I love when food is fun! Growing up, I was lucky to have a mom who gave me free reign when it came to getting as creative as I could while packing my own school lunches. That’s when I learned the value of fabulous finger foods.

Although generally thought of as being kid-friendly, finger foods are just as much fun for grown-ups. Finger foods can be miniature versions of many popular dishes from appetizers and sandwiches to pizzas, gourmet foods and desserts. But when it comes to packing lunches and snacks, the cleaner and neater the better — requiring as few napkins as possible!

Here are my ideas for some no-fork, no-spoon, no-cooking–required finger foods. Combine several for a full lunch or pack one or two for snacks. Some of these can be served cold (pack with an ice pack) or warmed in the morning and placed in a thermos until lunchtime.

• Small squares or triangles of sandwiches. Try ham, turkey, tuna, hummus or egg salad sandwiches.
• Marinated, baked tofu, cubed into bite-size pieces
• Mini whole grain bagels, plain or cut in half and stuffed with cream cheese, turkey or ham, peanut or other nut butter, and/or natural fruit-sweetened jam.
• Fancy up your lunch with Mini Brie and Arugula Sandwiches with Apple Mustard.
• Small slices of cold pizza; make these simple Whole Grain Mini Pizzas.
• Small slices or squares of cold quiche. Try Mini Ham and Cheese Quiches, Spinach, Mushroom and Swiss Crustless Quiche Squares, or Tofu and Broccoli Quiche.
• Small chicken, turkey or tofu sausages – served cold or heated, wrapped in foil and placed in a thermos.
• Cooked, cold samosas or vegetable potstickers.
• Ready-to-eat spring rolls.
• Vegetarian sushi (the brown rice sushi is delicious).
• Vegetable pâté on crackers or slices of French baguette, like in this Black-Eyed Pea Pâté with Pickled Onions on Flatbread Crackers or in this Mushroom Pâté
• Deviled eggs.
• Natural beef or turkey jerky.
• Mixed nuts, trail mix or air-popped popcorn.
• Fruits like apples, peaches, plums, grapes and berries (slice if needed).
• Steamed, cooled broccoli florets (good dipped into dressing or hummus).
• Cut up veggies such as carrots, celery, cucumbers and peppers – be sure to pack a favorite healthy dip such as nut butters, hummus, bean dip or cream cheese mixed with mashed fruit.
• Deconstruct a sandwich into kabobs by combining cherry tomatoes, cubed cheese, toasted bread cubes, pickles and rolled-up deli meat on skewers.
• Smoked salmon (great with cream cheese and sliced red onions on crackers).
• Miniature whole grain sweet or savory muffins – you can make any favorite muffin into mini muffins with a mini-muffin pan. Try Savory Cheese, Cranberry and Herb Mini Muffins or Yogurt Honey Health Muffins.
• Whole grain graham crackers spread with nut butter and fruit sweetened jam or banana slices.
• Cookies made from healthy grains such as Oh-So-Good Oatmeal Raisin cookies.
• Natural fruit strips – these are a healthier version of fruit leathers, made from real fruit with no added sugar and no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

For more great ideas, check out our Back to School Primer.

Got your own favorite finger foods perfect for lunch or snacks? Let me know!

Plump, sweet and juicy, there’s so much to love about cherries! Cherry Fest is our way of celebrating all things cherry, so our stores will have plenty of cherries for all of your cherry needs. Summer is the best time to buy cherries because that’s when they’re at their seasonal best so you’re sure to find the sweetest fruits and the sweetest prices! How will you celebrate Cherry Fest?

Personally, I like to keep a large stock of cherries around because I find that I tend to eat them by the handful. This summer I think I’ll buy a little extra and instead of gobbling ALL of them up and spitting out the pits willy-nilly as usual, I’m going to try and explore cherry’s flavor potential. I’m excited to see how cherries will lend their deep sweetness to more than just desserts! Here are some really delicious recipes that caught my eye.

Fresh Cherry Compote with Orange-Scented Mascarpone

I’ll start with a fresh and easy dessert that I can prepare ahead of time and spoon together when I have friends over for dinner. I bet the compote would also be tasty served over ice cream or cake.

Wilted Kale with Cherries

I’m always trying to get more greens in my diet and this savory-sweet side dish sounds really flavorful. I also really like the idea of using apple juice as a cooking liquid.

Scallops with Cherry-Tarragon Sauce

If I’m looking to impress some guests, I’ll pair cherries with tarragon to make a delicious sauce to pour over seared scallops.

Cherry Crostata

A little less structured than traditional cherry pie, wedges of this free-form pie would be great to serve at brunch as well as for dessert.

Cherry Skillet Jam

This jam recipe makes about one cup and keeps for five days—that means I can have five days of spreading onto biscuits, adding to peanut butter sandwiches, serving with pancakes….

Goat Cheese Bruschetta with Cherries and Mint

An appetizer with no heat needed further than toasting some bread. That’s my kind of summer entertaining!

You’ll still probably catch me hanging out in my hammock with a big bowl of chilled cherries this summer! How are you celebrating Cherry Fest? Have any awesome cherry recipes you’d like to share?

Is delicious summer food part of your July 4^th celebration? It is for ours! Get ready for fireworks of flavor, prepared with summer’s best ingredients. Here are some of our top recipe picks for a sizzling 4th!

Are you chilling and grilling or preparing a bang-up meal? Leave a comment to tell us about your favorite way to celebrate July 4^th!

Melt-in-my-mouth-marvelous! Like nothing else! That’s how I remember my first bite of that mildly sweet (okay, seductive) scallop a friend gave me at a fancy restaurant in San Francisco. It was the kind of bite that makes you want to take another and another. Only it wasn’t mine. I was having the chicken. I soon vowed to never again have chicken in a restaurant that served fresh scallops. Many times since, those tender, succulent little morsels have made their way onto my plate as appetizers, salads and main dishes.

$x.xx =amount of savings will vary

And now you too can get your fill of wild-caught sea scallops from Marine Stewardship Council-certified sustainable fisheries this Friday, June 10^th, during our one-day sale for $9.99 per pound. You better try to beat me there, though, ‘cause they are only available at that price while supplies last! Our seafood expert tells me that these scallops are incredibly flavorful — “second to none!” They are individually frozen at sea within hours of being harvested, which is really unique.

A scallop is a mollusk that lives in a fan-shaped, two-hinged shell that scientists call a “bivalve.” The shell is ridged or “scalloped” in appearance. Scallops can be large or small. The delectable, edible portion of a large scallop, known as a Sea Scallop, is a marshmallow-shaped muscle that has been overly developed by the rapid snapping of the shell as it moves short distances through the sea. The small varieties such as Bay or Calico Scallops look more like miniature marshmallows.

Cooking scallops takes very little time but can be a bit tricky, so keep these tips in mind:

• Fresh scallops are not pure white; their colors can range from light beige to milky pink.
• Large scallops are fine for grilling, pan sautéing, breading and frying, or broiling.
• Small scallops are best suited for soups, stews, casseroles, salads, and stir-frying.
• Regardless of size, a raw scallop must always be firm to the touch with a fresh, mild slightly sweet scent.
• Once purchased, scallops must be refrigerated immediately, and ideally cooked within 24 hours.
• Be sure to pat them dry with a paper towel before sautéing in hot oil or butter.
• Whatever cooking method you choose, resist all temptation to over-cook! This is sure disaster for scallops. They can go from tender to rubber in a matter of seconds! Large scallops will cook in just 3 to 5 minutes; the smaller varieties are done in just a minute or two.
• If adding scallops to soups, stews or chowders, always add them right before serving, cooking just until they turn opaque; serve immediately.
• Resist the temptation to over-salt, over-spice and over-season — you don’t want to overpower their mild, delicate flavor.

If you’re ready for some serious scallop-seduction, look no further than these great ideas:

• Pair them with fruit; citrus, mango, papaya, veggie and/or fruit salsas all work great. Here is a recipe for Grilled Pineapple and Scallops Teriyaki and here’s another for Seared Scallops with Blood Oranges and Smoked Paprika Sauce.
• Serve seared or grilled over a bed of leafy greens tossed with light vinaigrette.
• Turn scallops into an appetizer like we did with Sautéed Scallops and Tomatoes on Garlic Toast.
• Toss cooked scallops into hot pasta.
• Add to simmering tomato sauce just before serving.
• Bake with tomatoes and cheese and serve with hot crusty bread.
• Add to soups, chowders and stews. You will love this recipe for Seafood Soup with Kale and Potatoes.
• Serve over hot cooked rice, or make Seafood Paella with Crab and Sugar Snap Peas.
• Scallops are delicious alongside pumpkin, fennel and white wine in Autumn Bouillabaisse.
• Gently poach in water or broth. Drain and marinate in favorite vinaigrette until well chilled. Serve with romaine lettuce, lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit slices.
• Sauté with leeks, peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms. Top with quality Romano or Parmesan cheese.
• Coat with a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, herbs and seasonings. Pan sear in butter or olive oil and serve garnished with fresh minced parsley and a wedge of lemon.

If you’re like me — a humble servant of the succulent scallop — I’m certain you have a favorite recipe! Let me know how you like your scallops. See you at the sale this Friday!

