I don’t know how to do my taxes, and I’m still shit at using an iron, but I get excited about grocery shopping, so I’m pretty sure that means I’m an adult. To clarify, I don’t get excited about just any grocery shopping. I get pumped about Trader Joe’s. Here are a few reasons why:
1. High quality produce without exorbitant prices.
2. Free samples.
3. Every single person who works there looks happy all the time. How is this possible? What are they feeding you people? Are you okay? I swear I don’t think I’ve ever looked that positive about anything in my life, let alone helping people find cereal. Questions aside, Trader Joe’s employees are day–brighteners.
3. Free samples again.
4. As someone with not a whole lot of free time and a loose grasp on basic cooking techniques, I’ve come to rely on TJ’s pre–made meals. After speaking with my roommates (fellow Trader Joe’s enthusiasts) I’m here to bring you the holy grails of pre–made foodstuffs from TJ’s.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi: These little baby potato dumplings are easy to prepare and come with their own sauce.
Chicken Soup Dumplings: For those days you don’t feel like heading to Dim Sum Garden, pop these in the microwave, pour yourself a glass of something fun, and like ~magic~ you have yourself a home BYO. (Try and coordinate with your roommates or else you’ll just be drinking by yourself with some dumplings to keep you company.)
Butternut Squash Triangoli: Squash is a deeply underrated fall food, and all this pasta needs is a little olive oil and ground pepper for garnish. Thank me later.
Vegetable Gyoza: Satisfying even if you’re an omnivore, and they come in a big ol’ bag so they’ll last you for a decent amount of time.
Reduced Guilt Mac ‘N’ Cheese: 350 calories for the entire box—and it’s microwaveable. You can’t go wrong.
Orange chicken: A tried and true TJ’s classic.
Burrata, Prosciutto, and Arugula Flatbread: This flatbread is feels fancy even though it’s basically a frozen pizza, and on top of that, it’ll make your entire kitchen smell amazing.
Chicken Tikka Masala: Coupled with Trader Joe’s naan, this staple is filling, flavorful, and even comes in a vegan option.
