Anyone who knows me, knows that I love Trader Joe's.  All of my new clients get a grocery shopping list for the store when they start with me!  It's healthy, yummy and reasonable!  What more could you ask for?  Sometimes, for new shoppers it can be overwhelming though, they don't carry the recognizable big name brands.  They are primarily stocked with their Trader Joes brand only, which makes it hard for new shoppers to navigate.  

With clean eating, it's always my goal to eat whole foods that haven't been processed, but during times when life gets hectic, it's a good idea to have some convince foods stocked in the house so you have some healthier options available.  Here are some summer staples that I always try to keep on hand during the hectic summer months.

Frozen Turkey Burgers and Chili Lime Chicken Burgers

Both the Turkey Burgers and the Chicken Chili Lime Burgers are great to have on hand for a fast meal.  They are frozen and only take minutes on the grill to cook.  My family loves them, and it's a much lower in fat than the typical burger.  The Chicken Chili Lime burgers have only 1 gram saturated fat and 110 calories for 15 grams of protein.  You can put it on a whole wheat slim, add hummus, lettuce, tomato and cucumber, and for less than 250 calories you can have a great summer burger.  

Frozen Shrimp

Lean shrimp are hard to beat when it come to protein packed foods.  For just 120 calories, these shrimp have 23 grams of protein!  Trader Joe's has several varieties of frozen shrimp, but this one tastes a little more lobster-like and is wild caught off the coast of Argentina.  I keep these on hand for fast week night meals and use them for everything from shrimp tacos and shrimp lettuce wraps (Asian Shrimp Lettuce Wraps and Spicy Grilled Shrimp) to just grilling them with some fresh veggies!  

Frozen Grilled Cauliflower 

Grilled Cauliflower is delicious and having some that is frozen and quick to grab on days when you just can't cook is a treat.  I microwave these on hot days when I don't want to turn on the oven, and they still taste great.  I'm a spicy loving girl, so I often toss the cauliflower with Frank's Buffalo Sauce (zero calories) and it is divine!  

Chicken Cilantro Mini Wontons

These may not be 100 percent clean, but they are a quick treat to keep around when you need a little snack, or your kids want a quick bite to eat.  Four wontons are only 50 calories and they are fast too cook.  I usually cook mine on a grill pan so that they get a little brown, while still having the steam cook them.

Whole Wheat Couscous

When you need a fast side dish, whole wheat couscous is the way to go!  You boil water or chicken stock, remove from stove and stir in the couscous.  That's all there is to it!  It is so much faster than rice or quinoa and it is very easy to use in salads.  I like to cook mine in chicken broth and Italian spices, and then I saute some asparagus and mushrooms and toss it in the with the couscous.  It doesn't have a lot of flavor on its own, so you will probably want to add seasonings or lemon to give it some flavor.

This is a great snack food to keep on hand and pairs really well with hummus.  It's made with brown rice, has zero saturated fat and only one gram of sugar.  The best news is that for 120 calorie serving, the serving size is 37 crackers!  Take these outside on the patio in the evening and they won't get stale or soggy like regular wheat crackers.  

Cold Brew Coffee

This is not about healthy eating...it's about survival!  Keep this coffee concentrate in your refrigerator and you can make an iced coffee in the blink an eye.  Pour unsweetened almond milk and the coffee over ice and you can head out the door with your caffeine fix without ever having to start your coffee pot!  You can also use it in recipes like our 300 Calorie Iced Coffee Smoothie.