Favorite Items to buy at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods?

For those of you who have either a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods, what are some of the items that you like to purchase at these stores that you cannot readily find at other grocery stores? (TJ and WF brand items, as well as other brands, too!)  I spend a lot of time in these stores, but it's impossible to know some of the "best" products without some personal recommendations!

Thanks!

=^..^=  MOLLY

i'm not a huge fan of trader joe's but i absolutely love whole foods!!! my favs are-

• tofurkey deli slices
• galaxy sliced "cheeses"
• shirtaki tofu noodles
• almond breeze unsweetened vanilla
• sushi
• amy's soups

whole foods has the best bakery breads ever!!! but thats only an occasional special treat ;-)

i live a block away from whole foods and while i often call it whole paycheck, it saves me a lot of time if i just go there.

i always get kashi frozen pizza, fage 2% yogurt, stonyfield yogurt smoothies, and cliff zbars.  i also get the whole foods black bean dip (which i love), reduced fat guac, and hummus.  almost everything else is fresh veggies, fruits, or cheese. i'll also get  some ready-made sushi from time to time.

occassionally, i'll go to trader joes and get their frozen samosas and paid thai.  i also like the salty dry edamame (i think that's it)....but i agree, their produce is often questionable, and everything usually goes bad pretty quickly.

Oh you guys are killing me. I live in England so am TJ and Whole Food deprived.I'll be coming to the states in May and am now writing down my 'Must buy' list.

When I was there last year I did buy a loaf of Ezekiel bread which is great for diabetics. I intend to buy some and bring them back as long as I can freeze them.

A Whole Foods has opened in London but it's a bit of a schlep by bus then train then tube.

 

 

I love TJ's low sodium soups, especially the organic butternut squash that I just discovered.  io also love their shrimp stir fry and chili lime chicken burgers, but since this is the veggie forum I'm ot sure if you eat those things.

I just tried a vegan loaf of bread in Whole Foods Bakery, and it is so good!!  With raisins, and all sorts of delicious healthy stuff.  I toasted a slice and put some vegan butter on it, and after I took the first bite, I saved the rest as my dessert!

 If you see Uncle Eddie's cookies, they are so good.  I'm not sure if they're only sold here in SoCal.  They are vegan, and easily some of the best cookies I've ever had (and I know cookies).  They have a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie (that's usually hard to find) and a trail mix cookie that are so super good. 

 The Muir Glen Lentil soup is an awesome vegan soup.  It tastes good, even though it's canned.

 Oh, and Tomberlies Ice Cream (again maybe only in SoCal).  It's ice cream that is made of neither soy or rice, so you don't get those after tastes that you sometimes get with those kinds of ice cream.  It uses a coconut base (but doesn't taste like coconut).  Only problem is that they're expensive, but worth it for the best tasting non dairy ice cream so far.

OMG, willin1310! I forgot about shirataki noodles! Those suckers have almost no calories! Granted, they're not loaded with nutrition, but I used to add stir-fried veggies and tofu to them for a filling low cal meal. It's been a while since I picked them up because a new health food store opened near me and I haven't been going to Whole Foods. I'm definitely going to pick some of those up. Thanks!

Original Post by aasil:

occassionally, i'll go to trader joes and get their frozen samosas and paid thai.  i also like the salty dry edamame (i think that's it)....but i agree, their produce is often questionable, and everything usually goes bad pretty quickly.

I've had good luck with their fresh baby asparagus and their huge bag of mixed greens (spinach, mustard greens, collard greens and turnip greens!) Oh, and their Butternut Squash.

And it's one of only two stores locally where I can find Essential Flax Seed bread... a must have!

=^..^= MOLLY

I prefer Whole foods over Trader Joe's anyday.  Whole foods produce is the best - and they have a butcher and deli counter and bakery.  Watch out for Trader Joe's - although their prices are better, most of their products come from China.  I stopped buying those Green with Envy veggies because of that.

I'm typing this enjoying a pomegranate/blueberry juice blend from Trader's Joe  . The frozen section at TJ is amazing. So is the european style fat free yoghurt, greek yoghurt and a  whole bunch of other things in the diary section. I specially love the tapioca pudding. They also carry from low fat/fat free ice cream which is awesome. And yeah I love the selection of tea they carry.

 

trader joe's:
low-fat white cheddar cheese, pre-sliced (70 calories a slice and organic! yum!)
pre-cooked black lentils, which are super convenient
organic carrot juice
they also have these amazing indian burgers, but i can't remember what they're called
hemp seed granola (nature's path brand)

i have a whole foods within walking distance. they have absolutely amazing fresh produce, some really bizarre fruits and the ever-popular amy's frozen meals. they have great deli stuff too, though not at all diet or wallet friendly. spinach lasagna with pine nuts and golden rasins! 7.00 per pound! made with heavy cream, butter, milk and cheese? jesus christ. but sooooo good.

as for tj's really unhealthy stuff.. mustard flavoured wonton chips, dark chocolate, spicy tortilla chips, frozen vegetable tempura (!!), 4$ bags of raw cashews, olive bread, vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, whole grain veggie lasagna, soy delicious, tofutti cuties, joe-o's (organic oreos) etcetera. man, i miss tj's. :D

vegan chocolate chip cookies for sure...and the vegan chocolate torte at whole foods...

 once you get past the dessert section, i really like TJs whole wheat flax pasta...you can't even tell that its whole wheat and it tastes SO good...TJs also has the most firm tofu(TJs organic super firm) I have EVER found, which is SO good on the BBQ...

 

I buy fruits, vegetables and nuts at the local farmers market. There are other foods I buy at the farmers market when they are available: fish, eggs, cheese, olive oil, olives. When I have the choice, I like my money to go to the farmer directly, and the food is fantastic.

Beyond that, I get protein, grains and condiments at WF or TJs.
* beans
* tempeh
* cottage cheese or yogurt or kefir
* other cheese
* peanut butter
* salsa
* hot pepper oil
* spices
* tea
* oatmeal
* pasta
* odwalla protein smoothie (post-workout)

I'll occasionally buy organic produce at WF if I run out of farmers market stuff before the weekend or have a craving for something nonlocal like a banana or pine nuts.

Also, my office is a few minutes from a whole foods, so I often get their takeout for lunch: salad bar or cooked food case or a sandwich or something. I also like TJ's packaged salads for lunch.

I get the almost flourless chocolate cake from the frozen section. Oh my u warm it up and its amazing.