I've been into eating whole foods for some time, but when I saw this sub-forum, I immediately thought of Whole Foods, the grocery store. I LOVE that store! I also love Trader Joe's. Unfortunately, both are about 1 hour & 45 min. drive for me. So, every couple of months, I take a trip to those two stores and stock up. I'll be going in a couple of weeks, and thought it would be great to see what "must-haves" you get when you go there. Here's my list:

Anything else I should add to my list?

I agree with you on those two stores!
You should try the tuna in olive oil at TJ's, it is really good I buy that whenever I go. I also love the uncured turkey bacon.
If they have that it there.

Whole Foods is a bit out of my way, but sometime in the next year or so one is going in right across the way from TJs.. that is exiciting!!!

My favs at TJs, which I am lucky enough to be able to go to evert week are:

All of the veggies are fresher IMHO AND cheaper than the traditional grocery store!
Fresh spinach
Fresh mushrooms
Fresh eggplant
Fresh broccoli
Frsh figs
Watermelon
Arugula
Spring salad mix
Canadian Bacon
Unsweetened Almond Milk
Egg whites in a carton - cheaper than at the grocery store
Fresh parmesan
Soy cheese
Unsweetened Kefir
Morning star farms soy sausage patties
Wild salmon
Tilapia
Fruit leather and fiberful bars
Apple cranberry or blueberry fiber bars - more like mini muffins - 80 cals and 13 g fiber each
Roasted garlic salsa
Roasted red papper spread - great on turkey sandwiches

and one and on... might be easier to ask me what NOT to get!

TJ's must haves:

Garlic Hummus
organic chocolate soy milk (just a splash in the coffee)
fiberfuls and fruit leather
LUNA Sunrise bars
shrimp
Chicken breakfast sausage links
uncured bacon
tongol
Indian fare bengal lentils
red wine!!
Organic, fair trade, shade grown coffee
Joe Joe's vanilla cookies
shredded mozzarella
always 6 loaves of the organic whole wheat bread
organic toaster pastries
Kashi good friends cinna-raisin crunch

I love Trader Joe's, and do most of my grocery shopping there. My "must-haves" are

TJ's plain nonfat Greek yogurt (even better than the Fage brand!)
frozen organic wild blueberries
dry-roasted unsalted nuts (all kinds)
TJ's chunky salsa
TJ's organic green tea w/jasmine
TJ's frozen organic brown rice
TJ's kettle-brewed unsweetened black tea & green/white tea
TJ's organic marinara sauce
TJ's roasted red pepper and tomato soup
organic chocolate

I could go on and on, their prices and phenomenal!

I love dried granny smith apple rings from Trader Joe's! And Whole Foods gelato. *innocent look*

My faves at Trader Joe's are:

fat free blueberry muesli
fancy mixed berries (frozen)
anti-oxidant nut and berry mix
organic greens with envy (frozen - broccoli, spinach, asparagus, green beans and endamame)
white kidney beans
solid white tuna - no salt added
butternut squash soup with chicken potstickers
bruschetta spread
artichoke spread
balance bars
plain non-fat yogurt
eggs
milk
slivered almonds
raisins
wasabi or cajun shrimp sushi or fave yogurt with honey as a special treat

I'm going to have to print out this list.

Cottageby the sea, I'm glad you mentioned the T.J.'s brand of Greek-style yogurt. I was wondering about it.

Onthetree, I'm going to check out that organic coffee.

Trader Joe's:

Curry Simmer Sauce

Great simmered with chicken and veggies, then eaten over rice.

I just got back from whole foods. I don't do my grocery shopping there regularly but I usually buy my snacks there..

- Whole foods brand salsa
- Kashi TLC chewies and crackers
- Back to nature cookies and graham sticks
- Anything by Amy's
- Clif Z bars

I usually have 1 snack a day so I only make a trip there like once a month - everything lasts a very long time. I buy everything else from the local grocery store, most of their produce is organic and fresh. Probably not as good as whole foods but if I did go to whole foods for that kind of stuff I would be there twice a week which is a hastle. Oh and I LOVE whole foods hot and cold food bars, yum.

At TJ's I always make sure to pick up unsweetened iced tea and fat free feta!

Tara, I LOVE curry dishes, so I'm definitely going to check out that curry simmer sauce.

Smiley, it's a big hassle for me to get to Whole Foods, too. That's why, when I do go, I make sure to skip breakfast at home at eat it at Whole Foods. They're hot and cold bars are like gourmet dining. My Whole Foods even has their very own chocolate store, where they make an amazing array of chocolate truffles. It's probably not such a good idea to skip breakfast before going there, huh?

Forgot to add:

Trader Joe's masala simmer sauce. almost as good as restaurant. Punjab sauce is a yummy treat as well.

Turbot fillets. the only fish my kids will consistently eat.

On the tee, I was just going to mention that they had other varieties of the simmer sauces, too! I haven't tried the others, but the curry simmer sauce is really good. I'm having it for dinner tonight. My mom took a jar home last weekend and she actually used it to bake chicken and said it was really good!

I cannot, will not live without the following things from my local organic grocery (be it Earthfare, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Chamberlains, whatever..):

Fresh produce (obviously)

As for food items:
Whole Foods granola (From the bulk bins, in the cherry flavor. Mmmmmm)
Clif Z bars (meant for kids, but 100% wonderful for a snack)
Fruit leather!
Pita chips (or if I'm really splurging, maybe some spinach artichoke kettle chips)
Julie's organic ice cream bars in blackberry covered in dark chocolate
Amy's everything (especially the tortellini in pesto)
Those organic dark chocolate bars w/ blueberries that have the wildlife on them...hahaha
Hummus. Especially Whole Foods brand Hummus.
Whole Foods vegetarian roasted veggie lasagna...heaven on earth.
Earthfare chicken/cheese/broccoli rollups
Organic sea salt flatbread crackers

But, of course, tea is my obsession:
Honest Tea (My biggest love!!!)
Iced unsweetened green tea in big gallon/liter containers
Harney and Sons organic teas (The coconut green tea is, I swear, the greatest thing on earth)
Republic of Tea white tea teabags w/ guava and pineapple (Tastes like a warm pina colada - very creamy and refreshing for no calories!)