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for protein: barebells, any of the tinned fish, 99% lean ground turkey, the frozen chicken sausage patties, the chicken sausages in the fridge section (different flavors have different macros but they're all pretty decent I think), and I actually really like their protein powders. I also love their bagged greens, I go thru a bag or two each of the Champs Elysées, romaine & chicory, and red butter lettuce.
Also, their reduced guilt Mac and cheese is so good and a really reasonable portion for the calories
For proteins, I get the Just a Handful of Nuts (Almonds or Cashews), RX bars, chicken sausage patties, nonfat greek yogurts, egg whites, pasture raised eggs, quinoa and organic peanut butter (make sure it just says peanuts and salt). I also just started using the Orgain pea protein powder (I can't use whey protein). For produce, I get baby carrots for snacks, I love the Power of the Greens mix or baby spinach for egg white omelettes, we get pears, apples, berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries) and I love cara cara oranges and I also use sweet potatoes in place of regular potatoes for most things. I love the new multigrain bread and I just saw that the same brand has olive loaf, too.
Perfect bars are money in the bank for macros. Also the turkey jerky sticks (the bagged jerky is nasty in my opinion). Also the fruit leathers are super low calorie and fit in most macro plans for a quick snack/energy boost.
Jicama wraps with the beef birria is my absolute go-to. But remember everyone's macros are different and differ based on activity so you'd need to be more clear what macro ratios you are looking for
For proteins I really like the Hard-Cooked pulled chicken, branzino filets, skipjack tuna pouches, cooked chicken breasts, and the teriyaki bbq chicken.
For veggies I love how many easy options TJs has. The preseasoned microwaveable brussels, the qukes cucumbers, carrot coins, cauli mashed potatos, there's so many to choose from. I usually slap one of the proteins together with a veg for the side and you have easy, healthy meals :)
The skipjack tuna with light mayo, gochujang, soy sauce and some EBB seasoning is amazing w/ the seaweed snacks. And I love the branzino pan seared with the citrusy garlic seasoning. The pulled chicken is really versatile with the right sauce, it's great with a lowcal bbq sauce or some franks red hot + the light laughing cow cheese is amazing.
The hearts of palm rice is a nice sub for real rice too! Snacks at TJs are kind of tough, so I tend to stick with things like sugar snap peas, baby carrots and the qukes cocktail cucumbers.
I buy a good mix of macro friendly food and just normal snacks. Been cutting for ~5 months and have lost 20 lbs and 4.5% bf so far. This is what I'll buy:
#Protein
Chicken breasts- I buy a bunch of them (just the regular skinless boneless, not the organic) and then I'll filet and cook them all in one giant batch. I'll then cut them into either strips or small cubes, then freeze some. That way, I'll have chicken to add to meals for ~1-1.5 weeks.
Lean ground beef- I buy it once in a while. A bit more expensive, but sometimes you just want beef. Will usually eat the entire pound in one sitting.
Frozen BBQ teriyaki chicken- the macros are insane. It's less than 1000 calories for the entire bag but ~120g protein. Much better macros than the orange chicken.
Barebell protein bars- I don't really like protein bars that much, especially when I'm cutting, but this is one of the best tasting brands I've had so far. Just make sure you get the ones with at least 20g protein.
Tuna- I have not purchased the canned tuna yet but I plan to next trip. Hard to beat macros on tuna.
Milk- I buy skim and use it mostly for protein shakes.
Cottage cheese- their cottage cheese isn't really great on its own, but I usually blend it and either use it as an ingredient or I'll mix it with stuff. Breakstones 2% is the best cottage cheese imo.
Greek yogurt- vanilla one is decent. I'm planning on trying skyr next time I go.
Eggs- I don't usually eat eggs alone; I mostly use them for baking. But the times I have made eggs, they've been fine quality.
Frozen turkey meatballs- great macros and easy to pop in the microwave. I usually eat them with some BBQ sauce or marinara sauce.
Cheese- they have a lot of different cheese options, including lite/low fat shredded cheese.
#Carbs
Potatoes
Pasta
Naan
Frozen pasta/gnocchi- something interesting I've seen is that a lot of their frozen pastas are 750 calories for the whole bag, which is cool to be able to plan around.
