First Time Foodie Adventure.....

First Time Foodie Adventure:

Whole Foods

            Whole Foods, a recent phenomenon in my book. Or more precisely, a place where people go to get wholesome and fresh food items, from seafood to saltines. I think everything there is organic and lists most ingredients on the label that you can actually read. This all sounds well and dandy, I know. But for me, I have actually always been on the fence with this place. First of all, I have heard and all-too-quickly agreed that it wasn’t Whole Foods, but rather Whole Paycheck. And for two, I have always been in the mindset of the best way to be healthy is to cook at home and control your own quantity and ingredients, none of this ‘where was it grown’,’ what was it sprayed with’, and ‘can I pronounce its components’ stuff.

            Now don’t get me wrong, I think all those fundamentals and practices are great and kudos to you if you can abide by them 24/7. For me, I know I can’t and have therefore, become very accustomed to La Shoprite. Ha

            Well, I must take back some opinions, my friends. A Whole Foods Market has just opened in our neighborhood and I recently took my first trip…..

            Simply beautiful. The colors, the displays, even the organization was eye-catching. I loved every nook and cranny, from the cheese counter to the brick oven pizza station. The place wasn’t as expansive as I thought it was going to be, yet it had the perfect amount and offerings of everything one might need.  I would actually venture to say that having such limited supply of items made for easy shopping (read: quicker shopping). I tried to stop and examine each aisle but as I usually am, I was hungry and we had to get something for dinner.

            We decided to get 2 pre-portioned fresh fillets of Sea Bass, a pound of bread & asparagus salad, and ready to heat empanadas. The latter for appetizers, because life is too short to not have them.

            The bill didn’t faze me at all, in fact I think it was pretty close to what we would spend elsewhere. I mean, if you do all your shopping there, from yogurt to romaine lettuce, you will spend more. But if you are looking for a few quality items and know what you want, the price tag won’t cause any flinches.

            The end result was quite yummy. My favorite was the bread salad, it had such balance of textures, flavors and spice. The empanadas were quite delightful too, as we heated them to a crisp and dunked them in the accompanied tangy glaze.

            So it is a true fact that I will be back. In fact, I hope it is true that I do so very soon. I saw one too many yummies that I need to try. Not to mention, I just want more time to peruse their collections and selections. And fortunately, as I have learned, I won’t be breaking the bank by doing so either. My pennies and dollars will be put to good use indeed, which is more than I can say after most shopping trips. Win!

 

Whole Foods Market is located at 113 Route 9 South, Marlboro, NJ 07726. Check out their Website, Facebook page, and Twitter.