As we made our way into April 2021, I found myself sticking to my guns on staying on the healthy eating track! I did also try and keep with my plan of eating a Mediterranean-style diet. This was also my second trip in a row where I stayed under the $200 mark, which I’ve noticed is a lot easier when I’m shopping for healthy eating. That sadly does mean there wasn’t a lot of new items to grab and try out. That’s okay! Sometimes, you just have to focus on your meal plans and not get distracted by all the shiny new things Trader Joe’s releases for the month.
Here’s a rundown of my first Trader Joe’s haul in April 2021.
Haul Date: April 3, 2021
Haul Cost: $178.79
New Items
NEW items are marked accordingly in my post, and I’ll be reviewing them in a separate monthly recap post. This goes for new items to the store, and new-to-me items that I will be trying for the first time!
Meal Plans
I do keep other ingredients on hand to incorporate with these meals, which I detail in the sections below. Some ingredients are also leftover from my previous haul(s), so I try to make good use of the rest of my items to eliminate as much food waste as I can.
Here’s what I planned for this haul:
Breakfasts
- Yogurt, Berries & Almonds
- English Muffins w/ Eggs or Almond Butter & Jelly
Lunches
- Chile Lime Chicken Burgers w/ Sauerkraut
- Turkey Wraps
- Italian Chopped Salads
- Tuna Salads/Wraps
Dinners
We do cook three meals a week with Blue Apron and tend to order takeout at least once a week, so these meals are meant to be in addition to those.
- Thai Chile Salmon & Rice
Beverages
My fizzy beverage lineup for my first haul in April included items to help with digestion and gut health (or so I’d like to think):
- Lemon & Ginger Seltzer Water
- Synergy Strawberry Lemonade Kombucha
- Sparkling Apple Cider Vinegar Beverages (Ginger & Lemon flavor)
Yogurt & Berries
Trader Joe’s vanilla Greek yogurt is super tasty, especially with berries and almonds! I like to prepare yogurt bowls ahead of time for my husband to take for an easy breakfast.
Ingredients Bought:
- Vanilla Nonfat Greek Yogurt
- A slew of berries, including raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. I like to mix these up together!
- Honey Roasted Almonds (NEW to me item!)
Chile Lime Chicken Burgers
Alright, so these Chile Lime Chicken Burgers seem to be a favorite amongst Trader Joe’s fans and I am just now getting around to trying them! I figured this would be a super easy lunch for me on busy days. Just pan fry up a burger, toast the bun, and slap on guac with fresh tomatoes.
Ingredients Bought:
- Honey Wheat Hamburger Buns
- Tomatoes on the Vine – I find these generally have better flavor than the other packaged tomatoes with no vine.
- Chile Lime Chicken Burgers (NEW to me!) – These can be found in the frozen aisle.
- Guacamole to Go – Individual/single-serving packets of guacamole (one of my favorite TJ’s items).
Italian Chopped Salads
Another round of Italian Chopped Salads please! This is a lunch we had planned for my husband. Easy to chop everything up and make a few salads ahead of time for meal prep.
Ingredients Bought:
- Spinach
- Salami (I’m a big fan of the peppered Columbus salami)
- Volpi Pepperoni
- Whole Milk Mozzarella Balls (pretty sure this is my husband’s favorite ingredient in these salads)
- Black Olives
- Mini Heirloom Tomatoes
- Balsamic Vinaigrette (my go-to salad dressing choice from TJ’s)
Ingredients on Hand:
- Romaine hearts (left over from my last haul)
Turkey & Tuna Avocado Wraps
Wraps are a super easy lunch item to make, especially when it comes to meal prepping! For my husband, we did peppered turkey and avocado with cheese. For myself, I went really simple with tuna, greens, and tomato.
Ingredients Bought:
- Sprouted wheat tortillas
- Organic baby lettuce mix
- Teeny Tiny Avocados
- Columbus peppered turkey breast
- Light Havarti cheese slices
- Organic yellow mustard
- Fresh tomatoes on the vine (not pictured below)
Ingredients on Hand:
- Skipjack tuna, which was purchased from Sprouts in a prior haul
Here’s a little sample of my tuna wrap handiwork…
Misc. Haul Items
And here’s a roundup of some random items that I picked up this haul.
- English Muffins – I got these for egg sandwiches and also to toast and have with almond butter and jelly
- Sauerkraut – I felt like eating some more gut health-oriented foods, so I got some kraut to have with my chicken burgers or whatever else I felt like!
- Kimchi – Same as above. These fermented items are good for you.
- Artichokes – For a veggie side if we decided to have some fish and rice (both of which I had on hand already). Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables!
- Burrata – I randomly felt like some burrata and tomatoes for a snack. Burrata is so creamy and delicious and is a must-try for cheese lovers.
The Sweet Stuff
I think I did a pretty good job avoiding the sugar this trip! Just had to stock up on our Dark Chocolate PB Cups and some dried mango for snacking.
Thai Green Chili Sauce
This was a NEW item to the store in April 2021! It’s featured here all by its lonesome because my plans were to use it on some salmon we already had in the freezer, along with some jasmine rice and Brussels sprouts (also already on hand). Be sure to check out my April new item review for the verdict!
Assortment of Pantry Items
Lastly, here we have a random assortment of items I got for my pantry and kitchen:
- Organic chicken broth – This is to go along with some potatoes, carrots and cabbage (from Sprouts) to make with corned beef we had leftover from St. Patty’s Day (we never got a chance to make it for the holiday).
- Sea Salt Grinder
- Organic Yellow Mustard
- Grapefruit Scented Candle (NEW to me!)
- EVOO
- Sweet Basil Hand Soap
That’s the end of my early April Trader Joe’s haul recap! What are some new items you picked up in April?
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