Welcome to Topic Tuesday 03!

Let’s be real here, the majority of us are millennials. And lord knows we are always on a crunch for time AND we’re tight on money. Like, always.

But who says frozen foods have to be gross and unhealthy all the time? I decided to write about this as I was scrambling this morning to prepare for today. On Tuesdays I start class at 1:00 PM, which gives me an open morning. I’ll be at school until 6:00 PM which means I’m having dinner in the classroom… Then I’ll be stuck in traffic on the drive home and won’t have time to cook anything else. So these are my favorite things to turn to when there’s not enough time in the day!

All of these items are under $15 and you’ll get multiple meals out of it + it cooks in under 20 minutes.

Saving money AND time? Sheeeesh, go on sis.

1. Trader Joe’s Frozen Line of Chinese Take-out: Almost tastes just as good as Panda Express dude. You can’t go wrong for $4.99 a bag! They come in 23 oz. bags that are good for serving 2 people, or good for 1 person with leftovers for tomorrow! My top favorites: the kung pao chicken, orange chicken, chicken fried rice, shrimp stir fry, broccoli beef and chow mein. The walnut shrimp is a no for me…. lol.

I feel like some people are under the impression that TJ’s is organic and expensive like Whole Foods, but it totally isn’t. I learned this when I lived in San Francisco because it turned out to be the CHEAPEST grocery store nearby so we spent our time there on a weekly basis. Be sure to check it out at your local TJ’s!

What I love about it:

• I normally hate frozen foods, but the Trader Joe’s line isn’t bad at all. They’re pretty good at keeping that authentic Asian taste.
• Price!! Super cheap so we always stock up during our trip to TJ’s.
• Everything cooks in under 10 minutes on your skillet and some are even microwaveable.

2. Trident Beer Battered Cod (from Costco). $14.99 for 2.5 lb. box. I throw it in the air fryer for about 10 minutes.

I eat this 1 of 2 ways (air fried or oven baked):

• wrapped around a plant based tortilla (higher protein content), throw in some shredded cabbage and tartar sauce, and squeeze a lime = easiest fish tacos you’ve ever made
• served over white rice with a side of spicy soy dipping sauce = reminiscent of chinese restaurant style.

3. Tyson’s Panko Crusted Chicken (from Costco), $13.49 for a large 5 lb. bag. You can’t beat that price… Air fry it and serve over rice with sriracha on the side! However, it comes not fully cooked (unlike like other frozen foods), so they don’t recommend microwaving it.

Why I love this:

• Great substitute for chicken katsu because it’s all white meat and instead of deep frying, you can air fry this or pop it in your oven.
• The 5 lb. bag comes with these giant filets of chicken (about 20+) and costs about $14!
• If you’re cutting carbs, you can eat it as a chicken tender and dip it into some spicy mayo sauce or whatever sauce you prefer.

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I hope someone out there finds this helpful! Don’t get me wrong, I love to cook but I don’t always have time to make full blown family-style meals. Thanks for reading!

Love & blessings ♥️