Finding time to cook a balanced meal is pretty difficult under a busy college schedule. I struggled with this when I first moved to Berkeley, but over time, I found that shortcuts do exist thanks to my favorite place in the whole world—Trader Joe’s. As a Trader Joe’s fanatic, I’ll be going through a full day of vegetarian meals from Trader Joe’s. These are easy and customizable meals that you can whip up in no time without breaking the bank.
Breakfast: Breakfast Egg Tacos
For these breakfast tacos, you’ll need corn or flour tortillas, egg whites, a potato, spinach, tomato, an avocado, and a sauce of your choice. If you can handle spice, top it with hot sauce but if not, add in some mild salsa for more flavor.
First, dice up your potato to your preferred size and roast it in the oven or air-fryer. Then, warm up your tortillas and cook your egg whites how you like them. I recommend adding in vegetables, such as spinach and tomatoes, to add more flavor to your breakfast. Once your potatoes are roasted and eggs are cooked, fold them into your tortillas and add in your favorite toppings, such as cheese, avocado, and salsa.
#SpoonTip: If you like having a drink with your breakfast, try out Trader Joe’s cold brew coffee or chai tea concentrate. All you need is some ice, the coffee or chai concentrate, and your choice of milk!
Lunch: Pasta Salad
For this pasta salad, you’ll need your choice of pasta, vegetables, like tomato, kale, and asparagus, and a bottle of Trader Joe’s Green Goddess dressing.
Slice up your asparagus and tomatoes and place them onto a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, lightly salt, and bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Then, prepare a pot of boiling water and cook your pasta with the kale. When your pasta is finished cooking, run it under cold water for a minute, and then toss in the some Green Goddess dressing. Chill the pasta in the refrigerator before serving.
Dinner: Thai Noodle Stir Fry
For this noodle stir fry dish, you’ll need 1 pack of Trader Joe’s Thai wheat noodles, teriyaki marinated tofu, broccolini, red pepper, carrots and your choice of sauce. For this recipe, I used Trader Joe’s General Tsao stir fry sauce.
Chop your tofu, bell pepper, and broccoli and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then drizzle with oil, lightly salt, and bake your vegetables and tofu for 25-30 minutes. Once you have heated the oil in a pan, toss in your Thai wheat noodles and sauce. After cooking for 5 minutes, add in vegetables and baked tofu.
And there you have it—a full day of vegetarian meals from Trader Joe’s. These are just a few ideas for inspiration, but you can customize these recipes based on what you like to eat. If you’re on a tight schedule, these meals are also easy to make in bulk, so you can have leftovers during the week. Be sure to pick out a these items during your next Trader Joe’s haul and give one of these recipes a try!