Trader Joe's/Whole Foods Market

melbhall

I have finally moved to a city that is big enough to have both of these grocery stores. I want to go check them out. Do you have any suggestions of must have items that you purchase from there? Please post your favorites!

mazomama

i dont know of any must haves, but i could spend for ever at whole foods!! Ive never been to trader joes, but we have one....

Bump

kristimartiny

The goat cheese with honey is to die for Their Jalepeno chicken sausage is good too!

CassieLEO

OMG, If you like Hummus, Trader Joe's White Bean, Basil and Garlic Hummus is INCREDIBLE!! It is THE most delicious hummus ive ever had.
Their EVOO is extremely good tasting too, and flavors up salads and stuff very good! (Im doing the Mediteranean diet so it calls for small amounts of this in my diet)
Trader Joe's is great because price wise you can beat it. PLUS, their flowers are beautiful and very good quality and CHEAP! I buy a bunch of flowers whenever I can from them.

ericaq

Trader Joe's has a 3 layered hummus that is amazing. Cilantro/Red Pepper/Plain - seriously, so good. Mix that with some of their Flax Seed tortilla chips and you are good to go!

sillygoose1977

I love Whole Foods but they are really overpriced. They have the best bread, though. If you have a Sunflower Market, check that out instead.

LuckyLeprechaun

you mean Whole Paycheck... LOL it can get expensive in there.


Trader Joe's EVOO is an incedible deal, it's like half the price of even Costco... their prefab salads are all tasty and low cal too

jreese5226

Trader Joes is definitely the best place to get nuts, sunflower seeds, and almond butter. They also have a great selection of protein bars and other dietary supplements. And they tend to be cheaper than Whole Foods. Happy shopping! :happy:

krise31

Ok well as far as Whole Foods goes I looooove Oikos organic Greek Yogurt in the Honey flavor with 3 tablespoons of good for your waist trail mix. Whole foods has an aisle dedicated to nuts and dried fruits.

I also like Puffins cereal in peanut butter and chocolate. You can also make your own peanut butter and they have a great salad bar.

Loveebbs

I love Whole Foods but they are really overpriced. They have the best bread, though. If you have a Sunflower Market, check that out instead.

I know....that's my only problem with Whole Foods that some of their products can be expensive. There is not a Trader Joe's in my area so I can't compare the two.

kimjoan

Trader Joe's has a brown rice in the frozen section - you just pop it into the microwave for three minutes and it is perfect! I always have some on hand.

JDMPWR

I love both places. Whole Foods more though but I try to stick to Trader Joes because it's cheaper IMO.

masonsmomma

I absolutely LOVE Trader Joes. It's my favorite store hehe I love Trader Joe's MultiGrain Crackers, I spread Laughing Cow cheese on them and it's the best. I also like their selection of dried fruit and nuts. I put them in my oatmeal and to me, no other stores selection compare lol. I could spend hundreds of dollars there haha they have so much good food

elainecroft

I love love love trader joes. They have a great selection of healthy snacks (some even preportioned) like nuts and string cheese and dried fruit. They also have great frozen meals that are the perfect size for 2 servings - heat them up, add a salad and dinner is done!

darwintheboxer

Whole Foods is a full grocery but tends to be quite expensive. Trader Joe's is a small market but tends to be very affordable, gourmet, ethnic and specialty items.

Some of my favorite things at Trader Joe's: mango & cream bars (frozen, small but only 60 cals), sweet potato gnocchi (frozen), nuts and dried fruit (love the green mango, montmorency cherries, wild blueberries), five seed almond bars, frozen naan, hummus with cilantro and jalapeño, pretzel thins.

katiemeridien

Trader Joe's has a southwest marinated salmon which is amazing. I can live off of it! It's also good to pick up frozen organic goods from TJ's.

Whole Foods has an amazing already prepared section, the cranberry quinoa to go is delicious. Also, the rotisserie chicken is great as well.

therobinator

I love the self-serve whole grain aisle at Whole Foods....you can buy just exactly the amount you need....so you don't end up with a three pound bag of (for example) barley when you only needed a half-cup for a recipe. It's great for trying new things and not wasting.

Goal_Seeker_1988

Wishes that I had a traders joe where I live. The only one in Pa is in Pittsburgh and my fiance and I only go out there twice a year.:sad:

melbhall

Sounds like Trader Joe's is going to be my kind of place. I'm all about value. I will definitely be getting their EVOO, as I'm making a salad that calls for it this weekend, and I LOVE HUMMUS!!! Can't wait to go visit. Thanks for the honesty, I think I will skip Whole Foods Completely!

wolfchild59

I have a serious love affair with Trader Joe's and could list off about a bazillion things from there, but my core TJ's must haves are:
Roasted Plantain Chips
Shrimp and Surimi Louie Salad (though I don't use the dressing, it is tasty)
Salmon Patties (in the freezer section)
Nulaid Reddiegg Egg Subsitute - it's usually at least $2 cheaper than any other brand anywhere
Ranchero Egg White Salad
French Macaroons (in the freezer section, 45 cal each but an amazing delectable treat when you need something sweet)

Crowhorse

Whole Foods IS expensive, but they try to buy locally when they can, and they also treat their employees very well, from what I understand, therefor I don't mind the expense as much. They talk the talk AND walk the walk, which gets my respect.

Me, though, I try to buy at the local farmer's market when it is open. The peaches are fantastic when in season, and one day I'd like to put a half a beef in the freezer. I can't wait until it's open again. Not necessarily organic, and not necessarily cheap, but about as fresh as you can get in peak season. Can't beat that.