Trader Joe's | Best of

I have become OBSESSED with Trader Joe's! I probably do 40, if not 50% of my shopping there now. We live about 30 minutes away from one, which is a bit far, but it's right along the route to Dave's work.

The shop is tiny, and always packed! So it's a bit chaotic to shop there. But the employees are always SO SO SO friendly, their prices are incredibly cheap, and they have lots of unique items that you can't get any where else.

This list may be long, but here are my current items that I feel like I can't live without from TJs;

This stuff is amazing! And if I am remembering right, it's only $3.99. It has made my skin incredibly soft. I am so in love!

We eat this stuff everyday! A must have in the fridge. I buy two at a time. And at $2.99, much much cheaper thank any other pico I have found. Perfect for quick omelettes, and with how much Mexican food we cook up, this is the perfect topping. So good! 

They have a huge selection of cheese and sometimes $1.00 or more cheaper than I can find at other stores! The goats cheese in particular, is Dave's favorite. So good in omelettes, or spread across chicken with veggies, and I think $1.50 than what I found at Wegmans! Amazing prices. So helpful when we go through it so fast!

There nuts are also super affordable! Make sure to get some of their coconut cashews. YUM!

Another must have thing to always have in the freezer. Super quick and easy dinner! And I think they are only like $4.99! I top them with a chipotle mayo (mayo mixed with chipotle seasoning), cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and guac. Yum!

Another great, dinner in a pinch. Can't remember prices, but I know these were very cheap! And yummy! Sometimes you just need to be lazy and want something you can just throw in the microwave and shove in your face, am I right? This is it. And for a "TV dinner" it's fairly low cal, only 270 calories. No complaints there! Although it is salty, but that is no surprise. 

Another super cheap, must have item. I use this in so many ways (maybe more on that in another post), and really, is it just me or is their packaging just so cute?

This is just one of like 4 or 5 options that they have, but we are so obsessed with these juice smoothies. And they are only $2.99! Incredible price! The only one we do not like it the mango one. It's too thick, and according to the ingredients, it has cornstarch added to it. What? Ew, gross. But all the rest have pretty great ingredients. By far the cheapest yummy juices around that money can buy! 

Only $2.69! So yummy! Dave usually does not like pink lemonade but we both guzzled up this stuff! So good!

And the best for last. I am so obsessed with these! Ice cream sandwiches have always been my weakness. As a kid, I loved to get them from those ice cream freezers at the gas station, my go to item any time the ice cream truck swung into town. But these. Oh these are heaven. Truly sublime as they say! 

Coconut Lime Chicken

I swear I had shared this recipe before, but I couldn't find it! So here I am, sharing it, or sharing it again. Either way, it's a great easy recipe that everyone loves! Pretty much everything in this recipe are things I usually have on hand, so it's great for me in a pinch. Quick, flavorful, and easy to make for big groups. Always a hit! 

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (I like to use chicken tenders but it really doesn't matter)
3 tbsp oil
zest of 1 lime
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 tsp curry powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 can coconut milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh limes, cut into wedges

- Place chicken in a ziplock bag. If using breasts, even out each piece with a meat mallet.
- In a bowl mix together all above ingredients except coconut milk, cilantro and lime wedges. Whisk together. 
- Add 1/2 cup coconut milk to seasonings and whisk together. 
- Pour seasoning mixture over chicken in the zip lock bag and marinate, refrigerated for at least two hours.
- I start cooking my rice about 20 minutes before I start cooking my chicken. I particularly love Basmati rice, which you can find at any grocery store, but any rice will do.
- Remove chicken from marinade and sear over medium high heat. (Also great to grill it!) 
- Pour marinade into saucepan and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for at least 2 minutes. Turn heat to low and add remaining can of coconut milk and stir together. Allow to simmer until it has thickened, about 3-5 minutes. 
- Once chicken is fully cooked, top with chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice. Serve over rice with sauce made from the marinade. 

Adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen

Enjoy! 

Easy Stir Fry

We have become stuck in a bit of a routine with our go to being carb-free fajita bowls which are super quick, easy and flavorful. No joke, we probably eat that 3 times a week. But we love it!

