"I’m late! Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" No time to stay and chat – gotta get on the road for this big test today!
I broke the night fast this morning with a mish-mosh of chew:
- 1/3 cup prepared nectarine oatmeal with a splash of milk (like it 99% as much as banana!)
- 1/4 cup spelt berries
- 1/2 cup blackberries
- ~1 tbsp ground flax
- ~1 tbsp chopped walnuts
- Spoonful PB
Today:
1) Taking test in Sports
2) Getting back test in Food Comp
3) Turning in test in Chem
8 days to go!
Lauren says
Trader Joe Shoppers!
So we just got a TJ’s and I am so excited! I am wondering what type of products you all buy there? Do you buy things like milk, chicken, and produce? I read somewhere that there produce is really bad and wasn’t sure if that also applies to their milk, chicken, etc. Thanks all!
Kath good luck on your tests- and I would love to hear what you get at TJ’s too.
Cindy says
Good Morning Kath!
Cindy says
Hi Kath – Would you ever give some thought to starting a category and/or link of recommended foods or new finds? You get a chance to try so many things, I’m sure we could all benefit and chime in as to what we like too.
When you have time of course, maybe after school. Thanks for all the great info.
Kath says
Lauren,
My favorite TJ’s products:
Cereals: High Fiber, the High Fiber Nut and Berry medley, and Organic Morning Lite
Frozen salmon patties + frozen salmon
Breads – haven’t tried many though
Hummus
GREEK YOGURT!!
Nuts over Raspberries Trail Mix
Antioxidant Trail Mix (for baking – a mix of blueberries, rasp, cran, orange-cran + almonds)
Any nuts – they are all cheap-o.
Raspberry jam.
I think those are my staples!
Cindy,
Sure, I’ll create a “New Product” category the next time I review something and will keep it going. Good idea!
Kath
Serena says
Lauren, my favorites at TJ’s are the dry items. I don’t think their produce is that great. It’s definitely flown in from far away and I feel like it doesn’t have a long shelf life. Things like chicken sausage (pre-cooked) seem fine but I guess I just mostly stick to dry foods and non-perishables. I sort of have a love-hate with TJ’s – I used to think it was amazing, but then I started wondering how it can be so cheap, and I get the whole cutting out the middle man thing, but for fresh food, I like it to come from a bit closer – it seems to taste fresher and probably has more nutrients. Just my 2 cents! Their balsamic salad dressing is also really good (not a lite dressing but has a lite nutritional profile, without all the chemicals)
hk says
Best of luck on the test today! 8 days, you’re almost there!!
Nick says
I love your mish-mosh breakfasts, they seem different every day! Good luck on the test!
BethT says
Lauren, here are my faves from TJ’s.
– Hummus (roasted garlic or roasted red pepper)
– Multiseed Cracker Sticks
– Pretzel Thins
– Creamy salted natural PB (THE best, and less than $2 a jar!)
– Creamy tomato soup (in a box)
– Chicken and veggie stock (in a box)
– Cuban style black beans
– Frozen brown or jasmine rice
– Pasta sauces, esp. the organic tomato & basil marinara
– Spiga yogurt which is italian and in little glass jars…esp the cinnamon ginger flavor
I do buy some meats there – they have excellent prices on organic chicken. I also buy some frozen fish, esp. their shrimp and salmon. The produce is hit or miss for me – if I’m in need, I’ll pick it up. Especially bananas at 19 cents each.
Melanie says
Good luck Kath!
Michelle says
TJ’s is my favorite store! I love their natural PB, canned tuna, organic mushroom tomato sauce, and hummus! They have such good prices!
I have a question for everyone…
Over the past several months I have dropped about twenty pounds by eating healthy and exercising. I am currently 5ft.4in. and weigh around 100 pounds. I am trying to just maintain my current weight, but am unsure of the calories I should have each day. According to Self.com, I should be consuming around 2400 calories a day. I spoke with my doctor and she says this is too high. I try to workout 5-6 days a week, however my workouts are pretty moderate (30 minutes on the elliptical, 2-3 mile walk outside, etc.). I was wondering what your opinions are. I know everyone’s caloric intake varies. I would appreciate any help! Thanks!
SarahH says
Does no one else shop at walmart or sometimes kroger like I have to do most of the time?
CourtneyS says
Michelle, 5’4 and 100 pounds is very thin. I’m not a doctor or an RD, plus we don’t know your body type, etc. but it doesn’t sound like you really needed to lose weight in the first place. Anyway, maybe you should speak to your doctor again…if she said 2400 is too much, she should be able to give you an appropriate range and/or refer you to a RD. Hope that helps!
Karen says
Kath- good luck today!
