Whole Foods

[fraggle551]

So what are everyone's favorite things from Whole Foods? I am going later today with my boyfriend to shop for healthy things for the week. I have only been twice, but have never shopped there, just met my father for lunch.

 

[Pakey]

Not healthy but I shop there for cheese. They have a really high quality cheese selection.

 

[minniebeth]

Be prepared to break the bank
We love, love Whole Foods, but find them really expensive to shop there on a frequent basis. It is a splurge or special occasion for us to go.
Trader Joe's has a lot of great choices for much less.

Anyway...what we like:
Their fresh fruits and vegetables are awesome!
They have some wonderful homemade salsa and Nonna's Cucina Tortilla Chips
They have an asiago peppercorn dressing in the produce section, found in glass jars by the lettuces that is fantastic.
I love their crumbled cheeses, especially the goat's milk cheese (not feta) to put on salads, also found by the lettuce section in produce.
Their fresh fish is usually very good, if you like fish, try a small piece of your favorite.
Their meats are expensive, but they are very good, and they have tons of prepared meats and quick cook items that may appeal to you.
They have a great vegetarian section of prepared foods.
If you like cheeses, their cheese section is awsome, try some new ones, they will suggest and give you samples.
In their prepared food section, we love their chicken parmesan and homemade manacotti.
In the frozen section, they have little spinach spanakopita triangles that are good and go perfect with a salad for a small meal.
They have wonderful frozen veggie selection as well.
Their wraps and sandwiches to take home are delicious, soups too.
Their salad bar is wonderful and their pizza is awesome.
Their fresh baked breads are nutritious and delicious, depending on what you pick.
Their desserts are incredible, but not necessarily healthy even though they are made with natural ingredients.

Explore and try what appeals to you, but be careful, it adds up fast!
Can you tell we love Whole Foods?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

So what are everyone's favorite things from Whole Foods? I am going later today with my boyfriend to shop for healthy things for the week. I have only been twice, but have never shopped there, just met my father for lunch.

My dd loves the Blue Tortilla chips, forget the brand.

Cheese for sure.

FISH fish and fish....we eat alot of fish they carry stuff above and beyond what our grocery store carries.

We also do not shop there regular either. Too far away and too pricy.

Now my favorite part is eating lunch there.

 

[oscarkitty1]

I love their salad bar!! It is pricey, but has such unique things that you won't find at other grocery salad bars. I really like the chopped roasted veggies in particular.

I prefer to buy fresh fish there, but it's a splurge as it's usually $20 - 25 a pound! But you get what you pay for and it's always top quality.

Over by the fish counter is a refrigerated fresh seafood section. We love the shrimp steamed in a tequila lime sauce, quite yummy! Also there is a Cioppino (sp?) soup that you take home and heat - both yummy and healthy!!

 

[kimmar067]

...for sure, definitely pricey...hoever, I go there for many gluten-free items....they also have a great wine selection...

 

[Judy from Boise]

Good thread for me as they are currently building a store in downtown Boise that I will pass going to and from work.......I wonder if they can adjust prices for the local cost of living?

 

[Wall-E1]

I always start out there by having lunch at their hot bar. I have this theory that if I am full, I will buy less.

I always try out a new kind of cheese from their cheese section.
I really like their deli/refrigerated section. I get their buffalo garlic tofu, butternut squash risotto, falafel; etc.
I'm really lazy, so I get their prepared salads - greek and the one with mozzarella and tomatoes.
They have some really good low sodium soups that are actually tasty.
I like their 365 brand juices.
And let me not forget their olive bar. Those garlic stuffed olives = yummmmm....

 

[OceanAnnie]

We call it, "Whole Paycheck".

I love their large selection of nuts.

 

[katesorad]

Whole Foods is my FAVORITE place to shop!

