Snacks!

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My coworker decided to go to Trader Joe's instead of going out to lunch yesterday in an attempt to curb spending too much money on meals out. I was hungry and have been to Trader Joe's two, maybe three times in my life. I forgot we had a new one in St. Paul. I tagged along to stock up on office snacks for myself.

In general, I think I've been tending to not eat enough more than I overeat. I've been trying to eat breakfast regularly, especially since I have to take so many drugs and vitamins in the morning, but for whatever reason it's kind of hard. I have a love/hate relationship with convenience foods- I dislike that they're wasteful (usually individually wrapped and tend to be expensive), but really do appreciate the fact that they're, well, convenient. It would likely be waay healthier for me to have snacks at work more often than I do. I tend to get into what I'm doing, after I've usually neglected or forgotten to eat breakfast, and then get surprised when all of a sudden it's well past noon and I haven't eaten anything all day, or I'm busy and don't want to take the time to run out and get something or run home and make something. My coworker has joked that she's going to bring a tagboard chart and give me a sticker on the days I remember to eat lunch, because that worked to potty train her toddlers. Heh. I can't wait until there's a grocery store in Lowertown, because my favorite thing for lunch on a regular basis is just to run into a grocery store and pick up an avocado and a snack block of cheese and a bit of bread, or just get some little thing at the deli. I'm pretty dang organized, but seem to have a blind spot when it comes to meal planning. (Most of my disposable income that doesn't go to things music or derby related probably goes to restaurants, even though I like to cook.)

Anyway, I've been living yesterday and today on my Trader Joe's bounty. I got a big bag of salted almonds, two energy bars, a bag of four small avocados, a bag of snack-size cheese wheels, a baguette, a bag of snack mix (with peanuts! I've always been non-plussed that Chex Mix got rid of peanuts. I think it's also full of MSG now. Jerks.), a pretty sizable bag of dried mango, and a soda. The soda was "vintage" and made with real sugar! It was all less than $20. Today I've just been doin' my work while grazing on almonds and mango and avocado all day. So now I just have to figure out if the amount I graze is healthy or if I need to, like, figure out snack portions so it isn't all gone right away. :) My boss has referred to Trader Joe's as "gas station food, except for foodies". I think it's pretty accurate.

Yay! Snacks!

Comments

[eldogo.livejournal.com]

I have a bag of Trader Joe's Old-Fashioned Blister Peanuts on my desk. A small handful is enough to keep me from being headachey and irritable. Super valuable.

I hate spending lots of money on food, so I have a bad tendency to eat a lot of junk, or even skip eating. But these peanuts are well worth the expense, and I find them significantly better than Planter's or whatever.

[mooflyfoof.livejournal.com]

I love Trader Joe's! And they consistently have the best and cheapest avocados around (though you have to be patient and let them ripen, since they're always rock hard in the store). And their snacks are great too. If you have a freezer and microwave at your work, you might want to check the frozen section too. They have tons of frozen foods that are reasonably healthy (i.e. not over processed with a bunch of weird shit in them) and come in single-meal portions. Just beware of the pot pies, which are deceptive because they're 2 servings each - not one. Also, the cookie aisle is my nemesis. Never try the triple ginger snaps or you will find yourself eating 5000 calories worth of cookies in a day. ;) The other thing Trader Joe's is great it is cheese. Definitely check out their cheese section. And their hummus is pretty good too.

[pants-of-doom.livejournal.com]

I've always been non-plussed that Chex Mix got rid of peanuts. I think it's also full of MSG now.

Peanut allergies are really common.

[spacebug.livejournal.com]

I know. But I still like them!

[ilexcassine.livejournal.com]

I can't eat most of the snack things at TJs because they usually have hidden MSG (MSG by any other name is still MSG).

But I love the frozen fruit and veggies, especially the peppers and mangos. Really nice quality for good prices.

And the puff pastry with no trans fats is awesome. As is the frozen Garlic Naan- its as good as most restaurants.

If I still drank wine the cheap wine is great too.

Chocolate Covered Peppermint Jo Jo's in the winter are very, very good and I normally don't like sweets of that sort. They are better than Girl Scout cookies. (I may have to splurge on them even though I've given up chocolate)