June brings a transition to my garden as well as to the business of buying and selling produce. At home the spring potatoes have been dug, the peas are almost finished, and the remaining artichokes on my plants are fated to be in flower vases rather than on dinner plates. Sunflower starts await the end of the shelling pea season and in the space recently occupied by potatoes go my and Aidan’s pumpkin choices for Halloween along with that great equalizer of summer: squash.

No other crop proves small local producers can still compete with giant, far reaching agribusinesses better than summer squash. The plant is hardy and prolific — producing multiple crops in a single season, and it flourishes in wide ranges of climate conditions and temperature zones. Any time a large scale shipper comes to us saying they can grown plenty of squash in the summer, we back away slowly shaking our heads — summer squash (particularly zucchini) is already spoken for by medium-sized regional and small local producers all over the U.S.

It’s this small, diverse family of farmers that drive the transition from long haul, single source product replenishment to the overlapping mosaic of smaller regional/local providers we simultaneously dread and look forward to every summer. The dread comes from the fact that every year brings with it a different start date for the local transition that we have to try and match that date up with the end of the long distance, larger consolidated product needs of the spring. This start/ stop supply dance is further complicated by weather and this spring has provided plenty all over — from flooded farmland in the midwest, tornadoes in the south, late cold snaps in New England, and unusually cold, wet conditions out west, the shift from long haul to local is even more of a moving target.

But once the transition takes place we are off to the local races. Summer squash, like the earlier pea crops of spring, provides a consistent commodity anchor that enables growers to put in and deliver lower volume but often more dynamic varieties of fruits and vegetables — thereby perpetuating plant diversity. Often even the same variety will have different culinary characteristics depending on where in the U.S. it is grown. It’s this diversity I look forward to in squash and other classes of vegetables – new hybrid or heirloom, it seems almost every year we discover (or rediscover) a plant type with promise.

I like summer squash in my garden because it makes me feel like I am a better gardener than I really am. Once established, summer squash will make everyone’s thumb look a little greener and it’s the rare summer that fails to produce less squash than any reasonably sized family could possibly hope to consume. I also like it because any squash I fail to harvest will continue to grow to truly mutant proportions and the outer skin will harden just like a pumpkin or winter squash — these I add to my stable of Halloween carving candidates.

Summer squash is also great in a wide variety of dishes — from simple sautés and grilling, to more complex stuffed and baked dishes or breads. It’s rare for me to end the summer without a new way to prepare summer squash – last year was all about scaloppini squash stuffed with tomatoes and parmesan, brushed with olive oil and grilled over indirect heat. Mostly though, out in my garden in a few weeks as I remove the first fuzzy, young specimens — most with the bright yellow blossom still attached — I’ll smile as I think about how this simple action will be repeated all over the country. In gardens and farms big and small, it’s harvest time (or will be soon) for the great equalizer of summer.

One of our favorite summer pastimes is backyard grilling! Ripe summer produce, juicy burgers, delicious kabobs, fresh seafood and hearty steaks all stack up as summer favorites with a little fire, some seasonings and an attentive grill master. Look no further than Whole Foods Market for the freshest and seasonally best foods at peak perfection and for strategies to help you make the most of the season both indoors and out.

Check out these summer-friendly tips to backyard grilling:

Build A Better Burger

• Better beef makes a better burger. Ours is ground fresh in-house and seasoned with only natural ingredients.
• Go beyond beef and try a burger made with turkey, lamb, pork or seafood.
• Try healthier whole-grain buns with no artificial preservatives.
• Bring the flavor up a notch with a great melting cheese, such as aged Grafton classic reserve Cheddar, Havarti with dill or a Brie-style cheese.
• Dress it up with condiments – we only sell those that meet our Quality Standards for no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

Top Tips for the Grill Master

1. Clean your grill thoroughly with a grill brush before each use.
2. Oil the rack prior to heating by soaking a clean rag with high-heat oil and wiping grates.
3. Preheat a gas grill for 15 minutes; allow a charcoal grill to burn for 30 minutes before cooking.
4. Do your prep work ahead of time, then set up a work station near the grill to make your ingredients easily accessible.
5. Have a clean sheet tray or platter ready for resting cooked items as you remove them from the grill.

Light your Eco-Friendly Fire

At Whole Foods Market, our hardwood charcoal made from oak, maple and hickory wood trimmings is easy to light, and burns hotter and cleaner than conventional varieties. Use a chimney starter as an alternative to lighter fuel.

Summer Sizzle: Meat & Poultry

Our beef, chicken and pork are now evaluated according to the Global Animal Partnership 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating. (To learn more, download our brochure.) And, as always, all of our meat and poultry comes from animals that meet our standards for no antibiotics, ever. Let our butchers help make summer easier with cooking suggestions, custom cuts, marinating and seasoning.

The Best Catch for Your Grill

You can always count on fresh seafood at Whole Foods Market that has been raised or caught using environmentally responsible practices. We uphold the highest standards in the industry! Wild-caught seafood is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or utilizes the rating system of the Monterey Bay Aquarium or Blue Ocean Institute.

Farm-raised seafood meets our strict Aquaculture Standards, which prohibit antibiotics and added hormones, while supporting healthy ecosystems. What a catch for your grill!

In a Hurry? Just Add Heat!

Choose from our selection of grill-ready foods in the meat and seafood departments. All of them are freshly prepared with marinades and seasonings that meet our strict Quality Standards. All you add is the grill!

Some grill-friendly choices include:

• Chicken, pork, beef, lamb and seafood kabobs
• Several varieties of pre-seasoned ground beef patties
• House-made fresh sausages
• Salmon burgers and crab cakes

For more summer solutions to backyard grilling, we’ve prepared our Guide to Grilling as a great online resource filled with grilling techniques and suggestions.

Happy grilling!

Do you love a classic burger? Or would you rather try something with a twist? We’ve got you covered either way, with plenty of delicious offerings in our stores and recipe collection. Our butchers grind meat fresh daily, right in our stores. So whether you make your burgers from scratch or pick up chef-prepared patties from our meat counter, you’re well on your way to savoring summer’s best burgers. Just choose your burger, add your favorite condiments and sides, and get ready to enjoy.

Here are some of our favorite burger recipes:

Check out all 32 of our burger recipes.

Hamburgers, chicken, fish —I love it all. But this Memorial Day, I plan to please my German forefathers and break the mold of the same-old-same-old. It’s time to fire up the grill for some juicy, all-natural sausages. Savory, spicy, sweet and succulent, I love to celebrate sausage in all its diversity!

Back in the old days, sausage meant mainly pork. Not so anymore. One peruse through the meat department of your local Whole Foods Market turns up all shapes and sizes of sausages made from beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, pork (of course) and even seafood. Some varieties are raw and must be cooked; others are already fully cooked and just need to be heated to serve. Not much of a meat-eater? Don’t forget there are no-meat “sausage-style” vegetarian options available that can be cooked in many of the same ways that traditional sausage is cooked.

Many sausage varieties are lean and full of delicious ingredients such as apples, sage, feta cheese, spinach, garlic, herbs and spices, and for a touch of sweetness, maple syrup. Some are suggested for breakfast and others for main meals. And with so many ways to cook them, the sky’s the limit! You can bake them, broil or boil them, warm them in a skillet, or slice and sauté, and eat them alone or as part of a main or side dish.

With all the myriad ways of preparing sausage, there’s still no tastier way than grilling. Did you know you can parboil sausages to pre-cook them before grilling? This helps keep them moist and tender. Parboil in water, beer, wine, broth and even apple juice. Get creative! Drop in hot liquid just until the skin tightens up and the sausage looks a little firmer. Then just put them on the grill to finish cooking. For straight grilling, keep your flame medium to low. Better to take longer to cook than biting into a dried out sausage with burnt skin! Use larger sausage for grilling and keep the smaller varieties for the pan on the stove-top.

Whether firing up the grill or not, here are a variety of ways to prepare and enjoy sausage:

• Grill or pan sauté and serve over hot whole grains or pasta. Here’s a recipe for Farfalle with Lamb Sausage, Feta and Mint.
• Slice and sauté, or grill whole and slice to top baked potatoes or sweet potatoes.
• Sauté with a variety of colorful peppers.
• Poach in beer or wine. Here’s an idea for Beer-Poached Grilled Sausages.
• Don’t forget that sausage pairs well with fruit. Try grilling it alongside peaches or pineapple, or try this recipe for Baked Sausage with Sauerkraut and Apples.
• Flavor soup or stew with sausage like we did with this pot-luck perfect Hearty Lentil and Sausage Soup.
• Pair sweet sausage with summer veggies. You’ll love this Sweet Italian Sausage with Zucchini and Tomatoes.
• Serve sausage with breakfast with eggs or oatmeal. This recipe for Savory Sausage and Cheddar Breakfast Casserole is so good.
• Don’t forget about picnics. Sausage is perfect for the outdoor BBQ and demands a delicious potato salad or coleslaw.
• Make Chicken Sausage Jambalaya with Shrimp – then call me for dinner!
• You can even turn sausage into fun finger-foods and appetizers. This Cranberry Cheddar Sausage Bites recipe does just that.
• What would sausage be without cabbage? Lonely. But not if you marry the two with this recipe for Red Cabbage and German Sausage.
• Grill or pan-cook sausage and serve sliced over a leafy green salad.

