La Tomate has been a fixture in Dupont Circle for nearly 28 years. But with the increasing dining competition, owner Natalina Koropoulos knew she needed to make a change. “Things have gotten very difficult for restaurants, at least in my case,” she says. “There’s so many restaurants, so many things to try. I think diversification […]

In a perfect world, I’d do all of my grocery shopping at a leisurely pace at the farmers’ market, make my own yogurt, cheese and butter, can all of my own fruits and vegetables, and have pastured chickens grazing in my backyard providing eggs naturally rich in omega-3s to feed my always polite and perky children.

The reality is, some of these things happen some of the time (minus the grazing chickens and perpetually perky children). I fill in with convenience items when needed. Even though “convenience food” is often code for junk food, it’s not always the case. Take Trader Joe’s, for instance, which does a pretty darn good job of offering “quick and easy” that is also rather healthy.

And while I get my Trader’s fix a couple of times a month, some folks I know don’t shop anywhere else and wax so enthusiastically about the place, you’d think Trader Joe was someone they were dating. Plus, who doesn’t love those tiny cups of coffee to swill as you shop?

The upside of Trader Joe’s is that it promises that any food bearing its label has no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, genetically modified ingredients, MSG, or added trans fats. Love that, too!

The downside? The foods rely a little more heavily on packaging than I like. It would also be nice to see a few more organic items in the mix. All that being said, here are my top picks for shopping at Trader Joe’s.

Trader Joe’s Top 20

1. Pain Pauline — The name and style of bread is clearly a play on the famous Pain Poilane of France. And while it isn’t quite the loaf of its Parisian counterpart, it does make for an excellent slice of toast or grilled cheese sandwich. Plus, made with whole grains and just three ingredients — whole wheat, water, and salt — it meets my guidelines for a better bread.
2. Steamed Lentils — I was pretty surprised by how good these were the first time I picked them up in the produce section of the store. The lentils maintain their texture and don’t go to mush, as you might expect. Make a Lentil Salad by warming them slightly, adding diced vegetables, olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, and chopped fresh herbs.
3. Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Dark Chocolate — I prefer bittersweet chocolate to milk for its higher antioxidant content. This one is imported from Belgium and sold at a significant discount over many mainstream brands.
4. Organic Popping Corn — One of the best, whole grain snack foods you can buy, and Trader Joe’s offers an organic one at under two bucks a bag. That’s a lot of movie time.
5. Frozen Wild Sockeye Salmon — Of course nothing beats fresh fish, but with the steep price of wild salmon these days, this frozen sockeye is a tasty alternative.
6. Freeze-Dried Fruit — The store stocks a variety of one-ingredient freeze-dried fruit, including raspberries, strawberries, and grapes. They’re a fine fix for a sweet tooth and excellent in place of dried fruit in granola and homemade muesli.
7. Old Fashioned Blister Peanuts — There’s some kind of magic in these peanuts. Bigger than garden variety peanuts, they’re superbly crunchy and perfectly salted. Tasty eaten out of hand, I also love them in peanut butter cookies or tossed into an Asian slaw. Double thumbs up.
8. Pure Maple Syrup — Although I grew up on Mrs. Butterworth’s, I’ve adopted pure maple syrup to pour over pancakes and use as a household sweetener. Trader Joe’s offers a more affordable option in a generous size than most markets.
9. Shredded Raw Carrots — Sure I could peel and grate a whole mess of carrots to keep on hand, but the fact is, I don’t. This has become a refrigerator staple to add to sandwiches, wraps, and salads.
10. Whole Wheat Lavash Bread — This is a pantry staple for wraps, roll ups, and easy Lavash Pizza. They also sell a white flour version, but I find the whole wheat goes under the radar with my crew.
11. Mini Brie Bites — Another kid favorite for school lunch, these little Bries sold in a pack of six are darn cute and good for a snack along with a piece of fruit. They also make a quick breakfast smeared on whole grain bread under sliced tomato.
12. Trader Joe’s Brand Plain Organic Yogurt — I always have a tub of plain yogurt in the fridge, preferring to add my own fruits and sweeteners over having someone else do it for me. This creamy organic yogurt does the job.
13. Thai, Lime & Chili Almonds — Warning: These are spicy. Seasoned with lemongrass, lime, and chili, they make a good snack food fix for the spicy-tolerant child or for a grown-up alongside a favorite cocktail.
14. Cabot Sharp Cheddar — A sharp Cheddar that is actually sharp, a little goes a long way with this Cabot cheese since it’s mega flavorful.
15. Baby Beets — For a quick side dish, these tender, cooked beets sold in the produce section are a cinch. I like to slice them, mix with oranges or tangerines, toss with olive oil and vinegar, and top with crumbled feta.
16. Bob’s Red Mill Flax Meal — Since flax seeds need to be ground in order to yield the full nutritional benefits, I opt for flax meal rather than whole seeds. I store the flax meal in the freezer and add a scoop or two to baked goods, homemade granola, hot cereal, and smoothies for a fiber and omega-3 boost.
17. Refrigerated Whole Wheat Pizza Dough — I buy pizza dough when I don’t have time to make my own. Trader Joe’s makes for a pretty fine pie.
18. Roasted Seaweed Snack — Seaweed is naturally rich in minerals, low in calories and takes care of the “salty snack” fix. My kids are crazy about it.
19. Frozen Fruit — I keep a small storehouse of frozen fruit on hand (organic when I can get it) for breakfast and after school smoothies. Trader Joe’s has a good variety.
20. Organic Persian Cucumbers — These petite cucumbers don’t need to be peeled or seeded so make a quick add-in to salads or school lunches. They’re crunchy and get extra points for their “cute” factor.

