The New $3.49 Trader Joe’s Find I Will Never Stop Buying
This Trader Joe's find started out as a weeknight dinner hero, but it quickly became my kid's new lunchbox favorite.
My son entered kindergarten this fall and, along with moving to a new school, one of the biggest transitions was packing lunch since his previous daycares provided meals. After years of sending him off every morning with nothing but a tiny toddler backpack, it was time to upgrade to both a big-kid school bag and a fully-stocked lunch box.
As a lunch-packing newbie, I was a bit overwhelmed. Should I get the Bentgo or the OmieBox? Which thermos would last the longest? What nut-free snacks can I send? Luckily, lots of more experienced parents chimed in to share their favorite tools and helpful tips.
The next hurdle was menu planning. It’s taken some trial and error to settle on a weekly lineup that’s both enticing to a five-year-old and simple enough for the adults to prep in the morning. So far, most sandwich variations have been a hit, from grilled cheese to hummus pita rollups. But there are days when we need a break from things-between-bread, which is when I turn to one of our new favorite Trader Joe’s finds: Spinach & Ricotta Raviolini.
Why I Love Trader Joe’s Spinach & Ricotta Raviolini
I first spotted the raviolini on Instagram via @traderjoesnew and immediately added them to my weekly shopping list. While I love store-bought ravioli as an easy meal, my son hasn’t been as big of a fan. We’ve tried every variation at Trader Joe’s, from year-round staples like the four-cheese ravioli to seasonal ones stuffed with pumpkin or corn.
There’s something about tiny foods that kids his age love, and he devoured a big bowl of the raviolini when I made it for dinner. Inspired by the names of other mini TJ’s foods, my son and I dubbed them “teeny tiny ravioli.”
How I Prepare Trader Joe's Spinach and Ricotta Raviolini
I always get an extra package of ravioli to freeze for future dinners and was about to do so with the raviolini when I realized they’d make an excellent lunchbox meal. Instead of tossing the entire box into the freezer, I froze clusters of raviolini on a sheet tray, then packed them into zip-top bags. Now, all I have to do in the morning is bring a pot of water to a boil and add one of the raviolini clusters. They’re so small that they cook in minutes—sometimes the pasta is ready before I even get breakfast on the table.
One box goes a long way for school lunch, but I’ve already re-upped my supply. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Trader Joe’s will keep their teeny tiny ravioli around for a while—at least until my lunch-packing days are over.
This story is not sponsored. Our editors, writers, and experts recommend products we genuinely love and would spend our own hard-earned money on. When a story is sponsored or if we earn a commission on sales of products we link to, we label them clearly.
This article has been sourced from various publicly available news platforms around the world. All intellectual property rights remain with the original publishers and authors. Unshared News does not claim ownership of the content and provides it solely for informational and educational purposes voluntarily. If you are the rightful owner and believe this content has been used improperly, please contact us for prompt removal or correction.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/RDUJBOYFCBAXRCGGFYQPQNOF5Q.jpg)
