Quick Healthy Dinners- Favorite Things from Trader Joe's - Nesting With Grace (2024)

The other night I was looking what to make for dinner that would be QUICK- HEALTHY- WHOLE30 or PALEO. Did I mention quick?? Because come 5 pm sharp my kids are ready for dinner. And we really want to make sure they get a variety of veggies at dinner. You know how some families do Taco Tuesday or Pizza on Fridays…maybe that is your fun family?? (I secretly want to do that, but haven’t yet). We have Frittata once a week, really it is “mom’s cooking” so it’s either Frittata or one of the meals below. And Trader Joe’s is an absolute favorite place to go for groceries, really it makes it fun for me, any chance to make shopping fun I am there! They also have a lot of really good Whole30 and Paleo options.

Here are the things I like to buy at Trader Joe’s and if you don’t have one near you (I am sorry!) you can find similar things at most grocery stores. These are just a few of my favorite healthy dinners. (PS- this is not sponsored by Trader Joe’s…it should be, haha!).

Vegetable Frittata

• Sweet Potato- large peeled and diced
• Broccoli- 1 cup chopped
• Onion- medium diced
• Red Pepper- diced
• Spinach- 1-2 cups chopped
• Trader Joe’s Chicken Sausage (I love that Chicken Sausage, no sugar added and natural ingredients)or Pork Sausage or Ham- 1/2 cup to 1 cup
• 12 Eggs
• Season with salt and pepper or Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel Seasoning

In an oven safe pan or cast iron, brown your meat then set aside. Sauté all the veggies in a little olive oil until soft. Add in chopped Spinach and let it wilt down a little. Season with salt and pepper or Everything But the Bagel. Add in your meat and mix it all together. In a seperate bowl whisk your eggs until combined. Pour the eggs over the veggies and turn your pan so all the veggies are covered (if veggies aren’t all covered add more eggs). Cook egg and veggie mixture until egg sets up. I cover mine with the lid. Once it is almost cooked thru, top with shredded cheese, then put in oven at 450 degrees, for about 3-5 minutes so the top gets golden. I serve mine with salsa and avocado! In the summer top with sliced tomatoes before broiling!

I have made THIS recipe forever with the Pizza Sauce and Spaghetti Squash. I tried something new, a Mexican version and it turned out perfect!

Mexican Spaghetti Squash Casserole

• 1 Medium Spaghetti Squash
• 1 16 0z Jar of Salsa
• 1 Red Pepper
• 1 Onion
• 1 Cup Diced Carrots
• 1 Cup Cooked Chicken Sausage or Cooked Ground Turkey
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3 Eggs

Bake your spaghetti squash. Sauté red pepper, onion, diced carrots until soft. Place shredded spaghetti squash in a 9×12 baking dish with meat, veggies, salsa and seasonings. Beat your eggs in a separate bowl and add it to your baking dish. Bake at 350 for one hour.

*I cook my spaghetti squash in my pressure cooker. I split it in half, scrap out the seeds and the stringy part inside. Put one cup of water in pressure cooker with the spaghetti squash. Depending on size, I typically set the pressure cooker for 12 minutes. Once it is done you can just scrap out the spaghetti squash with a fork and it resembles noodles!

*If you are not making this dish Paleo or Whole30 then you could add a can of beans too or instead of the carrots.

*Serve this with a side salad, avocado and more salsa!

*I shared my favorite Mexican Foods, Paleo Chips I get at Trader Joe’s HERE

We also like the salad below from Trader Joe’s called “Kale and Hemp”– it is not Paleo. But it’s a great mix for a dinner party.

Cauliflower Fried Rice is a FAVORITE! I shared the exact recipe HERE. I like that chicken from Trader Joe’s it is “simply” cooked and makes it really easy to add meat to a quick healthy dinner! This Cauliflower Rice is even easier if you use frozen veggies, just a quick tip!

Well this next one really isn’t a recipe per say, but it is still a home cooked quick, healthy meal! Basically I sauté those Zucchini Noodles in a little olive oil. Heat up a jar of the Trader Joe’s Tomato Basil Marinara. Brown some Chicken Sausage. Combine it all and you are DONE! I also like that package of mini Ravioli from Trader Joe’s for my kids, they like both options. But that pasta is great for their lunch.

*Paleo and Whole0 Tip– READ the ingredients. Especially in pasta sauce. Make sure that sugar is NOT an ingredient in your pasta sauce.

*I shared my Paleo Turkey Meatballs HERE that would be great with this.

Again this is a QUICK simple, healthy dinner or lunch for myself. I really like that “Crunch Collection” salad mix from Trader Joe’s. I mix mine with a little spinach, shredded carrots and a couple of those Jalapeños (those do have a little sugar, but they just add the right bit of flavor, to an otherwise very healthy salad). Again that Simply Roasted Chicken Breast is handy to keep in the fridge. I like that “Green Goddess” Dressing from Trader Joe’s, no sugar in it and low in calories. Saves some calories for this….

Those Paleo Brownies are a FAVORITE they are so quick to make and not full of flour and sugars. You can find the recipe HERE. I love topping it with Trader Joe’s Seasonal Cookies, my kids love it too. Also that Trader Joe’s Almond Butter is really good, I love the crunchy the most!

And for a really quick pick me up that is only THREE Ingredients get those Honey Mints. They are just the right amount of sweet for an after dinner treat.

Pepper Jelly Turkey Meatballs –Ok this idea appetizer or addition to a meal came from a reader and it was a hit! I used three bags of the frozen turkey meatballs with one jar of the Pepper Jelly and about half of the Sriracha BBQ Sauce bottle. Added it all to the crockpot and let it do it’s thing for about 6 hours. Served it with salad and everyone loved it! I was worried it would be spicy, but it wasn’t. My kids even ate it. (Three bags will serve about 12-14 people, well I should say, women).

Cauliflower Mexican Rice

• Cook some ground turkey
• Add some sautéed green peppers, I sautéed one large green pepper in a little olive oil
• Add 1-2 cups of riced cauliflower and let sauté for a couple minutes with meat and peppers
• Then add jar of the salsa
• Let it simmer over medium/low heat until the cauliflower is softened, about 15 minutes.
• Done! Eat it over salad like a taco salad or as is with plantain chips!

Hope that inspired you make a quick healthy meal! I know I make dinners seem way harder in my head than they are. Just keeping it simple, especially when, my husband is away saves me!

Below are other Paleo and Healthy Food Ideas-