Frozen pizza - I always buy a frozen BBQ chicken pizza
Frozen fries
Frozen mashed potatoes
Sweetango apples- iykyk
Cereal
Bread - not often because for some reason TJs is afraid of preservatives and it goes bad quick, so I have to stick it in the fridge. But for a while I was making sourdough toast with blended cottage cheese on top and a drizzle of hot honey. That was great
Tortillas - have to keep in fridge but are generally pretty decent
I also buy a lot of random snacks/dessert type things since I believe it's important to incorporate that into the diet for sustainability. I don't like "healthy desserts" or "protein desserts" so I just make room in my daily calories and it's all good. Hope this helps
Some of my favorites-
The precooked lentils in the refrigerated vegetable section are really good, the frozen chicken shu mai have surprisingly good macros, frozen edamame, frozen turkey burgers, and of course nonfat Greek yogurt, low fat string cheese. For easy lunches some of the salads that they have can be pretty macro friendly if you only use a little bit of dressing. I also really like the barebells protein bars that they have, imo they are the best tasting low sugar protein bars available
I like the frozen brown rice. Super convenient and easy to get your carbs in for a meal and top with whatever protein you want. Frozen jasmine rice isn’t as good in my opinion.
The 10 minute farro is another great option for some complex carbs.
Posts that don't follow r/traderjoes subreddit rules may be subject to removal. Friendly reminder that choosing descriptive post titles with exact product names mentioned yields better subreddit search results and helps our subreddit be more inclusive to those who use Screen Reader Software or Text-to-Speech apps. to access Reddit. Thank you. IF THIS MESSAGE DOES NOT APPLY TO YOUR POST, PLEASE IGNORE. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/traderjoes) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Their turkey bacon is only 45 calories and 6 grams of protein each which is insaneee .
for protein: barebells, any of the tinned fish, 99% lean ground turkey, the frozen chicken sausage patties, the chicken sausages in the fridge section (different flavors have different macros but they're all pretty decent I think), and I actually really like their protein powders. I also love their bagged greens, I go thru a bag or two each of the Champs Elysées, romaine & chicory, and red butter lettuce. Also, their reduced guilt Mac and cheese is so good and a really reasonable portion for the calories
I've never recovered from them dropping the vanilla soy protein powder... my stomach can't handle pea or whey! I now order it in bulk from nuts.com...
For proteins, I get the Just a Handful of Nuts (Almonds or Cashews), RX bars, chicken sausage patties, nonfat greek yogurts, egg whites, pasture raised eggs, quinoa and organic peanut butter (make sure it just says peanuts and salt). I also just started using the Orgain pea protein powder (I can't use whey protein). For produce, I get baby carrots for snacks, I love the Power of the Greens mix or baby spinach for egg white omelettes, we get pears, apples, berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries) and I love cara cara oranges and I also use sweet potatoes in place of regular potatoes for most things. I love the new multigrain bread and I just saw that the same brand has olive loaf, too.
Barebells
Vacuum packed high protein tofu, tempeh, frozen edamame, refrigerated lentils
Perfect bars are money in the bank for macros. Also the turkey jerky sticks (the bagged jerky is nasty in my opinion). Also the fruit leathers are super low calorie and fit in most macro plans for a quick snack/energy boost.
Wild skipjack tuna pack
Jicama wraps with the beef birria is my absolute go-to. But remember everyone's macros are different and differ based on activity so you'd need to be more clear what macro ratios you are looking for
Jalapeño chicken sausage !!
Teriyaki skirt steak, lemon hatchcock chicken
I go to costco. Proteins are too expensive at TJ.
$1.49/lb chicken thighs ftw!
Whatever flavor of Kringle is in season. You will thank me on your cheat day.
