BY TARA BURKE 

One thing that Cailin and I love to do is go grocery shopping in any and all of the hip grocery stores out there. Some cool grocery stores in the NY area are Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, Whole Foods and Adams Fairacre Farms just to name a few. If you haven’t been to a grocery store that does things a little differently, try to find one in your area and go even if you don’t need to buy anything. Chances are you’ll find some local treats you can’t pass up on, which is what happened to us the other day when we decided to pop into Whole Foods. So here are all of our impulse buys:

A bunch of healthy drinks: Sometimes a good refreshment is all it takes to make your day brighter. For me it is usually coffee, but sometimes it’s nice to have a healthier option on hand. My go-to healthy drink is a fruit smoothie, so I got these Odwalla smoothies in their classic Mango Tango and Banana Strawberry flavors. These guys are packed with nutrients and have no GMOs. Cailin got a Plan Tea, which is made from whole tea leaves and is only sweetened by organic honey. If you like tea, but think the big store brands are too sugary, this brand is for you. She also got a Chia Star drink. A lot of people have been catching onto the chia health craze, but we had yet to try it. I’ve seen friends put it in their water bottles and it always looked like a bunch of fish eggs floating in their water! However, they aren’t as intimidating in a colored beverage so she gave it a shot since they are chock full of omega 3s, fiber and antioxidants among many other benefits.

I also snuck a Cherry Vanilla Creme soda into the basket. I hardly ever drink soda, but like it as a treat now and then and couldn’t pass up on this flavor. It tastes like a mix between regular creme soda and a cherry coke, two of my favorites.

Naan & Hummus: Who doesn’t like hummus?! We picked up the Whole Foods brand in the roasted tomato flavor. It was a little more tangy then Sabra hummus, but still good! For some reason whenever we are craving hummus the store is all out of pita bread, but whole wheat naan works just as well.

Ice Cream: With tons of local and unique flavors, not to mention all the wonderful brand designs, we couldn’t help but leave with a few pints. Cailin and I ended up choosing Steve’s Ice Cream, which is based in Brooklyn. I got the Sunday Morning flavor and Cailin got Mexican Chili Chocolate. Both were delicious. Cailin is always looking for a spicy kick and thought this ice cream had just the right amount of spiciness. She also loved the Taza guajillo chili chocolate pieces. We then decided one more pint couldn’t hurt and got a ginger and pear frozen yogurt from Pure Gourmet, which we have yet to taste, but our parent’s favorite healthy cure-all is ginger so we thought we’d try it.