What to eat for lunch when you're too lazy to cook it

Sometimes I'm really good about planning my lunch meals the week ahead. I buy fresh ingredients or get inspired by recipes I see online. Then there are other weeks I can't be bothered. That's when I turn to Trader Joe's for my lunchtime dining on-the-go/at work.

And because I happen to be particularly lazy/tired at the moment, I'll just give you a quick list of my favorite Trader Joe's items to bring to work.


The following selections are based on savoryness and low sodium (for the most part). The list would definitely be longer if I weren't taking into account how much salt is in a lot of their frozen food.


Frozen
-Vegetable or vegan pad thai--For some reason I can't quite distinguish, I prefer the vegetable to the vegan pad thai. It tastes more flavorful but I haven't figured out why.
-Paneer and spinach basmati rice--This is absolutely divine and colorful (the reddish orange paneer coupled with the green rice makes for a festive lunch plate). The only downside is that there's a lot of sodium in this one.
-Shells in brie and asparagus--Watch out! This may be so tasty that many of your coworkers will smell it from a distance and hound you on where you got it from and can they have a bite. I speak from personal experience.
-Pizza Olympiad--Here you get two meals out of the price of paying even less than you would for a slice at some places. Topped with olives, feta and tomatoes, this little pie will surely delight your palate. It's the best microwave pizza I've ever had. Take that DiGornio/Red Baron/Freschetta. Actually, take Freschetta off that list. It's too bready.

Boxed
-Try any of the Indian Fare varieties. If you're looking for spice, try the Punjabi Chole. I find the boxed Indian selection to be spicier than the frozen selection at TJ's. It seems even spicier than Kitchen of India and Tastybite, if you're familiar with those brands.
-Butternut squash soup--Dip crackers, bread, anything you can get your hands on into this soup and wait for your body to warm up and your stomach to smile.

Canned
-Organic lentil vegetable soup--Serve with a side of TJ's vegetable crackers available in the assorted crackers box (4).
-Organic vegetarian chili--Delicious and filling, flavorful but not salty or gassy. The tofu and red beans really make this meal shine.
-Organic split pea soup--Not too salty. Split peas can be on the boring side but this is tasty for such a soup. Makes me wonder how I was ever able to digest Campbell's condensed soup.