Now as I have mentioned before a few hundred times I’m not a fan of grocery shopping. Like at all. Not even a little bit : ). My wife and I like to eat on the healthier side for the most part. I love buying organic food. I think you can really taste the difference. More importantly, it's good for you. Even more importantly I like to buy "clean" food if and when at all possible. You know the type of food where you can actually read and understand the ingrdance on the label. Hands down the store that gets the job done for me is Trader Joes. Now if you don’t have a Trader Joes in your area my condolences to you and your family are truly missing out. If you don’t have a Trader Joes in your area I really encourage you to check it out.
Prices:
As I've said I like to buy organic food when I can. What I don’t like is the price tag that comes along with buying organic food at most stores. It's crazy the difference in prices for some items. Now I do the majority of my shopping at Trader Joes. I would say a good 80% but I also goto Kroger which is known as Ralphs here in California. Now at Ralphs large organic brown eggs are $6.99 at Trader Joes large organic eggs are $2.69. That's a $4.30 price difference yall! Can't beat that with a stick. By fair Trader Joes has the best price for the quality organic food in my area. Their prices, in general, are just really affordable I find. A box of penne pasta is 2.79 at my local Ralphs however penne pasta (all the pasta in fact) is .99. I also think they have really great prices on fresh organic herbs for a buck and some change.
Convenience Items:
Now you’ve seen from my post that I love anything that will make my life just a little easier. I mean who doesn’t. There are some Trader Joes staples I buy each time I go without even thinking about it! They have precut onions. It's honest to God a big bag for a great price, I mean why wouldn't I buy it right? Just about everything I cook has onion in it. They also have pre-bagged tri-colored bell pepper. Again everything I cook has bell paper in it. I also love theyer fresh herbs selection for only $1.00 ($1.65 for organic). Now I’ve seen in my local grocery stores that sell a huge bushel of herbs that I never buy, beacuse I know it will go bad before I finish it and also its about $2.50 depending on the herb. Or on the other hand, I’ll see a tiny tenny wennie bushel that's extremely overpriced for, not only quality but the amount you get. Also, the bagged salads are $1.99 to $2.99 yall. I love the variety as well I've seen and purchased argala, kale, Endives, and Friseejust to name a few. Now at Ralphs, the bagged salads are $3.99 to $6.00 depending on the brand for just basic iceberg, romane, or spinach.
Spices:
My both sides of my family hail from Louisiana so to say I’m a spice girl is an understatement. Spices are so expensive, too expensive. Trader Joes has the best prices on spices bar none! One spice that's I’m totally obsessed with is the garlic salt blend. It also comes in its own grinder which I honestly think enhances the flavor. It's an sea salt, roasted garlic, onion, and parsley blend. Its beyond good yall! Another staple seasoning I buy is the " 21 seasoning salute. It's pretty much a dup for Ms.Dash but literally its a third of the price. I also enjoy Trader Joes spice blends like "Everything but the bagel", " Chile Lime", onion salt, as well as the "Everyday seasoning blend" with a grinder. All of which are only $1.99 at my local Trader Joes. Now if you cook you know the average cost of a quality spices goes for $3.99 up wared to $5.99.
One of a kind items:
Two words ladies and gentlemen “cookie butter”. If you have not tasted this you have not really lived life in my opinion LOL. This stuff is beyond good and addicting. Its a spread like peanut butter and comes in the same kind of jar. I love to use it as a fruit dip, on my waffles some times, also in cookie & cake respites.
They also have coconut oil, olive oil, as well as avocado oil spray. It's just like the cooking spray pam but with actual flavor. I've never seen these sprays anywhere else and I use it daily to cook. Uncured bacon jam is out of this world. Now I know, I know it sounds strange but it really is savory & good. Fig butter is also one of my favorites! Speaking of figs they have actual figs LOL. Honey the store is full on one of a kind items.
Wine & Beer:
They have by far the best prices on wine. Seriously I have yet to buy a bottle over $10. My wife and I are trying to build up our collections so this is perfect for us. Now I’m not a big drinker but this is a great way to find out what you like without breaking the bank. I’m also getting into beer more and more. To my surprise, they have craft beer as well as a lot of specialty ciders. They carry I pretty decent verity of craft beer from local breweries are well as some pretty well-known names in the beer industry. I also like the mix & match build your own six pack offer they have for only $6.99. Again a great way to find out what you like if your a beginner like me.
Frozen Food Section:
By far this is my favorite part of the store. It's also the most dangerous LOL. Cruising down this aisle you really want to proceed with caution. I've said throughout this article I've told you about Trader Joes great prices, right? Well, here's where that kinda goes out the window. Some of their frozen food items are pretty much comparable to any other store. Why I say it's my favorite is because of the variety, and well, the yumminess. You can get anything from frozen tamales, Indian frozen meals, naan bread turkey burgers, organic meatballs, organic rice, pot stickers, pastries, I mean you name it.
The only Con:
The only downside to Trader Joes, most Trader Joes that I've visited is the parking lot and the crowds. Now I understand keep down the prices certain things you just aren’t going to get with Trader Joes. Nine times out of ten the stores themselves all seem to be on the smaller side and the parking lot match. I simply hate the small parking lots. Piggybacking off that is the crowd. Now, this isn’t Trader Joes fault its a testament to how great they are but to be perfectly honest I’m am literally the first customer in the store when I have to shop. The store being as little as it is plus the crown is too much for me. I could go on and on about Trader Joes. If you don’t take away anything else from this I hope you just visit for yourself. Don’t even plan on buying anything just go look around. Until next time y’ all.