Got a hankering for some good sausage? Got a favorite recipe? Let me know. Vielen Dank und Auf Wiedersehen!

Grab your tongs, don your apron and light your grills – it’s time to fire up for summer! At Whole Foods Market, we are excited to bring you Summer’s Best – a summer-long online and in-store roadmap to the freshest and seasonally best foods at peak perfection, strategies for making the most of the season both indoors and out, and solutions for enjoying summer full tilt.

Gear up for backyard grilling and Memorial Day (May 30) celebrations by entering to win our Summer’s Best Grilling Basket. You’ll become the master of the grill in no time with this basket stuffed with marinades, grilling tools, spices, condiments and more – all the essentials to help get your grill on!
Ready to start the season ripe? Tell us your favorite ways to make summer sizzle on the grill in the comments section below by May 22nd. One winner will be randomly selected to receive the Summer’s Best Grilling Gift Basket, a $100 value, plus a $50 gift card so you can pick up your favorite grilling necessities like charcoal, burgers, sausages, veggies, buns and more.

Here’s what you’ll find in the basket. And even if you don’t win, this list will give you a great starting point for must-haves to kick off the season of grilling greatness!

• 365 Everyday Value Caribbean BBQ Seasoning and Southwestern Grille Seasoning
• 365 Everyday Value Mayonnaise, Organic Yellow Mustard and Organic Tomato Ketchup
• 365 Everyday Value Organic Kosher Pickles and Sweet Relish
• 365 Everyday Value Organic Ranch Dressing
• Nature’s Rancher Theo’s Steakhouse and Ginger Teriyaki Cooking & Grilling Sauce
• Laurel Hill Tortilla Chips (Multi Grain)
• Food Should Taste Good Chips (Sweet Potato and Cheddar)
• 365 Everyday Value Organic Unsweetened Black Tea
• Good Grips 16” Tongs
• 100 Bamboo Skewers
• Good Grips Large Wooden Spoons
• Good Grips Metal Spatula
• No Mo’ Skeeters Bug Spray

So tell us how you make summer sizzle on the grill! Add your comment by May 22nd for a chance to win a grilling gift basket. Ready, set, summer!

Sometimes when I get home from work, the last thing I want to do is cook, but I still want a delicious, healthy meal. Summer is a great time to get creative in the kitchen with fresh produce and prepared foods at Whole Foods Market.

For an easy, versatile meal, I like to cut up a yellow squash and a zucchini squash (or grab a serving from the salad bar) and toss with lemon juice, salt, pepper and fresh herbs to taste (basil and oregano pair well for a light taste of summer). You can also peel the squash into ribbons using a vegetable peeler and top with shaved Parmesan cheese for a different texture reminiscent of pasta.

Starting with this, I’ll add a variety of items from Whole Foods Market’s salad bar or prepared foods to make an easy no-cook meal:

●      goat cheese and grape tomatoes

●      red onion and shredded chicken

●      pre-cooked salmon and capers

My very favorite no-cook meal is sliced tomato, crumbled feta and capers. Drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, it’s filling and delicious. Want to make it heartier? Try a traditional Caprese salad (tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil) and add a few slices of good salami from the deli.

For a variation on the Caprese, I like to cut up a container of cherry tomatoes and toss them with a drained container of fresh perlini mozzarella, chopped fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. I will typically eat that for dinner, and save the leftovers in the fridge. The longer it sits, the more “dressing” it makes and it will keep for a couple of days. If I’m up for boiling water the next night, (trust me, sometimes it’s a stretch!), I’ll cook some pasta and top it with the leftover salad for a great summer pasta dish.

And, of course, don’t forget dessert! Did you know that you can find pre-reduced balsamic vinaigrette in many stores next to the vinegar? It makes a wonderful topping on sliced fresh peaches paired with a little goat cheese or on strawberries sliced on top of a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Do you have any favorite no-cook summer favorites? Share them in the comments section.

People are often surprised to find out that my family’s diet isn’t 100% plant-based. I hear, “I didn’t think you ate meat!” often. Although unprocessed plants such as vegetables, fruit, beans and legumes make up the majority of what we eat, we do still regularly enjoy meat and seafood with our vegetables. Instead of focusing on meat and seafood as the center of my plate, I love finding recipes that use them to complement vegetables, beans and whole grains. That way I can choose the highest quality meat and seafood for my family while staying well within my budget, plus this ensures that our plates (and bellies) are still filled up with plenty of plants.

Stir-fries are one of the simplest ways to let your meat and vegetables share the plate, and they’re one of my go-to dinner solutions. Don’t know how to transform the vegetables in the fridge into something everyone will devour? Just add garlic, ginger, your favorite seasonings or sauce to a pan full of vegetables with a bit of meat for flavoring and soon you will have created an aromatic delight that will look beautiful on the plate. Try Beef Stir-Fry with Bell Peppers, Carrots and Snow Peas and Pork Stir-Fry with Asparagus, Peppers and Green Onions.

Another easy way to have your meat and veggies is in soups and stews. Bison Chili, Italian Chowder with Cod and Kale, and Chicken and Brown Rice Soup are all kitchen classics that pair flavorful animal protein with nutrient-dense vegetables, making them delicious!

Looking for meat and seafood dishes that are perfect for the warmer months? Just as I celebrate summer’s arrival with peppers, tomatoes and melons, I welcome wild salmon season happily every year. While grilling, poaching and oven roasting are wonderful ways to enjoy this buttery fish, I also love the ease of Wild Coho Salmon with Sunshine Rice. Made in one pot and baked with cauliflower (or broccoli) and rice, this versatile dish lends itself well to the addition of extra herbs and seasonings. For a wonderfully summery salmon also try the crowd-pleasing Baked Salmon with Spinach and Strawberry Salsa. Don’t forget, you can also combine cooked meat and seafood easily with any salad. Lemongrass Steamed Barramundi with a big beautiful salad topped with Lemon-Miso Dressing is a particularly good combination.

Choosing unprocessed, whole foods is a priority for me. I believe that these are the best ingredients for creating delicious and healthy meals for my family. Just as I want to make sure my vegetables are the freshest and most flavorful available, I also want my meat and seafood to be the best possible quality, raised and/or caught responsibly and consciously. Because of this, Cajun Grass-Fed Beef Skillet Supper, is one of my favorite recipes, plus it’s super easy and delicious enough to please even the most devoted meat lover.

What’s your favorite way to have your meat and veggies too?

Celebrate Mother’s Day with a scrumptious brunch starring easy-to-make treats that feature the bountiful fruits of the season. Several of the following can be made ahead so that you’ll have more time to sip an exotic coffee or a festive mimosa with Mom while you visit on her special day.

Sweet things:

Savory sampler:

Will you celebrate Mom with a brunch or other celebration around the table? What’s on your menu?

Are you looking for solid guidelines for staying healthy and happy at every age? Tune in for tips on nutrition, herbs and lifestyle habits for women, as well as specifics on mood, menopause and weight management. Dr. Tori Hudson is a naturopathic physician, professor and women’s clinic medical director.

Podcast: Download

Dr. Hudson’s top suggestions for women’s health include:

• Research supports at least 3.5 hours per week of aerobic exercise (as well as some strength training) to benefit bone, heart, immune, and joint health.
• Vitamin D supplementation, eating whole fresh foods, drinking filtered water and minimizing exposure to environmental toxins are important.  
• Beyond a daily multivitamin, focus on essential fatty acids (fish oil supplements), probiotics, B vitamins, calcium, and numerous antioxidants.
• Women with regular menstrual cycles may need extra iron.
• For children and up though teenage years, as well as later in life (70s+) calcium is important.

There are natural ways to help with anxiety and depression:

• First evaluate how to stabilize relationships, home life, career, finances, and spirituality.
• Some helpful natural compounds for anxiety include the amino acid L-theanine, the nutrient GABA, and an herb called kava.
• For mild to moderate depression, St. John’s Wort is still is the #1 most important plant that’s been researched. Tryptophan and SAMe can also improve serotonin levels.

Menopause symptoms can be supported through the following:

• Black cohosh is the #1 most researched plant for menopause symptoms. There have been more than 100 studies over the last 25 years on an array of menopause symptoms including hot flashes.
• Studies on St. John’s Wort for menopause symptoms show that a combination of black cohosh and St. John’s Wort are more helpful than just black cohosh alone.

Beginning on Earth Day, we’ll be launching our new Eco-Scale™ Rating System for household cleaning products. What does this mean for you? It means that figuring out how to scrub, wash and polish in an earth-friendly way just got easier! This new rating system gives you the information you need to make more informed choices about the way you clean your home, your clothes and your dishes.

The Eco-Scale™ Rating System is a 3^rd-party verified, tiered rating system that we are now using to evaluate cleaning products for environmental impact, safety, efficacy, source, labeling and animal testing. Based on the product evaluation, we will rate it red, orange, yellow or green on the Eco-Scale™.

