The Sound of Music, anyone? No, just me and Mom?…okay cool, but it’s a great movie, so go watch it!
One of the three pillars we work with at Love R Bodies is nutrition. What’s good for us, what’s not. How much should we eat of these things…when should we eat… what can we eat to replace our favorite junk foods…etc. And inevitably I end up singing the praises of many of the products from Trader Joe's. If you haven’t been to a Trader Joe’s yet, you’re seriously missing out. I used to live across the street from one, and I was there at least twice a week. I’m pretty sure the grocery stores in Heaven will be Trader Joe’s... So here’s a rundown of my favorite Love R Bodies approved products from my little slice of Heaven on Earth.
But first, let’s touch base on what qualifies a product to be Love R Bodies approved:
1. Be as reasonably non-processed as possible.
2. ZERO added sugars of any kind. (we can get away with Stevia-based sweeteners from time to time)
3. Very few ingredients, all of which we recognize and know, 5 ingredients is a reasonable amount before I reconsider eating the product
4. Few to ZERO chemicals added, even preservatives
5. Minimal added salt
6. Bonus points if it’s organic
And now, without further ado, the list!
Meats & Seafood
I'm not a huge meat eater (just based on what I personally prefer) but when I do eat meat, it's from Trader Joe's and it's in some form of turkey. When I'm at TJs I always pick up their 99% Fat Free Ground Turkey Breast. The quality of the meat is great, but so is the price point! I use this to make turkey patties; just add a bit of water and spices, make patties, bake or grill and "voila!"
TJ's also sells Turkey Breast Tenderloins, which you can roast like mini Thanksgiving turkeys, only no marinating or gross gizzards required. Trader Joe's carries a wide variety of frozen seafood that is high quality and, again, at a very reasonable price. My favorites are their tilapia, rainbow trout, Argentinian Shrimp, Ahi tuna steaks, and mahi mahi fillets. Oh, and their frozen cioppino is also worth mentioning!
Cheese and Crackers
I love cheese. So to say this is my all time favorite cheese that I have most likely consumed 5x my bodyweight of is a telling statement. Trader Joe's Goat's Milk Creamy Cheese is the perfect texture for baguettes, crackers, dipping veggies/ fruits, bagels, english muffins... a spoon. And it has that characteristic goat cheese funk that a lot of people love.
I will say that TJ's (and most other brands) tend to add sugar to their crackers. So always check your labels as you're shopping, but here are two that are Love R Bodies approved and can help you eat your creamy goat cheese in style.
More things to use your crackers with, a.k.a. Dips
Two of my absolute favorite dips from Trader Joe's are their Eggplant Hummus and their Chunky Spicy Guacamole Athentico. The eggplant hummus is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, a hummus dip made from chickpeas and eggplant. The flavor of this is dip is lemon and garlic, and even if you eat the whole tub in one sitting it's low in calories and fat so you don't have to worry about it! The guacamole is better than most I've had at restaurants, and way easier than making it myself at home. The ingredient that pushes this over the top (in my opinion at least) is the lime oil!
For Your Everyday Breakfast
And quite literally guys, I eat this for breakfast almost every day. When you're bored of just regular oatmeal, or when your trainer says you can't have your Quaker Strawberries 'n Cream anymore (seriously though, check the sugar out on THAT one!) then Trader Joe's Unsweetened Instant Oatmeal is the way to go. It has flax, chia seeds, amaranth, and quinoa added and blended with the oats give you a healthy does of omega 3 fatty acids as well as some extra protein power. I personally love the texture of this oatmeal; because they cut the oats it's creamier than other oatmeals, and the chia seeds give it a good thickness as it cools. Try it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and cinnamon!
Frozen Goodies
I don't buy a lot of frozen food. Mainly because a lot of frozen foods are processed and contain a lot of salt, BUT frozen vegetables can be an exception to my rule. And I especially love this frozen stir fry mix; it comes with snow peas, water chestnuts, bamboo, carrots, mushrooms, mung beans, and edamame. I like to cook it in coconut oil and add some coconut aminos to make it taste like a Chinese stir fry without all the sodium and stomach ache afterwards.
