Whole Foods = Highway Robbery

My first trip to Whole Foods...

Ok, so while I've lived in this beautiful city for three years, I've never ventured to Whole Foods. I've always wanted to go, but I don't live near one. Today, I had a meeting in Hillcrest. When I got out, it was 11:30, and I was starved. I thought, OMG! I'll head over to whole foods and get a salad like all the bloggies do...

I also wanted to buy some stir-fry veggies for tonights dinner. I found a big pack of already chopped fresh veggies for $4.51. It's includes alot of mushrooms, so I thought that was reasonable. Their prices on alot of stuff though were just ridiculous. I saw a $10 jar of pasta sauce. Their produce was WAY more than I'm used to paying even for organic. I was just not impressed. It had awesome ambiance, and of course, the famous hot food bar and the salad bar.

I was SO excited building my salad. I've seen it on the blogs a million times.

It contained: Romain, kale, tofu, bit of rice/quinoa, chick peas, edamame, broccoli, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, one dolma, a small bit of tabouli, blue cheese.

So, I bought a packed of veggies, a salad, and a little piece of dark chocolate. Do you know how much my total was? $17.50.

This salad cost me $12.30.

$12.30

Had I not already been in line, I would have said forget it. That is RIDICULOUS.

I got this blasted salad home, and it didn't take like gold or anything. It didn't jump out of the box and dance. It was JUST A SALAD.

Boo.

So, needless to say, while I enjoy the ambiance of the store and the whole organic-y thing, I have to say (regretfully) that I'm just not a fan of Whole Foods. I was really disappointed. They have a great selection of healthy foods, but these kinds of prices are yet another reason why people get on that "It costs too much to eat healthy kick." I am a staunch believer in eating healthy on a real-world budget. Whole Foods simply does not fit into that schema, and that really bums me out.

In other, stranger, news, I got pulled over today for running a stop sign (totally didn't see it). The cop that pulled me over was the NICEST guy. Considering how often you hear about cops being total jerks, I was pleasantly surprised. I got off with a warning (thankfully). The world of karma must have sensed I was about to get shanghai'd (sp?!?) later in the day at Whole Foods.

What are your thoughts on Whole Foods Stores?

Have you ever been pulled over by a traffic cop?  

LARABAR Flavor Review

TGIF!!!! While I'm still waiting to get the last two Oikos flavors I plan to review (Strawberry and Blueberry are elusive in these parts), I wanted to give you my review of the Larabar flavors I was finally able to try.

Cherry Pie
This was fantastic. I cannot say enough. The flavor is truly that of cherry pie. Delish! Which is actually strange since I don't actually like cherry pie. These bars, however, are so fresh tasting and simple. Sweet, but not overly sweet. It's like dessert without the guilt. I give them a Mrs. Myers Two Thumbs UP!

Apple Pie
This was slightly less fantastic. Still good. The apple taste was vibrant, but the flavors didn't blend together so well, and I wasn't as impressed with the texture. It seemed crumbly compared to the Cherry Pie flavor, which was way too moist to crumble. In a pinch, I might buy it again. It gets A Half Thumb.

Peanut Butter Cookie
I saved this bar to last because I thought for sure it would be the bombdiggity. And, it wasn't. Not at all. For one thing, I consider myself a peanut butter cookie expert, and this did not harken memories of Christmas times spent rolling balls of peanut buttery goodness for my mom to bake. Instead, it was just... okay. Not bad, but not good. I won't buy it again. No Thumbs. (No Thumbs down, but no thumbs up.)

This morning I've felt lazy. Ryan and I have both had funky sleep issues this week. Mine may be related to his, I'm guessing. I had a nice, warm comforting bowl of oatmeal w/PB&J for breakfast.

Lunch will be leftover broccoli-kidney bean salad from last night's Vegetarian Dinner Victory. Dinner tonight is up in the air. Ryan is going to hang out with friends, and I'm probably cleaning and writing. I love an evening with an empty house. :) I might even make up some of SnackFace's cheetahs. Yum!

Talk at ya latas,
-Mrs. M