Here’s how the Eco-Scale™ Rating System gives new meaning to green cleaning:

• Full ingredient disclosure on the packaging
• Safer alternatives to conventional ingredients
• Ingredients are evaluated for environmental impact
• 3^rd-Party verification

There’s a thorough list of requirements for each of our ratings, but here are some highlights:

“Orange” Rating:

No phosphates, chlorine or fake colors

“Yellow” Rating:

100% natural fragrances; minimal safety concerns

“Green” Rating:

100% natural, non-petroleum ingredients

Since the U.S. government does not require full disclosure of ingredients on cleaning products, the Eco-Scale™ Rating System encourages producers to create better products and requires that all ingredients be listed on the packaging. It’s the first set of household cleaner standards from a retailer and the highest standards set by any “green cleaners” standards-setting group.

Many of our nationally distributed cleaning products are in the process of being audited and rated, so you’ll see these Eco-Scale ratings soon on brands like our entire line of Whole Foods Market and 365 Everyday Value products, Biokleen, Method, Ecover, Better Life and Greenshield.

Plus, all of our cleaning supply products will be undergoing a third-party audit to ensure that all ingredients meet our Quality Standards, that all label claims are truthful and not misleading, and that they comply with all government regulations.

As part of this launch, we are also making a commitment to ensure that all products that do not, at minimum, meet the orange tier will be removed from our shelves by Earth Day 2012. We love how our customers have high expectations for us, and we want to show that love by demonstrating our commitment to offering the greenest products on the market.

For more detail on each rating, visit the Eco-Scale™ page on our website.

What do you think? Will the Eco-Scale™ be a helpful tool the next time you’re looking for cleaning products that aren’t dirty?

I grew up eating Cabot cheese. It was my favorite afterschool snack, it was always packed in the cooler for our family road trips, and there was no better match for crackers or crisp fall apples in my book…not to mention grilled cheese sandwiches dunked in tomato soup. I loved peeling back the wax of a new block to reveal the creamy white cheddar center – the sharper the better! And as a one-time resident of Cabot, Vermont, I get nostalgic for a Fourth of July parade where people on floats throw tiny packages of cheese into the crowds instead of candy.

The first time I tasted Jasper Hill Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, I knew it’d be one of my favorite cheddars for years to come. If you’re a fan of traditional English-style cheddar, you have to stop by the cheese department in your local store for a sample. It’s going to blow your mind. And for the month of April, we’ll be featuring Jasper Hill Cabot Clothbound Cheddar in our stores nationwide!

This old world cheese is natural-rind traditional English style cheddar that is bandaged with muslin and aged for a minimum of 10 months. It is made from one herd’s milk, the registered Holsteins at the Kempton Family Farm in Peacham, Vermont. This single-source milk gives the cheese a definite variation from batch to batch; some have hints of caramel and milky flavors, others are tart and bright, and still others are savory and brothy. This cheese has a definite “Taste of Place” as they say in the cheese-making world.

Cabot Creamery was one of the first family farm cooperatives in Vermont, and has been owned by independent dairy farmers since 1919. Jasper Hill Farm is a family-owned company that works to contribute directly to the expansion of the farmstead model and the maintenance of farming culture and the working landscape in Vermont. In 2003 Cabot Creamery asked the fledgling Jasper Hill Farm to age a special batch of old-world bandaged cheddar. When the first batch was perfectly aged and ready for tasting, the pair discovered an eager market for the sweet, nutty and savory rustic wheels – which were a departure from what most of the U.S. is used to when tasting cheddar.

In 2006, the Jasper Hill Cabot Clothbound Cheddar won Best in Show at the American Cheese Society conference. The win inspired Jasper Hill Farm to break ground on a one-of-a-kind cheese aging facility. They blasted out the side of a hill to make room for 22,000 square feet of aging space for Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, and other cheeses made by New England farmstead cheese makers.

Cellars at Jasper Hill was created to take each cheese from every farm, with all of its unique flavors and distinct characteristics, and guide it along its path of maturation to reach its fullest potential. Cellars at Jasper Hill works for small cheese makers, who simply want to make cheese, to help maintain customer relations and keep their cheeses in healthy circulation – so the cheese makers can focus on cheese making.

Every wheel of cheese that Cellars at Jasper Hill sells brings them closer to the goal of keeping individual family dairy farms and cheese makers profitable.

Stop by your local Whole Foods Market for a sample and let us know what you think!

It’s show time! Whole Foods Market presents the Do Something Reel™ Film Festival, a collection of six provocative, character-driven films focused on passionate people making a world of difference.

From the Coal River Valley of West Virginia to the inner city of Detroit, from vanishing bee populations to the evolution of the National School Lunch Program, from farmers and active everyday citizens to doctors and scientists, the Do Something Reel line-up provides a moving, eye-opening look at how the choices we make can have a huge impact on our bodies, our economy and our environment. We hope these films will inspire you to reflect on what you’re passionate about and how you can make a difference!

This nationwide traveling festival will be presented in 70+ cities throughout April, in celebration of Earth Month.  Plus, 20% of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Whole Foods Market Film Fund. This fund will be administered by a non-profit organization dedicated to films and filmmaking and will support the work of documentarians who are producing films about food and environmental issues in keeping with Whole Foods Market’s mission and values.

Featured films include:

Bag It! from filmmaker Suzan Beraza

Lunchline from filmmakers Mike Graziano and Ernie Park

On Coal River from filmmakers Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood

PLANEAT from filmmakers Shelley Lee Davis and Or Shlomi

Urban Roots from filmmaker Mark MacInnis

Vanishing of the Bees from filmmakers George Langworthy and Maryam Heinen

Are you passionate about important food and environmental issues?  Find a Do Something Reel Film Festival screening near you!

One of the surefire signs of spring is bright green asparagus standing at attention in the produce section. Pick up a bunch and take advantage of the nutrients (Vitamin C and folic acid to name a few) and antioxidants they provide. The key to enjoying this seasonal specialty is to use asparagus within a couple days of purchase as it is quite perishable (if you must store it, wrap fresh-cut ends with a damp paper towel and keep in your crisper drawer). Green asparagus is the most common variety we find but you might also see white asparagus (more popular in Europe), which is generally thicker. The varying thickness of asparagus stalks will affect cooking time. If very thick, peel the tough outer skin with a vegetable peeler to increase tenderness. With all of the ideas below, it should be easy to find a way to enjoy asparagus tonight!

1. Steam asparagus and top with a quick dressing of white miso, rice vinegar, reduced-sodium tamari and freshly grated ginger whisked together.

2. Add 1-inch pieces of asparagus spears to a pot of quinoa or rice pilaf about 5 to 7 minutes before it’s done cooking. The asparagus will gently steam while the grains finish cooking.

3. There’s almost nothing simpler than grilled or roasted asparagus (depending on the temperature outside!). Toss with a little extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt and black pepper and spread on the grill or roast in a 400°F oven on a baking sheet until browned and tender. Flavor with chopped fresh parsley, freshly grated lemon zest and/or grated Pecorino Romano.

4. For a classic and simple appetizer, wrap steamed whole asparagus spears with thinly sliced prosciutto.

5. Cut 1 bunch of asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces, steam or sauté and toss with a light dressing of Dijon mustard, lemon juice, chives and a pinch of sea salt.

6. Pair asparagus and cheddar or gruyère in a rich and satisfying omelet or frittata. Here’s one of our favorites.

7. Make a tasty springtime stir-fry with garlic, green onions, radishes and asparagus spears. Add sliced chicken breast, pork tenderloin or shrimp, if you like.

8. Sandwich steamed asparagus spears between thick sliced fontina cheese and caramelized onions on two slices of French bread and grill or cook on a Panini press.

9. Make Quinoa Primavera with Chicken, Spring Peas and Asparagus, a quick and tasty weeknight meal full of spring greens.

10. Combine asparagus with broccoli in a bright and flavorful creamy soup (which, surprisingly, doesn’t require cream!).

What’s your favorite way to enjoy asparagus?

Whether you’re just getting started on a healthy eating path or have been on the road to wellness for years, a few simple essential cooking techniques can help you cook healthier without the need for added oil. As we discussed in the first blog in this series, a good step towards healthy eating is to reduce or eliminate added oils in your cooking, one of the key aspects of our Health Starts Here™ program.

One technique that really brings out the color, crispness and freshness of vegetables is blanching or “shocking” — the process of submerging vegetables in boiling water for just a few minutes, then removing and quickly cooling them to stop further cooking. Although ice baths are commonly recommended, I achieve the same results by using cold running water, which is an easier and faster method of cooling the blanched vegetables.

Blanching is best for vegetables like asparagus, green beans, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. The amount of blanching time needs to be adjusted depending on the size and type of vegetable you are cooking. The key is to cook for bright color and crispness to determine doneness, usually achieved within a few minutes.

We’ll use green beans as an example to show you how easily you can blanch vegetables. I like to blanch my green beans with thinly sliced garlic for added flavor. Start by bringing a large pot of water to a rapid boil over high heat. While the water is heating, trim the ends off of your fresh green beans and thinly slice several cloves of peeled garlic. Make sure to have a colander or strainer ready near the sink to drain and cool the green beans.

Add the green beans with the garlic to the boiling water. If you’re preparing a large quantity of green beans, add in small batches to ensure that the water maintains its boil.

Boil the green beans only until they turn bright green and are barely cooked through, generally one to three minutes. They will be crisp and slightly tender but not soft. To test, remove one green bean with a slotted spoon, quickly placing it under cold running water from the faucet to cool and then bite to test its doneness.

