3 Real Food Meals Using Ingredients from Target

By blog team member, Kiran. To learn more about Kiran, check out our team page!

Note: This post is not sponsored (paid for) by Target. It’s just something I hope can be useful for you.

I know I don’t have to give you another reason to head to Target. I mean, if anything, many of us try to stay away from the store for fear of all the impulse buying which adds up fast! But since I know you’ll be heading there anyway, I want to give you some good news (and it’s not that there’s a fantastic sale). :)

Like us, you may have noticed over recent months that Target has been beefing up their organic and better brand offerings. From Enjoy Life to Muir Glen, I’m giddy with excitement about brands I can now pick up there, often at prices that are better than or comparable to grocery stores.

So initially I was going to outline a bunch of products that we like to purchase from Target, but then I realized I could take things a step further. Instead of outlining real food brands to look for, I’ve put together three meals that you can make using ingredients that are all from Target. Yes, you read that right. This means that on the day that you are shopping at this beloved store and you’re out of ideas for what to make for dinner, or out of time to put anything too complicated together, you can get all of your products at Target and save yourself from another trip to your local supermarket!

A few disclaimers before the good stuff:

• These are not gourmet meals. But let’s face it – some days call for simple and quick thrown-together meals.
• One of the meals includes bread that is organic and whole grain but has a small amount of added sugar. Lisa suggests 100% whole grain with limited added sweeteners in the form of honey or pure maple syrup, so this is a slight rule-breaker. But again, we are saving you a trip to another store, and if you’ve read my posts, you know that I am a 90-95% girl anyway.
• My Target was out of Stonyfield Plain Whole Milk Yogurt, so you’ll see the French Vanilla version pictured below. Not all stores have the exact same offerings, so sometimes you may need to adjust, as I did.
• This post is not sponsored (paid for) by Target. It’s just something I hope can be useful for you.

3 Real Food Meal Ideas Using Ingredients from Target

Beans and Rice with Roasted Broccoli

Items to Purchase:

• Simply Balanced Organic Pinto Beans or Black Beans (see recipe choices below)
• Lundberg Farms Whole Grain Wild Rice
• Simply Balanced Organic Broccoli Florets
• Applegate Bacon (if doing the Red Beans and Rice recipe)
• Simply Balanced Organic Salsa to top the beans and rice (optional)

Possible Recipes:

For beans, you have two choices.

• You can follow this Red Beans and Rice recipe, but you’d have to omit the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and celery unless you have them on hand.
• Or, you can follow this Slow Cooker Refried Beans recipe, but again without onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper unless you have them on hand. I have made the refried beans without any onion in the past, and we still loved them. And I personally always have onion and garlic on hand, but in case you don’t, I do know it can work without the onion!

Cook rice as directed on package.

Roast broccoli by following this recipe (requires olive oil but you can omit the garlic).

Eggs in Purgatory and Mixed Vegetables

Items to Purchase:

• Eggland’s Best Organic Eggs
• Barilla Whole Grain Pasta
• Muir Glen Organic Pasta Sauce
• Simply Balanced Mixed Vegetables

Possible Recipes:
Never heard of Eggs in Purgatory? Then you must not have watched The Soprano’s. That’s okay. Google it, and you’ll find lots of recipes, all super simple. Some call for a homemade sauce, but we are going simple since we have a great sauce option. Heat the sauce and put eggs into it to cook, based on recipe directions.

Cook pasta according to directions on box.

Cook vegetables according to directions on the bag. Voila – meal #2 accomplished.

Blueberry Waffles, Bacon, and Frozen Fruit in Yogurt

Items to Purchase:

• Kodiak Cakes Frontier Flapjack and Waffle Mix – Buttermilk & Honey
• Applegate Bacon
• Simply Balanced Frozen Blueberries
• Simply Balanced Frozen Berries
• Stonyfield Plain Whole Milk Yogurt

Possible Recipes:
Prepare waffles or pancakes per directions on box, adding blueberries to the mix.

Prepare bacon.

Stir frozen fruit into yogurt and top with honey or maple syrup. If you have granola on hand, top it with granola for a fun parfait.

To Go with Your Meal

We’re also big fans of Traditional Medicinals Tea, and I think that any of these meals would be wonderful if served with a cup of their Peppermint Tea or followed up with their Ginger Aid to help with digestion.

Never thought you could pick up dinner at a regular Target store? Think again! What new brands have you been pleased to see at Target lately? It’s so fun to see all this change – and in the right direction thankfully!