I want to dedicate this blog post (I can do that, right?) to my dear friend Rebecca, thank you for sharing Trader Joe’s with me and giving me the confidence to shop like an organic, budget boss by sharing your favorite products.

So, I recently discovered a magical place called Trader Joe’s.  I want to confess to you guys that until a few weeks ago, I thought TJ’s was a place only fancy, rich people shopped.  In the Midwest, I know we had a Trader Joe’s in a neighboring city, but here in Portland it is just right down the street from me.  After sampling so many snacks over the last few months at my friends’ house, I finally bit the bullet and went in.
Couple of misconceptions I had:
1) that I would probably blow my budget.
2) that it would be huge inside.

Our TJ’s isn’t over the top large, it is perfect size.  It feels “to the point.”

Here is a run through of my favorite things since we discovered Trader Joe’s [menu plan below]

Monday: Gnocchi with fresh salad
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday
Wednesday: Beef and Broccoli with Lo Mein Noodles
Thursday: Korean night (grab Bimimbap bowls + kimchi)
Friday: Movie night with 4.99 pizzas of your choosing!

Shopping List: 
Choose a bouquet of flowers
Green Dragon Hot Sauce
Hard Taco Shells
Ground Turkey Meat
Whatever produce is on sale that week
Speculoos Cookie Butter (I’m still researching great recipes for this!)
Wine
Secco Bellini
Peach Bellini Jam (perfect on pork chops or atop mozzarella cheese and tomato.)
Jasmine Rice
Lo Mein Noodles

Grab a Trader Joe’s 4.99 pizza. This is my favorite for movie night. Pair these with fruit for an easy, French inspired breakfast Eat it on everything or.. are you even a millennial? Pair with rice or serve atop of salad. Pair with Lo-Mein noodles for a meal the whole family will adore. Gnochhi is my go to meatless Monday meal. I pair it with red sauce and melt some mozzarella cheese on top.

These Bibimbap Bowl is an excellent lunch.  I love these, and we eat a lot of Korean foods.

I also wanted to share these as a quick lunch option, they are incredibly delicious actually.