As soon as the green beans are done, remove them as fast as you can by pouring the green beans and water into the colander or strainer. (If you are cooking in batches, remove the green beans quickly with a slotted spoon or with tongs.) Immediately run cold water from the faucet over the blanched beans and garlic until they are cooled and no longer warm.

Allow the green beans to drain completely and drip dry. If you’re not using the green beans right away, you can store the cooled, drained beans, covered, in the refrigerator for two days and they will maintain their crispness and color.

The blanched beans are now ready for snacking as a crudité, added to salads, sautéed or dressed with a no-oil dressing.

To sauté, pour two tablespoons of vegetable stock into a very hot pan, creating a steam, and immediately add the blanched green beans and garlic. Once the green beans are heated, remove from the pan and top with toasted sliced almonds, sesame seeds or sunflower seeds and serve.

The blanched green beans can also be dressed with a no-oil dressing to serve as a stand-alone salad or side dish or to top a salad of field greens or spinach. Try these delicious no-oil dressings to toss with the green beans:

• No-Oil Added Balsamic Dressing
• Tahini-Miso Sauce
• Carrot Dressing
• Low-Fat Creamy “Caesar” Dressing
• Creamy Orange-Avocado Dressing

Blanching is a simple technique that prepares your vegetables for a variety of uses and flavors – without using oil, which can add unnecessary calories. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.

I am a first-time Mom on a budget. My mission: to create healthy, organic meals that appeal to both my baby and husband. My challenge for this post is carrots. Let’s see what happens.

My husband already loves carrots. In fact, he eats so many that we joke that he might turn into a carrot one day. But feeding carrots to my baby is a challenge. Why? Well, carrots are sweet, and for whatever reason, my baby has not adapted to their taste when served on their own. Personally, I like to chomp on raw carrots, but cooked carrot dishes have never appealed much to me. Let’s see if I can change my frame of mind and my baby’s too.

It’s 9:00pm. My baby just fell asleep and, frankly, I am exhausted! The months of late night feedings are finally taking their toll. But, I made a commitment to the health and well being of my family. I can’t let them down, can I? While my bed looks really comfortable, I tell myself, “Just one more thing. Cook the carrots. You can do it.” Oh, the dilemma of being a Mom who is trying to fit everything into a busy schedule.

I walk into the kitchen and remove a large bunch of carrots from the fridge. The carrots are covered in dirt since they were literally pulled from the earth earlier in the day and purchased from a local farm. You can’t get any fresher than that. I wash the carrots, cut off the tips and peel away the remaining dirt.

At six months of age, the experts say to give babies just one fruit or vegetable at a time, just in case your child has an allergy to a particular food. But as your child becomes 7 or 8 months of age, they say you can experiment with mixing foods. Every baby is different, but I have found that my baby prefers the flavors he gets from food mixes. So for today’s dish, I decide to make a carrot ginger soup – a recipe for baby and Daddy, all in one. You can’t beat that!

I am all for simple and fresh ingredients, and this is the perfect recipe.

1 bunch of large carrots (between 1 to 1 ½ pounds)
½ cup of coconut milk
¼ cup of water
Fresh ginger (about 1/8 of a cup, sliced)
1 handful of fresh cilantro

Slice the washed carrots and place them in a pan. Cook them for 5-7 minutes until they are soft. Then, purée the carrots in a food processor or blender. Wow! When you use fresh vegetables, the colors are very bright. Now add the coconut milk, water, ginger and cilantro and blend the mixture until its smooth (about 45 seconds). At this point, you can either heat up the soup and eat it or transfer it into a pot and place it in the refrigerator for the next day (which is what I chose to do).

Now, I can finally rest. As a new Mom, I have found that it’s good to get a few things completed and organized when my baby first goes to sleep. But that’s it! After an hour, I cut myself off and then it’s time for a cup of tea, a good book and bed.

The next day, dinner time rolls around and I’m delighted that dinner is already made. Not only that, but it’s a super healthy meal made from sweet, earthy carrots that are packed with health-protective antioxidants. Let’s see how it tastes. I pull out the pot of soup, heat it on the stove for 10 minutes and serve it to my family. Yum! My baby, husband and I all enjoy the taste of the carrot ginger soup.

Friends and fellow bloggers have suggested adding mint to carrots or serving babies pureed carrots mixed with peas or spinach. All excellent ideas. I’ll have to give those a whirl! As you can see, there are many ways to make those orange carrots taste delectable.

Looking for the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day? When romance is on the menu, there’s nothing quite like cooking a scrumptious meal for someone you care about and seafood never fails to impress. And there’s no need to be intimidated! Seafood is actually one of the easiest ingredients to cook with and often, is one of the fastest to prepare.

Start with flirty appetizers, serenade with a seasonally fresh salad or a seductive soup, and then charm your lover with a full-on romance with seafood entrées that would surely melt cupid’s heart. Below are our favorite recipes for love.

For passionate starters:

For head-over-heels entrées, chose your favorite seafood and cook up some romance with these recipes:

As you can see, we’ve got a real love affair going on with seafood. We’d love to hear about your seafood romances. What are your favorite seafood love stories?

Valentine’s Day and roses go hand in hand. And around here we’ve been thinking about not just how beautiful they are, but about what our Whole Trade Guarantee™ roses give back to the communities where they are grown.

Grown in the Ecuadorian Andes by a group of Fair Trade certified farms, these “blooms with benefits” help to cultivate better working conditions and equitable wages for the farms’ workers. For each case of Whole Trade roses purchased by Whole Foods Market, an additional percentage is paid directly to worker groups from each farm who collectively decide how to use the money. Some development projects have included education, training, scholarships, health care and housing.

Growing conditions for roses can be finicky at best, and Ecuador has come to be one of the more popular growing environments due to its 10,000 feet elevation, proximity to the sun and its cool nights. The flower industry started there around 20 years ago and currently gives direct employment to more than 70,000 people, with indirect employment going to another 210,000 people. While on average the entire country holds an unemployment rate of 8%, there is very little unemployment in the regions where the flowers business has developed.

Through our journey with Whole Trade roses, we are learning more every day about the farms, their workers and the flowers they produce. The opportunity to share the splendor and beauty that flowers convey while simultaneously helping others…I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

I’m really excited to announce that we are providing shoppers with a new level of transparency about how farm animals are raised by now offering beef, pork and chicken certified under the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating system.

The rating system is the signature program of Global Animal Partnership, a nonprofit organization that facilitates and encourages continuous improvement in animal agriculture. Independent, third-party certifiers audit farms and rate animal welfare practices and conditions using a tiered system that ranges from Step 1 (no crates, cages or crowding) to Step 5+ (animals spend their entire lives on one farm). We are proud to adopt this new rating system that helps shoppers make even more informed buying decisions while offering them peace of mind that the animals from our producers are raised with care.

More than 1,200 farms and ranches that supply our stores have received Step certification through independent, third-party certifiers. Color-coded signs and stickers throughout our meat departments identify these Step ratings. In addition to Step ratings, all meat sold at our stores must meet our strict quality standards, which require that animals be raised on a vegetarian diet without being administered antibiotics or added growth hormones*.

It’s really important to note that getting to Step 1 is a huge accomplishment in the industry! Step 1 requires more from our farmers and ranchers than we have ever asked before.

The Global Animal Partnership has developed Step ratings for pigs, chickens and cattle. Ratings for other species (turkeys, lamb, and others) are in development, so stay tuned. Look for this rating system the next time you stop by our meat department for beef, pork or chicken. It’s your way of knowing how the animals were raised for the meat you are buying.

Step 1: No crates, no cages, no crowding
Like people, animals need a little “personal space” to be comfortable.

Step 2: Enriched environment
It’s the simple things that keep animals active and engaged — like a bale of straw for chickens to hide behind and climb on, a bowling ball for pigs to manipulate and shove around, or a few sturdy objects for cattle to rub against when they need a good scratch.

Step 3: Enhanced outdoor access
Pigs and chickens still live in buildings but they all — yes, each and every one of them — have access to outdoor areas where they can catch a few rays.

Step 4: Pasture centered
Chickens need to forage, pigs need to wallow and cattle need to roam. They can do all of these things when they live outdoors and have shelter — and of course, a view!

Step 5: Animal centered; all physical alterations prohibited
Animals get to live their lives with all the parts they were born with, and nothing else! No clipping, no snipping.

Step 5+: Animal centered; entire life on same farm
Animals are born and live their entire lives on one farm. Pigs and cattle are slaughtered on the farm, and chickens are transported only short distances (because you can’t herd chickens!).

See our Frequently Asked Questions about the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating™. For more detailed information on each Step, and species-specific welfare information, visit the Global Animal Partnership website.

What do you think? Are you going to give Step-rated meat a try the next time you visit your local store? At Whole Foods Market, the more you know about our meat, the better.

It’s February already? The year just keeps rolling on and new products just keep rolling in. Throughout the month I’ll keep you updated on some great-tasting and unique products that you’ll only find at Whole Foods Market®. To whet your appetite, here’s a peek at some new products featuring my personal comfort-food mainstays: whole grains and yogurt.

Arrowhead Mills Gluten-Free Steel Cut Oats

Warm up for the day with a hearty, hot breakfast cereal with 45 grams of whole grains per serving. These oats are lightly roasted for a robust, wholesome flavor.

