Shopping Review: Trader Joe's Market

A few years ago, a former coworker brought in some beautiful red peppers and hummus. When I asked her where she got them, she said "Trader Joe's; that's where I do most of my shopping."

Think of Trader Joe's as a decently-sized specialty market minus the specialty prices. While it doesn't have the extensive stock of Whole Foods Market (which is both an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on how pressed for time I am). It does feature a bit of everything without being a megastore. While I enjoy both Whole Food Market and BetterHealth Market (more on that later), I find that, when I'm in a hurry to grab something to eat on the run, and there's a Trader Joe's in the neighborhood, it's my choice. It includes some heavenly healthy choices, including some wonderful meats, vegetables and fruits.

Unfortunately for me, the closest Trader Joe's to Milford is just south of Eight Mile on Haggerty. That means I don't get there often. If I'm on my way home from the area before 9 p.m. (which, I believe, is closing time), I usually make it a point to go there and get some of my favorite things. The great thing about TJ's is that I can do a quick shopping job there in about 15 minutes!

Shopping Review: Whole Foods Market

I have always enjoyed going to Whole Foods Market; it's a shopping experience. I've been to the one in Ann Arbor and the one in Farmington Hills. Probably my favorite one (which is likely by virtue of being the one I know the best) is the Farmington Hills location.

Cheese lovers and wine lovers alike can go wild there. Foodies everywhere drool over the prepared foods, including all-American favorites such as a luscious macaroni and cheese dish as well as Kosher foods, vegan choices, vegetarian fare and a terrific salad bar. I love the place.

That said, I frequently hear (or read) complaints that the chain is pricey. In some instances, that is true, but the biggest downside for me is that it's a megastore; with my penchant for label reading, a small shopping trip will take me at least an hour (usually closer to one-and-a-half hours). So I'd advise getting your perishables last. 

As is the case with many other chains, there are some great loss-leader sales available. If you stick to bulk food section and specials, you can get some bargains, especially in terms of healthier snacks.

I strongly suggest reading the flyer before you start shopping and limiting your purchases of the fabulous premade foods (particularly baked goods) to healthier choices so you too can have a shopping experience that's great for both your waistline and your wallet.

Product Review: Keebler Right Bites

Someone at the construction magazine I worked at introduced me to 100-calorie snack packs.

My favorite, by far, is Keebler Right Bites Fudge Stripes flavor in a 100-calorie pack. That's probably because the Keebler Fudge Stripes were the cookie of choice to be found in Gram's cookie jar as kids. I know it seems peculiar that the queen of homemade bread had those cookies in her cookie jar, but, as she explained it, "The way you kids eat cookies, it's the only way I can keep up." My cousins Todd and Sara and I used to stay with my grandmother in the summer and Todd was a human garbage disposal, with the exception of green beans (he loathed them).

Anyway, back to my favorite new cookie. The only problem I have with them is that I want to eat more than one 100-calorie pack, but that's life.

Healthy Snacks Revisited

As we get back to school and head into fall, it's time to think of some healthier snacks.

One of my all-time favorites, which also is good in lunches are flavored (the ones without added sugar). There is a fabulous one that is Mott's Healthy Harvest; see prior product review here.

Another thing I enjoy is trail mix. Now here you have to be careful with the portion size: stick to 1/4 to 1/3 cup by dividing it into little snack bags. The best trail mix I ever made featured chocolate covered Raisinets, Chex Rice cereal, a small package of the Ritz peanut butter cracker sandwiches, pecans, walnuts, raisins and dried cranberries. Aunflower or pumpkin seeds also are good.

For some additional ideas, try this article from Self or another from Eating Well magazine as well as my prior post about quick snacks.


  

Avoid Brain Decay by Eating Berries, Walnuts and Bright Veggies?

I'm thrilled; it seems as though my favorite fruits and vegetables — such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and colorful peppers — may be able to somewhat reverse the aging process.
Yes, you may have heard that these are good for you already in the media. But this news comes from a professional scientific journal: Science Daily. In its Aug. 24, 2010 edition, an article titled "Eating berries may activate the brain's natural housekeeper for healthy aging" gives the scoop: berries, walnuts and other, brightly-hued red, orange and blue druits and vegetables are high in polyphenolics. This means act as "housekeepers" in your brain cleaning up residue that otherwise would impede normal brain function.

I'll have to get back to you on the results, but I plan to make a salad with as many of these things as possible in it sometime soon.

Healthy Eating: Some Pitfalls to Avoid

Does anyone else remember Pepsi Light, the first lemon cola? I know, it had saccharin in it, but still, we thought we were doing something good by not putting the sugar from cola in our bodies.

Here are some warped things I (or others I've known) have done in the name of "healthy" eating:

-Justified eating a double cheeseburger by washing it down with a diet Coke/Pepsi and a side salad.

-Had a cup of soup and side salad with an unlimited Snackers basket (and I mean solely for you, not shared with everyone at the table). For the uninitiated, Snackers are cracker-like pita wedges (I believe they're fried) served with a generous tub of a spreadable smoky Swiss-style cheese. So having unlimited Snackers is not good for you, no matter how much salad you ingest.

-Had a Boston Cooler made with diet Vernors Ginger Ale (or a "brown cow" made with diet A&W Root Beer).

-Convinced yourself that you can have a 1/4-cup portion of any side dish you want as well as a couple of desserts at your uncle's funeral luncheon.

-Drunk more white wine at a party than is desirable at a friend's house party because a glass of wine is only two points, making it better for you than one fruity alcoholic drink you really wanted. (At best, this will end in your sleeping on a friend's couch, in your clothes, getting a crick in your neck. At worst, you'll be sleeping (still in your clothes) in a friend's daughter's room when two other friends — coincidentally engaged to each other — plop on the couch in said room and proceed to have a loud, drunken argument when you're still too sloshed to drive home.

I'm naming just a few of the pitfalls my friends and I have dealt with in the past 10 years; what are your experiences? 

Video Promotes Blog

Yesterday, I learned something at The Oakland Press about how to shoot, edit and post simple video clips. I was lucky enough to have Karen Workman, a reporter at The Oakland Press who writes The Dog Blog show me and another blogger, Chef Stacy Sloan, who writes the Cooking from Scratch blog, the basic steps of taking, editing video and creating a finished product to put online.

It was a wholly practical exercise: Karen shot my video first, and then it was Stacy's turn. Stacy got to edit her video and create her video "movie" first; after that it was my turn, with considerable coaching from Karen. Ultimately, the video will be used in streaming to promote my blog). I was extremely excited to see the finished product and thank Karen for her patience.

I may attach a video clip to the blog soon!