12 Simple Trader Joe’s Meal Hacks for New Parents (2024)

If you’re a new mom who is tired of the cereal, grilled cheese, takeout, insert-easy-boring-meal-here routine, then it may be time to kick it up a notch. But fear not! The next level of meal assembly won’t cut into your quiet time or require a higher level of commitment. With a little help from Trader Joe’s — and some borrowed ingenuity — you (or your partner) will be whipping up delicious meals in no time flat.

1. Boursin and Pea Ravioli: This recipe is so easy, it could quickly become a weekly staple. Simply boil the ravioli, microwave the peas, mix them together in a bowl, and stir in the rest of the ingredients. It’s restaurant-quality food that takes little-to-no effort. (via A Cup of Jo)

2. Butternut Squash Soup With Ginger, Soba, and Fried Pork Crumbles: The two most complicated steps for this recipe are mincing garlic and grating ginger. The rest of the assembly will have you at the stove for about 10 minutes and to the dinner table lickety-split. (via The Kitchn)

3. Cowboy Quinoa Bake: It turns out TJ’s has its own set of meal hacks ready for you to use on their site! And if you can boil water, then you can make this recipe. Once the quinoa is ready, add in the rest of the no-prep ingredients straight from their jars or packages, pop the whole thing in the oven, and dinner is ready in 30. (via Trader Joe’s)

4. Speculoos Cookie Butter Baked Oatmeal for One: If you have a little more time in the morning (or any part of the day, really), the 20 minutes spent waiting for this to bake will be worth it. The recipe has zero prep work and little bit of mixing, which results in a sweet, cookie-butter reward. (via Healthy Food for Living)

5. Thai Red Curry Chicken With Rice Noodles: This recipe calls for five easy-peasy ingredients and zero culinary skill. Bring it up a level with some Trader Joe’s naan bread and you’ll be wondering why you spent all that money on delivery earlier. You can also swap out the chicken for tofu, tempeh, or veggies to make this a vegetarian-friendly dish. (Sorry, vegans — there’s a bit of egg in the curry sauce.) (via A Savory Feast)

6. Trader Joe’s Salad: If you’re really not in the mood to cook at all, here’s your flavor-packed salad option. Throw a bag of frozen quinoa in the microwave, and that’s the bulk of actual “cooking” you’ll have to do. The rest of this recipe requires layering on ingredients straight from the can, jar, or bag. (via Your Homebased Mom)

7. Trader Joe’s Mac andCheese With Italian Sausage and Spinach: Take your mac and cheese game to a new level with only three ingredients (and one of them is a frozen meal). This crazy-fast recipe involves five whole minutes of prep time and zero minutes of stress. (via Delish)

8. Jalepeño Popper Rolls: Technically this is an appetizer, but it could easily be a meal alongside some soup or a salad, or just on its own (we’re not judging). With three ingredients and three easy steps, this may become a go-to recipe for parties too! (via PopSugar)

9. The Easiest Fish Tacos: Throw some Trader Joe’s beer-battered halibut in the oven, stir together a simple sauce, and layer your ingredients into a tortilla. You’ll be in fish-taco heaven without breaking a sweat or the bank. (via Lauren’s Latest)

10. Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers WithPepper Jack: Stuffed peppers may look complicated, but in reality they’re a cinch. And when you’re using a microwaveable bag of flavorful jasmine rice, the prep work is cut in half. Just cook up your protein, mix together the filling, slice open the peppers, stuff, and bake. (via Delish)

11. Lemon Feta Couscous With Spinach: Whip up a delicious one-pot meal that’s packed with nutrition and flavor in about 10 minutes flat with this quick and easy recipe. Start with cooking the couscous. Once that’s ready, stir the rest of the ingredients into the same pot, and you’re done! (via Frugal Nutrition)

12. Cocoa-Almond and Banana Stuffed French Toast: Miss your Saturday brunches? Make your own restaurant-level masterpiece with this easy recipe from the Trader Joe’s playbook. It’s equally as “hard” to make as a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of chocolate milk, but it’s a thousand times more decadent and satisfying. (via Trader Joe’s)

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(Featured photo via Lauren’s Latest)