Arrowhead Mills Whole Grain Cereals

Wake up to the nutritious, yummy crunch of breakfast cereals with 18-25 grams of whole grains per serving. Try all three exclusive flavors: Chocolate, French Toast and Toasted Almond.

Barbara’s Family-Size Cereals

Get a great value on our best-selling Barbara’s cereals—Shredded Oats, Original Puffins and Multigrain Puffins—now available in an eco-friendly, family-size package!

Earth’s Best Kidz Whole Grain Fish Nuggets

Earth’s Best has given this kid-friendly favorite a healthy boost with breading made from whole grains and pollack from a Marine Stewardship Council certified-sustainable fishery. A percentage of Earth’s Best sales benefit Whole Planet Foundation.

Helios Organic Nonfat Kefir with Omega-3s

Treat your body and your taste buds to the only organic nonfat kefir with beneficial omega-3s. Available in Plain, Pomegranate Açaí and Passion Fruit.

Siggi’s Yogurt Drinks

Enjoy drinkable high-probiotic Icelandic skyr yogurt in a handy totable container. Made with milk from family farms in Chenango County, New York. Available in Plain, Blueberry and Strawberry.

Have you tried something new and tasty? Leave a comment below and tell us all about it.

We hope everyone reading this will consider taking action immediately (click here to act now) to help ensure both organic and non-genetically engineered (GE) agriculture remain viable options in the U.S. We believe farmers have a right to grow foods without fear of contamination from others’ GE crops—and that consumers have a right to make the choice to buy non-GE products.

Seven years ago Monsanto petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to deregulate GE alfalfa which would allow it to be planted anywhere. Now, within a few days, the USDA will announce its decision whether to:

1) fully deregulate GE alfalfa OR

2) conditionally deregulate it by placing certain rules and restrictions on growing GE alfalfa that would minimize or limit contamination of non-GE crops (including organic).

This second “coexistence” option is what we are rallying for even though we continue to have reservations about GE crops. The issue with GE alfalfa is the potential contamination of organic and non-GE alfalfa, which is used as a mainstay food for organic and non-GE dairy cows, beef cattle and honey bees. While USDA’s decision will be specific to GE alfalfa, it will be a precedent-setting decision for how or whether other genetically engineered foods will be regulated far into the future.

We applaud the USDA’s historic approach considering deregulation with conditions (or coexistence) as one of the options. By recognizing that cross-contamination of GE alfalfa could impact organic and non-GE farmers and consumers, both domestically and for our export markets, the USDA is acknowledging that organic agriculture has the right to not only survive but to thrive alongside conventional agriculture.

So, faced with the choice between full deregulation of GE alfalfa or conditional deregulation of it, our best chance at preserving seed purity, and the future of organic and non-GE agriculture now is to fight for every protection available under the USDA’s conditional deregulation coexistence option.

Contact the USDA, the White House and your Congressperson before Monday, January 24^th. Tell them non-GE crops should have a seat at the table! True COEXISTENCE is a must. Ask your congressperson to contact House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas to express support for Secretary Vilsack’s coexistence plan. 

• Find your Congressperson
• Email the USDA about this issue: biotechquery@aphis.usda.gov
• Reach the White House at 202.456.1111

If we raise our voices together, we can make a difference. Send this call to action to everyone you know who is concerned about organics and non-GE crops.
Post written by Whole Foods Market leaders Walter Robb, co-CEO, and Margaret Wittenberg, Global VP of Quality Standards & Public Affairs.

Background on the GE alfalfa issue

On December 16, 2010, the USDA released its Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) of Monsanto’s genetically engineered Roundup Ready Alfalfa. The EIS was conducted in response to a court decision demanding more thorough analysis of the potential environmental, economic and health impacts of GE alfalfa before approving deregulation. The EIS outlines three options for addressing GE alfalfa:

1.    Fully deregulate it (allow it to be planted anywhere)

2.    Fully regulate it (non-production; USDA has indicated this is not an option it would pursue)

3.    Conditionally deregulate it (allow GE alfalfa to be grown with certain rules and restrictions USDA would impose to minimize or limit contamination of non-GE crops)

Shortly after releasing the EIS, USDA indicated their preference for the third option and asked the biotech, non-GE and organic communities to convene to try and find common ground for formulating rules and restrictions under conditional deregulation.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack recently invited representatives from agriculture, business and consumer organizations to explore coexistence between non-GE proponents and GE proponents.  It showed refreshing leadership after many years of debate that has cost farmers with contaminated crops in this country millions of dollars in litigation over the years.

Our non-GE and organic farmers continue to be concerned with crop contamination and market rejection. Independent studies in the U.S. and in other countries on GE crops have documented a long list of reasons for concern, including evidence that these crops lead to herbicide-resistant super-weeds and require the use of more toxic herbicides. As mentioned above, organic alfalfa is used as feed by most organic and non-GE dairies. Also, the policy set for GE alfalfa will most likely guide policies for other GE crops as well.

There are rigorous standards in place for USDA-certified organics. We are encouraged that USDA has taken tentative steps and we believe its coexistence plan can support all consumers, farmers and agribusinesses.  We believe true coexistence should include three central issues:

• The protection of seed purity for all farmers, including organic, so we maintain variety and avoid massive mono-culture;
• Compensation by the patent holder to the farmer for any losses related to the contamination of his crop; and
• Public oversight by the USDA rather than relying on the biotechnology industry to voluntarily try to contain GE contamination as the USDA has the authority to protect all US agriculture.

With many New Year’s resolutions centered on eating healthier and saving money, it’s easy to do both when you learn to cook or cook at home more often. Plus, you get the added benefit of sharing delicious meals with your family, cooked just the way you like them.

Why is cooking at home more affordable and healthy?

• Going out to eat costs both time and money. Whether you’re dining alone or with your family, it takes time to get to the restaurant, wait to be seated, order, wait for your meal to be served, eat and then drive home. In less time than it takes you to eat out, you can prepare a home-cooked meal.

• It’s no secret that it costs more to dine out than to cook at home. How much more? Of course it depends on where you are dining out but a family of four can easily spend $25 + for one meal whereas recipes such as Ancient Grain Stuffed Red Bell Peppers, featured in the latest issue of The Whole Deal costs approximately $3.86* per serving or less than $16 – and you don’t have to leave a tip!

• When cooking at home, you are in charge! In many cases, restaurants use salt, sugar and oil to enhance the flavor of their dishes and the ingredients can be over used. If you’re cooking, you can control how much of these ingredients are used as well as being able to customize the recipes to your taste and dietary needs. Reducing the amount of salt, sugar and oil in your meals can be a healthier option.

• Make more, eat less! When cooking at home, it’s easy to make additional quantities so you can have leftovers for lunch the next day or have dinner ready to go. And, you’re in charge of portion sizes so you don’t have to worry about eating that huge serving of fries that came with the burger you ordered. Most of us tend to eat what is served to us and what we pay for at a restaurant. By cooking for yourself, you control the portion sizes.

Ready to get started? These easy, healthy “Learn to Cook” recipes prove that cooking at home is a money-saver. Get these basics under your belt and you’ll be ready to take on any recipe that comes your way:

• Brown Rice – 9¢ per serving

• Fresh Salsa – 43¢ per serving

• White Beans – 26¢ per serving

• Spaghetti Squash – $1.53 per serving

• Healthy Salad Dressings – 20¢ per serving

• Quinoa – 38¢ per serving

• Simple Pesto – about 64¢ per serving

*We do our best to estimate the cost of ingredients used in each recipe but slight market variations are possible.

Hungry for more? Try these recipes, featured in the January/February issue of The Whole Deal, that are easy to prepare and easy on your wallet.

• Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup – Serves four for about $1.84* per serving.

• Italian Chowder with Cod and Kale – Serves four for around $3.61* per serving.

• Linguine with Spinach, Artichokes and Red Lentil Sauce – Serves four for about $1.70* per serving.

• Romantic Rice Bowl – Serves two for $3.75* per serving and you can use an online coupon for Nature’s Rancher chicken.

*We do our best to estimate the cost of ingredients used in each recipe but slight market variations are possible.

So go ahead and save by learning to cook and cooking more often at home. And remember, we’re here to help! The Whole Deal value guide is packed with tips and ideas to get 2011 off to a healthy and budget-happy start. In addition, check out our online Health Starts Here™ meal planning and cooking tips and our great collection of budget-friendly recipes that have been featured in past issues of The Whole Deal.

Ready, set, cook!

Need help developing healthier habits? Good health—and healthy weight—are about smart decision-making. Listen in and learn about success tools for creating health through optimal nutrition in this encore presentation of our podcast interview with Dr. Joel Fuhrman, board-certified family physician, author, and co-founder and chief medical officer of Eat Right America.

Let us know what steps you are taking toward healthy changes this year for a chance to win an Eat Right America bundle featuring some of their best-selling books, DVDs and assorted other special gifts: a $97 value! Simply enter a comment below by January 31^st and one lucky reader will be selected at random.

// Podcast: Download

The motivating reasons Dr. Fuhrman’s patients make healthy weight a priority:

• Learning about the successes of others losing weight and reversing chronic disease, when all other diet methods have previously failed, triggers the desire to recommit to health.
• Discovering the science, logic and theory behind high-nutrient eating to remove addictive overeating provides the drive to get started.