I love their:

-365 brand whole wheat pasta (it's actually my favorite whole wheat pasta that isn't homemade)
-their popcorn (I think it's their brand.. but you'll see it in the snack aisle, it's pre-popped.. YUMMY!)
-Amy's organic frozen meals.. I cook every night when DH is home, but on nights when he's at work, sometimes I get a little lazy, so these come in super handy
-Tasty Bite products (I REALLY love the Madras Lentils.. Costco even carries these in gigantic packages.. but try them over brown rice! SO good!)
-Their 365 almonds.. hickory smoked ones. SO good! I especially like them because I'm a vegetarian and I don't get hickory flavor in anything else!
-I get all my tofu there, same with the Tofu Shiratki noodles when I use them.. and they have a great selection of seitan products
-Cheese is always incredibly high quality

Just a word of advice: This place has a very similar effect of Disneyland to me. I get very excited, and I skip around with my shopping cart and end up spending a LOT of money. Be prepared for a similar experience!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Before you go, hit up a supermarket/market that buys its fruits locally or go to the local farmer's market. I can go across the street to our local supermarket and, for about half the price, buy the exact same local fruits and veggies that Whole Foods sells or, if I have time, go to the local farmer's market and get those local items at a quarter of the price of Whole Foods.

I also go to Target supermarket and World Market before Whole Foods, as Target carries a lot of the organic/higher scale foods (Namely Amy's and Kashi) that Whole Foods does at a little bit lower price and World Market sells specialty/imported foods (like Tasty Bites and such) at a lower price than Whole Foods. (World Market's loyalty program is great, btw.)

Of course, if I had a Trader Joe's, I'd never need to darken Whole Paycheck's doors again or make the rounds of various stores. . .

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Good thread for me as they are currently building a store in downtown Boise that I will pass going to and from work.......I wonder if they can adjust prices for the local cost of living?

Ermmm. . .There's a reason they call it Whole Paycheck.

It's good for two things, IMHO:

1. Things you can't buy anywhere else
2. Snob appeal

 

[can84]

I love their guacamole and their stuffed pork chops with dried cherries.

We call it, "Whole Paycheck".

I love their large selection of nuts.

The nuts are great

 

[LvsTnk]

We call it, "Whole Paycheck".

I love their large selection of nuts.

Now isn't that a good name for it! I usually stop in the Whole Foods next to Woodfield Mall, in Il. it is huge and has a great Cafe!! Thank goodness I only go there once a month because it's next to DS'S ortho. They even have Thirsty Thurs. all beer and wine in the cafe $3, nice play area for the kids, love the tuna melt yummm.

 

[Minniemouse07]

We call it, "Whole Paycheck".

I love their large selection of nuts.

We call it the same thing!

I love their seafood salad..it is expensive though.

Generally the only thing we buy there is body wash because they are the only ones that carry it. Everything else is cheaper at Trader Joe's across the street (including the nuts!)!!

 

[Dax]

I the fresh meat selection. One of the few places I can get ground buffalo thats not pre-packaged.

There is a Whole Foods just outside Universal Orlando that we go to every couple of months. We pick up some local fruits that our other stores dont carry. I also love the salad bar selections, and I have gotten deli meats there on occasion as well.

Most of the foods on the 365 line are good. Never had issues with it.

For those in the Tampa area...has anyone ever been to the Greenwise Publix? Its so much like Whole Paycheck, but the prices are better.

 

[disneychrista]

Vegan donuts.

 

[bellarella]

I agree that it's not a store for bargain shopping, but I usually do quite well at Whole Foods. I shop by sales there and find that their sale prices are usually about on par with my grocery store regular prices but for much higher quality. Also comparison shop on produce. There have been times where Whole Foods was cheaper than my grocery store, and again, much higher quality.

Now of course this isn't always the case. On average prices are much higher at Whole Foods. But for items I can't get elsewhere, I find it's worth it. And if I watch prices, I can usually come close to my grocery on other items.

I don't do whole grocery store runs there, but I regularly buy:

Cheese
Seafood and Meat (on sale)
Produce (on sale, and harder to find items)
Granola
Naan (not cheap, but cheaper there than my grocery)
Certain specialty crackers

 

[kimmar067]

Vegan donuts.

...for a sec, I thought you meant 'vegetarian donuts', and I thought, "What kind of donuts have MEAT in them?"

 

[Wall-E1]

...for a sec, I thought you meant 'vegetarian donuts', and I thought, "What kind of donuts have MEAT in them?"

Have you never tasted the juiciness of a roast beef frosted donut?