The doors slide open. Fresh cut flowers to the right, a big box of berries to the left. Simply walking into Trader Joe’s makes me feel fresh and healthy. But while this store is a great place to find healthy ingredients, old shopping habits could leave you with a cart full of fattening foods.
Today, I’m your personal guide through Trader Joe’s. Firs, you’ll learn a new shopping method that leads to easier weight loss. Second, we’ll peek into my grocery bags to see a real-life haul. Third, I’ll share my go-to Trader Joe’s recipes that save me time every week.
The Method
When we make goals to lose weight, we might swear off sweets or sign up for a class at our local gym. But weight loss starts in the grocery aisle.
How you shop for groceries will make or break you on your weight loss journey. The items you pull into your cart will end up in your mouth and on your body.
We’ve all found our grocery shopping routine—you probably walk the same path through the grocery store each week. Even after you’ve determined to lose weight, you might walk down the snack aisle because you always grab the chips and soda in that aisle.
If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to change your shopping habits. Changing how you shop for groceries is the first step. It’s like turning the steering wheel in your health journey. How you shop will directly affect the direction of your health.
Many suggest making a meal plan and then shopping for those items specifically. This method is a great one! In fact, women who meal plan are less likely to be overweight.
But meal planning every week for the rest of your life might not be a realistic goal. When time is short, or if the budget is tight and you need to shop the sales, meal planning can become a burden.
You need to be able to walk into the grocery store with no list and still know how to shop. If you can rework your shopping routine, you’ll grab the healthy, macro-friendly ingredients on autopilot—no menu required!
Here’s the method I use when I walk into Trader Joe’s:
- Snag Trader Joe’s Special Items: There are some goodies that only Trader Joe’s carries, like their frozen dinners, dried fruit, and pre-marinated meat.
- Pick Up Your Protein: Protein is the most important macronutrient to pursue. It’s the one we need the most for healthy weight loss and the one we miss the most on an average day. So the next corner of Trader Joe’s I hit is their meat section and beans section. I can easily grab protein for 5 or 6 dinners and get a vision of some meals I can make with those ingredients.
- Fill The Rest of Your Cart With Fiber: After protein, I know I need to prioritize fiber—another nutrient that’s critical for weight loss and easy to skip. Load up on fibrous produce, like sweet potatoes, avocados, bananas, raspberries, carrots, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. Oats, brown rice, and quinoa are high-fiber grains that are good to have on hand as well.
The Haul
Here’s what a Trader Joe’s haul looks like following my shopping method:
Trader Joe’s Staples
- Frozen Vegetable Fried Rice
- Frozen Fettuccine Alfredo
- Frozen Jasmine Rice
- Frozen Mashed Potatoes
- Bagged Salads
Protein Picks
- Marinated Pork Loin
- Ground Beef
- Ground Sausage
- Chicken Breast
- Roast Beef
- Eggs and Egg Whites
- Edamame
- Great Northern Beans
- Garbanzo Beans
- Greek Yogurt
- Cottage Cheese
Fiber-Rich Foods
- Shredded Slaw Mix
- Asparagus
- Bell Peppers
- Scallions
- Zucchini
- Brussels Sprouts
- Arugula
- Green Beans
- Mushrooms
- Berries
- Tomatoes
The Recipes
Making macro-balanced meals that are full of fiber and protein every day takes practice. At first, you’ll measure everything and tally numbers, but soon, you’ll be able to look at your plate and roughly know its macro ratio.
You’ll start to remember numbers—one cup of shredded chicken breast contains 40 grams of protein. 2 cups of cooked broccoli has 10 grams of fiber.
In the meantime, the “Core Four” trick will save you hours every week when it comes to meal planning and grocery shopping.
It’s a strategy that I teach in my LEAN program where I encourage my clients to list out 4-8 meal ideas and recipes for each meal. These are easy, go-to meals that are balanced in calories, high in protein and fiber, and family favorites.
Utilizing this method makes eating healthy and cooking healthy a breeze!
Once I picked my protein for the week, I instantly knew I could make a few of my core recipes this week. Trader Joe’s has a ground pork and ground beef sale—with these meats, I could whip up my Egg Roll Bowl and Beef Bolognese Pasta.
Want to borrow some of my core recipes? Here’s what I made from my Trader Joe’s Haul:
- Protein Packed Soup: Hit your protein goal easily by adding shredded chicken and extra beans to Trader Joe’s premade soups! I love their White Bean Chicken Chili.
- Fiber and Chicken Fried Rice: Grab a bag of Trader Joe’s frozen Vegetable Fried Rice, sauté, and add Teriyaki Sauce, chicken and extra veggies, like broccoli.
- Fit Fettuccine Alfredo: Trader Joe’s carries frozen Alfredo pasta that clocks in at only 250 calories a serving! When I’m craving something carby but want to hit my macros, I whip up one of these on chicken and roasted zucchini, then serve it with a simple salad.
- Egg Roll In A Bowl: There is no recipe easier and more family friendly than this one! All the ingredients are easy to find and come together fast! It can also be served over a bed of rice. Check out how easy this one is..
- Bolognese Protein Pasta: You’ll love this veggie and beef packed bolognese sauce served over chickpea pasta!
- Fast Old Fashioned Family Dinner: Trader Joe’s roast beef and frozen mashed potatoes make it really easy for us to make a classic a tight schedule. Serve these with a big pile of roasted veggies.
- 30 Second Salad: For rushed lunches, I toss a premade salad from Trader Joe’s with cooked chicken breast.
- Protein Parfait: Top greek yogurt with berries and granola for a filing and protein packed breakfast.
Change Requires Change
Change the way you shop to change the way you look and feel. Try these Trader Joe’s tips and my go-to recipes to feel your best, fuel your body, and get fit! Want more realistic hauls and tips like this? Sign up for weekly tips and guidance while you’re on your health journey.
