Value Packs

by raleigh, March 30, 2009 | Permalink

Just in time for spring (grilling) weather, the Meat department has added Ground Chuck to their list of items that are available in value packs. Buying the value pack brings the price down to $3.39 a pound, and as always, is free of antibiotics or hormones.

You may have noticed the value packs that are available in both the Meat and Seafood departments. These are a great way to save money. In Seafood, they offer several of their most popular varieties of fish in their value packs of two pounds or more. You can save two dollars a pound by buying it in the value pack which really adds up. Even if there is more fish in the package than you need for one meal, simply freeze the remaining portions and they will be ready for you to use in a flash.

The Meat Department also has several items that they offer in value packs in addition to the Ground Chuck. You can easily freeze what you don’t need from the value pack, but these are also great to pick up when you have a number of people that you are feeding. Another great option is buying meat by the case. Many items in the store can be bought by the case, which gives you a 10% discount on the price. Think about picking up a box of wings the next time you are having a big party. Always hormone and antibiotic free, it is a great way to feed a crowd for less!

Gluten Free Bakehouse

by raleigh, March 27, 2009 | Permalink

Did you know that Whole Foods Market has its own dedicated Gluten Free Bakehouse? These delicious baked goods are made nearby in Morrisville and sent to Whole Foods Markets across the country.

The Gluten Free Bakehouse is led by Lee Tobin, who started as a baker in the Chapel Hill store. When he discovered that he was a celiac (had an intolerance for wheat) he began to develop gluten free recipes and offering them to the Chapel Hill customers. These breads and muffins were fantastic and people started flocking to the store to take advantage of his skill. They became so popular that he began to start baking only gluten free items one day a week, cleaning the kitchen from top to bottom before each shift to ensure that the product would have no wheat contaminants.

The quality and demand for Lee’s baked goods became so big, in fact, that they built a Bakehouse and allowed him to bake in his own facility, with his own team, all the time. This dedicated group of bakers work hard every day to continually develop new recipes and improve on old ones to provide a really delicious product for people that may have thought that they could never enjoy a good muffin, biscuit, brownie, bread, scone, or pie again.

The items that are produced by the Gluten Free Bakehouse are located in the freezer aisle and each one of them is made with love. Lee Tobin will also be at the Gluten Free fair tomorrow in the store, so make sure that you stop by and say hi!

Gluten Free Fair this Saturday!

by raleigh, March 25, 2009 | Permalink

Come join us in the store this Saturday, March 28th, from 11-3 for our Gluten Free Fair! This event will feature Lee Tobin from the Whole Foods Market Gluten Free Bakehouse, Zach from the Gluten Free Raleigh blog, and demos from a variety of vendors including 3 Hot Tamales, Bella Monica, Bard’s Gluten Free Beer, Namaste, original dishes created by our chefs, and more.

If you are living gluten free, or are trying to move in that direction, this fair will hold a wealth of knowledge about options and ideas for continuing to live deliciously. Have questions about living gluten free? You will find answers here, and plenty of new ideas for foods that will fit in with your diet.

If you have never tried the amazing options that now exist for gluten free foods, this fair will be a treat for you! See you on Saturday!

Need a quick gift idea?

by raleigh, March 23, 2009 | Permalink

If you are looking for some new ideas for gift giving, check out what is in the store and get creative. You can create something really unique that will bring a smile to anyone’s face!

There is a great selection of reusable bags made from recycled materials near the Customer Service desk. These unique and exclusive bags start at 79 cents each, making them cheaper than the paper gift bags that you can find at card stores. If you throw in a little tissue paper or maybe a kitchen towel or two into the bag, you have a very earth-friendly start to your gift.

Now comes the fun part! You can easily put together a gift bag for your recipient! If you are hoping to welcome someone to a new home, check out the cleaning aisle. There are a great variety of earth friendly soaps and cleaners, as well as paper towels and trash bags that can come in handy when you first move to a new place. Another easy idea is to pick up a bag or box of 365 Organic pastas (in their new packaging), throw in a bottle of good sauce, a chunk of savory parmesan cheese, and a bottle of wine. That’s a real treat that anyone would be happy to get! Have a Locovore friend? Put together a bag with all local products! They are not hard to find (look for the shelf tags) and are plentiful within the store. When they bring the bag back to the store when they shop, they get 10 cents back every time they use it! It is the gift that keeps giving.

As you walk around the store, keep your eye out for all the unique and distinct products that Raleigh has to offer. You might surprise yourself, and your friends!

