Discoveries...

I've never understood the hoo-ha about Trader Joe's. I mean, yes, the whole Hawaiian shirt thing is cute and yes, the advertising fliers are amusing, but I never got the appeal of the store. We have two of 'em, and they're both small, crowded, deadly slow to check out of, and not very well stocked--the fresh produce bordered on disgusting and you can't get white bread there (DH refuses to eat any other kind). No tomato paste either, and who doesn't use tomato paste from time to time?

But in the past several weeks, I've been learning more about food. I've been reading about things like additives and organics and whole grains, and why healthy things are healthy and why some foods just shouldn't be consumed by anyone (sausage, anyone?). Spurred on by Hungry-Girl, I bought a copy of this book and dug in.

Wow.

I haven't gone off the deep end with it. I still enjoy dessert and I still drink Coke Zero--some things are worth it. But I have become completely grossed out by things like preservatives and added hormones and antibiotics, and I've become more interested in eating fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Healthy stuff.

A few visits to the grocery store taught me that I just can't afford to eat this way. Organic milk is bordering on $8 a gallon at the Giant near me. Organic chicken is twice the price of Purdue; ditto for kosher. And if I can find things like coffee creamer and cereal bars without preservatives and chemicals, they're just not in the budget.

So I made another visit to Trader Joe's. And I've got to say, the long lines still cheese me off and I still think the produce is gross, but they have an amazing selection of healthy food that's still affordable.

Hormone and antibiotic-free milk at TJ's is the same exact price as standard milk at the Giant. Organic chicken breasts were $.05 more per pound than I was paying for chemical-laden bird boobs. I found healthy and yummy cereals and granola bars and snacky stuff and pasta sauces and all kinds of things, and my grocery bill actually went down.

They have this stuff--Blueberry Musli. It's fat-free, chemical-free, and the perfect add-in to make me eat yogurt, which I generally can't stand. Mix some of this in with a cup of vanilla yogurt, though, and YUM-O.

Anyway, that's my journey. We're now doing 75 percent of our grocery shopping at TJ's, and supplementing with farmer's market produce and Wonder Bread from Giant (*sigh*). I know I can't be the only one around who's struggled with health vs budget, so I thought I'd pass this along. Good stuff, my friends. Good stuff.