Whole Foods Must Haves

Sarah_Wins

I drive all the way across town once in awhile for their produce, Organicville dressings, Nature's Rancher frozen burgers, grind-your-own nut butters and spices, and beef satay skewers. Great, now I have to go there again.

ETA: Oh, and Green Mountain Gringos salsa!!! And pure Xylitol.

possibri

Grab some of that grass-fed bison, too! It's delicious (albeit a bit expensive), and good for a nice change from beef.

lporter229

The bulk section is awesome. I buy grains, flour, couscous, nuts, dried fruits, and spices in bulk there.

This. It is one thing that usually ends up being cheaper there. They have a bunch of different types of flours and rices. I also get my quinoa there. I am gluten-free, so i appreciate their large selection of GF foods.

babydoll315

I love their salmon, feta, and spinach burger patties. I mainly go for the meat and produce also.

We had this the other night also and it was pretty good!

Amber82479

Once you've had their produce, the grocery store will pale in comparison! Also, try the air cooled chicken - once the chicken is slaughtered, it's air cooled instead of dipped in a chemical solution to cool it. I swear, it is SO much more flavorful! Their bakery items are amazing too... My favorite is the chocolate macaroons. They're pretty healthy for a dessert, which is an added bonus.

byHISstrength

I only go to Whole Foods for whole wheat pastry flour that I use to make healthy pancakes.

jlapey

Love the bulk section for whole grains like quinoa, barley, and wild rice or dehydrated, unsweetened fruits and veggies. Also enjoy the fresh seafood counter and higher quality meats.

Otherwise, my favorites are things I shouldn't have anymore like wine, cheese, bread, dark chocolate, salted-caramel gelato and the greek olive mix (from the olive bar that I use to make topanade to be eaten on the bread.) But, if you are going to have these things, there is no better place to get them.

PomegranatePriestess

As others have mentioned, their produce, meats, and cheeses are all top-notch. Excellent quality. The produce doesn't go bad three days later, like some stuff from our regular grocery store. It is expensive (we joke and call it "Whole Paycheck") but for the quality, it is really worth the investment. And as someone mentioned, they have sushi to go and it's good. They make both regular rice and brown rice maki rolls.

In terms of products, they carry the granola bars I love (can't think of brand name right now but they are dark chocolate macaroon, amazing) and the "So Delicious" yogurt (made from coconut milk) -- such treats, it's hard to believe you can eat them and still lose weight but here I am, and I have.

If you like beauty products, I've gotten several lipsticks/lip glosses, perfume oils, and body lotions there as well. Always happy with the quality.

I'm having one of their pre-made tuna sandwiches and a mini salad for lunch today, as a matter of fact. Yeah, I'm a fan.

boggsmroz

Their chicken and grass fed beef is usually $1/lb cheaper if you buy more than 3 lbs at a time. I usually go and buy at least that much. We also love their crab cakes every once in a while!

Lesa_Sass

Wow, thanks so much for all the replies.

I have been hearing about the parking, we are taking our little car and going at an off time, I really hope it is not to bad.

I agree about bison, we eat it regularly.

We are not of the belief to throw money away but at the same time, we do believe there are some things worth paying more for, good food is one of them. We drive cars that are over 10 years old and do not have kids, so we enjoy a little extra money to spend on it.

Thanks so much for all your advice. I am going to for sure look at the 365 brand and am excited about the grass fed beef. I do not eat beef often at all, but when I do, I make darn sure it is the best meat I can get. We have an EarthFare so I do get it, but the store is very small, so I am hoping the WF has more to offer than they do.

Thanks again. And keep the posts coming. We live right down the street so I am sure this will be a weekly routine for us.

CF4L

Be prepared to spend a lot of money. They don't call it 'Whole Paycheck' for nothing.

bubblicious84

Artisana coconut butter!! That stuff is awesome. I also love the 365 brand of coconut oil

MonkRocker

I can dispel the "Whole Paycheck" myth a bit.:

"Wells Fargo recently compared the cost of 100 items from various natural retail outlets and found that WFM is 7% cheaper than Safeway, 3% cheaper than Sprouts Market, 14% cheaper than The Fresh Market, 27% cheaper than Amazon Fresh, and only 4% higher than Trader Joe’s. “We were surprised to find that Whole Foods’ prices were much more competitive than we expected,” the study stated."

Whole study is here if you're interested.

https://www.wellsfargoresearch.com/disclosures/Documents/RETAIL082212-090618.pdf

Full discosure:

I do work for Whole Foods corporate.
No, we didn't do the study or even know about it till after the fact.
Yes, I get a discount.
Yes - it's enough that you should be jealous.

Lesa_Sass

Not an issue for me. Our house payment is number one but our second biggest expense is food. We have been eating whole and mostly organic for a while now. We do have a nice grocery store here called Earth Fare, it is fairly expensive but totally worth it. We are hoping that WF is actually going to be some what cheaper than EF because they are larger.

Health and fitness are priorities in this house. If we do not take care of our bodies, where are we going to live? I also love my husband (who is pictured as my profile pic, today is his bday) more than anything and want him to live a long and healthy life. The decisions we make today are going to be directly responsible for how we feel tomorrow (that is my belief and no one is going to make me believe otherwise).

I am not of the belief life is short and we could be hit by a bus tomorrow. Life is long, so I am going to take care of me today.

But then again, I must state that we do not have kids or car payments, I do not drink or smoke or really spend money on anything but food. I am a foodie, big time. So much so that I have a healthy cooking page on facebook.

