Fill my cart..
Just acquired both a Whole Foods and a Trader Joes. Have never tried either...which do I choose? When I get there, what is it that simply MUST go into my cart??
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19 Comments:
at trader joes, i usually stock up on dried fruit.
french tart at 1:47PM on 09/22/08
on the trader joe's side, definitely do search through SE and see some of the previous posts -- people (like me) LOVE trader joes and have lots of great suggestions. here's one:
http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2008/08/trader-joes-favorites.html
TJ's is very affordable has a lot of great prepared food and frozen food. i love their naan, thai red curry sauce, cryo-packed pre-marinated meats, mediterranean hummous, handmade tortillas, pretzel slims, and tarte d'alsace. those are the necessities in my cart every week!
whole foods i go to on a pretty infrequent basis because i find it too expensive, but if you are looking for good organic produce and specialized products that you can't find at TJ's, definitely take a trip to whole foods.
megannesta at 1:47PM on 09/22/08
I haven't been to Trader Joes before; but I hear the things to buy at Whole Foods: Additive-free baking staples, meats, specialty cheeses, produce, [like megannesta says] anything that you prefer in pure form
hungrychristel at 2:16PM on 09/22/08
Trader Joes is great for snacks, dried fruit and nuts, frozen foods, and some prepared/packaged foods. And cheap wine. Prices are great!
Whole Foods is great for produce (what you can't get at a farmer's market) of all kinds, health foods, and some others-- but can be pricey.
Laurel E at 2:25PM on 09/22/08
From TJ's I love...
- Frozen Vegetarian Corn Dogs
- Peanut-butter filled pretzels
- sliced low-fat cheese (very affordable)
- TJ's Greek Yogurt
- Wellshire farms Bacon (like $3 less than at WF)
- Lettuces, pre-cut veggies
- frozen baby artichoke hearts
- frozen herbs and garlic (they come in single-use frozen cubes)
- some of their pizzas
- dried fruits and nuts
- cereal
- granola and cereal bars
AVOID: sushi (ew ew ew), pre-made sandwiches, etc.
From Whole Foods I like...
- Can I say everything?
- True North Nut Snacks
- Bulk grains, nuts and dried fruit
- Weird flours/grains
- Meat, seafood, and house-made sausages
- spices
- produce
- tofu (only $1.50!)
- interesting yogurts
- fancy cheeses
- frozen burritos (bonus points for the breakfast burritos they sell)
- frozen brown rice
- WF/365-brand Mac & Cheese (just like Annie's for half the price)
- deliciously expensive olive oils and vinegars
bitchincamero at 2:40PM on 09/22/08
I have been to both TJ and WF. I do not have a WF near me so I shop at TJ.
TJ:
TJ Hone Whole Wheat pretels
TJ Eggplant caponata
TJ frozen veggie gyoza and potsticker
TJ mesquite lime chicken burgers
TJ soups
salmon burgers
I love the prepared foods at WF. When I am in Manhattan w/ friends, we often dine at the tables upstairs. Soups, wraps, salad bar all super fresh and tasty.
Even through I love T, I have been disappointed w/ their prepared deli case foods. The tuna salad, sushi, sandwiches and wrps often look old and picked over. It may just be the outlet I shop at.
KtMc24 at 3:20PM on 09/22/08
Whole Foods tends to have a great yogurt selection, with frequent sales on even the most expensive brands. 365 store brand is consistently good quality. At least in NYC, the produce section has many things sold by weight instead of in pre-packaged amounts and selections (many types of mushrooms, different greens, etc), and a good produce sale can rival any grocery store chain's prices. Check the produce section for fresh, pre-sliced stir fry starters that include the sauce mixture and vegetables, just add tofu or meat as desired. The baked goods are excellent in a pinch, and the fresh breads are addictive!
Trader Joe's in NYC is like shopping in a sardine tin, so I usually avoid it at all costs. However, the separate wine store is priceless!
savecara at 3:46PM on 09/22/08
I rarely shop at Whole Foods (whole paycheck, indeed!) but here are my Trader Joe's recommendations:
- Frozen meals. Some of their "no name" brands are dead ringers for Amy's meals. I swear, even the packaging is the same, but soo much cheaper!
- Mochi!
- Esoteric dried fruit.
- Their naan is to die for.
- The pre-pack salads are actually pretty good, and great for easy, relatively inexpensive lunches. Try the apple-goat cheese-chicken one!
Lilly at 4:06PM on 09/22/08
OOoh and if you're looking for a good, cheap chocolate fix, they sell house brand bars in packs of three that are amazing!
Lilly at 4:07PM on 09/22/08
Three buck Chuck! (wine for $2.99, and *bonus* it isn't Boonesfarm!)
It actually isn't bad for the price.
aungeinphx at 4:15PM on 09/22/08
I've never been in Whole Foods but my mom loves their deli and has brought home some really yummy salads from it. I LOVE TJ's for:
dried fruit
cold cereal
nuts
soy yogurt
protein bars (cheapest at TJ's I believe)
wine
peanut butter pretzels
chocolate covered pretzels
frozen tamales
Morningstar veggie-meats
whole wheat cous-cous and other pastas
Thai curry sauces
I can pack my cart full of stuff there and spend less than $100. Plus they reuse paper bags if you bring back your old ones.
buffy at 4:44PM on 09/22/08
Whole Foods is really great for their yogurt selections--Siggi's skyr, Fage, etc.
I totally second the thought of buying mochi at TJ's. A cold, sweet, chewy block of mochi straight from the freezer is delicious.
Christina at 6:20PM on 09/22/08
at Trader Joe's I usually get:
- three layer hummus (with a packet of belgian endive or pita chips for dipping)
- bottles of watermelon juice when in season (hopefully they haven't discontinued it : \)
- Belgian butter waffle cookies
- Fage (with TJ's brand granola)
- Valrhona chocolate bars
- unsulfured dried mango
caroliiine at 7:01PM on 09/22/08
TJ's has great prices. Their multi-grain tortilla ships are the best, especially at under $2 per bag. WF has better variety, especially in meats and produce. TJ has no deli, but WF deli is the best for quality and variety. Both are great for having HFCS-free products.
beth1 at 7:08PM on 09/22/08
Whole Foods' bulk section is incredible. I'd definitely take advantage of that. Rice, lentils, beans, sugars, flours - all available in bulk. I generally visit the Cheese counter at Whole Foods. The olive bar is great too.
Trader Joe's is great for their store brand offerings. Healthy food at a third of the price of Whole Foods. They don't call it "Whole Paycheck" for nothing. Purchasing TJ-brand in just about any food is no-risk.
Enjoy! :D
therealchiffonade at 8:01PM on 09/22/08
@caroliiine: ditto on the dried mango. And the frozen mango. And I forgot about the vegetable root chips and sweet potato chips.
buffy at 12:57AM on 09/23/08
In a another blog that I read there was a big deal about T.J's frozen turkey burgers, how everyone loved them but T.J.'s kept dicontinuing it and then people would complain and then it would come back and it was a cat and mouse game. It was going on not just in my state Washington but people all of the nation were having the same problem. I have not tried this turkey burger, but I LOVE turkey burgers and if there is such I big hype about this brand but they keep discontinuing like everyone in the blog says, I probabley would love it and get as frustrated as all these people are. So I refrain myself the torture. Whole foods is a great store too, they have a big selections of everything. But I love Top Foods, they have as much if not more the Whole Foods lower prices.
pjracz10 at 2:54AM on 09/23/08
i am soooooo envious!!!! I want a whole foods in Puerto Rico!!!!!
MadelynRodriguez at 7:01PM on 09/23/08
I LOVE Trader Joe's and must second the rave on Charles Shaw $2.99 wine! It really is excellent value and we totally enjoy the Merlot, Carbernet, Chardonnay. The Zin and Sauvignon blanc, not so much.
I know Germans who love TJ's Hofbrau brats, that's quite a compliment.
Whatever we get a TJ's is really great value. ANYTHING in fact. I'm just not into the pre-made dinners, sandwiches, frozen entrees, that sort of thing.
Now another store you need is Uwajimaya!!!
Pointy at 4:31PM on 09/24/08