Is it just me, or does fresh produce and exercise always make you feel better?
I went out in Brooklyn with a bunch of friends last night, and while it was a blast, I definitely felt it this morning L
I knew simple food would help, so I poured myself a bowl of Nature’s Path SmartBran with fresh blueberries and almond milk:
After chugging a few glasses of water and letting my breakfast settle, I set out on my first official half-marathon training run! It was only three miles but it feels good to be running towards a goal again. I ran along the West Side Highway and finished in 27:24, averaging a 9:13 pace. After taking a few months off from regular runs, I was pretty pleased!
Lunch was another guacamole salad.
- Lettuce
- Cucumber
- Tomato
- Carrots
- Avocado mashed with lime juice & salt
- Salsa
This is my last one of these for awhile, I promise. I need to get out of my avocado rut J
On the side, I had a massive bowl of ripe strawberries and juicy peaches.
And a honey graham Clif Z-Bar for carbs. These things are delicious!
While I ate, I read an article in the latest Fortune magazine about Trader Joe’s business model. I thought it was fascinating!
It turns out that Trader Joe’s actually purchases its foods from corporations such as Frito Lay, Stonyfield and Amy’s Kitchen. Because it carries a smaller variety of goods than most grocery stores, TJ’s sells far more of each product it does stock, which translates to more sales and cheaper prices. I highly recommend the article if you’re a TJ’s fan!
Have a great afternoon loves!
What’s your favorite Trader Joe’s product?
What grocery store do you use the most?
34 comments:
Hmmm my favorutie TJ's product...well I've only been once at the HLS, but the nut butter I got was pretty good!
I normally shop in Waitrose though :)
Congrats on the run! The beginning of a training plan is always so exciting :D
Your salad looks great - I want one.
Unfortunately, I live where there is no Trader Joes (or Whole Foods or any decent grocery store) so have never visited. I've heard great things about them and hope someday there will be one close enough for me to occasionally shop there.
I've been obsessed with smartbran this summer. So. dang. good.
I read that article! Love me some TJ's. Cheap almond butter, Greek yog, tofu, and tempeh is probably my fave part. But their breads are pretty jank too!
Oh man. This post title totally made me start singing that blink 182 song. now it's gonna be stuck in my head all day! lol
and lately i've been digging that peanut flour that just hit the blog world. thank you tj's!
Running really is the best hangover cure, unless of course you're too hungover to move.
TJ's Greek yogurt!!
Thanks for sharing that article, I want to go pick that magazine article up! My favorite TJ's product... man that is tough. I'd have to say the cilantro hummus, SO GOOD!
I shop at TJ's and Whole Foods the most since they are right in my neighborhood!
I buy almost all of my groceries from Trader Joe's. There are three Trader Joe's within 2 miles of my apartment, not even kidding. I guess I live in a TJ's loving area?! haha. My favorite item....but there are so many good ones! I love their honey greek yogurt and their frozen entrees. I feel better about eating frozen foods when I buy them from TJ's. :)
All that produce looks delicious! Good job on your run. Knowing that I am training for something always makes my runs better and have more purpose :) I've never been to TJ's, but I've seen a lot of bloggers eat peanut butter filled pretzels, so I think I would be a fan of those! I use Giant Eagle the most when I'm up at school and Krogers the most while I'm at home. I go to Whole Foods to get some of the organic things I like, too. Like PB&Co Peanut butter!
Looove honey graham z bars! I like to have one as a bedtime snack with almond milk. The TJ's article sounds interesting! I'm obsessed with their raw almond butter and... everything else they sell. :)
Oh...there are just so many amazing TJ's products... I can't choose! haha I'll have to take a peek at that article though - very interesting!
I love all their sauces and salsas. So good and so many options to fancy up an otherwise basic dish.
And I agree that fresh produce and healthy noshes make such a difference in energy and overall feeling well.
AND another fun tjs fact is that they only put stores within close range to distribution warehouses that way it minimizes costs :) i guess thats why there's 3 within 15 minutes of me hahaha
lately their blueberry flaxseed and peanut flour are my obvi obsessions but i'm also in love with the garlic aioli mustard spread which i dunk veg in on a daily basis
hmm that was interesting. i luv there nut butter selections,prepared foodage, and salsa's!plus its soo much cheaper than wfoods!have a luvly day!xoxo
Your fresh fruit looks delicious. Interesting facts about Trader Joe's - there aren't any in Texas but I make it a point to visit one when we are traveling. I shop mostly at Whole Foods but there are some other less expensive places in Dallas like Sprouts and Newflower Market.
