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?

Pumpkin Mozzarella Turkey Burgers

This are great for a healthy, quick, delicious meal. I used pumpkin to make the turkey burgers more moist, and used oatmeal as a healthy replacement for breadcrumb. I love mixing my cheese in with the other ingredients. It ensures that each bite is full of cheesy goodness. If you are dairy-free, my favorite vegan cheese is Daiya Mozzarella. It melts really well and tastes delicious! These are great served alongside some sweet potato fries!

Pumpkin Mozzarella Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

1 lbs lean ground turkey breast (I used 99%, but 93% is fine too)
3 tablespoon egg whites (or one egg)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in one large bowl. Mix together well.
2. Preheat grill (I use my George Foreman). Form into 6 equal size patties (or 4 if you want a larger burger).
3. Grill until no longer pink (mine took about 7-8 minutes).
4. Eat!

Spaghetti Squash with Cheesy Creamy Boca Sauce!

This is one of the most fabulous comfort food-type dinners I've made in a while! This is really something you HAVE to try. I based my recipe off of this recipe by Emily Malone. Her recipe calls for mushrooms as the bulky base of the sauce, but I already had mushrooms at lunch . . . SO I replaced the mushrooms with Boca Crumbles, left out the non-dairy creamer (partially because I didn't have any) and ended up with a savory, creamy, cheesy, stick-to-your-guts sauce. Plus, I accomplished my goal of adding a "meaty" protein to round out the meal. I really liked Emily's technique for cooking the spaghetti squash; instead of scooping out the gooey seeds and membrane AFTER baking it in the oven, she cuts it open BEFORE, scoops it out, and rubs the insides with chopped garlic and a little olive oil. So I prepared mine just like that for a little over an hour and it came out perfect. While that was in the oven, I sauteed some garlic and onion in a pan with non-stick spray. I added my Boca Crumbles, cooked it for a few minutes, then poured in about 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk. I let that cook down and thicken up a little, then I added about 1 1/2 T nutritional yeast :). I added a little more almond milk (about another 1/4 cup)and 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch that I previously mixed with some water (DO NOT add the cornstarch directly to the sauce). Finally, I seasoned it with a little salt and pepper- that's it!! I must say- I never got why nutritional yeast was described as "cheesey", and now I definitely do. This sauce is the reason I will definitely be incorporating it in future recipes.