Great Food Finds and Weeknight Lifesavers

As you probably know already, my two favorite places to shop are Trader Joe's and BJ's. I usually try to experiment with a few new items each time I go. This week, I tried out the Mandarin Orange Chicken from BJ's. This is our new favorite dish in the house. AND you get two packs in one box! There's a version at Trader Joe's that I used to like but the one from BJ's has better quality chicken meat in it in my opinion. We stir fry some broccoli and sliced onions and voila! a quick weeknight meal. 

Another find from BJ's are their fish sticks. After awhile, chicken nuggets get old and I find the ones that come in Mickey Mouse shapes just nasty. Sure, you can't microwave these but they go great with all kinds of dipping sauces like honey mustard salad dressing (my favorite!). 

One huge favorite of my kids is the Trader Joe's brand yogurt. I wish they sold it in big tubs because our whole family could eat from it all week long. It's a thick, custardy texture (so not as big of a mess!) and the fruit flavor is just so natural tasting. I buy three packs at a time and we still run out way too fast! Be careful--it's very addictive!

Another item from Trader Joe's that I decided to try out was the Shrimp with Green Curry and Jasmine rice frozen dinner. I already love TJ's Indian food, but thought that their Thai food might be just as good! I found it VERY spicy--and I can usually take pretty hot food. It didn't bother my husband as much, but definitely be prepared for some jalapeno kind of heat. The shrimp was good quality and the curry sauce was good. 

  

Here are more of my picks from Trader Joe's from an earlier post: Link here. I also like the Trader Joe's brand of chili in a can (Turkey Chili). It's yummy! 

Another favorite of mine are quesadillas. I make a ton of these for my daughter's lunch. I buy the tortillas and cheddar cheese in bulk at BJ's--even the salsa (Chi Chi's brand is great). For meat, I put in rotisserie chicken (I'm not too happy w/the quality at BJ's--I think Costco had better rotisserie). 

These days I have very little energy at the end of the day to cook--so I'm so thankful to these stores that make mommy meal making easier than ever! Share your tips below :)

Comments

[Maria]

Thank you! Your site is always so informative. You're so right, time is of the essence. Gorton's fishsticks is a must have at least once a week (although my 2 yr old is not too fond of it's crunchy texture he's always been picky with harder and crunchy foods). I'm going to take your suggestion and try the mandarin chicken from BJ's which will be a first for my family. Lastly, I agree with you- the chicken at BJ's is a disappointment, Costcos is soooo much more tasty!

Thanks again for giving your readers these great tips!

[elley]

i need to get a membership at BJs! i want to try the madarian chicken! =)
TJ pulled pork isn't bad either. bought that recently.

[mirabest]

Hi Maria--thanks for the note! I found I overcooked the fishsticks the first time I made it...the second time I could taste the fish more if it wasn't as crispy. As for the rotisserie--I wonder if there are any organic options out there that might compete with Costco.
If others know of any, please comment!
and Elley--I'll have to try the pulled pork. I had a great slider w/pulled pork and coleslaw inside the sandwich. It was yummy!
Def. get a BJ's membership :)

[Larie]

Thanks for the food suggestions. Our fridge is stocked with food from Trader Joes. My twins love their Green Smoothies and Probiotic Yogurt Smoothies. I'm a big fan of their frozen Garden Veggie Lasagna. It's made with all organic ingredients. I look at the food label and I can actually pronouce most of their ingredients. Hardly any preservatives. This is a great meal to serve when I don't have time to cook.