Friday, October 9, 2009

Vegan MoFo III: Trader Joe's Woes

I remember being so jealous of people who had access to Trader Joe's when I lived in San Antonio.  Well, I've been in southern California for about a year now and I gotta say it: meh.  Trader Joe's is so not all that.  I actually prefer Whole Foods, despite the douchosity of its CEO.  Of course, the closest WF is over an hour away so I suppose my preference doesn't really matter.  Ha ha.  The selection at Trader Joe's is really small and the one by my house is frequented by rich people with a ridiculous sense of entitlement.  That is not a generalization.  Every time I go there somebody does something completely rude to me.  My sister says I'm just used to Texas, where complete strangers say "hello."  She might be on to something.  Hmm...

Today I got some bbq pulled chik'n from Trader Joe's and decided to make a bowl with brown rice, corn, and red chard.  That chik'n was one of the worst things I have ever had the displeasure of putting in my mouth.  I seriously gagged.  It reminded me of the first time I ever tried store bought seitan and it smelled like cat food and I never wanted to eat vegan food ever again.

Afterwards, I went to World Market to look around.  I love the grocery section in there!  There are so many really cool things.  I could stare at marzipan all day.  Today, I found these dark chocolate bars that have insane flavors.  The two I picked up were chile limon and sea salt.  I have yet to try them, though.


Today I slacked majorly.  My Food Network Friday will be tomorrow.  I also didn't feel like doing a mosaic today because I didn't have much of an appetite.  Staying up late reading mofo entries and waking up early to do homework seriously caught up to me!  I'm a bit run down right now.


Breakfast: huge smoothie (chocolate soymilk, banana, flax meal, spinach, walnuts, frozen strawberries and blueberries).  sounds like a lot, but it was one of the best smoothies I ever had!
Snack: slice of sourdough with chocolate spread, giant apple, and some chips
Dinner: bbq bowl (bbq chik'n, rice w/ corn, red chard), spiced apple cider (like drinking apple pie)

Notes-I am fried from this week.  I'm at that point of happy delirium when I know I need sleep because everything is hilarious.  I always forget that sleep is an incredibly important part of good health.  I am the first to admit that I will run myself ragged in the name of my projects or homework.  So I'll work on that.

Tomorrow is the last day of health week.  I'm excited about budget week!  I am super good at being super cheap.  Mind out of the gutter, you bunch of filthy mcnasties!  Happy Friday to all!

15 comments:

Jen Treehugger said...

Salt chocolate hmmmm......can't imagine what that's like.

Duckduck said...

I love Trader Joe's. Of course, I love the selection at Whole Foods much more, but sometimes I just need to pick up a couple things that are cheaper at TJ's.

But I guess I'm lucky, the people at my local one seem pretty nice and friendly.

BTW, that smoothie sounds really intriguing and looks really delicious.

Heather said...

i love TJ's but really for their cheap ass almond butter. i don't buy a lot of the pre-packaged stuff even though it's yummy and convenient. however, that world market dark chocolate with sea salt bar is my FAVORITE THING EVER. and they're what, like $2?! can't beat that for good chocolate.

Eddie G said...

You know--I've heard that TJ sentiment from lots of Texans! And for the record, we *are* a friendly bunch ;)

"Douchosity" = BRILLIANT! :D

kmouse said...

Those chocolate bars are awesome. I also love buying my tea, jams and HP sauce from World Market.

mollyjade said...

I love the peanut butter filled pretzels at Trader Joes. I know they sell them other places, but they just don't taste as good from anywhere else.

Kristin said...

You are not alone. I can't stand Trader Joe's and I am not sad at all that we don't have them in Utah. We had them when I lived in Boston and the place was always crowded and filled with rude people.

Leslie Richman said...

Oh my gosh enjoy that candy! Sea salt chocolate is one of my favorite things ever!

x said...

Go to sleep, Mo!

And I don't like the sound of shopping at TJs if it's filled with nasty ppl :(

I want some o' that chocolate, let us know what its like.

Hannah said...

I felt the same way for years, but now I can't live without it! They're sooo cheap and have enough of the basics to keep me happy. I'm a big fan of their frozen rices, enchiladas, creamer, cookies, beans, etc etc...

The produce is poop though. I guess I'm also lucky to have a really down to Earth Trader Joe's. I hope you eventually find something worth it there for you! Once I did, I became super loyal. Then again, who needs yet another store to visit on errand day?

Monique a.k.a. Mo said...

TJ lovers, I think the one by my house is super small. I'm gonna try to see if I can find some of the stuff you mentioned, though!

k said...

I love the world market sea salt chocolate. I have to get the courage to try the chili lime one. I could spend all day and all my money in world market.

Anonymous said...

That sea salt chocolate is my favorite. I hope you got some sleep this weekend!

The Kuntrageous Vegan said...

When we first got trader joe's in Nashville; i agreed with your current opinion. However; after a few months of having trader joe's there are things i will buy there that i either CAN'T get elsewhere or it costs way more:
1. TJ's brand Green Juice; quarts are $3.99.
2. Dried sweet baby pinapple (not actually sweetened)
3. Chipotle Hummus ($1.99)
4. Vegetable Masala Burgers (OMG)
5. Pita Crackers
6. The best peanut butter ever: Roasted-Salted Valencia Peanut butter with Golden Flax Seeds
7. Theses veggies: onions, mache, spinach, mixed greens, bagged broccoli & cauliflower, baby carrots
8. Luna bars are ALWAYS 99 cents there
9. Any asian cooking sauces or dips are way cheap here
10. nuts are cheaper at TJ's
11. You must have peppermint Jo-Jo's in your life. they come out next month i think.

everything else; farmers market or whole foods it is.

Lindsay I-F said...

sea salt dark chocolate sounds great