The Nutty Nutritionist

I was watching my post-Idol, post-House, post-Law and Order SVU, post-Veronica Mars (at least for part of the season jesus Tuesday was a big night for me and Charto for a while) show, My Life On The D-list, tonight. Kathy Griffin as a poor-man's Ryan Seacrest, she would find that rich. I love the feud between her and Ryan, because most guys in my life, no matter how gay they find Seacrestina (TM Television Without Pity) and they mostly do still find him gay, side 100% with Ryan in the feud. Guys just do not like Kathy. Except of course for her gays.

Anyway, she's trying to lose 10 pounds for some stupid article that Star Magazine is doing and she hired this guy that the TV show captioned "The Nutty Nutriotionist." So I spent about 5 minutes googling the nutty nutritionist, before I figured out that probably wasn't his brand name, it was just the silly caption that the wacky producers used. Although The Nutty Nutritionist is kind of a funny name for a nutritionist.

But he didn't seem particularily funny. He advised Kathy to eat lots of twigs and berries, and he brought her a bag of groceries from Trader Joe's. In one of those hippy paper bags that I hate so much. Why do they keep pushing those awful paper bags? Those seriously have to be bad for the environment, just think of all the trees that give their life for those extra thick Trader Joe's paper bags.

I'm still waiting for TJs to make it mandatory that their customers bring their own bags. They are getting one step closer to that goal by giving everyone who brings their own bags in a chance to enter a raffle. I've entered that damn raffle three times and I don't think they have done the drawing yet. What is up with that TJs? You are just giving away a bag of groceries, which can't be more than $30. Unless some packs their groceries filled with really expensive steaks.

I do need to take a moment to acknowledge Kartik, who commented back awhile on my post about the canvas bags. Yup you were totally right about the canvas bags. They have totally gotten gross. I finally had to retire two of them to the laundry. And there is probably no laundry detergent that is actually going to clean them up that well. So I'm just going to have to tote around grungy canvas bags. And get snooty looks from all the dirty rich hippies that shop at the Toluca Lake Trader Joe's.

But back to my girl Kathy. The second best moment in the episode, after seeing the shout out to TJs? Kathy's parents bring over all these delivious baked goods from, yup, you guessed it, the best bakery in the Valley, Porto's. A perfect day is dinner from TJs (carnitas which is my favorite TJs food and is fitting since Porto's is a cuban bakery) and dessert from Porto's (the chocolate croissant is really the only dessert I've tried and it is awesome). And if TJs and Porto's combines forces they would be unstoppable and take over the world.

I heart MySpace! I heart The Charles Shaw Project!

Reasons to love MySpace:

• the interface is so old-school crappy DOS-esque and yet you can do all this crazy stuff to your site to make it look totally unique. I've opted for the old-school crappy DOS-esque version.
• there are tons and tons of random groups to join including a group all about Trader Joe's. So of course I joined!
• the main thing about MySpace is spreading the love for unsigned artists that you would otherwise have to hear about from your indie-music-snob friend... and maybe not everyone has a music snob friend... my latest find is a band that takes its name from a Trader Joe's product I think because they were drinking it while they wrote the songs... here they are take a listen...
  

THE CHARLES SHAW PROJECT

Add them as your friend, spread the love, isn't that graphic awesome??

Viva La TJvolution!

A note about sugar

Okay so I have to take a little time to talk about the latest enemy sugar. I started this blog for my mom (and my dad but he hasn't been reading it so it's really just for my mom until my dad starts reading it and now that they got this amazing new computer and high speed internet access he really doesn't have any excuses). I thought she would like to read about products at Trader Joe's, since a new Trader Joe's just opened up in West Hartford.

Then I traveled back east for a bit and was informed that sugar is my parents newest enemy and they are on a low sugar diet. Now their reasons for being on a low sugar diet are totally valid (more medical and health than cosmetic). So for my mom, I will make an effort to make more low sugar posts. I don't want to be the cause of any health crisises because I recommended the delicious tasty high sugar treat of Mango Juice.

But for everyone else, a note about sugar and my eating philosophy. Everything in moderation. So sugar's not the enemy, as long as you don't go crazy and pour it down your throat. Of course if I could follow this wonderful philosophy of everything in moderation when I'm around pizza or french fries, my heart would be much happier.

One of the things that I like about eating foods from Trader Joe's is that they do seem a little more healthier than the processed junk that you get at your local chain grocery store. I don't know if that is a marketing/packaging myth or if the foods really are healthier. Although the fact that I'm actually heating up (tm) dinner instead of eating fast food every night, that is definitely healthier.

Canvas Bag

I hate those annoying paper bags from TJs because I don't like having to fold them up and put them in the recycling bin where they take up all the space. And the handles usually break. I do use those really bad for the environment plactic bags to take my lunch to work, but they pile up. I have enough to take 30 million lunches to work.

Then one day I spotted the Trader Joe's Canvas Bag hanging up near the register. I'm a huge register buyer. Even though I know that stuff right by the register is aimed specifically at people like me, who like making impulse purchases. I actually have begun to think of the impulse purchase area as a wonderful place for the store to put merchandise that they so kindly have decided to remind me to purchase. Because they are usually right. I do need those AAA batteries (thank you Home Depot), I do need that bleach pen (thank you Target), I do need canvas bags for my groceries to reduce my overdependence on plastic bags (thank you Trader Joe's).

I bought the canvas bags for a couple of reasons. Okay I like that I'm doing my really really really tiny part to help the environment (although according to a special that I saw on 20/20, the fact that we are running out of landfill space is a myth... discuss). I like that I don't have to deal with millions of plastic bags anymore. I love that I don't have to stop the Trader Joe's employees from putting my groceries in the hated paper bags.

I also read somewhere about how Europeans go to the grocery store way more frequently than Americans, and they get fresh wonderful food, making them wonderfully impossibly thin. So yes some strange part of me think that by going to the grocery store three times a week and eating fresh wonderful food, I will be impossibly thin and healthy and European. Oh but back to the bags, I only bought three so that forces me to go for smaller trips, more frequently, more European, more wonderful.

And finally, I always hated getting back from Trader Joe's with eight bags that I had to drag up to the house. Now that I do go more frequently (usually twice a week) its much more pleasant dragging three canvas bags upstairs.

Cost: $3.99 each

On Bag: Trader Joe's A Unique Grocery Store (come on that's cute)

Location: Usually hanging right near the register, near that bell that the employees sometimes ring and I'm never really sure why.