Healthy Tacos // by Mary Shirley

Hi! This is Mary with Love of Veggies, previously Gold Layer Cake. Weeknight dinners are usually thrown together pretty quickly, and I make every effort to keep them as healthy as possible. Sometimes you just want a taco, but you don't want to ruin the workout you just spent the last hour sweating for. Maybe thats just me. I made a healthified taco, and I'll have to admit I didn't miss the taco shell. I used Romaine Lettuce Hearts as the taco shell. The lettuce held all the ingredients pretty well or at least as well as a taco shell usually holds up. The lettuce had the crunch, just like a taco shell, but it just left the taco tasting fresh and allowed more focus on the taco fillings. I did add a little bit of Trader Joe's Spicy Soy & Flaxseed Tortilla chips on top. These tacos could easily be made into a vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, or meat lovers version. Check out the recipe at my blog Love of Veggies.  

Burritos With a Kick

//recipe by Keri Ann O'Riordan//

Sometimes, I’ll be sitting at my desk wrapping up a long day at work, and the thought of cooking an elaborate meal from start to finish fills me with dread. Okay, okay… dread might be a little dramatic, but you know what I mean. Thankfully, Trader Joe’s has a handful of products that help me put together tasty but incredibly easy-to-make weeknight meals, so I’d like to share one of my favorites! Actually, I have to thank one of the employees at my local Trader Joe’s for the inspiration behind this recipe. The amount of flavor that comes out of such an easy recipe is astonishing. I made mine and forgot the shredded cheese, but I added it to the recipe below because I think it would make a perfect topping. I’d also suggest toasting the tortilla beforehand for an added crunch!

Ingredients:

·       1 package of Trader Joe’s Smoked Andouille Chicken Sausage

·       1 package of Trader Joe’s Chimichurri Rice

·       1 package of Trader Joe’s Habanero Lime Flour Tortillas

·       Trader Joe’s Sriracha Sauce

·       Shredded cheese (optional)

Directions:

• When the sausages are fully defrosted, boil or fry them (whichever you prefer) until they are slightly browned.
• While you’re cooking the sausages, throw the Chimchurri Rice in a pan and cook. It should only take a few minutes, but you should follow the directions on the bag to achieve the best results.
•  Once both the rice and sausage are fully cooked, chop the sausage up into bite-sized pieces and mix the pieces in with the rice.
• Drizzle Siracha sauce on a Habenero Lime Tortilla (which may or may not be toasted), put a few spoonful of the sausage/rice mixture in the center of the wrap, top with shredded cheese, and roll up.
• Enjoy!

Resolution Waffles (aka Healthy Waffles)

//recipe by Mary Shirley//

The holidays are filled with cookies, cupcakes, and anything else you can think of to make! I am all about indulging during the holidays (that's what they are for right?). But, one thing I will stick with during the holiday season (unless I'm eating cronuts or pancakes), is eating a healthy breakfast. For the past 5 years or more, I've eaten oatmeal for breakfast. Its filling and healthy. But, I recently made waffles with oatmeal, and haven't looked back since! These Banana Oatmeal Waffles are my everyday breakfast. I usually pick up a bag of oatmeal and a few ripe bananas when I'm walking through Trader Joe's and I'm good to go!
I literally eat this for breakfast every day. I normally smear them with peanut butter, but sometimes I'll top with a banana, greek yogurt, syrup, or jelly. Really, anything would be great. These taste pretty much like a regular waffle but they are made with oatmeal! These have been life changing for me. Check out the recipe here.   If you'd like to see how I make these things in bulk, so I can easily grab and go literally every single morning. Check that out here. Meal Prepping my breakfasts has been a life changer.