As for TJ’s, I love it. It’s my primary place for food shopping.
seuss says
Michelle – I am the say height and weight as you – and somedays am more active than what you describe but somedays not – and I consume at a minimum 2400 cal. But, to be clear, I am hoping for willingness to gain at least 10 pounds, which will require at min over 3000 cal/day, to be at a healthier weight. I lost too much weight being more active than I realized and this is not a healthy weight according to my doctors or the BMI chart. Unfortunately, I am very much prone to our culture of too thin and am having a hard time letting go. Just wanted to share. Wishing you joy and health – at any weight!
Stacy says
SaraH, Kroger is my primary grocery store. Occasionally I’ll stop in at a health food store that is in a larger town about 40 minutes away, but 95% of my groceries are Kroger. Unfortunately there are no Trader Joes or Whole Foods in my area.
kwaze says
Michelle-
I think seuss has some good advice. Be careful!
As for TJ’s……my fav store by far! I buy some of thier bagged lettuces(because I am lazy) and some of their other fruits and veggies. Their apples are ok..and bananas and grapes. However, I think their plums, peaches, etc are gross. Some of my favs there are: the high fiber cereal, organic large brown eggs, frozen french toasta nd waffles(my kids love these), frozen chicken tacos(kids love these too), Luna bars, GNU bars, nuts…esp the pre packaged trail mixes(The Go Trek Raw), pretzel thins, chocolate chip banana muffins(kids love these)….their corn bread mix is awesome…along with the cranberry orange and pumpkin breads..ok so these are not so healthy:) Oh…and the apple chicken sausage…my kids LOVE these too. As for their breads…I buy their hot dog buns, hamburger buns and the Ezekiel bread, too. My cart is always full when I leave. Sorry if this is more info than you ever wanted!!
Heather says
Kath- Good luck on your tests! Busy day!
Lauren- I’m so jealous! We don’t have a TJ’s anywhere nearby 🙁 I guess Whole Foods has the market cornered here in TX
Brittany says
As far as shopping at Trader Joes goes I usually don’t buy my produce there. Not too say it’s bad, they just don’t have a huge selection at the ones I have shopped.
Here are the things I like to buy there:
Cartons of soup (roasted tomato)
Peanut Butter
Peanut Butter filled Pretzels
Dried Black Mission Figs
Simply the Best Trail Mix
Nuts about Raspberries Trail Mix
Cinnamon Swirl Cereal
Barbara’s Brand Cereals (TJ’s is the cheapest place I have found to buy this cereal)
TJ’s Pizza Sauce, and whole wheat pizza dough
Greek Yogurt
Pre-made Sushi
Frozen Brittany’s Blend veggies
Frozen Shrimp stir fry
Frozen fish fillets
Frozen veggie sausage patties
Flowers
And of course, WINE!!!
Sidi says
Crunchy or chewy? It looks more crunchy. Was it?
SarahH says
Yeah there is wild oats( like whole foods) about 20 miles away. Ill go there to get a few different things like seaweed wrappers or some different ethnic foods that kroger doesnt have. Allthough I wish I could afford to shop there more often, Im not to worried about it because I just dont see how my banana from kroger is that much better for me then one from whole foods.
sarah says
i definitely agree about TJs having good and lower-priced boxed/packaged things and not-so-great fresh meats/produce. i was recently really disappointed by some nectarines and cherries bought there that LOOKED great and tasted oddly bland. personally, i would rather pay a little more at whole foods to get better-tasting stuff.
kath – 8 days!!! i can’t believe how fast it went! you rock!
Christie says
Hi Everyone,
I had inquired with Honest Foods over the weekend about the shipping problem and got an email back today saying that it was fixed. Just thought I would let you all know.
Tina O. says
I love Trader Joe’s, especially the frozen foods. They have such interesting products. I do buy meat there sometimes and haven’t had a problem yet.
They also have a farmer’s market in the parking lot every Saturday with lots of local stands. It’s great to have both right there!
And as far as Walmart, I haven’t shopped there in years-they are EVIL!
SarahH says
Yeah.. I dont love walmart but there isnt much other choice.
Chelsea says
TJ’s meat is great. Before turning totally local and organic I only bought my meat there-it’s cheap and good quality and many of their pre-marinated meats are AWESOME!
Megan says
SarahH- yeah I have to shop at wal-mart too…I live in a small town that doesn’t have much else…and I’m a grad student so I gotta save money where I can. I think they have decent food… not as much variety as Whole Foods or TJ… but I have survived on food from Wal-Mart for a couple of years and am still healthy!
There is a Whole Foods and TJ’s about an hour from here that I love to go to when I have the chance.
