I am always jealous whenever people talk about the great food products they are able to buy at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. I don’t have either of those anywhere near me and my Kroger is The Worst Ever. I hate grocery shopping in general and the lack of variety there has always frustrated me.
Until now.
I dragged myself into Kroger this morning and was shocked to see they had finally finished their remodeling and added an organic section. It’s no Whole Foods, of course, but it’s better than nothing.
It was perfect timing for me, because my 16-month old grandson was coming over for the afternoon. I like to have snacks for the kids but he’s difficult because he’s severely lactose-intolerant. I gave him some vanilla almond milk last time he was over (he loved it), but that’s hardly a snack worthy of grandma’s house, right? His 7-year old sister loves strawberries and ice cream sandwiches, so I always have those around for her. Her brother gets in on the strawberry action, but no ice cream for the poor little guy.
But look at the dairy-free treasures I found! First off, Tofutti Cuties snack-sized ice cream sandwiches. Available in 12 different flavors, but I stuck with vanilla:
Until now.
I dragged myself into Kroger this morning and was shocked to see they had finally finished their remodeling and added an organic section. It’s no Whole Foods, of course, but it’s better than nothing.
It was perfect timing for me, because my 16-month old grandson was coming over for the afternoon. I like to have snacks for the kids but he’s difficult because he’s severely lactose-intolerant. I gave him some vanilla almond milk last time he was over (he loved it), but that’s hardly a snack worthy of grandma’s house, right? His 7-year old sister loves strawberries and ice cream sandwiches, so I always have those around for her. Her brother gets in on the strawberry action, but no ice cream for the poor little guy.
But look at the dairy-free treasures I found! First off, Tofutti Cuties snack-sized ice cream sandwiches. Available in 12 different flavors, but I stuck with vanilla:
But life isn’t all about ice cream, so I also picked up some Stoneyfield Farms Soy Yogurt:
After lunch, I let him try the ice cream sandwich. Having never had ice cream, he didn’t quite know what to make of it at first. Then he scarfed the rest of it down. (I didn’t try it, but I took a big sniff and it smelled exactly the same as any other ice cream sandwich.) So I packed all that up and sent it home with him. Dairy-free or not, I don’t need the temptation.
I know all of this is not very exciting for those of you with access to Whole Foods, but this was a Big Deal to me. Especially when I found stuff like this:
After lunch, I let him try the ice cream sandwich. Having never had ice cream, he didn’t quite know what to make of it at first. Then he scarfed the rest of it down. (I didn’t try it, but I took a big sniff and it smelled exactly the same as any other ice cream sandwich.) So I packed all that up and sent it home with him. Dairy-free or not, I don’t need the temptation.
I know all of this is not very exciting for those of you with access to Whole Foods, but this was a Big Deal to me. Especially when I found stuff like this:
And this:
And this:
And, out of the organic arena, have you seen this?
I have always been a fan of Buitoni products, but really limit them these days because of the white flour. I was so excited to see the whole wheat, that I bought both the ravioli and the tortellini.
So, yeah. Despite the final bill (yikes!), all in all it was a good shopping day – AND I think I got put in the running for Grandma of the Year. Any suggestions for what I should get next time? There was some rice bread that looked pretty interesting. Anyone tried that?
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16 comments:
I wish I could try all of them! My husband would never go for it. he wrinkles his nose at anything healthy :-( He can afford to, he doesn't have my metabolism (or lack of it!)
How nice that they have so many products for you to "treat" your grandson! And that Buitoni in whole wheat? I will have to keep an eye out for that, as I used to love their tortellini but like you, pretty much gave them up because of the white flour.
So how did the ww tortellini taste? Ron is off white flour too, and really missing pasta.
Cyndi - I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it's great. I haven't met a whole wheat pasta yet that I haven't liked. :)
If he likes savory as well as sweet, there are some excellent rice chips - not a rice cake - thin and crispy. We love them.
I have access to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, but it's not nearly as EASY as my access to Kroger. We have a very nice organic department. My youngest is a vegetarian and has the whole family hooked on the vegetarian taco filling. Seriously yummy.
I have to drive about 40 minutes to get to a Whole Foods, and it isn't even a great one. But I do go once in a while. Typically I stick with the Publix less than a mile away and hit Kroger occasionally on the way back from my mother's house. My Kroger carries quinoa and Publix doesn't, so I buy that. Oh, and they also have a pretty good price on Castile Soap in the organic HBA section. Glad you have some better options!!
My vegan friend swears by the Rice Dream not-ice cream. I haven't been able to try it yet, but if you/granson did, let me know the results!
P.S.
I can't get over the fact that you're a grandma!
No Whole Foods or Trader Joe's around these here parts, either. However, we do have a good grocery store that stocks lots of organic and specialty items. I love Amy's food. She has a wonderful selection of things that are healthy and taste good, too.
Hooray! It's great to have those options. When our Safeway remodeled, they put in a natural foods section and a nut bar. But I also have a Vitamin Cottage across the street that has an even better selection. It's good to have choices!
Path to Health
My kids are way to picky to buy some of these things and them have them not eat it. But the ice cream sandwiches look so cute. The small size looks great compared to the bigger sandwiches. I may have to make a trip to our Kroger to see what they have. I'm with you though the $$$ is out of control with this type of food.
Nice job! Definitely some good finds.
You can't go wrong with anything from Amy's.
In terms of the "ice cream," any type of made with coconut milk one will be good, as are the So Delicious, Purely Decadent, and WholeSoy brands since it looks like you are cool with soy.
Oh goodness, there are just so many great foods!
What great finds! Sorry I haven't been by in a while...but I promise I'm still reading (I just can't think of anything clever to say...nursing school is taking over my brain!)
The Amy's California Burgers aren't as delicious as they once were, but still one of the best on the market. Do they carry So Delicious? The Pomegranate Chip is my favorite!
Hope you're doing well :)
Tofutti is great! My friend during my college days was a vegan and I swear I gained my freshmen 15 from eating Tofutti! It is actually really good...but so high in FAT! Yeah, I'm sure the pizza helped too though :)
Great finds! I wish they didn't put the words "rice" and "tofu" in the names though. It just takes away from the appeal to me!
How I wish they have these in Japan too... I wonder if they are at Costco`s?
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