Whole Foods

Do you guys know about Whole Foods?  If you don’t, you’re missing out!  I discovered Whole Foods on my first trip to Colorado.  It is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, THE best store in the world for foodies!  It’s pure heaven on earth, friends!  There is just no place on earth that compares!

Since I started Weight Watchers in January of 2005, I’ve really branched out in my cooking.  I try things now that I NEVER would’ve prior to WW.  The problem is, it’s sometimes very hard to find really good, healthy foods here in my little town.  Fresh produce is sometimes hard to come by!  Especially if you’re looking for things like jicama or bok choy or baby zucchinis or blood oranges.

Whole Foods has all those wonderful things and MORE!  WAY, WAY more!  I have been able to find “hericot verts” or itty bitty, teeny weeny baby whole green beans.  I’ve been able to find purple fingerling potatoes.  I’ve been able to find herbs like fresh tarragon!  Trust me, if you ask for that at the local Kroger, they look at you like you smoke crack!  I discovered Honey Crisp Apples at Whole Foods.  I  discovered Wellshire Farms Peppered Turkey Bacon and Maple Turkey Breakfast Sausage.  I was able to finally get my hands on THE BEST water of all time, MetroMint water!

They have a coffee bar, a gelato bar (Italian ice cream), a fresh juice bar, a wine bar, a sushi bar, hot food bars, salad bars, cold food bars, dessert bars, a pizza bar. It’s INSANE! If you’ve never had gelato, you have missed out in life! There is no comparison to our American ice cream. This is the creamiest stuff you’ll ever put in your mouth! My favorite is the orange fig. NOT Weight Watchers-friendly at all! But the flavor is an absolute explosion in your mouth! Drop what you’re doing, drive to Nashville NOW and get yourself some! Or if you happen to be blessed enough to live where there’s a Whole Foods, drop what you’re doing and GO NOW!

The problem was, until November, the closest Whole Foods to where I live was Birmingham, AL. That’s quite a little drive there. But in November, a Whole Foods opened in Nashville! WOO HOO!!!!!! I can’t even begin to tell you how overjoyed I was!

So if you’ve never experienced a Whole Foods, check out these photos! When you walk in the door, you’re in the flower and produce section.

They have a section with ready-to-use produce.  Notice the circle at the top?  That’s fresh, peeled shallots ready to use!  Shallots are mighty hard to come by where I live!  If I can actually find them, they’re shriveled up little anorexic-looking thangs.  They also have fajita mix already made up, fresh spaghetti mix, stuffed portabello mushrooms, it’s ENDLESS the goodies they have chopped and diced and prepared for you!

Just look at all those phenomenal peppers and eggplant and zucchini and stuff!

And lookee there!  A dorky little ankle-biter found his precious “spagarious!”  But look closer!  It’s not just ANY “spagarious!”

Whole Foods has regular asparagus like you’ve seen most anywhere.  But they also have white asparagus AND purple asparagus!  Groovy stuff, I tell you!

Did you say you wanted fresh fish?  This is only a small portion of the fresh fish counter.  I didn’t manage to get any photos of the rest of the meats.  But they have organic chicken, lamb, pork, beef, bison, you name it!  They make fresh-ground chicken or turkey sausages in fabulous flavors like sun-dried tomato basil or cilantro lime.  If you’ve never eaten bison (or buffalo) I can’t even tell you what you’re missing!  Amazing stuff!  And certainly not something you can get around here!

I was standing in the bakery here looking out across the numerous “bars” they have. 

And another from the bakery looking out across MORE of the hot/cold/salad/dessert bars.  It’s like a restaurant inside a grocery store!

You all that know me, know I LOVE to bake!  I love to make fancy cakes!  Look at what you can buy at Whole Foods! 

Those are CUPCAKES, friends!  Have you ever seen such a cupcake!??!!  Aren’t they amazing?!  I love to stand and watch them decorating the cakes!  I could stand there all day long!

And how about a Strawberry Mousse-filled marbled chocolate tulip cup to sit out at your next dinner party!?!??!  I guarantee you, you’ve never found this at the friendly neighborhood Piggly Wiggly! 

And now you know about my complete adoration for Whole Foods!  The photos honestly don’t begin to do it justice!  It’s something you have to experience for yourself.  Even if you’re NOT a foodie like I am, GO!  It’s worth the field trip!  I’ve never taken anybody in there that wasn’t completely enthralled before they left because they’ve never seen such culinary wonders under one roof! 

Take a little road trip!  Find your nearest Whole Foods and make a trip!  You’ll bring home all kinds of marvelous goodies you can’t find anywhere else!  And then you’ll love me forever!  Or hate me because I made you spend a zillion dollars you wouldn’t have otherwise spent!  WHOOPS!  Maybe it wasn’t such a brilliant plan to share my addiction to Whole Foods with you after all!

Have a great day!  I’m going to sit here and long to be at Whole Foods all day now……