Livin Lean with Trader Joe’s; A Cookbook Review & Give Away

By: Lynn Stevens 

Do you shop at “TJs”? For those of you that aren’t used to tossing those two letters off your tongue without too much consideration, TJ’s stands for Trader Joe’s, a small neighborhood grocery store chain, offering convenient, unique, and great tasting foods at reasonable prices, including a large selection of healthier foods. Jamie Davidson’s recent cookbook, Livin Lean with Trader Joe’s, introduces some new recipes featuring foods found at TJs along with some helpful, practical tips for someone who is motivated to shed a few pounds.

The cookbook reads more than just a collection of recipes, however. Davidson takes some time to educate the reader on up-to-date weight loss guidelines and even throws in some gluten-free and vegan recipes, as well as two weeks of restricted calorie menu plans with analysis and accompanying shopping lists. Overall, I found the recipes to be quick and simple, even for a novice in the kitchen. Each recipe features a breakdown of nutritional information and offers suggestions for sides and substitutes. This is an easy way to get started on the path to healthy eating and since you won’t be spending time planning meals for yourself, you can devote more time to other areas of your weight loss efforts.

Usually, you wouldn’t find high calorie pizza on a weight loss menu. However, Davidson’s recipe for “Naan Pizzas with Pesto” trims down the calories without sacrificing taste (even my kids loved it). No need to cook tonight, because you really are just required to assemble items on the naan bread and then give it a quick bake in the oven. I found this recipe to be perfect for a busy weekday night, when you are craving a little comfort food to get you to the weekend.



Naan Pizza with Pesto
(printable recipe)
Serves 4
½ cup slivered red onion
2 Tbsp. TJ’s Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette
4 TJ’s Whole Wheat Naan Breads (3 ounces each)
4 Tbsp. fresh TJ’s Pesto
1 link TJ’s Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage, sliced thinly
¼ cup diced roasted red peppers
8 pitted kalamata olives
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
¼ cup grated Romano cheese or Parmesan cheese
2 cups lightly packed TJ’s Baby Spinach or Wild Arugula, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Combine onion and vinaigrette, set aside.
3. Place naan on baking sheet and bake about 5 minutes
4. Spread each naan with 1 Tbsp. pesto then arrange sausage, peppers, olives, basil, and a layer of cheese evenly on the naan. Bake until cheese softens – about 5 minutes.
5. Add spinach to onion and vinaigrette mixture.
6. Toss to coat and arrange over pizzas.

Serve warm.

Per serving: 382 calories, 13 g fat, 22 mg cholesterol, 480 mg sodium, 46 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 18 g. protein

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