These healthy Trader Joes recipes are inspired by TJs specialty items and grocery staples to inspire your next shopping trip.
Hi friends, I hope you had a lovely Father’s Day weekend.
As you guys know, I LOVE Trader Joe’s. I discovered them in Grad School and was instantly hooked. What’s not to love? The stores are small, so you don’t get overwhelmed. Pre world pandemic world they used to have all kinds of samples like wine and cheese, coffee, featured items, and more. And, there is an obvious commitment to cleaner food items (although I’m not sure if it’s stated anywhere. ) I mean even there candy is free of artificial colors, so I think that’s pretty awesome.
I’ve written about my Trader Joe’s Pantry staples before, Healthy Trader Joe’s Dinner Recipes, my favorite Healthy Trader Joe’s Snacks, shared grocery hauls with y’all, and recently shared a 7-day Healthy Trader Joe’s Meal plan and shopping list. However, I realized when I put together that meal plan that there were A TON of recipes I could have put on it but didn’t have space.
You can only eat so much in a week, right?
The thing about Trader Joe’s is they aren’t a giant grocery store, you can’t get everything you ever wanted there. But, on the flip side, they also have specialty items you can’t get anywhere else (like cauliflower gnocchi.) So, today I’m rounding up all the recipes on my site that are TJ’s inspired. Some of the recipes with specialty items, some of the recipes with regular items you know you can find there, but all delicious inspiration for your next shopping trip!
These healthy Trader Joes' Recipes are inspired by specialty items and grocery staples we get at TJs all the time! Enjoy! This easy Trader Joe's meal is made up of some of my favorite TJ's specialty items like chicken sausage and cauliflower gnocchi! You'll never guess the secret TJ's ingredient in this chicken crust, it will blow your mind! You know what TJ's has year around, sitting on the bottom shelf near all the dried fruit. Mission figs! I make these healthier cookies year-round knowing they will always have figs for me to purchase! If I don't get my wings at Butcher Box, the next likely place I am to get them is Trader Joe's. This is my new favorite wing recipe, so I thought I'd throw this recipe in the list! I LOVE TJ's Mediterranean Hummus and their brown rice tortillas. The brown rice tortillas crisp up perfectly to make these delicious Mediterranean inspired pizzas. Remember when cauliflower rice was exclusive to Trader Joe's and you'd buy like 10 packets every time you went? Oh, just me? Now, thanks to TJ's you can get it just about anywhere, but I still throw all the cauliflower rice recipes inspired by TJ's first convenient package in the list! Harissa salsa and roasted plantain chips also top the list of two of my all-time favorite Trader Joe's goods I can never pass up. They make this salad out of this worth delicious! Do you know what I can never find anymore? Almond meal, NOT almond flour, almond MEAL. The only place to get it nowadays is TJs. Thank goodness because almond meal lends a crispy texture to these chicken tenders that you can't get with almond flour. Try them, you'll love them I promise! This one isn't TJ's specific, but I do love that they always have the roasted red pepper jars, which are sometimes hard to find elsewhere and are needed to make these Starbucks Feta Wrap knock offs I love so much. Not TJs specific, but you can get all the ingredients at TJs for these delicious oatmeal crust breakfast pizzas. Another item I love from TJs is there already made bruschetta. I love to eat like regular bruschetta, but I also like to mix it with pasta for a delicious summery dish. Need a quick healthy snack? These Trail Mix Energy Balls are quick and easy to whip up! A fun summer salad you can pick up all the ingredients for at TJs. I like to include anything with bacon on my TJs recipes list because my favorite bacon of all time is the uncured applewood smoked super thick-cut bacon at TJs. This lightened-up mac salad has a few TJs specific ingredients like their 8 veggie mix and light cheese wedges found only at TJs. This delicious dessert uses coffee flour from Trader Joes. I often use Trader Joe's steam in the bag broccoli for recipes. I use it in these healthy egg muffins to speed up the recipe and meal prep breakfast faster! Frozen carrot noodles! Another fun TJ's only item to try in this healthy breakfast skillet. I love that TJ's carries unsalted unroasted pepitas year around so I can make my pumpkin seed bars! They also carry roasted, salted pepitas that Mr. Hungry likes to snack on by themselves. One of my favorite veggies is Trader Joe's butternut squash zig-zags which I've never seen anywhere else. I used them in this fun oven-roasted fall salad which is perfect for a weeknight dinner or holiday! Another use for TJ's bacon and frozen cauliflower rice. I love to use Trader Joe's premade pizza crusts when I throw pizza on the grill! Trader Joe's store brand sunflower seed butter is a must-have every single time I shop there, these cookies are one of the reasons why! A quick and easy overnight oats recipes from back in the blogs early days. Trader Joe's is one of the only places I know that I can always get coconut cream. They also carry coconut sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder so you can put this delicious pudding on your dessert list for the week! Trader Joe's Chile Lime seasoning is delicious on mangos, but also on corn on the cob! Get the full recipe here! I'm putting this on the list because all the ingredients are from Trader Joe's, but I especially love their pre-cooked uncured bacon. I love the haricot green beans at Trader Joe's. You can get them other places, but not as neatly wrapped and even steam in the bag friendly as theirs! TJ's Green Curry Sauce is not just to dump over veggies and rice, it's better than that! I'm not the only fan of zig-zags, it's basically the only way my 19-month old will willingly eat vegetables nowadays! I like all kinds of pesto, and I'm we aren't a dairy-free household. But, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy this surprisingly delicious vegan pesto in the cold case. Not Trader Joe's specific, but I often make it to go with one of their pre-made meatloaves or frozen lasagna, we like both the turkey and ground beef versions. Did I mention I REALLY like the brown rice tortillas? Of course, they have other tortillas you can use though! My MIL makes this easy breakfast recipe all the time with their whole wheat tortillas. Trader Joe's is responsible for introducing me to cashew butter and now it's a must-have in my kitchen at all times. It's buttery, ultra-creamy, rich, and the perfect base for this healthy snack! If you haven't tried Trader Joe's peppered turkey bacon, you don't know what your missing. Did you feel the FOMO just set in? Is there anything Everything But The Bagel Seasoning can't do?Healthy Trader Joes' Recipes
Salmon and bacon? Two thumbs up! Good thinking. Thanks for the share!