Ingredients:

1 cup cauliflower (chopped in a food processor until it resembles rice-I used my Ninja)

½ cup grated low-fat cheese (used my Ninja to make my shredded blend more grated)

2 tablespoon almond flour

¼ cup egg beaters

1 tablespoon flaxseed

½ teaspoon garlic powder

pinch of salt

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450. Place a pizza stone inside the oven and let it heat up. 

2. Use a food processor to grate your cauliflower.Put the cauliflower into a bowl and microwave it until its  soft (about 6 minutes). It is EXTREMELY important that your cauliflower has NO moisture/water- you don’t want a soggy crust!

3. Combine the finely grated cheese, almond flour, flaxseed,and spices in a bowl. Whisk the egg beaters in a separate bowl, then mix them into the other ingredients. Combine well.

4. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Form the crust ingredients into a ball and place them on the cookie sheet. Use your fingers to shape the crust, spreading it out thin. Place the cookie sheet on top of the stone in the oven and cook until the crust is lightly browned, about 12-15 minutes.

5. When the crust is done, add your toppings and put the pizza back in the oven to melt your cheese.

I wasn’t the only one who loved it- my whole family thought it was delicious. They never would’ve guessed it was made from cauliflower. They did, however, guess tofu, protein powder, and beans. They know me well ;)

Tropical Cauliflower Pancakes with Banana Protein Syrup

It's summer. It's hot outside. I was feeling . . . "tropical". If you haven't tried any of my cauliflower pancake recipes- seriously make them. They are SO moist, and make for thick, cake-like pancakes.

Tropical Cauliflower Pancakes with Banana Protein Syrup

Ingredients:

1/3 cup riced cauliflower (I pulsed some cauliflower florets in my Ninja)
3 tablespoons egg whites
2 ounces fresh pineapple
10 drops stevia (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon orange extract (coconut would be good here too!)
2 tablespoons vanilla whey protein
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 tablespoon psyllium husk
1 tablespoon reduced-fat coconut flakes

Directions:

1. Cook the cauliflower in the microwave for 30 seconds.
2. Using a food processor/blender, blend together the egg whites, pineapple, orange extract, stevia, and the pineapple.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut flour, protein powder, psyllium husk, and the coconut flakes.
4. Mix together the dry ingredients, wet ingredients, and the cauliflower.
5. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the pancake batter by the spoonful. BE PATIENT. These are thick and take longer to cook.
6. Once the edges are set (about 5-7 minutes), flip and cook on the the other side until golden brown.

For the Syrup:

Mix together 1 tablespoon banana whey protein with some water and sugar-free maple syrup. You want it to be a sauce-like consistency.

Top with more coconut flakes, nut butter, fruit- whatever you like!

Macros for the pancakes: 4 g Fat, 25 g CHO (12 g Fiber), 17 g Protein

Shrimp, Artichoke, and Spinach "Risotto"

      This morning I realized that it's been a while since I explored my Italian roots in the kitchen. So today I made a really delicious risotto with riced cauliflower instead of rice. This dish helped me remember how much I love the combination of spinach, artichokes, and cheese (Spinach Artichoke dip, anyone?). This was really simple to make- and quicker than traditional risotto because of the substitution of cauliflower rice for risotto rice. Traditional risotto is made with short grain arborio rice. Normally you'd' have to stand around and stir the risotto slowly as it cooks- for about 30 minutes or so. This dish took MAYBE 10 minutes- plus it's lower in carbohydrates, calories, and fat.
        I want to mention here that the goal for my recipes are not to be the lowest in calorie/fat/carbohydrate. I believe in eating a balanced diet consisting of whole foods, complex, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and lean proteins. I named my blog "Pretty Little Feast" based on the fact that I eat several small meals throughout the day. If you usually only eat three meals a day, this would not be enough for a full meal. You'd either want to increase the portion size, eat it as a side dish, etc.
      

Shrimp, Artichoke, and Spinach "Risotto"

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen spinach
4 frozen artichoke hearts
8 cooked shrimp (I buy mine at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods)
1 square frozen chopped garlic (or one clove of fresh garlic)
1 square frozen chopped basil (or fresh, or dried)
1 cup riced cauliflower
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

1. To rice your cauliflower, place florets in a food processor. Pulse until it resembles rice.
2. Heat a non-stick pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Place spinach, artichokes, garlic, and basil in the pan, cover, and cook about 5-7 minutes or until it is no longer frozen.
3. Cut shrimp into 3 pieces (or two, or leave whole- whatever you prefer). Add to the pan along with your cauliflower rice. Cook about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add nutritional yeast (or cheese) and almond milk. Stir until combined and allow everything to cook for about a minute or two.
5. Serve!

FYI- this is the frozen basil cubes I used: