Breaking up is hard to do...with Whole Foods
We try to show discipline. We even avoid going too often. But alas, we can't resist what others often don't have.
Whole Foods Market is smart. Its 365 Brand's reasonable pricing lures cost conscious shoppers into the store. And once they are "in", they buy MORE, whole-paycheck style. We do. It's how our small basket adds up to 3 figures in a shopping nano second. BUT if one sticks to sales, Whole Foods can be VERY reasonable!
So what are some products that we love to buy there especially when on sale?
Cereal. Whole Foods often has great deals on various cereals. We love Barbara's Bakery's Puffins -- Original and Cinnamon. And we can land a box for around $3.50 versus other store's much higher price. When we see the deal, we load up BIG TIME. Why do we like? The crunch and taste. The nutritional data are pretty good too offering a nice hit of fiber (6g) and a little protein (3g) and very little sugar compared to many others (6g). The Cinnamon flavor is as good or maybe even better.
The Salad Bar. Need we write more? Certain locations outshine others, but we love to pile our containers high. And it shows at checkout...a typical spend: $15-20. It is money so well spent. We are always satisfied & feel we've done right by our active bodies. There's protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and more. Our salad is more "fresh casserole", since we often add more entree or even hot items on top.
Acid League Dressing. This is the ONE brand that we buy at Whole Foods. We've tried many others. And while a few dressing favorites (Cilantro Lime) come from Trader Joe's, this Miso Caesar is such a win -- low calorie, high flavor. You have to try it. It's in the refrigerated section.
Quick Entrees. Our most recent favorite comes from Kevin's Naturals. The sous-vide chicken is precooked and always high quality, never dry. We pretty much like all the variations, but likely we'd go with the Korean BBQ as a fav. We can often score an entree (easily serves 2) for about $8-$10. Worth it.
Wallaby Maple Yogurt. Okay, we can buy this yogurt elsewhere, but Whole Foods nearly always has it in stock and we love the non-traditional flavor. And yogurt is one product where we completely eschew any artificial sweeteners. We use the yogurt as a topping...so one container gets eaten over a few days.
Honorable mentions. Once we are in the store, there are a handful of other products we always pick up:
- Unsweetened Acai (freezer). If you want a way to use these health bombs, check out this post for our Acai Oatmeal.
- Amy's Spinach & Feta Pizza snacks (freezer). Tasty, kid friendly, and there's spinach in there! We like the 20% RDA of calcium per serving (5-6 pizza bites).
- Natural Bars or any other "natural" product. It's fun to try new things and you can count on Whole Foods for an array of everything! we'll often try a new product here. Other stores just do not have the breadth of good-for-you goods.
- The chicken breast nuggets or tenders from Bell & Evans. Just better.
What are your "must haves" from a grocery store?
Comments
Thanks for the tip on the 365
Thanks for the tip on the 365 Almond Milk, definitely going to give it a try :)
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