The Trader Joe’s Effect

I think most people either grow up completely comfortable in their own skin or ready for a total make-over. I classify myself in the latter group. I’ve mentioned before about what a health-freak my dad was growing up and how, bless his little heart, he really tried to bestow a love of good food upon his family (me, my sister, and my mom). Rather than getting into a long story, let’s just say that I strayed away from his teachings for awhile but have become newly interested in healthy living over the last couple years. I’d like to tell you when exactly, but the truth is I can’t remember. I didn’t update the TCL blog back in the day like I do now, but I did find one documented post (here) related to healthy eating. Most likely, the concept has always been with me, thanks to my dad’s brain-washing…er…knowledge-sharing.

Seemingly every day, I feel the urge to return to my roots and get back to my father’s teachings. The more I read, hear, and learn about about foods and not just foods, but organic, sustainable, fresh, and local foods, the more interested I become in them. I’ve become newly obsessed with Trader Joe’s since they offer so many food options that are not just fresh, but more natural and preservative-free. I am also a big fan of their samples. I am, apparently, also a big sucker when it comes to TJ’s samples. I have bought a ton of TJ-sampled items over the last week…it’s crazy!

Take, for example, this New Zealand Grass Fed Sharp Cheddar cheese. This was a sample at the wine tasting table that I fell quickly enamored with. The cheese is not only delicious, but is a product from cows that are grass-fed and not treated with rBST. To boot, the cheese was pretty well-priced.

Of course, I just had to get the wine that went with the cheese! I’ve been such a wino since my trip to California wine country! When I say wino, I mean, one who likes to drink wine and not someone who is a wine connoisseur because I am surely no expert on vinos. Anywho, this is a Big Day White 2007 wine by Pancake Cellars from Paso Robles, California. I obviously liked the wine since I sampled it and bought it. 🙂 For $4.99, I thought it was a good buy.

Although I didn’t sample these, I did pick up these Multigrain & Flaxseed Water Crackers from TJ’s. I really liked them. They were light and crispy, and the 100 mg of omega 3 fatty acids per serving were pretty cool.

The cheese, crackers, and wine made for a great pre-dinner snack for me and hubby earlier this week. We’ve enjoyed them a couple times…along with some other TJ-sample-goodies I’ve purchased recently. More on the sampled items to come!

One more word on my infatuation with TJ’s. I am getting more and more into eating foods as pure as possible. I’ve been reading labels on almost everything I’ve been trying buying, food-wise. I search for items whose ingredient lists I can actually understand. I’m still learning a lot about reading labels, and I don’t like doing 180’s on anything, so I’m easing into this habit, albeit easing rather quickly! I’ve never been a fan of processed foods, but I’m growing farther and farther away from them, it seems.

Anywho, I am way behind on posts, so will start SCBR back up next week. I know it’s bad to take a break from the program, but I’ve been eating healthy and exercising, I just haven’t had the time to blog everything since my posts are so queued up! Admittedly, I haven’t been doing SCBR 100%, so I also want to wait till I can give it the attention it deserves to start up again.

Oh, and I have some BIG changes in the works. I can’t tell yet…it’s a secret! But, I’ll tell you guys soon…promise! I’ll even ask for tips + suggestions so you guys can weigh in! 🙂