Posts

Trader Joe’s Panko Breaded Tilapia Fillets

/1 Comment/in , /by

We love Fish & Chips- flaky fish- with a crunchy coating and potato wedges or chips- sprinkled with lots of salt and Malt Vinegar. This not-so-heart-healthy combo is our favorite during sporting events-  but especially when watching the World Cup-as we did over the weekend.

photo 1 (1)

When we were shopping at Trader Joe’s for our Fish & Chips dinner we decided to check out a new kind of fish- and it was just delish!

Trader Joe’s Panko Breaded Tilapia Fillets

This box just sorta jumped out at us while we were checking out all the other options. I think I was lured by the idea of the crunch Panko breading and the thinner pieces of fish.

photo 3

An added advantage was that the fish was individually bagged so that you could take out only the amount you needed for a meal, and keep the rest of the fish in the freezer for next time.  Nice!

We followed the suggestions on the box and placed the fish on a foil lined pan and cooked it for 10 minutes, then flipped it over for 10 more minutes on the other side. The fish was nice and crispy and golden brown- and it sizzled when we took it  out of the oven.  (We did take a piece of paper towel to each side of the fish just to see if we could get any extra oil from each piece- and there was a little bit to blot up- just FYI.)

photo 2

To TRY and keep this meal under some kind of control, we served it up with home made oven roasted potatoes to star as the “chips”  and a few carrot sticks.

Well…..

OK we just loved the fish. It was crunch yet still moist in the middle. The Panko breading was crisp without being super thick/ or way greasy. We sprinkled the fish with some Malt Vinegar- and it just went so well together… YUMMO!

Other Ideas to try with this fish:

Fish Tacos

This would be a great fish to use in Fish Tacos. The pieces cook up crunchy and the fish is nice and thin but still moist. My though is to cook the fish and split it in half the long way, then place each half in a tortilla or taco shell with your favorite fixings.

Salad Topper

Another idea we had was to bake the fish and then serve it on top of a nice bunch of salad greens, tomatoes, etc…   This would be a lovely contrast in flavors (cool- hot- crunchy- creamy dressing etc…)

 So the next time you are searching for a nice, crunchy fish for dinner, give Trader Joe’s Panko Breaded Tilapia Fillets a try and tell us what you think!

 

 

 

It’s Trader Joe’s For Dinner Tonight!

/in /by

We wanted to share with you our first dinner purchased from Trader Joe’s new store in Kansas City!!

As the store was soo crowded, we decided not to brows and check out the store, but instead to just grab a few of our favorite items and then head to the checkout ~ which looked a bit scary but went rather fast, all things considered.  Even though it was super busy in the store ~ they even ran out of carts ~ everyone was soo happy and friendly 🙂 People (like us) were recommending their favorite items and folks  were taking pictures of many of the items. (Ok besides the two of us!)

So this is what we bought:

  • Pacific  Flounder– stuffed with crab meat stuffing- sooo yummy! 
  • Beans So Green 
  • Potatoes~ we tried something new…  there was a parting of the crowd and we grabbed a package of Garlic Potatoes with Parmesan Sauce to round out the meal 
  • Wine: A nice bubbly Prosecco! 
  • Flowers…. why not? We were celebrating, right??

Long story short, the meal was a FANTASTIC success! A great blend of two old favorites and the Garlic Potatoes are a new soon -to -be regular item that I am sure we will purchase again and again (just delish!).

This meal was soo easy to prepare and sooo yummy too! It was a perfect celebration- type meal that would be so quick to make, you could make it on a weeknight

What did you purchase when  Trader Joe’s in Kansas City opened? What have you enjoyed? Leave us a comment below or on Facebook or Twitter and share what you are buying!

Cheers,

Meatless Monday: Cornbread and Pinto Beans

/3 Comments/in , , /by
Cornbread for Meatless Monday

Cornbread for Meatless Monday

You never know what you will learn when you listen to the radio, right?