P.S. I also like the wine section of the store. Bargain basement prices and a good variety of options.

What are your Trader Joe’s picks?

For more from Katie, check out her blog, Mom’s Kitchen Handbook, where you’ll find recipes and tips for feeding a family. You can also follow her on Instagram @KatieMorford and find out what she’s up to on Google+.

You know you can easily meet your daily protein requirements with a steak or a platter of sashimi, but you can get the essential nutrient from these lesser-expected foods, as well.

By Corrie Pikul

1. The Best for Dieters

What They Are: Nuts and seeds

How Much Protein You Get: Almonds and pistachios have about 5–7 grams per ounce; macadamias and hazelnuts have 2–3 grams per ounce.

Why They’re Great: Packed with protein as well as healthy monosaturated fat and fiber, nuts are surprisingly filling. This could be why studies keep finding a relationship between eating nuts and dropping pounds. In one, people who ate 70 almonds a day (in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet) lost 18 percent of their body weight.

One More Thing: The average 150-pound woman needs 60–100 grams of protein a day, says Lauren Schmitt, RD, founder of Healthy Eating & Training. Instead of trying to get all of your protein in your entrées, eat smaller amounts throughout the day, to better regulate your mood, hunger and blood sugar levels, Schmitt says. Sprinkle nuts on foods like cereal, oatmeal, salads and fruit.

2. The Best All-Purpose Alternative to Chicken

What It Is: Soy

How Much Protein You Get: One half-cup of soybeans has (are you ready for this?) about 34 grams of protein (in comparison, a half-cup of chicken has about 17 grams). In tofu form, a half-cup of soy has about 10 grams.

Why It’s Great: Soybeans are the only plant food that are considered a “complete protein,” which means they provide all the essential amino acids in the amounts needed for good health, says Sumner Brooks, RDN, founder of Not on a Diet. There’s a reason vegetarians love soy: Tofu can rival chicken in stir-frys, and tempeh (which is compressed soy) is a ground-beef doppelganger in chili and sauces. Try roasted soybeans with pumpkin seeds for a convenient, filling, high-protein snack.

One More Thing: Processed soy foods, like veggie burgers or soy dogs, are often made with soy protein isolate (SPI). While you are getting protein, this means that you’re not getting soy’s other nutrients or its soluble fiber, explains Brooks (and because of the way the protein is isolated, you could be getting other unnatural chemicals instead).

3. The Best Treat

What It Is: Dairy

How Much Protein You Get: A cup of milk has about 8 grams, an ounce of cheese has 6–7 grams, yogurt has 4–6 grams (per 6-ounce serving), Greek yogurt and kefir have 15–20 grams.

Why It’s Great: Dairy foods are a high-quality protein food, and a little goes a long way toward meeting your amino acid and protein requirements. Greek yogurt and kefir are veritable protein powerhouses, and a serving has as much protein as a serving of lean meat.

One More Thing: Brooks says clients who talk about giving up dairy and replacing milk with nut milk are shocked to hear that almond milk is so diluted from the source of the whole nut that the liquid has little to no protein.

4. The Best for Antioxidants

What They Are: Beans

How Much Protein You Get: A cup of cooked beans generally has between 12–16 grams.

Why They’re Great: They’re low in fat and high in insoluble as well as soluble fiber, which help promote a healthy digestive tract, lower blood cholesterol levels and can reduce the risk of some types of cancer. A growing body of research suggests that eating beans, as well as fish, chicken or nuts in place of red meat can lower the risk of several diseases and premature death. Eat a mix of colors to get different types of heath-promoting, free-radical-fighting antioxidants.

