A great grab-and-go lunch at Trader Joe's!

You can't imagine how excited I am for our area to FINALLY get a Trader Joe's later this year! For those of you lucky enough to already have one in your area, I've been making little pilgrimages to the closest one (45 minutes away) for ten years. The idea of having one 15 minutes away is like Christmas morning every time I think about it. The nuts, the dried fruit, the flowers, the awesome ready-made lunches....

Speaking of that, my husband and I recently went away for a BADLY needed getaway (!) and stopped by that area's TJ's for some necessities (remind me that dark chocolate- covered fig bites are not really a necessity) and I came across this salad.


Everything about it appealed to me: spinach, quinoa, carrots, cranberries, chickpeas, edamame, pumpkin seeds and a carrot ginger miso dressing, for $3.99. Although it doesn't look very large,
it was large enough to eat for dinner that night, served with a nice side of bread.


Remember, quinoa is a super easy thing to have ready-made and kept in your fridge. What's stopping you from putting a scoop onto your salad or into your bowl of soup? I always try to keep chickpeas, quinoa and lentils cooked and ready to go. All are incredibly good for you and are often just the thing to jazz up a meal!