Whole Foods, Dudes!

*Disclaimer: I received a free tour and samples in exchange for this post. No other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions are as always my own.*

 

Happy Friday friends! How’s it kickin? Like a wild donkey? A baby in the womb? Did I lose you yet?

 

Aaaand after that awkward introduction, let’s get down with some food. But not just half foods. Or even 99.9999% foods. No. We’re talking WHOLE FOODS!

 

 

Mhmmm.  12 of us NH bloggers had the first peek into the first Whole Foods of New Hampshire before anyone! Like literally. Aside from the employees and a couple media peeps, we were the first ones allowed into the wonderful world of Whole Foods Nashua. Can I just say how much I’m in love with their color scheme first? My fav.

 

 

 

 

And let me just say NH goes big or goes home. We will be home to the first legit pub in our area. 32 beers on tap, a full restaurant, and did I mention 32 beers on tap? Yes, we are still at Whole Foods. We were joking that this would soon become the hot spot for first dates, anniversary dinners, and Sunday football games. You wait, it’s gunna happen.

 

 

We had the lovely hosts Jaimee and Katie who lead us on a tour and pointing out ways to save or things that were new for the first NH store. Like that they will be making 5 different flavors of their own tortillas. No more deli slices of cheese for a snack. How about a hot flippin’ tortilla!

 

 

 

We talked a lot about Whole Foods’ core values and how they drive every single product they make or sell. Some of those are that they don’t make or sell anything with trans fats, artificial flavors or colorings, or preservatives. They bring in as much local products as possible as well whenever possible. From the organic cut flowers to the beers on tap. Sorry, I just can’t get over that.

 

 

And can we point out how EMPTY the produce section is? I was actually really happy that it was. The grand opening isn’t until Tuesday so it was nice to see that the produce was going to be super fresh and not sitting out for 6 days beforehand.

Did you know that WF has the largest selection of organic produce of any grocer in the US? Cuz I sure didn’t. So when you’re looking for that organic dandelion root or any other obscure plant food, I suggest WF be your first stop.

 

I didn’t pay much mind to the meat section, but for you carnivores they did have their own dry aging section where you could see the meat curing, and also a clock that tells you what times they are freshly grinding meat (twice daily I might add.) I did love the sustainable seafood they had and the fact that you can ask them to marinate it for you for only $1! I would so utilize that since I can never pick what to marinate with.

 

 

Are you as hell no, GMO! as I am? By 2018, ALL products in WF will be labeled as such to help you pick products with no GMOS and also give incentive for companies to think twice about using GMOS if they want to sell at Whole Foods. If you want to learn more about what GMOS actually are, or what WF is doing about it, you can check out some great articles here.

 

 

And let’s not forget the awesome swag bag we got to go home with. This puts any birthday party goodie bag to shame.

 

 

From pancake mix to probiotics. We got a little bit of everything. The main thing I loved about this was that I knew I wouldn’t have to scour the ingredients list for anything I didn’t want to eat (trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, etc.) since it’s already built into their core values. Here’s some of my fav items that were in there.

 

 

Eucalyptus, Peppermint, and Rosemary Tealights.

Would these not be perfect for a Sunday night bubble bath?! Although I may just fall asleep right there in the tub. Plus they’re from Vermont 😉

 

 

Rescue Stress Relief Gum.

Are you a nervous chewer like me? How about saving some pen cap and carrot lives and switch to something that will actually calm me down by chewing?! I’m anxious to see how it works. Anxious?! Oh god, I should try one right now….

 

 

And this cute little card that reminded me of my roomie in Bama. We always had this quote hanging on our fridge. Miss you roomie, Betty Rocker!

 

 

So while Whole Foods has this image of being what us New Englanders like to say.. wicked expensive, it doesn’t have to be. I always thought that buying all my groceries from Whole Foods would be impossible, and living the joke of Whole Foods = Whole Paycheck, but after hearing more about all the ways you can save I really think anyone on any budget can work on getting better quality foods into their lifestyles, whatever that may be. Just some of the ways you can save are:

Buying the Whole Foods store brand (365 Everyday)

Taking advantage of “Madness” or “1 Day Only” sales, and stocking up on items.

Buying items in bulk.

Switch organic items one at a time.

 

No one says you have to go whole (organic, pasture-raised) hog in the organic world to eat better. Start with one item like fruits or beef. Right now for me, I am making a commitment to buy local eggs, and wild caught fish, but don’t focus too much on buying all my produce organically.

 

I learn more from experience so you will be sure to hear about how my first Whole Foods experience goes once it opens, which is Tuesday, August 19th for you NH folks! And right after I have a beer. At Whole Foods.

 

Thanks again to the lovely folks at Whole Foods Nashua!

 

 

 

Make it a great day!

Do you shop at Whole Foods?

Can you believe they have a pub?!