ooh! a few things i can't live without

1) Frozen individually packaged Steelcut Oatmeal (real steelcut oats ready in 2 minutes in the microwave- 150 calories for a lot of oatmeal and low in sugar- and $1.50 for 2 packages. these are awesome)
2) Unsweetened vanilla almond breeze (almond milk) (best stuff around and soy/dairy alternative. tastes great and 40 calories per CUP! Also has a little bit of good almond fat. awesome for using in cereal and protein shakes/smoothies)
3) prepackaged egg white salads in containers that look like hummos containers. SO tasty and a good protein bomb.
4) Fage greek yogurt (0% or 2% fat).
5) Tatziki (use it for dipping veggies)
6) of course, the wine!!!

the oatmeal and the almond breeze sell out all the time- so buy a few!

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blahblahblahg

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm heading to Seattle this weekend and can't wait to stock up on new things.

I went today and the fresh foods were definitely improved. I got apples and blueberries, fresh -- both are delish. Also picked up a ton of unsweetened almond milk -- had been buying it at Whole Foods but TJ had it cheaper (thanks for the tip in this thread!). Also got the TJ greek style yogurt, some nuts, and a baguette for the husband. All in all, not bad. I'd go back.

TJ is for hippies. I like Whole Foods better, they have better food.

In CA we called Whole Foods, Whole Paycheck. I can spend a lot of money there...

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Come crawling faster

In CA we called Whole Foods, Whole Paycheck

OMG, I just had a masala patty. YUM! I picked up some salmon burgers too, I'll give them a whirl tomorrow.

not exactly good training food BUT the chocolate-covered peanut butter-filled pretzels are SAVORY!!! i like the spicy tortilla chips and cherry soy ice cream also. ah, BLURG! now i'm hungry...

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Michael in Fresno
"Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man" V. Corleone

Dude, you're alive!!

I just had a tasty snack of TJ's flax seed chips and the edamame hummus that Mdraeger recommended. The hummus is fantastic. I'm going to try to make it myself.

I am eating chocolate chip scones from TJ's

I love the chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels but I also love the mini peanut butter cups. I guess neither are healthy but in moderation they are both excellent.

Now that I'm in Australia (vs Vancouver, Canada) I'm a very long way away from a Trader Joe's. Does anyone know of a similar type store here in Melbourne?

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"There's good all around you, you just have to be able to see it".

I just came from TJs and thought of this post. So many recommendations to try and remember. I couldn't find the edamame hummus which others mentioned but I am super excited to try the steel cut oatmeal. Thanks for all of the suggestions!

Yesterday I went to TJ's and I noted the price on almond milk and Ezekiel Bread as I purchased them so I could tell my office partner who mentioned he likes those things but they are pricey. They were 1.99 and 3.19 respectively.

Later in the day I was at an organic market where they have a free parking garage if you get your ticket validated with a purchase. I went to lunch nearby, and then came back, bought a box of tea, and validated my ticket. :) While in the market, I checked on the prices of almond milk and Ezekiel bread: 2.59 and almost $5!

Bottom line: there appears to be a significant savings at TJ. I have not checked Whole Foods yet since I have not had a chance to get over there. The place I was at is a full size natural market that competes with WF.

That's the beauty of TJ's; good food and good prices. Their cheeses are way less than other stores, olive oil too.

I love TJ's, but I've had bad luck buying wine from them; it seems that every third bottle or so has gone bad. The nice thing is that they always take the wine back, no questions asked.

Anyone else have this issue? Maybe it's the TJ's I go to here in Wisconsin--I have no idea what their distribution entails.

I like the experience of shopping at Whole Foods, but the prices are almost always 1/3 less at TJ's. So, I only go to Whole Foods when I want the experience (and their produce).

One of my resolutions this year is to spot spending so much $ on wine and buy all my stuff at Cost Plus or TJ's. I live in the middle of WA wine country which produces some really nices wines. I quit all my wine clubs and bought a few bottles at TJ's the last time I was there. I opened one last night, a French red. Ummm, I may have to break my resolution. It was bad. Not turned or corked, just harsh and bad. I think I've been spoiled by drinking good wine for too long. Hopefully the other bottles are a lot better...

For your sake, I hope they are too. I'm from Washington State too (a Whitworth and WSU grad who grew up in Seattle), and I'm always looking for Washington wines to purchase out here in Wisconsin. I'd say, buy local--that has it's own ethical/economic justification, eh?

I haven't found the edamame hummus either...are there chickpeas in it as well?
Here is a great edamame dip recipe! I use the forzen edamame, european style yogurt and the nuts all from TJs.

1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) shelled edamame (soybeans)
3/4 cup walnut halves or pieces
1/2 cup lightly packed parsley
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 small clove garlic, pressed
1/4 tsp salt
If using frozen edamame, rinse under warm water until thawed.
Place edamame, walnuts, parsley, yogurt, garlic and salt in food processor. Whirl until smooth. You can store this dip refrigerated in covered container for up to three days.
Makes 2 1/2 cups.
Per 1/4 cup: Calories: 91, Protein: 5g, Fat: 7g, Saturates: 1gm , Dietary Cholesterol: 0mg, Carbohydrate: 5g, Dietary Fibre: 2g

Yum. The edamame hummus is next to all the other hummus in the cold case. I kind of had a hard time finding it too. I looked at the ingredients and it's pretty much a traditional hummus, just sub edamame for chick peas.

Your recipe sounds really good, I may even have all the ingredients on hand...