Cassie DeNisco

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My Trader Joe’s Essentials!

I cannot tell you how exponentially better my life is now that I have a Trader Joe’s close to me! My weekly grocery trips and meal planning has leveled up since then. I wanted to dedicate this post to my Trader Joe’s essentials, the things that are alway on my list and in my fridge!

If you like this post, I actually have another Trader Joe’s post here to check out! I made that a few years ago but honestly some of these things are the same. TJ’s is great for everything but I love to stock up my fridge/freezer because their pre-made meals are great for busy days.

Freezer White Jasmine Rice

This product is a true freezer staple for me. I rave about my rice cooker but sometimes you just don’t have the time to use it. These rice packs you just have to pop in the microwave and they come out great every time. They’re so fast and great for quick additions to your lunch or dinner.

Chunky Guacamole

I have tried so many guacamole containers but this one is truly my favorite. I also like that it’s super inexpensive because guac is not cheap these days. This one seems to last me awhile too so I can open it one day and it’s not super gross and brown the next.

Chicken Fried Rice

trader joe's essentials

I cannot explain to you the love I have for this rice. It definitely isn’t a takeout dupe but honestly tastes better in my opinion because I know it’s healthier. This is perfect on its own or I like to grab like egg rolls or pot stickers and make a full dinner out of it.

Chicken Soup Dumplings

trader joe's essentials

I saw this online and immediately knew I needed them. I love dumplings and these are so great for lunch. They come in chicken or pork but I like the chicken version best. Seriously I love these and just having them in my freezer makes me not have to worry about planning a lunch during the work day.

Vegan Cashew Ravioli

trader joe's essentials

You need to try these ravioli even if you aren’t vegan! These are so yummy and honestly you probably can’t tell they aren’t vegan. I haven’t had a ravioli in like a year because I can’t have dairy and finding these was life changing!

These Trader Joe’s Essentials have seriously become staples in my life. I’ve noticed that TJ has become really dairy free friendly and has some great alternative products so let me know if you want me to do a post on my favorite non dairy things!

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How to Meal Plan Each Week

If the pandemic taught me anything, it was how to meal plan your dinners for the week. This not only makes life easier but it saves you money because you only have to go shopping like once a week. I usually will grocery shop on a Friday so I sit down on a Thursday and plan out what I want for dinner. By planning it out, I know what I’m making and I’m not tempted to order out.

The key to my meal planning is this little notepad. It has space to plan out literally your whole week and even your grocery list. I will usually just fill out the dinner side but I like that if I want to plan lunches or snacks I have enough space to. You can shop this notepad from Amazon here!

how to meal plan

One of the major tips I have for meal planning is actually creating an outline. I will usually have the same type of meals each week but change up the recipes. This makes planning easy because I know I’ll have a pasta night or a chicken night.

Sample Meal Schedule

  • Monday- Pasta
  • Tuesday- Salads
  • Wednesday- Fish
  • Thursday- Sandwiches
  • Friday- Turkey
  • Saturday- Beef
  • Sunday- Chicken

As you can see, each day of the week had the same things but I switched up the recipes. This is seriously such an easy way to plan because you don’t just have to think of an idea, you have the base. Also, I’m not super strict with my meal planning. If I’m not feeling a certain meal or want to order out one night, I’ll do watever feels best.

Most of my meals actually come from Pinterest so make sure you’re following me so you’re not missing out on the recipes I’m sharing. With my meal schedule, I just have to type in the keyword and then from there like millions of recipes pop up making life so much easier.

Once I have all of my meals, I’ll see what I have here versus what I need to get. I also always have a few things like almond milk or bread that we need every week so I’ll add those too.

I will do anything to make my life easier so I really hope this was helpful! Not only will my how to meal plan post save you time but it will save you money so you’re not buying random things at the store. Let me know in the comments below if you have any how to meal plan tips!

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