So I’m trying to cut down on the crap I eat.
I’m looking for quick and easy dinner type meals.
Any suggestions on what I should get?
Thanks.
nevermind - you don’t have trader Joe’s in texas. Tragic.
You mean, besides away from Whole Foods?
I kid, I kid. Whole Foods is great, if pricey. Are you looking for ready made meals or do-it-yourself? They have a great prepared counter; there are main dishes and sides all ready to take home and heat. Their green beans (I forget if they call them sesame or garlic) are phenomenal - and if I go there late and get the last of them, they’ll often pack up the extra sauce and give it to me for free. I take that home and freeze it and then use it on cheap green beans I get at the farmer’s market.
They also have recipe cards for most of their ready-to-eat stuff, just ask the guy behind the counter. And they’ll let you try a sample of almost anything - not the whole salmon fillets or chicken breasts or anything, but any of the salads and sides.
Since you’re in the Metroplex–why don’t you check out Central Market? The site has recipes, ideas & info on events at the various locations.
If you do all your shopping there, it can get as pricey as Whole Paycheck–but doesn’t seem quite as “More Organic Than Thou.” Lots of lovely prepared food, as well as organic staples in bulk. The produce alone will tempt you to actually buy vegetables!
(Texas definitely needs Trader Joe’s. I keep check in the map–there are two in New Mexico now!)
Are you trying to make your own dinner, or buy pre-prepared food from the deli counter?
And why Whole Foods?
I find them good for gourmet items, but the local farmer’s market is a helluva lot better for local produce (plus it’s closer) and the local Kroger is a helluva lot cheaper for general organic stuff (plus it’s closer.)
Also, if you’re trying to eat better, remember that sodium is a natural flavor.
Here’s a couple of starters: Going to Whole Foods unprepared is like going to a regular grocery store hungry and stoned. The next day when you open your refrigerator you’ll say: “Holy shit, what am I going to do with all this crap!” Things look a lot better when they’re all laid out in the store. Whole ginger root and a pound of heirloom potatoes look awfully lonely in your fridge compared to the produce section of WFM. Make a recipe list and then go buy the ingredients for it - if you feel the need to splurge, stick to the prepared foods.
If you like your beef well done, don’t bother with Whole Foods.
Learn how to cook fish from the supermarket before you buy fresh line caught salmon from WFM.
Sample the stinky cheese before dropping $9 on a small wedge of it.
<Personal opinion> Organic products that are designed to mimic mass market products (cereal, etc.) often taste like crap. </personal opinion> If you’re looking for fruity pebbles, an organic imitation flavored and colored with beet juice and guava isn’t going to cut it.
Be prepared.
My sister lives in AZ, and there are both Whole(paycheck) Foods and Sprouts Markets. She vastly prefers Sprouts to Whole Foods. On Wednesdays, you get to take advantage of the specials from the previous week as well as the current week, so you get a double bonus day. The food is fresh and wonderful and relatively reasonable in price.
StG
Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society.
That’s gonna change: I’m moving to Austin in the next few months, and it’s going to be a single minded campaign of mine to bring TJ’s to Texas, starting with Austin.
There are at least two Sprouts in DFW… one at Marsh @ Forest, and one at Lebanon @ Preston in Frisco. There may be another, but those two I know of first-hand.
And another vote for Central Market over Whole Foods, BTW. It’s more of a gourmet type place instead of an upscale Austin hippie organic food place, but it did start in Austin also, and in my opinion you get more value and more selection for what you get.
(the real Austin hippies shop at places like Wheatsville co-op or Sun Harvest anyway!)
It’s gonna be a tough fight considering the WF headquarters are here and there’s the amazing flagship store on Lamar.
I am a Whole Foods junkie and I also eat very, very healthily. But it does come at a price.
For dinner, I usually get about 1/3 to 1.3 a pound of the prepared veggies (emerald sesame kale, grilled asparagus, grilled brussels sprouts, sicilian kale, boccoli with garlic and sun dried tomatoes, etc.) and a tofu thing (BBQ tofu, sweet chili tofu, pimenton patty, harvest field roast). In the same case, they have meat selections so you could get those as well. It probably costs me about $5-7 a meal, depending on the veggies I get. Dessert is presliced fruit (~$2.50) (or a real sugar cookie or sorbet (no corn syrup) when it isn’t Lent). Sometimes, if I’m not really hungry, I’ll just eat the edamame, about $4 for 8 oz. I stay away from the meal bar where they have various ethnic food selections; it tends to be very high in fat in calories.
For lunch, I usually eat Whole Foods brand tuna (just went up to $1.19 a can) with a little mayo, Kavli Golden Rye Cripsbread (7 grams of fiber a serving!), and a third to a half a pound of the same veggies above. My midday snack is an apple and sometimes a little trailmix from the bulk bins.
For breakfast, I eat a stick of Horizon Organic Mozarella ( the best tasting one and about $.85 a stick) and sometimes steel cut oatmeal (in bulk, $1 a pound).
It’s expensive but very convenient as I don’t really cook at all. (if I did cook, it’d be much cheaper) I go about 2 to 3 times a week and generally spend about $70-$80 a week. But, it’s a heck of a lot healthier than restaurant food and my number prove it. I just got bloodwork done and my total cholesterol is 169, my “good” cholesterol is 91, my “bad” is 68, and my triglycerides are 52. (OK, I’m totally boasting now but I’m feeling very proud of having great numbers going into my forties.)
Whole Foods is an occasional stop for me, when I’m in the mood for a big salad or one of their preprepared dishes, or some different cheese to try. I don’t go there often because of the price but now and then it’s a good place to shop. I recommend the curried chicken salad; even the curried tofu is good. I don’t buy red meat there because of the cost but they have some awesome cookies and other baked goods.
The downside (other than price) is that whole homeopathic crap aisle, but I just avoid that.