{something delicious}: indian inspired dinner from trader joe's

I apologize in advance if you don't have a Trader Joe's grocery store where you live. I couldn't live without one. In fact, if we ever move, JV has sworn to me that he will drive to a Trader Joe's a least once a month. He's so thoughtful.

This summer, I've been doing most of the grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, with the exception of a few items that we can't get there. And I usually only spend $50-$60 a week on groceries, including a small bouquet of flowers. I think that's pretty good if you ask me. Plus, the major perk about Trader Joe's is that it is smaller--there are fewer choices, but they are all great choices. It's like shopping at Anthropologie.

Last night I put on quite a display of an Indian inspired dinner. While I was searching for chicken breast tenders in the meat section at Trader Joe's, I stumbled across pre-marinated chicken tenders. The selections included curry, pesto, sun dried tomato, and more. Plus the bonus: they weren't any more expensive than the unseasoned chicken tenders. Plus, turns out that the entire package had 8 huge chicken tenders inside.

The rest of the menu was impromptu, and it goes as as follows: baby zucchini (they are so cute), split and sauteed in olive oil split side down; naan, warmed in the oven; quinuoa, once cooked, I added 1/2 a red onion diced, 6 or 7 baby zucchini sliced, 1T cumin, 3 T Eggplant Garlic spread, I can of chickpeas, and salt and pepper to taste. Then I sauteed the chicken tenders for about 3-4 minutes on each side in some olive oil. It was a delightful menu. We have tons of leftovers (I'm thinking this would be great during the school year). The Eggplant Garlic spread is AMAZING. It tastes wonderful on it's own as a dip for raw zucchini, Naan, or any veggie of your choosing. Yum. It's always in my cabinet.

Oh. And next time I think I am going to try my own "Cheater's Naan," as inspired by Dinner, a Love Story. She simply fried pre-made pizza dough in oil, which reminds me that I need to make pizza dough, stat. Now that sounds delicious!

I hope you can find a Trader Joe's close by--or at least a similar grocery list. This meal is worth it!

xo,
katie