Stock up your pantry!
As a college student, it can be difficult to find time to do things. Everyone’s running from place to place trying to fit in everything they have to do. Taking the time to cook meals can be especially hard when your planner is overflowing with assignments. It can be easy to rely on ramen or just skip breakfast, but Trader Joe’s has a better answer. Their aisles are filled with many quick and easy meal options to aid with the cooking process. Here are the top five products I use to save time.
1. Organic Jasmine Rice
Rice is a perfect lunch or dinner food to add to your diet. It can spice up any meal or at least make it more filling. It’s versatile, so you can pair it with anything you want or just add soy sauce. My favorite ways to eat rice are in tofu bowls, or , as a side with dumplings or curry. Trader Joe’s organic jasmine rice is perfect because there is no cleaning required when you are done! Pop the rice bag into the microwave for 3 minutes and you have the perfect base for any meal.
2. Garlic Naan
This one may be confusing. You might be thinking, “garlic naan bread as an essential?” Yes. You can really do whatever you want with naan bread. I like serving it with curry and rice or filling it with falafel and toppings for a gyro style sandwich. This is a simple staple you can keep in your freezer to add substance to your meal.
3. Chicken/Pork Gyoza Potstickers
Potstickers are one of my favorite meals, and the ones from Trader Joe’s are exceptional. Potstickers are perfect to keep on hand because they’re the yummiest things ever and can be used as a back-up meal when you have no other ideas. They’re easy to make, they take almost no time to cook, and you can pair them with different things. I usually eat them with a side salad and dip them into a sweet chili sauce, but they also go well with Trader Joe’s organic jasmine rice. Wink wink.
4. Vegetable Melange
Look, I get it. It’s hard to remember to eat your daily vegetables and shopping for them at the grocery store isn’t fun. Personally, whenever I buy vegetables, I usually end up forgetting about them until I have to throw them away. To solve this, I tried out Trader Joe’s frozen veggie blend, which ended up being the perfect solution. It’s fast and easy to make, and you can season it with anything you like.
5. Argentinian Red Shrimp
Lastly, we have frozen shrimp. Buying frozen shrimp has made my life so much easier; it’s also a good way to fit protein into your day. All you have to do is defrost it, throw it onto the pan and season it with whatever you want. I like adding shrimp to pasta and salads, but you could also eat this protein with vegetables, rice, stir fry, or any other meal you have in mind.
I could talk about my favorite Trader Joe’s items for hours, but I’ll wrap it up here for now. These five items can be mixed and matched or eaten alone. They give you a solid base to make a few different meals. Since most of these items are frozen, they’re all quick and easy to make, which is what I look for when I’m shopping. Although they’re frozen, it feels better to put something on the stove instead of picking up another Ramen cup. Hopefully these items will spark some inspiration. Good luck shopping!