I'm a registered dietitian who loves a great bargain. These are the 6 best items I've found at Trader Joe's.

I rarely leave Trader Joe's without buying some tiny tomatoes and ground turkey.

Meridan Zerner

• I am a registered dietitian who loves shopping for groceries at Trader Joe's.
• I usually look for products that will help me make easy, healthy meals.
• Some of my go-tos include the Caesar salad kit and zucchini spirals.

As a dietitian, my clients assume my grocery basket will look like a wellness-retreat postcard in food form, complete with kale, wild salmon, and an excessive amount of chia seeds.

Yes, occasionally you will find salmon and chia — but in reality, my weekly Trader Joe's haul reflects a more balanced approach. My basket says, "I care about my health … but I also have emails, deadlines, laundry, and about 11 minutes to make dinner."

After 25 years as a dietitian, I live by two rules: Healthy eating can include a few minimally processed items, and anything I make must taste good.

I like to plan for those days when motivation has left the group chat with six Trader Joe's staples.

The organic Caesar salad kit is an easy way to get some greens.

Meridan Zerner

The older I get, the more I respect foods that reduce decision fatigue. This kit is ready to go!

Of course, it's not that hard to wash lettuce. Will I? Not most Thursdays at 6:42 p.m.

So, this salad kit — which contains romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, creamy Caesar dressing, and croutons — means I'm always one scissor snip away from getting in some greens.

I'll often pair the salad with some chicken or seasoned ground turkey for optimal protein … which brings me to the next item on my shopping list.

My favorite protein is Trader Joe's 93% lean ground turkey.

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Meridan Zerner

Protein becomes increasingly important in midlife for supporting muscle mass, fullness, and blood sugar stability.

As someone deeply entrenched in this chapter, I have several easy protein "go-tos" from frozen shrimp to edamame, but the ground turkey is a family favorite.

It cooks up in about seven to 10 minutes, and I use it for taco bowls, stuffed peppers, and last-minute "use up the leftovers" one-pan meals.

While cooking, I might add a handful of shredded zucchini directly into the turkey skillet. This gives me an extra boost of fiber and potassium.

I've found several uses for Trader Joe's zucchini spirals.

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Meridan Zerner

I love that Trader Joe's zucchini noodles are already washed and ready for my culinary adventures.

Some nights, they're the base of the meal with sauce, mushrooms, and protein. Other nights, I mix them half-and-half with regular pasta (my favorite approach).

They can serve as a more elevated side dish, too: Just add a little onion, diced red bell pepper, and a sprinkle of pepper.

You'll also find me sliding their shredded zucchini into soups, salads, and casseroles as a stealth health upgrade.

I always buy chicken piccata.

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Meridan Zerner

This one surprises people.

Yes, there's a bit of breading, and yes, it's higher in sodium than some of my other go-tos, but there's room for food that is both nourishing and genuinely enjoyable. Trader Joe's lemony chicken piccata feels like comfort food to me.

I usually pair it with frozen vegetables or a salad, and simply control how much sauce I use. I might even slice up the chicken so that the two portions feed four people and add a second vegetable.

It tastes just as good as takeout, but it's far cheaper: At my local store, a two-serving box is just $7.

I swear by Sunset's Sprinkles teeny tiny tomatoes.

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Meridan Zerner

A disclaimer: I do have to buy several packages of Sprinkles tomatoes, because one box of these tiny balls of flavor and vitamin C rarely makes it home without being eaten directly out of the container in the car.

The red, orange, and yellow tomatoes come in a cute tomato-shaped container and work as a quick snack, a colorful side, or a pasta addition.

Trader Joe's Caro Sugo Italian tomato-basil pasta sauce is one of my favorites.

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Meridan Zerner

This week, I chopped some tomatoes and popped them into Trader Joe's no-sugar-added tomato-basil pasta sauce before serving it over zucchini noodles.

The sauce already has great flavor courtesy of the garlic, basil, and olive oil, but the chunks of tomato make it feel even fresher. The "caro sugo" language showcases that there are zero grams of added sugar in this sauce. (Yes, I checked the label … we dietitians do that.)

I use this sauce as a staple for chili, Italian hamburgers, shakshuka, meatball sandwiches, or a quick chicken parm.

Keep reading our Trader Joe's diaries here.

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Contributer : Business Insider https://ift.tt/3KB9xzL

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