Happy Spring!

by raleigh, March 20, 2009 | Permalink

Spring has officially arrived. The days of looking out to a bleak landscape are quickly drawing to a close and our minds and hands are eager to enjoy being outside again!

The Garden Center has numerous goodies that will fill your yard and your heart with all that the warm weather has to offer. Before you even get in the store, you will find beautiful blueberry and blackberry bushes waiting to be planted to provide you with you own sweet, succulent berries all summer long. There are also forsythia bushes that are such a welcome burst of yellow color as the winter months begin to fade. Also look for easy flowers and local herbs!

There is also a big display of bird seed, which can help to attract and nourish our feathered friends. Looking to attract a particular breed? There are different seed mixes to help you bring out the birds that you love most. Adding a few bird feeders to your yard is a simple way to add excitement and bring life to your home.

There are also rain barrels available! Having a rain barrel is a great way to lessen your impact on our resources by enabling you to take advantage of the water that nature provides for us. These barrels are really easy to set up and really lightweight for transporting.

As you enter the store, you will find more plants that are asking to be planted and added to any landscape, including local tulips and azaleas. If you have any questions about any of the plants that are available, just ask anyone in Floral for some help! They would love to help you choose the best plants for your yard and the best way to help them grow big and strong for years of enjoyment to come.

Deals of the Week

by raleigh, March 18, 2009 | Permalink

Here are a few of my favorite deals from this week!

Green Mountain Gringo, an awesome company based in Winston-Salem, makes fabulous chips and salsa that are on sale right now. Their chips are distinct in their shape- a tortilla strip instead of a round- and have a flavorful crisp that can’t be beat. Their salsas are very tasty and come in mild, medium, hot, roasted garlic, and roasted chile. Each one of them has a great flavor and tastes like what a well made salsa should taste like! They also come in reusable mason jars which is an added bonus. The chips are on sale for $1.99 (from $2.79) and the salsas are on sale for 2/$7 (from $4.49).

The entire line of Tazo teas is on sale for 2/$6 (regularly $3.99-$4.29 each). These are really wonderful teas and are great either hot or iced. They have a number of great flavors including African Red Bush, Earl Grey, Awake, and an assorted box, as well.

Kashi frozen pizzas are on sale for 2/$10 (regularly $7.69 each) and are as delicious as anything from Kashi that you may have already tried. There are three flavors available: Mediterranean, Five Cheese, and Roasted Garlic. These are great to keep in the freezer for an easy dinner or weekend lunch.

Also, in Prepared Foods, they have a great item on sale that is worth checking out. Jeremy’s Vegan Mock Crabcakes are on sale for $8.99/lb (normally $10.99/lb). These are made from the same locally made mock chicken that their Vegan Chicken Salad is made from, but it is used in the crabcakes to create a really delicious (and seafood/meat free) patty. These are fantastic inside a bun with lettuce, tomato, and some of Alan’s tartar sauce. You’ll be surprised!

Drinking Coffee in the Rain

by raleigh, March 16, 2009 | Permalink

If there is anything that can make rainy days a little better, it has to be a big hot cup of coffee. The rich flavor can fill your soul and make even a cold and rainy day seem a lot better.

If you are a coffee lover and are looking for a good cup of coffee at a really good price, check out the deals in the coffee aisle. In the section above and below the coffee grinders in our store you will find the 365 Everyday Value line of coffee. These 24 ounce bags (that is a pound and a half of coffee!) are only $9.99! Every day! Two of these varieties are organic- the Pacific Rim Blend and the Buzz Free Decaf. There are three other blends that are just as tasty- French Roast, Columbian, and Pleasant Morning Buzz.

The 365 Everyday Value line of coffee is the same quality as the smaller bags that are on the shelves nearby. The beans for these blends are simply a mixture of Allegro beans. While the bags of Allegro are specific to an individual farm, the 365 Everyday Value coffees are a blend of several farms’ beans.

At this price, it could rain for a few days longer!

Get Your Green On!

by raleigh, March 13, 2009 | Permalink

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and this weekend is a great time to start celebrating! Here in the store, you will find everything that you need to fill your table with great traditional fare to get you in the mood for this celebratory time.

The Corned Beef Briskets are now available in the Meat department after weeks of brining. Even if you did not pre-order one there are some extras, so make sure that you get yours. At only $5.99 a pound, this is a great value and essential for a great St. Paddy’s day meal.

Over in Produce, you will find everything that goes great with that brisket, inluding organic North Carolina cabbage. The big beautiful heads of green cabbage are from Fresh Mountain Farms in Boone and are bursting with flavor. They are on sale for 3 pounds for $2.  Produce also has Red Bliss potatoes on sale for 79 cents a pound and sweet onions on sale for $1.29 a pound to round out your main course.

