Shopping at Whole Foods Grocery Stores

I must say that by the time I pulled into Whole Foods shopping center, I was so excited I would probably have bought anything at this point regardless of price. It was a new feeling of being able to shop for my family while knowing that what I brought home for them would be 100% better than the boxed chicken dinner I made last week. Walking into the store and smelling the fresh pine Christmas trees in the parking lot added to the sensory experience and my growing excitement.

The first department was the produce. While some items were on the higher side, I was pleasantly surprised to find that most produce was not only comparable to my local grocery store, but some items were cheaper! All produce at Whole Foods is organic and grown free of pesticides and other harmful substances, so this prompted me to start picking out huge red bell peppers (that came out to $1.00 each), blackberries (2 packages for $5) and onions (a large bag for $3.99 which is what I paid at another grocery store the other week for regular onions). Honestly, all of the items looked brighter in color and larger in size.

The next stop was the meat section. While I snagged 5 packages of lean ground beef that was free of any toxin substance at $2.99 a pound, I was just not prepared for the higher prices of better quality meat.  Buffalo was around $19.99 per pound, chicken was on sale for $5.49 per lb., down from $6.49. Lamb started at $8.99 per pound. Taking my ground beef, I decided to move on. I found sprouted breads and other sprouted grain products like tortillas, but again was not accustomed to the higher prices (around $2.99 for sprouted tortillas and up to $5.69 for one loaf of bread). The coffee beans were next on the list. They ranged in price from $6.99 - $12.99 per pound which seemed to be reasonable. The smell of the fresh coffee beans was worth standing around for a few extra minutes as I read about the Fair Trade market that Whole Foods helps promote (not taking financial advantage of the countries that grow these coffee beans for Whole Foods while regular big industries will do so).

All in all, you really will be able to find anything you need here at this store. In the past when I have found good produce on sale (such as I did here) I have bought in bulk, brought it home,diced or pureed it and froze it for future cooking. This is what I plan on doing with my deals from Whole Foods. I did not think to bring my recycling grocery bags, but I was given nice brown paper handle bags that are not only environmentally friendly, but they are fun to reuse.

I would also recommend the company website as a very helpful resource. Not only did I find very helpful information on organic food, but I found alot of delicious recipes that I am anxious to cook.