My lettuce wraps start with a bag of frozen vegetable fried rice. I add cooked edamame for extra protein and sauté until done. I also prepare our favorite main proteins (tofu for me, and chicken for everyone else) in separate pans.

While everything simmers, I break apart butter-lettuce leaves and prepare an array of toppings, including green onions, chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, the proteins, and a variety of store-bought sauces.

Everyone can fill their own lettuce leaves with fried rice, tofu or chicken, and toppings.

Once you discover the magic of sheet-pan dinners, you'll probably never want to cook any other way. They're quick to prepare and easy to clean.

I layer a sheet pan with peeled sweet-potato wedges tossed in olive oil, chili powder, salt and pepper and roast them in the oven at around 400 degrees Fahrenheit until fork tender — about 20 minutes.

Then I pour a can of vegan chili over the potatoes, along with a homemade cashew cheese sauce I blend together while the potatoes are cooking. I put it all back in the oven for five minutes until everything is heated through.

We top our nachos with green onions, cilantro, chopped avocado, salsa, and vegan sour cream, but this meal is easy to customize with toppings on the side. I just place the sheet pan in the middle of the table and my family serves themself.

Tuesday is always taco night in my house. I keep it simple with a walnut and mushroom chorizo filling that comes together quickly in the food processor.

My family's taco bar includes a variety of options for all of our dietary preferences. Guacamole, pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, salsa, grated cheese, and sour cream are our favorites.

I serve everything in warm flour tortillas that I've heated over an open flame on a stove burner.

My Greek-inspired dinner salad is jam-packed with toppings. I start with the traditional ingredients — chopped romaine, red onion, cucumber, and tomato. Then, I add chopped falafel that I've bought from the store.

I top it all off with creamy avocado slices, sliced kalamata olives, crumbled vegan feta cheese, a few dollops of hummus, and a drizzle of my favorite store-bought Greek dressing.

I dig right in with a fork and serve it alongside sliced pita for my kids, who prefer to eat the salad in a wrap.

I start by separately sautéing cubed tempeh and chicken. Meanwhile, I boil water and cook some udon noodles.

Once the proteins are done, I cook some precut stir-fry vegetables from the store. When the vegetables have softened, I stir in the cooked noodles and my favorite bottle of store-bought teriyaki sauce.

I let it all simmer and absorb the flavors for a few minutes before plating and topping each bowl with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

My kids can't believe these flavorful Caesar, green-goddess, and creamy-dill dressings in the refrigerated section are completely plant-based. Plus, they have less than 100 calories a serving and are made from simple ingredients.

I'm vegan and the rest of my family isn't, so they're my answer for zhuzhing up steamed vegetables, grain bowls, wraps, and, of course, salads.

I'm always looking for ways to add more protein to meals, and I do so to our noodle dishes by using certain pasta varieties from Trader Joe's.

There are several options for pasta with up to 14 grams of protein a serving, including varieties made with lentils, brown rice, quinoa, and chickpeas.

Beyond pasta night, I also use the noodles to ramp up salads, veggie stir-fries, and curries.

Trader Joe's simple can of vegetarian chili is great on nights when I don't feel like cooking. It's vegan, so everyone in my family can enjoy it.

I love that the added pea protein boosts the protein content of the red beans.

I serve it with a variety of toppings so everyone can pick what they like. I'll also use it as a topping for baked potatoes or sweet potato "nachos."

There's a wide variety variety of salad kits at Trader Joe's, from sweet-chili mango to pizza ranch.

Sometimes I just follow the package instructions to build a flavorful salad, but the kits have also inspired a number of dinners in my house. I use the Mediterranean kit as a base for falafel bowls and the Southwestern chopped as a pizza topping.

New varieties always seem to be popping up on shelves, creating limitless options for creativity.

Preparing beans and legumes can be time-consuming, but they're one of the best plant-based protein sources. So, the prepared lentil package in the refrigerated section at Trader Joe's is a handy staple.

I use it in countless ways — to fill taco shells, stir into pasta sauces, and sprinkle on salads, to name a few.

I've also combined the lentils with lemon juice, fresh herbs, and Trader Joe's bruschetta to make a hearty filling for a wrap.

Trader Joe's offers a variety of tofu, but the high-protein super-firm, baked teriyaki-flavored, and baked Sriracha-flavored varieties are my favorites.

The pre-seasoned and baked varieties are ready to slice, crumble, or air fry without any prep. Meanwhile, the high-protein tofu can be whipped up for a number of dishes and provides 5 more grams of protein per serving than the store's standard extra-firm block.

Some of my menu highlights include grilled tofu "steaks" topped with chimichurri and breaded tofu sticks served with dipping sauces.

I always keep a box of Trader Joe's brown rice in my freezer to make easy weeknight meals — from grain bowls and stir-fries to burritos and casseroles.

Instead of meal-prepping a big pot of rice at the start of the week, I can just pull out one of these packets and microwave it for four minutes.

I'm also a fan of the store's frozen jasmine rice.

Much to my kids' chagrin, one of the easiest ways to level up the nutrition factor in my family's meals is to add more vegetables.

Luckily, all of us can get behind Trader Joe's fun zucchini spirals and butternut-squash zig-zags.

I toss the spiralized zucchini with protein-enriched spaghetti and use the butternut-squash pieces to replace thicker noodles in soups and casseroles.

Trader Joe's package of lightly salted edamame is ready to eat, making it a go-to for my Asian-inspired meals.

I sprinkle them into stir-fries, teriyaki bowls, and sushi rolls, but they're also just great for snacking.

We go through the refrigerated package in a week and don't have to worry about it going bad, but there's also a frozen option.

Tossed with soybean oil, lemon juice, parsley, salt, cumin, garlic powder, and black pepper, Trader Joe's Greek chickpeas are my shortcut for adding zest and plant protein to meals.

For salads, I skip the dressing and toss the chickpeas directly into the bowl with the juice of a lemon. Or, I'll roast them until crunchy and use them as croutons.

I also love to spoon them over grilled vegetables such as zucchini, cauliflower, and portobello mushrooms.

Click to keep reading Trader Joe's diaries like this one.