Specialty has many offerings for the season, including delicious Irish cheeses. Kerrygold’s Ivernia cheese and also Dubliner with Irish Stout are on sale, as well as some excellent artisan cheese choices from Neal’s Yard Dairy in Ireland. Specialty also has Irish butters on sale. Irish butters have a creamier texture and Kerrygold has three great varieties to choose from. There are the salted and unsalted varieties and also a garlic and herb flavor that is out of this world. You could finish off a plate of sauteed vegetables with a pat of this intensely flavored butter, or just smear some on some bread to experience this tasty treat. And, of course, there are several varieties of Irish beers available to suit your taste.

Over in the Bakery, be sure to pick up some Irish Soda Bread which is on sale for $4.99 a loaf. This treat is a tradition, both on the Irish table and also in the Bakery. Spread some of the salted or unsalted Kerrygold butter on a slice for a real treat.

Whole Body is also in tune with the season and has select greens supplements on sale for St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t just wear green, eat it, too!

However you decide to celebrate the holiday, enjoy it and make it green!

Great Deals of the Week

by raleigh, March 11, 2009 | Permalink

There are quite a few great deals that are available in the store right now, so catch them while you can!

Whole Body has their entire selection of Crocs on sale right now for 40% off! With this discount, the adult sizes are $17.99 and the kids sizes are only $14.99. If you or anyone you know is a fan of Crocs, this deal can’t be beat. Summer is just around the corner and these shoes are invaluable for working in the yard, walking on the beach, or just to wear casually. The colors and sizes are limited to what is in stock at the store, so get there soon to find some for yourself.

In the Frozen aisle, the Ethnic Gourmet frozen entrees are on sale, making this a great time to stock up. These are not your ordinary run-of-the-mill frozen dinners. On sale for $3.69 (a savings of a dollar each), these entrees feature either a Taste of Thai or a Taste of India, all with authentic flavors and spices. There are quite a few varieties to choose from, including Lemongrass Basil Chicken, Palak Paneer, and Chicken Tikki Masala. For all those Indian and Thai food lovers who love the taste of these traditional dishes but do not have the time to prepare them, these are a great option.

Wallaby Organic Yogurts have a new line that are on sale right now. Wallaby is a fantastic line of Australian style creamy yogurts and have a great variety of unique and delicious flavors. The new yogurts are called “Down Under” and include “lots of fruit and lowfat yogurt.” They look different than the original Wallaby line, with the bottom third of the clear cup filled with fruit (hence the clever “down under” reference) and the top third with creamy yogurt. There are new flavors, as well, including Mango Tango, Pink Grapefruit, Berries and Cream, Dark Chocolate, and Peach Passion. These are all on sale for buy one get one free, so you get two of these delicious organic yogurts for $1.39.

Several Varieties of Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese are on sale for $1.25 a box, making it a great time to stock your pantry with this quick meal idea. Who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? Throw in some broccoli and carrots or some salsa in the finished dish for a complete meal. Annie’s makes it easy to eat well in a flash.

Lifestyle Center

by raleigh, March 8, 2009 | Permalink

Many people do not know that there is an amazing community resource that is located right in the store. In the back of the Whole Body department, you will find a classroom called the Lifestyle Center that is home to a variety of classes every month. This is a great meeting place and provides great opportunities to get together with other people that are interested in similar topics and also to learn from an instructor that is already experienced in that area.

Every month, the schedule of classes is available both online (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/raleigh/storecalendar.php) and also through printed calendars that are available in the store. They are located at Customer Service and also right outside the door of the Lifestyle Center. There are a few classes and/or instructors that appear regularly and many other classes are different every month. Several classes are free, some charge a small fee, and the cooking class fees cover the food for the class and generous samples that the class recieves. Many of the classes are relevant to the season and cover topics that will be beneficial to explore at that time of year. Any way you look at it, these classes are a true value.

One of the longest running classes (and the tastiest) are Sheri Castle’s classes. She has taught classes at our store for years and also teaches throughout the community. Her class this month is highlighting foods from Central America and the proceeds from the class will benefit the Whole Planet Foundation. Not only is she a fabulous cook with really delicious ideas, but she is also an excellent teacher. She involves the class in every step and works in simple tips, suggestions, and methods throughout the preparation. She is engaging and entertaining and everyone from the novice cook to the seasoned pro will get plenty out of her classes. Everyone always has a great time and no one leaves hungry!

Be sure to check the calendar every month to see what is happening in the Lifestyle Center!