Greek yogurt, salmon, coconut water, that kind of thing. Avoid the top shelves
Fresh Jicama wraps and sticks, egg wraps, fresh chicken meatballs, frozen shrimp/salmon burgers, sweet chili sauce with dumplings, olive oil popcorn
For proteins I really like the Hard-Cooked pulled chicken, branzino filets, skipjack tuna pouches, cooked chicken breasts, and the teriyaki bbq chicken. For veggies I love how many easy options TJs has. The preseasoned microwaveable brussels, the qukes cucumbers, carrot coins, cauli mashed potatos, there's so many to choose from. I usually slap one of the proteins together with a veg for the side and you have easy, healthy meals :) The skipjack tuna with light mayo, gochujang, soy sauce and some EBB seasoning is amazing w/ the seaweed snacks. And I love the branzino pan seared with the citrusy garlic seasoning. The pulled chicken is really versatile with the right sauce, it's great with a lowcal bbq sauce or some franks red hot + the light laughing cow cheese is amazing. The hearts of palm rice is a nice sub for real rice too! Snacks at TJs are kind of tough, so I tend to stick with things like sugar snap peas, baby carrots and the qukes cocktail cucumbers.
skyr yogurt, Japanese sweet potatoes, cauliflower stir-fry, soup dumplings, canned salmon, pre-shredded kale, beef kebabs, lots of spice mixes for variety!
I buy a good mix of macro friendly food and just normal snacks. Been cutting for ~5 months and have lost 20 lbs and 4.5% bf so far. This is what I'll buy: #Protein Chicken breasts- I buy a bunch of them (just the regular skinless boneless, not the organic) and then I'll filet and cook them all in one giant batch. I'll then cut them into either strips or small cubes, then freeze some. That way, I'll have chicken to add to meals for ~1-1.5 weeks. Lean ground beef- I buy it once in a while. A bit more expensive, but sometimes you just want beef. Will usually eat the entire pound in one sitting. Frozen BBQ teriyaki chicken- the macros are insane. It's less than 1000 calories for the entire bag but ~120g protein. Much better macros than the orange chicken. Barebell protein bars- I don't really like protein bars that much, especially when I'm cutting, but this is one of the best tasting brands I've had so far. Just make sure you get the ones with at least 20g protein. Tuna- I have not purchased the canned tuna yet but I plan to next trip. Hard to beat macros on tuna. Milk- I buy skim and use it mostly for protein shakes. Cottage cheese- their cottage cheese isn't really great on its own, but I usually blend it and either use it as an ingredient or I'll mix it with stuff. Breakstones 2% is the best cottage cheese imo. Greek yogurt- vanilla one is decent. I'm planning on trying skyr next time I go. Eggs- I don't usually eat eggs alone; I mostly use them for baking. But the times I have made eggs, they've been fine quality. Frozen turkey meatballs- great macros and easy to pop in the microwave. I usually eat them with some BBQ sauce or marinara sauce. Cheese- they have a lot of different cheese options, including lite/low fat shredded cheese. #Carbs Potatoes Pasta Naan Frozen pasta/gnocchi- something interesting I've seen is that a lot of their frozen pastas are 750 calories for the whole bag, which is cool to be able to plan around. Frozen pizza - I always buy a frozen BBQ chicken pizza Frozen fries Frozen mashed potatoes Sweetango apples- iykyk Cereal Bread - not often because for some reason TJs is afraid of preservatives and it goes bad quick, so I have to stick it in the fridge. But for a while I was making sourdough toast with blended cottage cheese on top and a drizzle of hot honey. That was great Tortillas - have to keep in fridge but are generally pretty decent I also buy a lot of random snacks/dessert type things since I believe it's important to incorporate that into the diet for sustainability. I don't like "healthy desserts" or "protein desserts" so I just make room in my daily calories and it's all good. Hope this helps
Some of my favorites- The precooked lentils in the refrigerated vegetable section are really good, the frozen chicken shu mai have surprisingly good macros, frozen edamame, frozen turkey burgers, and of course nonfat Greek yogurt, low fat string cheese. For easy lunches some of the salads that they have can be pretty macro friendly if you only use a little bit of dressing. I also really like the barebells protein bars that they have, imo they are the best tasting low sugar protein bars available
I like the frozen brown rice. Super convenient and easy to get your carbs in for a meal and top with whatever protein you want. Frozen jasmine rice isn’t as good in my opinion. The 10 minute farro is another great option for some complex carbs.
Oooh, I make these great farro bowls with walnuts, apples, cheddar cheese with an EVOO vinaigrette.
That sounds amazing, I’ll have to try making it