Friday Favorites - Trader Joe's Edition (Part 2)

I previously posted on some of my favorite party snacks/appetizers from Trader Joe's - as parties used to be my primary reason for shopping there.  Since being on maternity leave (read: eating more meals/snacks at home), I've started shopping at TJ's more frequently.  Here are some of my more recent favorites!

Pre-sliced Mango

Confession: I don't know how to cut an actual mango (or pick a ripe one at the grocery store), so I buy the pre-sliced variety.  TJ's is one of the more reasonably priced places to get pre-sliced mango.  This was a major pregnancy craving of mine!

Teeny Tiny Avocados

These small avocados come 6 to a bag and are the perfect size to consume in 1 meal!  With larger avocados, my husband, son, and I usually only eat half, which means the other half of the avocado ends up in the fridge getting brown.  With these tiny avocados, we eat the whole avocado in one meal - fresh avocado every time!

Broccoli Kale Salad

This is delicious and makes a great easy side dish!  Everything you need is in the bag - shredded broccoli stalks, shredded kale, and shredded radicchio, along with dried cherries, dried blueberries, roasted sunflower seeds, slivered almonds, and dressing.  We love this!

Lemon Chicken & Arugula Salad

If I'm at TJ's near lunchtime, I almost always pick up one of these for a quick and easy lunch.  It looks small in the package but is really packed in there - it's a sizable salad once you dress and toss it!  It come with arugula, Moroccan couscous, chicken, and a pimiento dressing - different and delicious!

Reduced Guilt Chunky Guacamole

I'm usually wary of pre-packaged guacamole, and especially any guacamole that contains ingredients other than avocados and seasonings...but this is good!  It has Greek yogurt in it so it's less fattening than straight guacamole, but still delicious and has a good kick.

Fully Cooked Gyro Meat

These are sold in the refrigerated section and so good! I tried making gyro meat from scratch one time and it was a time-consuming and disappointing effort.  This tastes just like gyro meat from a Mediterranean restaurant!  It makes a quick and easy dinner - just cook in a skillet for a couple minutes on each side, then pop it into a pita and add some cucumbers, tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce (TJ's makes a good pre-made one!)  There isn't a ton in the box - my husband, 3 year old, and I ate the entire box for dinner one night.

Frozen Brown Rice

I keep a couple of boxes of this on hand in my freezer at all times.  A box contains 3 pouches that microwave in 3 minutes to make perfect brown rice!  One pouch is more than enough for my husband, 3 year old, and I for dinner - we usually have some leftover.

BBQ Chicken Teriyaki

This makes a super quick and easy dinner - it goes from the freezer to the table in less than 10 minutes.  Great to have on hand when plans fall through or I'm running late!  Heat up the chicken, heat up the sauce, mix together, and serve over rice (we use the TJ's frozen brown rice above).  One bag makes enough for my husband, 3 year old, and I for 2 meals.

Jalapeno Limeade

Another pregnancy craving of mine!  This is an acquired taste - it was too spicy for my husband, but I love it!  It has a definite kick - it's not just a hint of jalapeno!  I bet this would be delicious with vodka or tequila (jalapeno margarita?!) too.

Just a Handful of Simply Almonds, Cashews & Chocolate Trek Mix

I love these pre-packaged trail mixes! They are good for portion control (especially since this contains chocolate) and are a filling snack that is slightly indulgent but also contains protein.

Chocolatey Coated Chocolate Chip Dunkers

These are dangerous.  They come one million to a package and are addictively good.  It's basically a Famous Amos-like chocolate chip cookie, coated in chocolate on one side.  I discovered these at a neighbor's house for bunco one night and never looked back.

Roasted Plantain Chips

These are my 3-year-old's favorite snack!  I love that they don't have any sugar (they're salted, not sweet)!

Inner Peas (Pea Crisps) and Inner Bean (Black Bean Crisps)

These are another snack favorite for my son!  It's as close as he gets to chips ;) They're crunchy and lightly salted and less than $2 per bag.  I buy several every time I'm at TJ's!

What else is good at TJ's?  There is so much to choose from and it is easy to overlook things I haven't tried before!