In trying to branch out a little more I decided to give a stir fry recipe a try. Near Dave's work there is a Hibachi restaurant we are hooked on, so I tried looking for recipes similar to that. Most recipes I found online were pretty much the same, and I ended up using a mix of the ones I found. 

It wasn't quite as good as what we get at the restaurant, the sauce came out a bit thin and not quite a glaze like I wanted, but I was still very pleased with how it turned out! It was so easy to throw together, yummy, and will easily become our new go to! So now at least we have two good, easy meals we can repeat all the time!

Now this is the not the healthy version. I am going to try out some other recipes with different sauces to try and make it as healthy as possible, and will share that update later! But for a first shot and a quick, easy meal, here's what I have;

What you will need;

For chicken;

4 large chicken breasts, chopped 

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon Olive oil 
(Most stir fry recipes call for butter or veggie oil 
but I feel like those stink up the house, so I always use olive oil!) 

2 tablespoons Soy sauce

1 teaspoon Lemon juice

For veggies;
Mixed veggies 
(peppers, onions, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms...) 

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon Olive oil 

2 tablespoons Soy sauce

1 teaspoon Lemon juice

For fried rice;
1 cup cooked rice
1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1/3 cup peas
1/3 cup chopped carrots
1/2 diced onion
2 eggs 

Heat 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Add chicken and soy sauce and lemon. Cook until almost fully cooked, then add veggies and remaining ingredients; sesame oil, olive oil, soy sauce and lemon juice. Cook until veggies are cooked through. 

Using the same pan, add oil and onion over medium high heat. Cook until translucent. Add rice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and carrots. After about 3 minutes, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, add eggs and peas, stirring frequently to scramble eggs. 

And you're done!

We topped ours with Sriracha and store bought Yum Yum sauce, which was better than I expected. Next time I will try making my own Yum Yum sauce as it seems pretty easy! 

Obviously you could leave out the rice and extra sauces, and just do lettuce wraps instead to make it a bit healthier and quicker! We will probably do that next time. As I learned you can just about throw any veggies into a stir fry, so it's the perfect way to use up veggies that are getting a little old in the fridge! Love it!

This recipe made enough for four meals, dinner that night and then lunch for each of us the next day, which is what I do with pretty much every meal we make. Makes it so much easier when Dave needs lunch for work! 

Do you have any stir fry tips? Let me know!

Happy Saturday! 

Easy Oven Baked Fajitas

Today I share with you a lazy day favorite; easy oven baked fajitas! This is the perfect meal to make when I need something quick, it's usually done in about an hour! It's easy, can feed a lot of people, and is always a hit! 

When I first started making this I made my own Fajita seasoning, but I have yet to find a recipe for the seasoning that I find to be really flavorful. If you have a good one let me know! But until I find a good recipe for the seasoning, I just use a Fajita seasoning packet. Not exactly healthy, but so easy! And really flavorful!

All you need;
8 large chicken breasts
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 onion
1 fajita seasoning packet (I always buy the low sodium)
Tortillas
Toppings of your choice

Chop the chicken, peppers and onions and toss in the seasonings. Bake in a 9x13 pan at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. 

Serve and each person can top as they wish! I like to top them with salsa, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. 

And that's it! So easy! 

Enjoy!

Easy Zucchini Parmesan

We are at the end of the prime Zucchini season - Zucchini is in season May-September so time to enjoy it while it is at it's best! So I thought I would share our family favorite recipe from Mama Cavanaugh for super simple Zucchini Parmesan. And friends, I am not joking when I say this is easy, so easy!

Here's what you will need;
1 Zucchini
Italian Style Bread Crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
Marinara Sauce
Mozzarella
Parmesan

Directions;

Slice up your zucchini, a little thick, not too thin.

Dip them in egg wash, and then bread crumbs (sorry no pictures of that, but you should know the drill!)

Next, fry them up in a pan, over medium heat, about 3 minutes for each side.

Spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of a baking dish and lay out the fried up zucchini on top of the sauce.

 Top with a generous layer of mozzarella and sprinkle with parmesan. 

Broil in oven to melt the cheese, as long as your liking. I broiled mine for about 10 minutes.

And there you have it!

The family devours this meal! I should have doubled it. Even our pickiest eater got herself two servings! And it's easily a 30 minute meal. Can't complain with that! 

Enjoy!