That article sounds interesting. I'll have to stop and read that when I see the mag! Now that a TJ's opened near my work, I plan to go much more. I haven't been there in maybe 2 years! The last time I tried to go to the one in Union Square, they weren't letting any more people in because it reached it's maximum capacity!
That IS so interesting! I love TJ's-- the roasted flaxseed almond butter is amazeness and so is the triple layer hummus (omg so good roasted red pepper, plain and CILANTRO flavors.) I usually go to WF's because there's one around the corner from my house! But for bigger shopping expeditions, we go to Shaw's and we always try to make it to TJ's often.
I know you say you're in a food rut, but girl your guacamole salads always look awesome!! I think my fav TJ's product is their blue corn chips & dark chocolate covered espresso beans...but I do most of my grocery shopping at Kroger, its closest to my house.
Have a great rest of the day!
Congrats on the run! :)
Ooh, I want to read that article!!
Good job on the run! Running towards a goal definitely puts a little pep in my step :-)
That fruit bowl looks delicious!!! Strawberries and peaches are my favorite fruits (except for apples as well). I want to steal that fruit bowl right off the page :)
mmmm GUAC!
I love TJ rice mixes and WINE. me and my roomie used to go and by it by the cases!
Dang girl, kudos on running after a night out! And with an awesome speed to boot. ;)
I have never tried it, but I have a feeling if we had TJ's here my favourite product would be their pumpkin butter. I'm dying to try it!
I looooove TJ's but the closest one is about an hour and a half away :(. So it's Whole Foods for me! But I love it!
I agree about exercise and fresh produce.. you deserve a night out and to have fun and with your healthy diet and lifestyle, it doesn't do any harm. But I always crave... freshness and clean eats after going out.
mmmm that gauc always looks soooo good!! you are officially the guac queen! these days I am a frequent flyer at whole foods and Shaws, my food shopping is pretty basic so I try not to go overboard! I LOVE tj's prodcuts though! their low carb wraps, mango chutney, valencia PB, salsa! ahhh i could on on and on!
Your eats always look so...FRESH! I love it :) I wanna hear about where you went in Brooklyn! I heard it's so much fun there.
p.s. I almost accidentally just made this comment anonymous. hehe WOOPS !
i read that same article! very interesting!!!
Where'd you go in the B-K? I love going out there. Well I also live there too, but it IS super fun!
TJ's is definitely my #1 shopping destination. #2 is Whole Foods.
I saw a few other commenters raving about the almond butter w/ flax and hummus (my pref is the roasted red pepper) - they're my faves; I literally buy them every time I'm there! But some other great TJ finds include their healthy muffins, their whoopie pies (OMG the pumpkin!!), and their Morning Lite cereal.
I love their pumpkin butter! and the soy nuggets are really tasty too! ahh TJ's in general totally rocks :)
my mom likes there chicken tacos too hahah its so much fun going there =)
while I wish I could say I go to whole foods the most, its more like a once a month splurge (although I wish I could afford to go there more!!)
I mostly go to stop n shop and waldbaums, as S&S usually has a natural/organic section, and waldbaums has a good selection of Amy's. Shop Rite is actually really good too! I usually find their Stonyfield yogurts on sale! :)
I love TJ's organic brown rice! It is the best rice ever.
I usually do my shopping at Costco and Jewel - A trip to TJ's and WF is a bi-weekly occurance.
One of my favorite TJ's foods are their quiches... the cheddar and broccoli ones. Not the best for you, but those are SO good. I love their meatless corn dogs and ice cream sandwiches too!
it's not lost on me at all that you're reading fortune. Bravo!!!!
i have faith in the next generation. no wait, i have faith in you as ive always known youre a smart cookie :)
i knew tjs bought things like amy's and also they buy scharffen berger chocolate and package it under their own label. and also their GF brownie mix is probably pamela's brand (i.e. 8 bucks a piece) and they sell it for half. So i know they somehow buy and relabel things but it's fascinating to me and will pick up that fortune issue!
the things i learn reading food blogs :)
Yum yum looking salad/guac beast, i'm jealous!
OMGosh Trader Joes, where to even begin?! Their stuff is amazing and oh so cheap. HOwever, Whole Foods holds my heart ;)
Really Really good TJS finds though:
-Soy and Flax Cereal!
-Bettern pb!
-Cilantro jalapeno humus!!!!!!! <-- !!!!!!!!!! and their humus quartet!
-masala burgers
-um anything and everything they are always sampling aka everything in the store thats veg
oh and i want to buy those new mini goat cheeses... like laughing cow for goat cheese, i lurve!!
I considered all my HIIT workouts on the treadmill my speed work. BTW - the frozen nut butter in the shot glass - so funny!
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