The two biggest obstacles that stand in the way of motivation and determination to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight:

• Misinformation about food and nutrition indoctrinated at an early age.
• Allowing feelings and emotions to govern decision-making and food addictions to control behavior.

The top habits to adopt when trying to maintain a healthy weight:

• Focus on long-term health and not on immediate weight loss.
• Eat enough food volume with high-nutrient foods to remove the desire to overeat.
• Educate with the right information from the start.

Everyone can take steps toward being healthier with this knowledge:

• Our health is our greatest wealth.
• We can’t escape the biological laws of cause and effect. We must recognize that we can’t buy good health; we have to earn it with healthy eating and physical fitness.
• Good nutrition is not optional; it’s essential. Putting nutritional science into action allows us to take control of our health destiny.

“What’s in your wallet?” asks a large, burly barbarian and star of the famous credit card commercial, implying that the value of your credit cards is inferior to their card’s value and services.   I’ll ask you a similar question, “What’s in your food?”   Now I am not a big burly barbarian wielding a club, but a physician wielding studies with a genuine interest in improving your health.  Have you ever really stopped to carefully consider the food you eat each day?  What are the components of food?  What makes it “healthy”?   What and how much may cause disease?  Why do you choose the foods you eat regularly?  These are important questions to answer because they will impact your future.

Multiple times each day you choose to eat some type of food, but before it passes your lips, how often do you consider the value and health benefit of that food?

Some people may consider about the fat, carbohydrates and protein. These three — fat, carbohydrates and protein — are called macronutrients and have been the primary focus for decades because they contain calories and excess calories lead to weight gain. As a result, the vast majority of diets have become some variation of these macronutrients – low fat, low carb, high protein – each with empty promises to be the only answer to your weight and health problems.

Yet science has revealed that food is far more than just fat, carbohydrates and protein. These macronutrients have stolen the spotlight from the true stars – micronutrients. Let’s consider a bite of food for a moment.  Each bite of fruit, vegetable, bean, nut or seed contains some combination of macronutrients but it is also loaded with a myriad of micronutrients including vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants/phytochemicals.  When the food reaches your stomach, these micronutrients are quickly absorbed and transported to the cellular level.  Once they arrive at the cell they are involved in critical activities that include repair, maintenance, production, clean up, communication, metabolism and transportation.  Without the micronutrients, the cells will fail and ultimately die.  In fact, your body requires at least 90 nutrients for optimal function including 60 different minerals, 16 vitamins, 12 amino acids and 3 essential fatty acids.  This does not include the 8000 different antioxidants/phytochemicals that have been shown to combat diseases like cancer and heart disease.   The only way to obtain these vital nutrients is through your diet.

While life is in the macronutrients, optimal health is found in the micronutrients. Consider for a moment your daily diet of approximately 2000 calories.  You could meet your caloric needs by eating a diet of pure sugar, meat, cereal, French fries and candy bars — one devoid of micronutrients.  Your body would survive quite a few years and continue forward but degeneration and disease would grow over time and eventually cause total system failure.  In contrast, if health is your goal, then it seems logical to try to fill each calorie with as many micronutrients as possible.  In effect, nutrient packed calories or a nutrient dense diet. Nutritional science has demonstrated that diets high in micronutrients prevent and, in many cases, reverse the majority of degenerative diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and many cancers.

So, the most direct and simple path to a life of health and normal, stable weight is to eat a diet rich in micronutrients or a nutrient dense diet.  At the most basic level a nutrient dense diet is founded on plant based foods because they have the highest ratio of nutrients per calorie.  Leafy green vegetables generally contain the highest ratio of nutrients per calorie and the grand champion is kale.   You can use the ANDI™ scores in Whole Foods Market stores to help steer you to the most nutrient dense foods.

The goal of eating should be to make each meal a delicious opportunity to fill your body with life giving and health supporting micronutrients – a nutrient dense diet. So the next time someone asks, “What’s in your food?,” you will be ready to answer confidently, “MICRONUTRIENTS!”

Dr. Scott Stoll is a board certified specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and currently serves as the medical director for the Center for Advanced Spinal Solutions at Coordinated Health, chairman of the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and team physician for Lehigh University and the United States Bobsled Team. He currently serves on the Scientific Medical Advisory Board for Whole Foods Market and serves as Chairman of the Nutritional Board of Advisors for Eat Right America.

Let’s admit it, we all love to snack. And despite what some folks may say about not eating in between meals, inevitably that snack attack will sneak up when I least expect it – along with the urge for something crunchy or sweet. They come on strong, usually in the afternoon when I need a little boost to keep me going until my evening meal. Snacking often times gets a bad rap, but I think that the negativity associated with snacking is more about what you’re snacking on and less about the act of snacking.

Next time you’re on the run and the urge to snack hits, try grabbing some of your favorite fruits or chopped veggies. Both are easy, simple and will leave you feeling alive rather than sluggish from those fried, salty, sugar packed options. Better yet, plan ahead and try one of these tasty Health Starts Here™ snack recipes. These snacks will give you a boost of nutrients without sending you into crash-mode.

Black Bean Hummus

Serve this Mexican-inspired hummus with raw veggies or tortilla chips for dipping, or spread it on sandwiches and wraps, too.

Carrot Cashew Spread

This spread is a delicious snack on toasted slices of Health Starts Here whole grain bread, instead of on crackers.

Celery Bits with Roasted Red Pepper Cream

Cool crunchy celery is the perfect carrier for delicious, dairy-free roasted red pepper topping.

Banana-Cocoa Snack Cake

Enjoy a thick square of this cake with coffee in the morning, tea at night or as a mid-day snack on the go. The cake’s sweetness comes from bananas and dates, and its richness comes from light coconut milk.

Apple Cinnamon Oat Squares

These tasty squares are simple to make ahead and keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator so you can grab and go throughout the week.

Find more Health Starts Here recipes.

What is your favorite nutrient dense way to soothe a snack attack?

More often than I like to admit, when dinnertime rolls around and someone asks, “What’s for dinner?,” I find myself wondering the same thing. As much time as I spend with food and healthy eating, you’d think that I would have this all figured out! But there are plenty of days when the pots are cold, tummies are grumbling, and I start to consider our options and the cost of eating out. Rather than succumbing to the siren song of nearby eateries, my well-stocked pantry comes to the rescue. With the right assortment of ingredients continually on hand, your options are plenty. I’ve also found that many of our “what’s on the shelf” meals have inspired some creative cooking and wound up producing some of my family’s favorite dishes.

The easiest way to ensure that the food on your pantry shelves will contribute to making your meals healthy is to focus on whole, unprocessed food without refined sugars, artificial ingredients or hydrogenated fats. Whole grains are one of our favorites as they supply key nutrients for good health. Quick cooking grains are particularly life saving for last minute meal prep. With whole grains in your pantry, you could make Romantic Rice Bowl with brown rice with an array of vegetables; Basic Millet with Onion and Parsley; or try quinoa in the flavorful Quinoa with Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms or along with the sea vegetable arame in Ancient Grain Stuffed Red Bell Peppers. Whole grain pastas are also a must have, and adding beans is a great way to satisfy even the hungriest appetites, as in Whole Wheat Pasta with Mushrooms, White Beans and Arugula.

A perfect complement to whole grains, I consider beans to be our saving grace: affordable, nourishing and versatile. All varieties of beans are a good source of low-calorie, low-fat protein. They’re also an amazingly economical source of iron, folate, magnesium and fiber. I always like to have plenty of beans and legumes on hand, both canned and dried. Having multiple kinds of beans in the house and exploring cooking with different kinds ensures that we keep our meals interesting and never repetitious. For convenience, canned beans are my favorite. Easy, filling, and so good for you, we put them in salads and wraps, blend them to make spreads like Black Bean Hummus and Simply Delicious Homemade Hummus, add vegetables for a satisfying dish like Black Bean Salad and the delightful Black Beans and Rice Extravaganza, or even eat them straight as my son does, topped with a little tomato puree.

But for value and nutrition plus versatility and tradition, dried beans are essential. Cooking dried beans is one of a cook’s greatest tools. If you haven’t done it before, don’t worry; check out Learn to Cook: White Beans. Wondering what to do with your beans? Try warming Yellow Split Pea and Sweet Potato Soup, simple and elegant White Bean and Spinach Salad, or try one of our favorites: black beans topped with cashews that have been blended with a little water, lime juice and jalapeno. Perfect.

While nothing will replace fresh, frozen fruits and vegetables can come in very handy and can also be nutrient dense. Vegetable Brown Rice with Feta Cheese couldn’t be easier, and even peas get to play in Green Pea Guacamole. Add some shelf stable tomatoes to your ingredient options, and your menu choices expand even further! Try Layered Vegetable Enchiladas for a sure fire crowd pleaser. Breakfast also is made easier with frozen fruit for smoothies. Get Your Greens Smoothie and Cherry Almond Smoothie are both good ones to try.

