Favorite Trader Joe's Items for Easy Dinners, From Busy Mom of 2

2025-08-20T15:55:06Z

I’m a busy mom of two toddlers who loves shopping at Trader Joe’s.
The store is my go-to for weeknight dinner staples like chicken sausage and ravioli.
My kids love the Trader Joe’s mac and cheese and yellow-corn taco shells.

I’ve been a big Trader Joe’s fan for years. From shopping there as a first-time homeowner to grabbing snacks for my kids as a new mom, Trader Joe’s products have gotten me through each new phase of adulthood.

For me, versatility is key, and I never know when my toddler’s favorite food will become the mortal enemy of dinner time. So, it’s great to have options.

Luckily, these eight Trader Joe’s items are easy to whip up into quick and easy weeknight dinners (with choices) that we all love.

Trader Joe’s chicken sausage is a versatile dinner staple.

I usually plan our meals around a protein, and Trader Joe’s chicken sausage is one of my favorites. It’s so easy to prepare and even easier to spin up into a meal I know my kids will eat and enjoy.

I like serving it alongside a fresh tomato salad (and mini French baguettes), mixed into soup, or crumbled and scattered for a sheet-pan gnocchi recipe.

Trader Joe’s pesto chicken does all the heavy lifting.

Trader Joe’s pesto chicken is another item I keep in my rotation. The hard work is done for me — plus, the less I have to interact with raw meat, the better.

I like baking the chicken and mixing it up with pasta, or pressing it into a panini with fresh mozzarella and tomato.

The frozen chicken tenders are great on their own or as part of a meal.

Another versatile protein is Trader Joe’s frozen chicken tenders in the green bag.

When they’re served as advertised, there are never any complaints around my dinner table. However, I like to reimagine them as other crowd-pleasing creations, like mini chicken Caesar salad wraps or chopped-chicken BLT sandwiches.

My kids love the store’s yellow-corn taco shells.

The store’s delicious dipping sauces may seem like the best accoutrement to our favorite proteins, but in my house, it’s the stone-ground yellow corn taco shells.

If my boys aren’t thrilled with the protein in front of them, the introduction of a taco shell to the meal is like the wave of a magic wand. Suddenly, everything on their plate is delicious.

I always grab a package of Trader Joe’s pizza crust.

I may love designing meals around protein, but the truth is, I’m a carb-loving girl. That’s why I always pick up a package of Trader Joe’s pizza crust.

In addition to using it to make a classic pizza, I like to season the crust and bake it as a flatbread to be served alongside pasta dishes. It’s also great when topped with a bright and easy arugula salad.

Trader Joe’s has a great selection of ravioli.

It’s rare that I leave the store without at least one variety of Trader Joe’s ravioli in my cart. Our favorites include the cacio e pepe, porcini mushroom and truffle, and classic four cheese.

My kids can’t get enough of the store’s mac and cheese.

My boys love Trader Joe’s cheddar mac and cheese, and I alternate between serving it as their main dish and as a side.

Either way, this magical purple box delivers fantastic flavor and smiles in minutes.

Trader Joe’s Ready Veggies are the perfect accompaniment to any meal.

When shopping at Trader Joe’s, I always pick up a package of the Ready Veggies — a blend of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, carrots, and snow peas.

I like to season the vegetables with Trader Joe’s soyaki sauce and serve them alongside brown rice and a protein.

Click to keep reading Trader Joe’s diaries like this one.

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