Whole Foods "must haves"?

Oh, that's so fun! You're going to have a great time! I love looking around Whole Foods, but usually don't buy all that much.

I like a milk soap that they sell, I can't remember the brand, but the bar is very big. I like the American cheese from the deli. Belle and Evans chicken from the freezer section if it's on sale. I can get it in my local grocery store for less money usually. Organic Valley chocolate milk. Whole Foods is the only place I can find it. Wallaby yogurt, it's very thin, but not a liquid. My mom likes their chocolate chip cookies in the bakery section.

I don't care about all the organic products, so when I go to Whole Foods, I buy cheese because they have lots of delicious cheeses not available elsewhere. Their produce is gorgeous and so are lots of their meats and fishes. Nothing is cheap, so I really don't go often even though the store is close to my condo.

1) Organic Bread and Butter Pickle Chips - much better taste and more crisp than regular grocery store brands.

2) Great selection of dark chocolate bars that list the percentage of cacao on the front of the package.

3) Defend Cold & Cough (Night) - Great to have on hand, it's homeopathic and truly is the only thing that has ever stopped our cough and allowed us to get to sleep.

4) Defend Severe Cold & Flu - Also homeopathic, the box contains 8 packets that you dissolve in hot water before bedtime. Very effective and by morning we were feeling good as new.

5) Blueberry muffins - great taste and we buy the vegan selection. Also, these are made in two sizes...we like the small bite size as it's perfect for portion control.

6) All the hotdogs are made without nitrates and nitrites; same with bacon and similar foods.

7) 365 Brand (this is Whole Foods House Brand) Drumsticks vacuum packed. For 9 legs around $3 and change...depends on weight. Never saw a package over $5. These drumsticks are super fresh and plump. Big difference from regular grocery store brand like Tyson. Also chicken breasts same brand packaged same way. Another brand Whole Foods sells is there too which we buy when they're out of 365.

8) Organic bread is great especially the brand made with the French label. Sorry can't remember the name but they make rolls, croissants and hamburger buns. Great taste.

9) Sublingual D3 in 1000iu, they also have higher international units. This brand also has other products such as sublingual melatonin. Brand is called Superior Source.

10) Bison meat for cooking hamburgers. None of their contains hormones or antibiotics. Same with their eggs.

11) I don't buy produce as I find it not very good for the price. I do buy from the salad bar which is weighed at the front register and you're charged by the pound; on Wednesday's the price is a dollar less. You don't have to eat there. Note: I always take from the back of the stainless steel serving dishes as it is harder for youngsters to reach and poke. Best to arrive around 10:30 am.

12) I buy their raw, unsalted cashews as well as almonds (the ones that are soaked in water first which makes them softer to chew). They're called almond sprouts.

13) My dh likes their pepperoni sticks - also no nitrates or nitrites.

14) Some of the Whole Foods Stores sell pulled chicken with barbecue sauce as well as beef and pork. I've only tried the chicken and it's super good. I wish I had some right now. And remember, all meat has no hormones or antibiotics.

15) DH loves their game hens.

16) Non oil Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing Low Sodium

17) 365 Organic 100% Lemon Juice not from concentrate. 2 Tbsp =1 med lemon

18) 365 Organic Apple Sauce unsweetened

19) Coconut Vinegar

20) They have these crackers similar to Ritz with peanut butter placed inbetween two and all organic. They are so good and sold in 2 sizes...the mini's and regular. Very addicting so I don't buy that often.

21) Almond Milk Frozen Dessert - Chocolate...has a great chocolaty taste, also very addicting so I buy it maybe once every other month.

22) Justin's Chocolate Almond Butter and the Hazelnut Butter....same timeline to avoid weight gain....very addicting.

The olives and cheeses are excellent. In FL, the WF stores sell wine and there are some very good buys, esp on Italian wines, my favorites. I go there to buy meat and fish, which are pretty good but very expensive. They do not have vendors with cruel factory-farm type operations. The fruit is better at my nearby Fresh Market.

As my Publix now has more selection of their own organic line, I go to Whole Foods much less often--not so much because of the $$--the olives there are a million percent better than elsewhere--but because the parking lot is a nightmare to get into and out of, and because the other shoppers are pushy and kind of get on my nerves.

On 2/2/2015 Burnsite said:

The olives and cheeses are excellent. In FL, the WF stores sell wine and there are some very good buys, esp on Italian wines, my favorites. I go there to buy meat and fish, which are pretty good but very expensive. They do not have vendors with cruel factory-farm type operations. The fruit is better at my nearby Fresh Market.

As my Publix now has more selection of their own organic line, I go to Whole Foods much less often--not so much because of the $$--the olives there are a million percent better than elsewhere--but because the parking lot is a nightmare to get into and out of, and because the other shoppers are pushy and kind of get on my nerves.

The parking lot at two of the Whole Food Markets out here also are difficult with narrow lanes and a lot of traffic getting in and out.

Must have is a thick wallet...I find them seriously overpriced.

On 2/3/2015 straykatz said:

Must have is a thick wallet...I find them seriously overpriced.

Some products are expensive. I'd rather eat well than buy a bunch of material things (not saying you buy a bunch of material things).

Their 365 butter is cheaper than the regular grocery store butter. It tastes better too.

Funny - I find the prices of their 365 brand (organic and non-organic) very competitive with the organic and non-organic products at our supermarket chain. Often the non-organic 365 brand is cheaper. And with a few meat recalls at the other market, we've been staying with meat from Whole Foods - especially where they label how the meat is obtained in terms of animal welfare.

There is a price comparison somewhere online with Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Safeway and a few other markets. Whole Foods actually came out very well.

We like Whole Foods; we certainly are not rich by any means but there is a difference in terms of food quality.