The rhythm of our weeks has balanced lately, with weekends on and off- filled and then purposely left unscheduled. Looking ahead to a birthday celebration and a family trip, my attention this upcoming week is fully focused on being present and prepared for those events. After two weeks of winging it when it comes to meal preparation, I'm here to say I'm so sick and tired of having to settle for vending machine snacks at work. And an empty stomach on my morning commute isn't so fun either. So, I'm reclaiming this week for the sake of my sanity and satisfying some serious cravings! I'm sharing all the details of what I bought and what meals I plan to make.
The meals...
Daytime, for me:
Breakfasts will be a yogurt with some nuts, honey, and chocolate chips on top. I go all out because yogurt is boring. This is super fast and lets me sleep in as needed (if I get the chance for those extra 15-20 min, I'll take it.)
I can't make it without crunching throughout the day so a cheese stick, dried fruit, trail mix, and cheese sandwich crackers meet my snack needs (which are clearly absurdly extensive but snacks are the best!!). Even though I love the TJs trail mix with the chocolate chunks, the "Handful of Breakfast" trail mix seems perfect for the morning as it has oats mixed in. If I have the pleasure of sitting down for breakfast, I will make eggs with pico de gallo and cojita cheese on top. I love to let all of it cook together in the pan with the lid on. Perfect eggs in just a few minutes!
For lunch I'll have a prepared salad (protein, check! veggies, check!). It's impossible for me to feel full without carbs so that's where the hummus with pita come in handy. For a sweet tooth, there are "These Peanuts Go on A Date" bars. As backup, I'll have whole milk and my protein powder at work, just incase I need that boost at the end of the day to make it until dinnertime.
Dinner options
We won't necessarily have all of this, but can choose from these meals.
Cheese and mushroom pizza with salad (premade pizza dough, TJs sauce & shredded cheese)
Chicken enchiladas verde (premade)
Chicken thighs with rice and broccoli
Gnocchi with steamed broccoli (frozen gnocchi)
Chicken and rice with tikka vegetables (pictured above, and premade veggies are in a bag in the sauce)
Baby friendly buys
Awesome and easy treats, snacks, and foods that work well for baby (my son is 11+ months old)
Joe's O's cereal
Soft & juicy dried mangoes
Organic mini cheese sandwiches
Organic cut broccoli
Organic Orecchiette pasta (so easy for tiny fingers to pick up)
Spinach tortellini (cut in half after cooked)
These Peanuts Go on A Date bars
Gnocchi (find these frozen, I cut them up for him after cooked)
Perfect Bars
String cheese
The Trader Joe's Meal Plan Grocery List
BREAKFAST
5 Greek yogurts
"Handful of Breakfast" trail mix packets
Eggs
Pico de Gallo
Joe's O's cereal
total: $22
LUNCH
5 Premade salads
total: $20
SNACKS
String cheese
Whole wheat pita
Hummus
Freeze dried banana
2 boxes Mini cheese sandwich crackers (they're small boxes)
2 Perfect bars
1 box Peanuts Go on A Date bars
total: $17
DINNER
4 Premade pizza doughs
2 Jars of TJs pizza sauce
Sliced baby bella mushrooms
2 Bags organic broccoli
1 Bag organic orecchiette pasta
1 Bag of gnocchi
1 bag Vegetables in Tikka sauce
1 bag of organic rice
Cojita cheese
Tortellini spinach pasta
2 packs of chicken thighs
Quattro formaggio cheese
total: $43
TOTAL: $102
My true meal plan lovers are still reading...
For this meal prep, I decided on Trader Joe's because of all the prepared meals and ample baby-friendly foods. Is this the healthiest or most balanced meal plan of all time? No way, but for being so easy, it's not so bad (organic when available!) and will be better than ordering food out constantly. Of course it is a week I have to kiss goodbye our zero waste kitchen goals because these pre-made items mean using a lot of packages. The mostly-packaged meal preps are more rare these days, so we're doing what we can, when we can. All in all, despite really not loving the TJs shopping experience, I do appreciate the yummy finds!
What are your favorites from TJs? It's so hard to pass up on all the treats! I got myself the birthday cake flavored popcorn...cause! :)
wishing you joy on your journey,
kristen
No comments