If you’re not familiar with Trader Joe’s then you probably won’t care at all that we finally have one nearby. But for those of us who know how infreakingcredible that store is, you may be able to begin to understand my excitement. I have not been to a TJ’s in a LONG time. Last time was when I was visiting Arizona and couldn’t really buy what I wanted for home since of course I’d have to bring it all with me.
TJ’s has a ton of great options for ready to cook meals, whether they are frozen or otherwise pre-packaged for reasonable price, but the kicker is that not only do they taste good, most of them are actually pretty healthy. I say “pretty” because in my mind no packaged food product can beat a scratch-made product made at home where you know where all the ingredients come from. But for most of us, cooking like that is a luxury that happens only occasionally which is why TJ’s is a great every-day alternative to Hungry Man meals or other crap foods.
We stopped in to check out the new Naples Trader Joe’s fully knowing that we wouldn’t leave without a full cart of food. But, considering our full carts at Costco usually run about $500-700, getting all the stuff we got for $200 was a relative bargain.
For anyone who likes to cook at home while visiting the Fort Myers Beach area and has access to a kitchen (like in a vacation rental for example) then a trip to TJ’s is highly recommended so you can stock up on good food at reasonable prices. While you’re down there, you might also stop in at the nearby Whole Foods if there’s something that you couldn’t find at TJ’s and like top quality stuff, albeit at top prices.