Today we were listening to NPR whilst doing errands, and heard about a new marketing plan for better health: Meatless Monday’s

The announcers made a lot of good points about how much fat and cholesterol you could avoid adding to your diet by not eating meat on just one day a week. Whose diet would not benefit from a little cut in fat, cholesterol and calories? So we decided to give this a try.

Our Meatless Monday Meal: Cornbread and Pinto Beans

For the cornbread we used the Trader Joe’s Cornbread Mix and make a few additions of Pepper Jack Cheese & Green Onions before baking.

Cornbread with Pepper Jack Cheese and onions

Cornbread with Pepper Jack Cheese and onions

We followed the Trader Joe’s box directions and then added ½ cup of pepper jack cheese cubes and about 1/3 cup sliced green onions just before we slid the pan into the oven. WOW the whole house smelled wonderful for the 30 or so minutes that this baked…

Trader Joe's Pinto Beans

Trader Joe's Pinto Beans

For the Pinto Beans, we just opened up a can of Trader Joe’s Pinto Beans, and heated them up with a teaspoon of Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoning, onions and a clove of garlic. (you could add any your favorite spice blend too) You could also serve baked beans if you like…. We wanted to serve the beans up, but if we wanted to make a quick bean soup- you could add water and Trader Joe’s vegetable stock to the pan….some leftover veggies….yum…. Maybe we will try the soup in the fall?

This was a wonderful inauguration to Meatless Monday for us! The whole place smelled great, and we had a delicious meal. We also nibbled on some carrot sticks and some cherry tomatoes- as well… YUM! This is going to be a tasty new tradition around our house!

Cornbread hot from the oven

Cornbread hot from the oven

Oh yeah, the cornbread… here is a small warning… the cornbread smelled wonderful and we dove right into the pan just as it came out of the oven…. If you could wait a bit (yes I know nearly impossible, right?) your slices will look a bit better. Our pieces were all crumbly and just about fell apart on us… but when we went back for a second piece, the squares held together much much better.

What did you serve on Meatless Monday?

Trader Joe’s Fettuccine Alfredo

/2 Comments/in , /by
Trader Joe's Fettuccine Alfredo

Trader Joe's Fettuccine Alfredo

Here is one of our secrets to dinner-on-the-table FAST success!

You know when you have having one of those busy days… The kind where you feel as if you have rushed around all day without a minute to just stop and think?  And then on the way home you think to yourself ,  a bowl of cereal is an OK dinner, right?

Well, cereal be gone! Here is the perfect answer to that troublesome dinner question after a long and busy day:

Trader Joe’s Fettuccine Alfredo.

We like to have one package of these noodles tucked away in the freezer to save us from the “cereal dinner”. This is quick and easy to heat up and it is also tasty by its self, or when you add some “extras” to it.  We like to think of it as Italian comfort food – a bowl of noodles in a creamy Alfredo sauce….. yummz!

When we say it is easy to prepare, the package contains frozen noodles and sauce “chunks” that you just heat up gently on the stove, or microwave, and Ta Da! Dinner is served in about 10 minutes.

Trader Joe's Fettuccine Alfredo - Ready to heat up

Trader Joe's Fettuccine Alfredo - Ready to heat up

Now we like the “comfort food” style of this dish of creamy noodles and sauce, but you can also think of it as a base to jazz up with a variety of other items.

Suggestions:

  • Leftover cooked veggies (we have used broccoli and peas)
  • Cooked shrimp or cooked flaked fish of any type
  • Sun-dried tomatoes  (in oil, sliced thin)
  • Mushrooms
  • Diced chicken

Use your imagination and check your fridge for ideas. You will be surprised at all the different and delicious meals you will be  able to create starting with Trader Joe’s Fettuccine Alfredo as a base.

Have you tried this product?

If you enjoyed this post, please take a minute to leave us a comment below. Even if you just want to say hello, we just love to hear from all of you!