Guys,

I've decided to go to the Trader Joe's down the street tomorrow. Thanks for the inspiration!

And Dom, I'll go to the Whole Foods down the street this weekend!

Just means you have bad taste. No biggie.

I had a couple of the pre-made buffalo burgers tonight. They were excellent.

I take the Trader Joe's burrito and microwave it for about 1 min and 20 sec, then put some a slice of TJ's cheddar and a bunch of salsa on top and heat for 40 more seconds.

the gazpacho is excellent. clocking in at an astounding 90 calories for the entire container, it's full of flavor. it's awesome to have some in your fridge. when i walk through my kitchen i can hit a few spoonfuls without an ounce of snacking regret. perfect boredom food.

related to the original item, the refrigerated spinach & goat cheese quesadilla is also good. it's a little under 400 calories as well, but it's fairly overloaded with fat so i'd suggest eating it more sparingly. the chicken and cheese (queso blanco) is good as well, around 300 calories with less fat.

I HIGHLY recommend the double roasted salsa.

how do you even make this comparison? they are not comparable at all.

the frozen alaskan cod and crinkle wedge potatos make a super easy fishnchips dinner that is quite good.

[censored] you all! [censored] you! [censored] you! [censored] you!

One year ago, I had Trader Joe's.

Now I live in a [censored] piece of [censored] state with no Trader Joe's!

[censored] you! [censored] you! [censored] you!

Cherry Cider is AMAZING! Everyone should give it a try - you won't be disappointed.

They have a great beer and wine selection - try out lots for a great mix.

All of the food is great.

I thought Whole Foods was just like a pretty standard "upscale" supermarket (similar to Gelson's). So isn't this like saying "I prefer expensive grocery stores with some nice premium brands over TJ's?" Just curious, cause I never go to Whole Foods and wanna know if I'm missing out.

I really like TJ's frozen eggplant, spanakopita and the gyozas (which I think someone mentioned).

-Al

yeah, TJs is super cheap but excellent for the price.

whole foods has great food but you get gangraped just by stepping in the door.

Any Trader Joes brands food I've bought have sucked. Sorry.

I would give it another chance. Or maybe you just don't TJ well?

insane bad luck i guess, because about 95% of the stuff there is amazing and well priced. The only thing that limits me in the frozen section of that store is the fact that I know my freezer capacity.

I know people who prefer Whole Foods private brand to Trader Joe's brand, but yeah, it's a little over the top to say TJ sucks. They have so many different products under their private label (from suppliers / manufacturers around the globe), it's definitely worth another visit (especially cause it's a great value also).

But I don't go to Trader Joe's for everything. Like if I need fish, or produce, I just go to Gelson's or a farmer's market or something.

I guess Whole Foods has the advantage of being able to one-stop shop? (Though, if this is true, the nickname "Whole Paycheck" leads me to believe I will never do all my grocery shopping there).

-Al

chocolate covered soy nuts are money and healthy!

Chicken perogis. Boil 'em for five minutes, then toss them into a fry pan for a few minutes with a little olive oil and a dash of red pepper flakes. Not the most healthy thing in the world, but very tasty.

aloysius,
i also love the frozen eggplant. 270 calories and delicious, kinda weird microwave directions though. that was my favorite lunch item until i ran into the burrito. i'll be eating it tomorrow at work. the first time i thought it was good, but it grew on me more and more every time i ate it.

i don't think it's even close between tj's and whole foods. if i could shop at just one, i would easily pick tj's. that's really saying a lot given how gigantic whole foods is (although maybe a third of the place is herbal supplements).

on the topic of private label stuff, whole foods' 365 is a joke on quality control. their packaging is paper-thin and easily water damaged. now nobody yammer about eco-friendly, because you know the tj's crap is too. they don't have any apparent expiration dates. they like to change labels on the same food so that you don't know if you're buying the new stuff or the old stuff. the worst part is the plastic wrap though, i have been hosed countless times by opening up 365 stuff and having the seals broken on it.

i have a whole foods in spitting distance of my condo, i can walk there anytime. i'm talking like 1/8th of a mile. tj's is across the street, so they're both accessible. the only reason i like to go to whole foods is to go through the fruit/produce section looking for new stuff to try.

I'll try the refrigerated ones but the frozen TJ house brand chile verde burrito is very good.

Unfortunately, I'm about the only person in the Los Angeles/Orange County area that manages to live exactly twenty minutes from five different TJs. It would be sooooo much nicer to live five minutes from one TJs.

~ Rick

here's another one: sambar soup. it's in a glass jar with a brown label. if you're not familiar with it, it's a modestly spicy indian thing with vegetables and lentils. i think it's 170 calories per serving with 3 servings. it's good to split with dinner or eat the entire thing. tons of fiber, which is a bit of a rarity in most diets. it's really good stuff.

$4.99/6-pack

greek yogurt w/ honey
cheapest place for egg whites @ $1.79/pint
marinated white king salmon (frozen): delicious!
excellent selection of super dark chocolate
restaurant style tortilla chips
pork tenderloin

Whole Foods is ok, but spending $250 and walking out with 2 grocery bags gets old....Also, most of their produce is conventional instead of organic and still twice as much as a regular supermarket. Good place to buy organic chicken though, since the Trader Joe's organic chicken is a little tough in comparison.

definitely not the healthiest things at TJ's, but the almond vanilla granola is excellent, and the korma simmer sauce is great also.