Do as I say – NOT as I do…

I broke one of my cardinal rules last night and went grocery shopping after my Body Works class at L.A. Fitness Atlantic Station where I diligently worked up a v. serious appetite for dinner.  (Rule #84: NEVER grocery shop while hungry.)  Oh well, at least I went to Trader Joe’s, and not Taco Bell…

In retrospect, I feel like I did pretty well for having extremely hunger-impaired judgement in the TJ’s aisles.  I wasn’t thrilled with my decision to pick up a loaf of freshly-baked raisin walnut bread or TJ’s rice pudding (insert Adam Lambert’s ballad “What Do You Want From Me?!”)…

trust me - shopping while hungry can be a recipe for disaster...

…but I DID end up with some healthy staples: flattened bananas, hearty trail mix, frozen shrimp and organic blueberries.  My three most impressive items, however, seem pretty unhealthy, but actually aren’t that bad when you really look at the nutritional breakdown:

Trader Joe’s Fat Free Crumbled Feta (recently featured in the AJC)

Nutritional Facts:
Serving Size: 1 oz
Calories: 35 g
Fat: 0 g
Carbs: 1 g
Sodium: 260 mg
Protein: 7 g

Trader Joe’s Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip

Nutritional Facts:
Serving Size: 1/8 container, 2 Tbsp
Calories: 45 g
Fat: 3 g
Carbs: 2 g
Sodium: 170 mg
Protein: 6 g

Trader Joe’s Soy & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips

hi, i'm blurry.

Nutritional Facts:
Serving Size: 10 oz, 7 chips
Calories: 130 g
Fat: 8 g
Carbs: 13 g
Sodium: 50 mg
Protein: 6 g

Not too terrible, huh?  The items that took the cake, though, were definitely THESE guys:

love

love even more!

Moral of the story:  It’s always smart to follow my Rule #84 (just here to help, y’all!) and avoid the grocery when you’re feeling hunger pains, but if you absolutely HAVE to go  – go to Trader Joe’s.  The healthy nutritional content of your seemingly-bad-for-you-thrown-into-the-cart-in-a-hunger-rage loot just may surprise you! 

xx, L

Trader Joe’s – Midtown
931 Monroe Dr. NE  30308
404.815.9210
www.traderjoes.com