There are three key components that I try to balance when food shopping.
1) Organic: My philosophy on this is simple – our bodies take in enough chemicals and toxins from everyday living, why add any more than absolutely necessary? So I try to purchase as much organic produce as possible, as well as milk and meat products.
2) Convenience: I have a full time job, I maintain Little Black Dress Fitness Tips website and blog (basically a second full time job!), I work out, I help my elderly parents, and I’m in a long distance relationship (I travel about 3 hours round trip per week). Needless to say, I don’t have a whole lot of time to focus on my food.
But if I DON”T focus on my food, I end up eating junk. So when I shop, I look for foods that taste good and are healthy, but are convenient and save time.
3) Budget: I’m on a rather tight budget right now, so much as I love to buy products that are organic and convenient, sometimes that goal is cost-prohibitive.
Enter Trader Joe’s. This wonderful little store carries items that fit all three of the categories listed above. Here are a few of my favorite Trader Joe’s items:
Mirepoix: A fancy French term for minced carrots, onions and celery. Use them as a base in a stir fry; sprinkle them on your salad for an extra veggie kick; mix them with Trader Joe’s Salsa for a veggieful dip. But my favorite way to use them is to put some in a bowl, nuke them for about 35 seconds, then add some eggs and mix everything together; nuke for another 3 minutes or so. Excellent way to get veggies into your morning meal!
Trader Joe’s Salsa: Near the cheeses in the refrigerator case. I buy the big tub of the Medium salsa. Great as a low-cal dip. Top your salad with salsa and avocado for a healthy change of pace. Top your scramble eggs with it! And it’s so good, I’ve been known to eat it straight out of the container.
Curry Sauce: I’m a huge curry lover, and Trader Joe’s carries a number of curry sauces. My favorite is the Thai Yellow Curry. Just stir fry some veggies, add meat if you’d like, then add sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Curry in a hurry! Be sure to check the labels – some curry sauces have more calories and sugar than others.
Trader Giuseppe’s Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil: Two separate products that make one awesome dressing for salads and veggies. In the past, I never understood the allure of oil and vinegar on a salad. I think I had maybe tried the wrong oil and the wrong vinegar! These products from Trader Joe’s give salads a refreshing flavor without the cloying sweetness of commercial salad dressings. I just splash on some vinegar, then a wee bit of olive oil, toss and eat! Never going back to commercial salad dressing…
Greek Style Yogurt: Now this is yogurt. Not that overly sweet, processed stuff that you find at the grocery store. My favorite is the Honey flavor – it reminds me of the yogurt we ate in France. It’s more rich than sweet, and is great mixed with cantaloupe and blueberries.
Egg White Salad: I haven’t tried this product yet, just saw it on the website, but I’m guessing it will be a new favorite. Egg whites, soy dressing, chives and red onions sound healthy and delicious to me. Plus, each 6 oz. container is low fat, cholesterol free and has 7 grams of protein and just 2 grams of carbohydrates.
So there you go, a few of my favorite things from one of my favorite stores. If you’ve never been to Trader Joe’s, do yourself a favor and go – and be sure to check out the beer and wine in the attached liquor store. It’s best to go on a weekday or weeknight – weekends tend to be crowded, making it more difficult to browse.
Click here to find a Trader Joe’s near you. And tell us what your favorite product is!
Please note that I am not affiliated with Trader Joe’s in any way – I just love their stuff!
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Today’s Menu
- Four Eggs Scrambled with Trader Joe’s Mirepoix
- Coffee with milk
- Trader Joe’s Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage
- Handful of Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Cashews
- More Coffee with Milk
- Salad: Courtesy of my roommate Steffi Weiss – peas, tomatoes, onions, feta cheese, cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil
Today’s Workout
Today’s Weight
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