One More Thing: Beans are considered “incomplete,” because they’re missing essential amino acids, explains Schmitt. Pair them with whole grains that have complementary amino acids as well as extra protein. Good combos: Lentils and quinoa, black beans and brown rice, hummus and whole wheat pita.

5. The Best Choice for Those Who Work Out a Lot

What They Are: Eggs

How Much Protein You Get: One large egg has 6 grams of protein (about 12 percent of the recommended daily value).

Why They’re Great: Eggs are another perfect, complete protein, with all the amino acids your body needs, says Schmitt. What’s more, they contain vitamin B12, which is involved in processes like fat breakdown, muscle contraction and promoting a healthy metabolism.

One More Thing: Most of an egg’s protein is found in the white, but don’t toss the yolks, says Schmitt. That’s where you’ll find vitamins A, B12 and D, as well as calcium, folate and omega-3s. (And you know that eating an egg a day won’t have any ill effects on your cholesterol level.)

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Award-winning actor, director and screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton says we are living in a time where people root against one another. In the above clip from “Oprah’s Master Class,” Thornton gives reality TV junkies something to chew on.

“We’re living in a time that’s just become judgmental and everybody wants to see failure,” Thornton says. “They want to see people knocked off the hill. You can’t have a television show without a competition because they want to see who cries this week and who goes downhill, who gets kicked out.”

Thornton’s case in point: The Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars.” “We don’t need one show about cupcakes, as far as I’m concerned, but you know what, if you want one — okay, that’s fine,” he says. “Let’s have a show about cupcakes. But does it have to be a f****** competition? Do you have to have cupcake wars? And I’m sure people who have been in war kind of take offense to that because seriously, it’s not that g****** dangerous to make a cupcake.”

“I guess I’m just really ready for people to kind of settle down and know each other again and root for each other as opposed to look for the faults in each other,” Thornton says.

Thornton muses that maybe that’s why in his films, the stories he writes take place in other times and places. “There’s a lot of great stuff in life from the top to the bottom and from the left to the right,” he says. “Life is magical and I guess my thing is I wish that people wanted that magic.”

“Oprah’s Master Class” airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on OWN.

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HILLSBORO, Ore. (AP) — There’s mischief afoot in one suburban Portland neighborhood, but police say it doesn’t involve the typical spray paint or broken windows. No, we’re talking pastry here — maple bars smeared on cars, doughnuts left atop windshield wipers, pastries littering a yard.

One woman told officers she’s seen more than a dozen incidents of food smeared on cars. Not just pastry, but yogurt, cakes and eggs. She alerted police July 11.

The next day, another woman told police her vehicle had been hit six times — twice with a maple bar, once with a cinnamon doughnut, once with pink yogurt, once with “bread soaked in a white slimy liquid” and once with red potato salad.

The crime wave in a northeast Hillsboro neighborhood has been going on for six weeks, The Oregonian reported Monday (http://is.gd/67zUZO ).

Police think the victims of the night-time vandalism are chosen at random and kids are likely behind it.

Lt. Mike Rouches says officers are investigating and extra patrols have been added.

Still, he adds, “In my 25 years in police services, I have never investigated or seen a criminal mischief involving pastries.”

OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) — McDonald’s Corp. said its profit slipped in the second quarter as sales in the U.S. continued to flag.

The world’s biggest hamburger chain has been struggling to boost sales in its flagship market amid intensifying competition, changing eating habits and the persistent financial struggles of its lower-income customers.

In the U.S., sales at established locations fell 1.5 percent for the period fewer customers came into its restaurants. The company, based in Oak Brook, Illinois, hasn’t managed to raise the figure since October.

Executives say they’re working to improve basics such as operational speed and service, but that they don’t expect performance to change significantly in the near term.

CEO Don Thompson said the company was moving with a sense of urgency to improve its performance but acknowledged the concerns expressed by analysts about the pace of change during a conference call.

“This is not the kind of thing that I would say I sleep well at night,” Thompson said.

Globally, McDonald’s said comparable sales were “relatively flat” for the period. A stronger performance in the unit encompassing Asia, the Middle East and Africa helped offset a decline in Europe. For July, however, McDonald’s said it expects the figure to be negative.

For the quarter ended June 30, McDonald’s earned $1.39 billion, or $1.40 per share. That was short of the $1.43 per share expected by analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research.

A year ago, the company earned $1.4 billion, or $1.38 per share.

Total revenue rose 1.4 percent to $7.18 billion. That missed Wall Street forecasts for $7.29 billion.

Shares of McDonald’s, which is based in Oak Brook, Illinois, were down 2 percent at $95.19 in premarket trading.

Shares have increased 52 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $97.55 since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index has climbed 6.8 percent.