TJ's frozen shelled edamame is perfect for an afternoon snack. I like to use it as a hiking snack; just thaw and eat! One serving gives you a balanced blend of proteins, carbs, and fats!
Cooking Essentials
I love to cook, and I don't enjoy bland food, BUT I don't use a lot of sauces because (shocker) they ALL have sugar added to them. Start to break your body of the addiction to sugar by swapping out sauce for spice. Here are some of my spice cabinet staples:
21 Seasoning Salute I use on my eggs, fish, and turkey. Umami Seasoning blend I put in EVERYTHING. If I had one spice for the rest of my life it'd be this... and garlic powder, cuz who has time to mince garlic every meal? Soffritto is great mixed into those turkey patties I mentioned earlier, and that truffle powder seasoning goes really well with roasted green vegetables. I also recently tried their Cuban Seasoning, which was delicious on my tilapia! All these have very low salt content (well, except the salt), so your sodium levels can stay under control.
All time favorite Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The only one that beats it is the oil I got straight from the harvest that year I lived in Italy. This EVOO has so much good flavor you could eat it straight from the bottle, but I'd suggest dipping some crusty bread in it or drizzling it on your salad instead.
For Your Salt Cravings
We all crave salt. Our bodies need the sodium to keep our electrolytes in balance, and let's face it, salt tastes gooooood. So next time you get the urge to eat a bag of potato chips, make the better choice and grab one of these LRB approved snacks from TJ's instead. Each one only has three ingredients!
For Your Sugar Cravings
Sugar really rules the tastebuds of the American palate and cupcakes and cookies could be the death of your healthy lifestyle kick. So until you reach your weight loss goals, or if you just want to start to break your palate of the sugar addiction, give these fruit based snacks a try to kill that sweet tooth! My brother in law gets the mango slices in his stocking every year, and he also gets a secret stash that he doesn't have to share with the rest of the mango slice loving family (sorry Sis!).
TJ's fruit bars are literally just the fruits. The only ingredients in these bars are apple, banana, and mango. Try them frozen for an extra chewy treat!
For Your Face!
Yes, that's right, I don't just get my food from Trader Joe's, I get some of my skin care products from there too. I didn't notice how many wrinkles I had until I moved to climates drier than good ole MO. CO's dry air has me looking 20 years older and thankfully TJ's came to the rescue with a face serum that is good quality and AFFORDABLE. I use their eye cream religiously now too. I believe in it so much that I sold it to the girl in front of me while we were waiting in the check out line. I totally should've gotten commission off that...
Though technically not for your face and rather for your body, this French Milled Exfoliant Soap is a new favorite. The bar is so big I cut it into quarters, so it lasts for quite a while. This soap smells amazing and it even suds up well with my loofa or just a wash cloth! I also love the oatmeal exfoliant, it's so good to help combat dry skin.
Last, but Definitely Not Least
Trader Joe's wine shop. I could go on and on about all the wonderful bottles of wine from all over the world that you can get from TJ's. But I won't bore you. I like a lot of them, because I really like wine. And what I like about TJ's selection is that it is different from what you find in other grocery stores, and it's better wine that is cheaper than what you can get from other stores. It's a great place to broaden you wine palate because you can try a new kind of wine for as low as $4/ bottle and chances are, it's good! All that to say, I do have my favorite, and for me bubbles trump all things so if you're in the mood for bubbles (which should accompany every occasion) then try this one out, around $6/ bottle and a darn good brut.
That is all I have for your today my friends. Go forth and shop at your nearest Trader Joe's! Or if you don't have one close to you, find a friend and make them do a TJ's run for you. (For real though, I know people who do that). Once you experienced it I'm sure you'll become a Trader Joe's lover too!
Love,
Rachel
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