It is finally here, THE Trader Joe's that I have read about in all of the
So yesterday, I packed up the kids *PAUSE*---strike 1, this is where I went wrong. You just don't take two toddlers to a store like this, unless you are running in and running out. I feel as if I already stand out in "health nut" stores--clearly I don't fit the description of the average health nut. Secondly, although we went during SAHM (stay at home mommy) hours, I still felt some kind of way about shoppers staring at us as if they have never seen a mom and two toddlers shopping, reading labels and sampling a food ----yeah so what, we sampled the mac and cheese 3 times AND whipped through the spiced apple cider fill up station a few times--so what! I guess I have to realize that stores like this don't the average "Sam's Club" shoppers state of mind.
Health store nut's--IMO, seem to have a little arrogance about them, a bit too uptight for me and my crew (crew= me and kids), but none the less "WE AIN'T GO--IN' NO-- WHERE" (do me a favor, go back and read that in your best P.Diddy voice-thanks).
Anyway, I packed up the kids and headed to Trader Joe's! So, first off I did a little research before we left and found out Trader Joe's was housed in a historic theater building that was renovated into a grocery store. Cool, I thought as I grabbed my sneakers because I just knew this store was going to GI-NORMOUS!
Well, not so much--I kind of figured when I saw the small shopping carts-you know the bougie shopping carts, y'all know what I mean--the little ones that hold a bottle of wine and a loaf of french bread, yeah those.....So I stuff my two over grown toddlers into this thing and we roll on into the sliding doors and I hear the angles sing 'AHHHHHH' and they stop once I realize this store is NOT big at all--but don't let that fool you.
Ok, picture the biggest H-E-B or Krogers you have ever been too--now picture the "specialty food" section, yeah those 5 aisles w/ the shiny flooring and then add one frozen food aisle plus a mini- fruit and veggie section--ok there you have it, Trader Joes! Yes, it is NOT, I repeat NOT a one stop shop for groceries, like Whole Foods (I never thought I'd utter those words--I'm not a Whole Fooder). Yeah, this place is more of a specialty store for the "extras" on your shopping list and a great place for your basic healthy kitchen staples like whole wheat flour and free range eggs at an AWESOME price.
However, this store is not for name brand freaks because 90% of what they sell is their private brand --Trader' Joes. Which is ok with me.
All in all I give the store a B+.
Plus
excellent selection of free range dairy products
nice selection of unprocessed foods
frozen food selections have no artificial preservatives etc. and they taste GREAT!
nice, clean store with neatly stocked shelves
nice staff and sample ladies
mac n cheese
mac n chees
mac n chees lol
Negs
Although poultry and meats were "clean" as in no hormones etc--they were pre-packed and shipped from God know's where--I like to buy local
Same for the produce, the little they did have were pre-packed and not local. Also, there is very little to choose from
The lines were a bit long, but that is to be expected
Will I go back---for sure! We ran out of mac and cheese already. It's for the kids of course ;)
Will I bring the kids? Hell no :) For real, the place is not kid friendly--no H-E-B buddy bucks or nothing!
Here are some pics! Enjoy!
Pic 1--So they have a $2 wine section--I repeat, the have a $2 wine section! I indulged---mommy wine-o style!
Pic 2-- They have a great selection of ORGANIC frozen veggies--YES!! Also, I used the fire roasted peppers and onions yesterday for dinner and my hubby loved them!
Pic 3- We are bean soup eaters in my house, so I was ecstatic to see such a great selection of organic canned beans. I make a "slap ya mama good" Mexican 3 bean soup!
Pic 4--I got all of this for about
I hope this helps! Go see it for yourself! Tell them The Urban Health-a-nista sent ya--They won't know who I am--promise!
Eating to Live and not the other way around!
