Quick dinner ideas from Costco or Trader Joe's

[Anonymous]

Awesome thread, thanks all!

[Anonymous]

TJs pork carnitas in the refrigerated case are delicious. They heat up in less than 4 minutes. Serve with chimichurri rice from the freezer aisle and handmade flour tortillas. The steam-in- bag haricots verts are quick and fresh tasting.

Lamb vindaloo in the freezer aisle is also really good. Really spicy too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TJ's has some pretty good chicken cacciatore in their refrigerated section. Just microwave 5 minutes and throw over some pasta.

Nice. Love chicken cacciatore, didn't know TJ's had this refrigerated.

[Anonymous]

Buy the frozen salmon filets from costco. They also sell greek yogurt tzatziki sauce, pack of mixed pepper. Defrost, broil filets brushed with olive oil salt/pepper. Chop/saute peppers. Serve with sauce on both. Delicious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:healthy chicken tacos from TJ's: just sautee a package of ground chicken (takes 5 minutes), serve with any of TJ's tortillas (I like the low-carb whole wheat), grape tomatoes, avocado, shredded cheese, plain green yogurt, and salsa.

Yes - make tacos - they sell shells and separate packets of seasoning.

Or, do frozen Chimchurri Salmon (I put the bag in a bowl of hot water for 20 minutes, then bake on 400 for 25 minutes)

Or, the Pollo/Chicken Asada or Curry Chicken - it's preseasoned tenderloins in those bags in the fesh meat aisle. Cooking those in a pan only takes a couple minutes.

[Anonymous]

Love the stuffed salmon with seafood at Costco. Also the cilantro lime shrimp which can be eaten cold or heated over brown rice.

[Anonymous]

TJ's veggie fried rice (the chicken one is not as good, IMO)
Add a frozen brown rice packet to stretch and increase fiber
Add some frozen broccoli and/or edamame basically any veggie on hand.
A bit of fresh ginger if you have it
Add some some thin sliced beef/other protein/ scrambled egg cooked in a small amount of basic stir fry sauce (rice is already pretty salty).

[Anonymous]

From Costco:

Mozarella and Chicken Ravioli in the refrigerated section; I haven't looked at it in a while, but I used to buy a great Kirkland Marinara Sauce also
Chicken Tikka Masala, also refrigerated
Fish sticks - DD likes them with just ketchup and some raw veggies like carrots or red pepper on the side

From TJs:

A frozen pasta dish that comes in a bag, something like Pepperonata, it's a red pepper and tomato based sauce and tastes great
Their frozen Macaroni and Cheese tastes great, and I am not even a fan of Mac & Cheese; I don't really serve that to the whole family though, just the kids when I am out of time
DH likes to take a bag of their frozen Fired Roasted Veggies (they come with a sauce), and add grilled or baked chicken to it

[Anonymous]

Costo's prepared pesto and guac (a recent find) in the refrigerated section are unbelievably good. And these are two things that I had previously never ever bought store-made.

[Anonymous]

Not the healthiest meal, but once in awhile we make the frozen Gyoza pot stickers from TJ's. Stir fry in olive oil with a large amount of broccoli. Mix with some soyaki sauce (or just use the sauce for dipping). Serve with brown rice if you need to make it stretch for a bigger family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This will probably get flamed, but I love the Costco pot roast. It's in the refrigerated section and comes in a box. It lasts for about a month, so it's great to have on hand. You cook it in the microwave for 20 minutes and it's ready. I usually make green beans and mashed potatoes with it.
It's the only thing I use my microwave for.

Love it, too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The chicken alfredo from Costco (pre-prepared) is pretty tasty. Make sure to cook it long enough. You can freeze it. It is a big meal so when it was just two of us, I would buy it, cut it into smaller portions and freeze the smaller portions.

Frozen quiche is good. Costco sells Morey's marinated salmon. You can cook from frozen or fast thaw in water. The filets are frozen and very yummy. If you are a fried fish person, the frozen breaded tilapia are yummy for fish and chips style dinner.

These are yummy.

TJ's also carries delicious curry simmer sauces. Just simmer with some cut up chicken for 20 minutes and serve over rice.

[Anonymous]

Costco has a new enchilada casserole that is freaking delicious. I'm scared to look up the fat/caloric content.

[Anonymous]

I make delicious crab cakes from the $1.99 canned crab at TJs. Use 2 cans, plop in 2 tablespoons of mayo, 1 egg white, and 6-8 of their stoned wheat crackers (crush them in a plastic bag). Use an ice cream scooper (small one) to put on a cookie tray. Cook at 400 degrees for 15 minute sna dthen flip them over and cook for another 5 minutes. Yummy and you can make sandwiches or put over a salad. We make a bunch and take them in to work for lunches as well.

[Anonymous]

Amylu chicken burgers at Costco. They are in the refridgerated section not frozen. Amazing. I always buy 2 packs when I am there and keep them on hand.