Ya'll fee free to check it out if you wish. https://www.facebook.com/TheSassyGourmet

PomegranatePriestess

Hi MonkRocker: I'm glad you posted your "full disclosure" info because I think you'd kinda have to be working there to hear about that kind of a study... When I say we joke about "Whole Paycheck" I'm speaking from the experience of shopping for a week's worth of food at Stop & Shop and then trying to do the same at Whole Foods... and it's almost apples to oranges, if you'll permit me the food analogy, because Whole Foods is almost a specialty shop. It's not meant to be a regular, run of the mill grocery store. You expect, when you shop there, that Whole Foods has done its best to seek out only those products that support its mission, and so you should also expect that the prices are going to be higher than your local Market Basket, Shaw's, and the like. The prices are higher for most things (unless there is an amazing sale, which there sometimes is) but there's a reason and the reason is worth the price, at least to me.

Now full disclosure for me: My husband and I are DINKs, so we can afford to shop where we like... which is why we get the bulk of our groceries from Peapod (delivery service) and I go to Whole Foods to supplement with specialty products. Having the groceries delivered has been a fantastic experience and has helped me lose weight by freeing up my time (I now spend that time at the gym), allowing me to review my order at a glance to see the balance of foods I'm choosing, and eliminating impulse shopping. It also gets my husband more involved in the choices; he hates to shop but enjoys being able to review the order and add to it with a couple of clicks.

Brenda_Pancakes

Hi MonkRocker: I'm glad you posted your "full disclosure" info because I think you'd kinda have to be working there to hear about that kind of a study... When I say we joke about "Whole Paycheck" I'm speaking from the experience of shopping for a week's worth of food at Stop & Shop and then trying to do the same at Whole Foods... and it's almost apples to oranges, if you'll permit me the food analogy, because Whole Foods is almost a specialty shop. It's not meant to be a regular, run of the mill grocery store. You expect, when you shop there, that Whole Foods has done its best to seek out only those products that support its mission, and so you should also expect that the prices are going to be higher than your local Market Basket, Shaw's, and the like. The prices are higher for most things (unless there is an amazing sale, which there sometimes is) but there's a reason and the reason is worth the price, at least to me.

Now full disclosure for me: My husband and I are DINKs, so we can afford to shop where we like... which is why we get the bulk of our groceries from Peapod (delivery service) and I go to Whole Foods to supplement with specialty products. Having the groceries delivered has been a fantastic experience and has helped me lose weight by freeing up my time (I now spend that time at the gym), allowing me to review my order at a glance to see the balance of foods I'm choosing, and eliminating impulse shopping. It also gets my husband more involved in the choices; he hates to shop but enjoys being able to review the order and add to it with a couple of clicks.

LOL... I'm only replying to this because I had no idea what a "DINK" was, so I googled it... and low and behold... I'm 'DINK' too. To save anyone else the search (if you're like me and had never heard of that term..." Dual Income, No Kids.

Yay for DINKs. Ok... i'm done. But yes, Whole Foods is a rarity stop for me... only if it's something specific that I can't seem to find anywhere else. I did find it pricey; but I was expecting that - as I feel it's a specialty store.

MonkRocker

Hi MonkRocker: I'm glad you posted your "full disclosure" info because I think you'd kinda have to be working there to hear about that kind of a study... When I say we joke about "Whole Paycheck" I'm speaking from the experience of shopping for a week's worth of food at Stop & Shop and then trying to do the same at Whole Foods... and it's almost apples to oranges, if you'll permit me the food analogy, because Whole Foods is almost a specialty shop. It's not meant to be a regular, run of the mill grocery store. You expect, when you shop there, that Whole Foods has done its best to seek out only those products that support its mission, and so you should also expect that the prices are going to be higher than your local Market Basket, Shaw's, and the like. The prices are higher for most things (unless there is an amazing sale, which there sometimes is) but there's a reason and the reason is worth the price, at least to me.

Now full disclosure for me: My husband and I are DINKs, so we can afford to shop where we like... which is why we get the bulk of our groceries from Peapod (delivery service) and I go to Whole Foods to supplement with specialty products. Having the groceries delivered has been a fantastic experience and has helped me lose weight by freeing up my time (I now spend that time at the gym), allowing me to review my order at a glance to see the balance of foods I'm choosing, and eliminating impulse shopping. It also gets my husband more involved in the choices; he hates to shop but enjoys being able to review the order and add to it with a couple of clicks.

Yeah - I hear ya. It'd be tough to compare if you're not able to buy the exact same stuff at both places, really. I shop basically nightly - for whatever I will be having for dinner that night. But I have the advantage of being able to do that since our corporate office is over a store. No one at Whole Foods would deny that it's more expensive to shop there. I was just saying it's not quite as bad as the stigma would have you believe.

LOL... I'm only replying to this because I had no idea what a "DINK" was, so I googled it... and low and behold... I'm 'DINK' too. To save anyone else the search (if you're like me and had never heard of that term..." Dual Income, No Kids.

Yay for DINKs. Ok... i'm done. But yes, Whole Foods is a rarity stop for me... only if it's something specific that I can't seem to find anywhere else. I did find it pricey; but I was expecting that - as I feel it's a specialty store.

I didn't know that term either. I guess that makes me a SINK.

Sarah0866

Random, but they always have the best grapes ever! lol...their produce in general though