This is not a sponsored post, I just really love Trader Joe’s. I’ve documented my favorite drinks from there, and thought it was time to share my favorite easy dinners from Trader Joe’s freezer case. This is a crazy time of year for many families, with graduations, recitals, award ceremonies, sports outings, concerts, and all else that comes with the end of the school year and the start of the summer.\u00a0 That doesn’t leave much time for cooking.<\/p>\n

<\/a>When the schedule gets hectic, though, is the time I find myself craving the relative calm and centering that comes with sitting down with my family over dinner, even if it is for just 15-20 minutes. These dinner solutions make those family meals possible because they can be made in under half an hour, and some take just a few minutes to pull together.<\/p>\n

Bonus: They are healthier and cheaper than take out or the drive through.<\/p>\n

1. Mandarin Orange Chicken<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nOrange chicken is my daughter’s favorite, and she prefers this version to take out. My husband is a big fan, too. You can make it in a skillet or in the oven. I find that the oven is a bit healthier and that you can cook rice to go with it in the 20 minutes the chicken takes in the oven. The orange ginger sauce is delicious.<\/p>\n

2. Tilapia Filets<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nThese feel a bit more grown up than fish sticks (though Trader Joe’s has those, too) but kids love them. It’s a mild flavor and the panko breading gives them a really good crunch. Sometimes, if we’re not feeling overly health conscious and need a fun break, I’ll make the fries from Trader Joe’s in the oven at the same time and call it Fish ‘n’ Chips night. Serve with peas and turn your house into an English pub! You could also toss baking potatoes in the oven with the fish.<\/p>\n

3. Lemon Shrimp Linguine (or Shrimp Scampi with Linguine)<\/strong>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

This dinner feels fancy but is superfast. While the noodles cook, sautee some garlic in melted butter and add in the shrimp and finish with lemon juice and\/or zest.\u00a0 They’re already cooked, so it doesn’t take more than couple minutes. Play with seasonings like red pepper flake or just lemon pepper. Toss the shrimp and sauce with the noodles. Add in peas or spinach for a veggie boost.<\/p>\n

4. Pizza<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>In the time that it takes for you to have a pizza delivered, you can pop this in your oven. I find that when I’m cooking at home, my family is more willing to eat a salad or sliced veggies and fruit that I pull together in the 7 minutes this takes to cook than when we get delivery. Also, this is cheaper. Pizza 4 Formaggi is always a hit, but the Pizza Margherita is a good option, too!<\/p>\n

5. Caesar Salad<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>This makes a great side for the pizza, but you can add chicken or shrimp (see above) and make it a meal in and of itself. I was surprised that my kiddo loves Caesar salad, and she thought this was great. This is a wonderful option for when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen. Next time you’re grilling, throw on a couple extra chicken breasts to add to this and voila! Dinner’s done. If you’re feeding big eaters, you’ll probably want to double up as this bag isn’t the biggest.<\/p>\n

6. Chicken Fried Rice<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nI love this as a way to give chicken leftovers new life. I usually add in a handful or two of peas to boost the veggie content. While there are some in the bag, there aren’t a ton. You can’t tell that they’ve been added, so no one will object to this nutrient boost. This is another one that you may want to double up on if feeding a crowd.<\/p>\n

You May Also Like: <\/strong>5 best drinks at Trader Joe\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

Prior Post: <\/strong>Help Team No Kid Hungry Save Summer<\/p>\n

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This is not a sponsored post, I just really love Trader Joe’s. I’ve documented my favorite drinks from there, and thought it was time to share my favorite easy dinners from Trader Joe’s freezer case. This is a crazy time of year for many families, with graduations, recitals, award ceremonies, sports outings, concerts, and all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2163"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2163"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9428,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2163\/revisions\/9428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}