Tina says
My Trader Joe brand favorites:
Frozen Waffles
Frozen Edamame
Turkey Meatballs
Crab Cakes
Gyoza
Gyoza Dipping Sauce
Greek Yogurt
High Fiber Cereal
Charles Shaw Wine ($2 Chuck)
Apricot Jam (yum!)
Medjool Dates (I can’t find them anywhere else!)
Lauren says
Thanks everyone for your responses so far. Can’t wait to try some of these items!
Michelle says
Thanks CourtneyS, seuss, and kwaze for your advice! I too am prone to our thin society and need to learn that it is okay to gain a few pounds. Right now I am getting full so quickly that I feel I am forcing myself to keep eating just to get my calories in. Is this normal? Again, thank you for your help!
angelcubbie says
Lauren- I haven’t read the above recommendations yet, but I love their Baked Eggplant Parmesan. You have to try it, so good!
seuss says
Michelle: I moved over the course of some weeks from about 1700 to just over 2400 and, it seemed like so much, but now I can’t imagine any less as my body wants it. And here is the crazy part: still haven’t gained a pound. I guess we need it, huh? My nutritionist tells me gaining doesn’t happen before 3000 for active women. Yeesh, I had been misinformed and its hard to trust her – but she is making a believer out of me because I have been eating this much for MONTHS now w/ no budge on the scale.
Em says
I usually shop at a little local produce market for fruits & veggies and at TJs for everything else. I’m lucky because here in Portland there’s an awesome produce place right next to the closest TJs. But I would still be willing to drive for better, fresher produce. Here are my TJ faves:
Dried figs
Sliced almonds
Dried Omega 3 cranberries
Chopped walnuts (TJs nuts are really fresh and a great deal)
Cashew/macadamia butter
Nonfat greek yogurt
Tomato basil hummus
Tahini sauce
Cilantro& chive yogurt dip
WW lavash wraps
Low fat bran muffins
Omega 3 eggs
FF half & half
lime popcicles
meatless meatballs
Dr. Praegers veggie burgers
Frozen fish (all kinds!)
Frozen fruit
Frozen veggies
Jarred marinara sauce
Jarred teryaki sauce
Jarred olives
Canned beans
Brown rice
WW pasta
beer and wine!
sarahH says
Megan, Im actually a grad school student as well. I am studying health education so I try to eat pretty healthy. I only work part time so dont make a lot of extra money. If I ever can find a full time health education job I woudnt mind trying mroe organic food..but untill then kroger and walmart food I will get. I dont live in a very small town but I am from Arkansas so I dont think organic is as big here as maybe other places.
Megan says
SarahH- I am in health too…I’m applying to go to med school right now…I’m in a small town in Penn and organic isn’t as big here either. I do go to the farmers market though but other than that do all my grocery shopping at Wal-mart. I would totally buy organic if I could afford it too…hopefully in the future! But right now it’s wal-mart!
sarahH says
ha glad im not the only one!
CourtneyS says
Michelle, try adding some healthy snacks that have lots of calories in small servings, such as nuts and nut butter. Make sure every calorie is doing something GOOD for you and pay attention to your hunger cues – your body knows best!
I’m a grad student who spends WAY too much money at our local Whole Foods. It’s bad but I’m addicted. 🙂
Lauren says
Hi Michelle,
I definitely recommend upping your caloric intake now. If you’re not quite comfortable with 2,400 yet, aim for at least 2,000. How many calories were you eating to lose weight? If you were subsisting on a relatively small number, you’ll want to gradually reintroduce a more sustainable amount of calories into your diet. You don’t want your body to go into starvation mode, or for the overall efficiency of your metabolism to be compromised by too little fuel. I had an ED for quite awhile, only consuming about 1,000 calories each day (weighing between 100-102 pounds at 5’6″). I really hurt my metabolism. Once I decided to get better and upped my calories, I gained weight on 1,500–a number that a woman of my size and activity level really shouldn’t gain on at all. I now eat between 1800-2000 cals/day, and my weight has finally stabilized at 120. I’m just really glad that I made the decision when I did to start eating more; otherwise, I think my metabolism might have been even more screwed up.
If you’re looking to maintain your weight, I definitely suggest adding 100-200 calories to what you’re eating now each day, following that same principle until you’ve reached 2,000 (or more). Doing this, I don’t think you’ll have any problem maintaining your weight. If you work out 5-6 days a week (even moderately), you’re an active person who needs the fuel and nourishment. Good luck!
Michelle says
Thank you so much for all of your advice today and support! I think I am ready to get back on track!
KatieF says
I felt like the white rabbit today, too. 🙁
Glad to see you still have time to blog, though! It helps me keep trying to eat healthy! Even when I’m super busy and all I want is a cookie. 🙂