Rounding out our on pantry staples are the flavor adders. Nuts and seeds, plant-based milks, broth and stock, and dried fruits all help make dishes creamy, rich or sweet. Vinegars, mustard, miso and tamari soy sauce are necessary for the finishing touches, adding just the right amount of acidity and saltiness. These finishing touches are highlighted in “Creamed” Kale, which is sure to make a green lover out of anyone, the amazing Orange Peanut Dressing, and hearty Italian Chowder with Cod and Kale. Beyond dinner, a well-stocked pantry can also come to the rescue when you’re looking for something sweet. Oats and dried fruit natural sweeteners combine together to make Apple-Cinnamon Oat Squares. No-Bake Thumbprint Cookies also uses almond butter to create some water watering jam gems.

Need a boost to make your pantry healthier? Check out our Win a Healthy Pantry Makeover blog post for more info.

What are you making with what’s on your shelves?

One of the concerns I hear often from both colleagues and friends when talking about healthy eating is that many feel they just don’t know how to cook healthier. Unfortunately, many of us were raised on foods cooked with lots of oil and butter and aren’t familiar with the many ways that you can cook without these added fats.

As a chef and culinary educator for our Health Starts Here™ initiative, I am excited to share with you several upcoming blog posts on the many ways that you can prepare foods that not only taste delicious but also help to maintain the nutrients and vitamins in the foods you are cooking.

We’ll start with a simple technique that can reduce the amount of unhealthy fat in your diet: No Oil Sauté or Steam Frying. Cooking without oil allows us to focus on more nutrient-dense foods without having the added calories.

As we move into eating healthier fats from whole plant sources, we can reduce the amount of extracted oils and processed fats by using liquids such as vegetable stocks, wine, beer, coconut water, etc. to cook our foods.

Step 1: To sauté without oil, follow three principles: High heat, no fat and rapid motion. Using caramelized onions as an example, you’ll first heat the pan until it’s hot. I use the water drop method to tell if my pan is hot enough. When you drop a water droplet into the pan, it should bounce like a super ball on the basketball court.

Step 2: Add julienne onions to the hot pan. You should hear them sizzle. Stir rapidly.

Step 3: Cook the onions continuing to stir and allow the color to form as the onions heat up and stick slightly to the pan. No need to add oil. By caramelizing the onions we are pulling the sugars and semi burning them to create that nice browning effect which creates deeper flavor.

Step 4: Add small amounts of vegetable stock to deglaze the pan and loosen up the onions from the pan.

Step 5: Stir until the onions are tender. Now the onions are ready to use in your favorite dishes.

Wherever recipes call to sauté vegetables in oil, you can use this technique. I know it’s hard to set down that bottle of olive oil but trust me on this – this is an easy technique and it can work in all of your dishes. To start out, try this technique when making your next batch of soup and start off with sautéing your vegetables such as onion, celery and green pepper.

Give it a try and let me know how it works out for you.

Enjoy!

Looking for a way to jumpstart your healthy eating resolutions? Take the Eat Right America™ 28-day Challenge! Eat Right America is one of our partners supporting our Health Starts Here™ program.

The Eat Right America approach is all about ensuring that you are well nourished by helping you learn how to eat healthier. For a limited time, Whole Foods Market shoppers can receive Eat Right America’s free online Nutrition Prescription membership, which is an individualized nutritional assessment that offers guidance for a personalized healthy eating plan to achieve optimal health. To get your free Nutrition Prescription, simply click here for Eat Right America’s registration page. Then simply fill in your personal information and this special Key Code: CERAWSBLG.

Your free personalized Nutrition Prescription includes an online:

• Nutrient analysis
• Health risk evaluation
• Daily eating plan
• Nutritional assessment that offers guidance for a customized healthy eating plan to achieve optimal health
• 28 days of step-by-step email support
• 30 days of unlimited access to the Eat Right America online member center

And don’t worry — you’ll get plenty of support once you decide to take the Eat Right America 28-day Challenge.  You’ll get online recipe suggestions for every meal along with your eating plan. Also, you can pick up Health Starts Here recipes at your local Whole Foods Market store or find more than 100 Health Starts Here recipes online.

Stop by your local store to receive support, education and inspiration to create lasting solutions for a healthier lifestyle.  In-store Whole Foods Market Healthy Eating Specialists are available to discuss your eating plan, provide store tours to help you locate ingredients and share recipe advice.

What do you think? Are you up for the Eat Right America 28-day Challenge?

Looking for some fun and festive ways to celebrate the arrival of 2011? Check out our ideas for homemade merrymaking and then share your own.

1)     Host a “Small Bites” Party:  Check out 20 delicious small bites recipes for entertaining. You provide festive drinks, ask guests to bring small bites!

2)     Plan a Neighborhood Progressive:  Connect with neighbors and map out a menu where you’ll walk from house to house and enjoy a different course at each home. Take flashlights and be careful on the walk!

3)     Organize a “Best of 2010” Dinner Party:  Think back on your cooking over the past year. What were some of your new favorite recipes, ingredients and cooking techniques? Collaborate with friends and cooking partners on putting together a dinner menu that incorporates the best of your cooking. Check out our top-rated recipes from 2010 for ideas.

4)     Set up a DIY Sparkling Drinks Bar: Stock up on sparkling wine (stop by the wine department and ask for a recommendation), sparkling cider and sparkling water too. Set up a bar where guests can tailor their own sparkling drink cocktails. Cut slices of citrus and set out a bowl of sugar for sugaring rims of glasses: Just rub a slice of cut orange, lemon or lime around the rim of the glass, then invert the rim into the sugar and twist the glass to coat the rim. Set out pitchers of juices, the more colorful, the better! Think pomegranate, cherry, pink grapefruit and blood orange. Set up a chalkboard or cover a table with brown paper for guests to write down their favorite combinations.

5)     Propose an Old-Fashioned Family Games Night: Invite kids and their parents, and ask everyone to bring a board game. Enlist your kids’ help in planning a dinner and snacks that folks of all ages will enjoy. Set up several card tables and rotate groups of people among games. Come up with fun prizes. Take a break to eat dinner, and make some noise when the ball drops!

6)     Throw a “My Best Recipe” Potluck Dinner:  Invite your foodie friends for a dinner party. Ask guests to prepare their “best” recipe and to bring the recipe on a card to share with the group. The host provides the main course. Non-cooks provide drinks. Vote on the best recipe at the end of the evening.

7)     Get Cozy Fireside: Hunker down by the fire, could be indoors or outdoors, with mugs of hot chocolate.  Share your best moments from 2010 and what you’re looking forward to in 2011.

8)     Celebrate with a New Year’s Brunch: If staying up until midnight isn’t your cup of tea, make a breakfast casserole the night before, then head to bed at a reasonable hour and get a good night’s sleep. In the morning throw together a fruit salad, make a batch of muffins and raise your coffee cup to toast the New Year.

How will you be celebrating the arrival of 2011?

Seems that everyone loves lists this time of year — reflecting on what we’ve learned with an eye on a brighter future. From old favorites to new takes, our readers chose to try a wide variety this past year. Here are the brightest stars in our top-rated recipes from 2010. Just move your cursor over the picture to see the name of the recipe and how it rated. Dig in!

As the holiday season comes to a close, we want to give thanks for all of the great feedback on our Tips for Greener Holidays series of blog posts. If everyone was taking the steps our readers are, we’d make a huge dent in that stat about North Americans producing 25% more waste during this time of year. It’s so wonderful to know, judging by your comments, that our customers are so environmentally conscious!

Now, we’ve talked about pre-cycling, party planning, holiday cards, holiday lights, Christmas trees and wrapping already. If you have implemented some of these tips, you may not have a giant mess to clean up!

Here are a few simple things you can do to green up your clean up:

• Compost your real tree and reuse your artificial tree.
• Recycle (or store for reuse) your holiday cards and gift-wrap.
• Use rechargeable batteries instead of regular ones. I know that they can be problematic at times – if you don’t charge them right before using them, they can slowly lose their charge and not work when you need them. Plan ahead!
• For regular batteries, please recycle them instead of letting them end up in the landfill. You can find info on how and where to recycle at earth911.com.
• Did you get a new computer or other electronic equipment? Donate your old stuff! Here in Central Texas, Goodwill has a great program where they take all electronic equipment and try to reuse it…and if they can’t, they recycle it. Who does this in your city? Computers With Causes looks like a really good resource.
• How many of you got new phones? If you’re ready to recycle your old phone, PDA, cell phone batteries, chargers, or other accessories  – the Environmental Protection Agency website has a special section all about recycling these items. Don’t forget to double check that your personal data is cleared from the phone before you recycle it!
• Did you get a gift card? After you use it, don’t throw it away. Bring it to any Whole Foods Market and we will recycle it for you! (Learn about our recycled gift cards).

Okay, I know you all have green ideas too. What other suggestions do you have to help us all clean up the after-holiday mess?

Hope you planned ahead and are not dashing through the snow trying to hang the stockings with care at the last minute on this Christmas Eve! Our stores are full of Christmas spirit and fun places to catch the holiday bug if it hasn’t bitten you yet.

Need some help with your holiday meal? Check out our recipes and tips pages!

For those last minute “oh I forgot the…!” quick dashes to the market, find out what your store’s holiday hours are by checking your store’s webpage, twitter feed or facebook page.

Wishing you and yours a peaceful Christmas filled with hope.

How are you doing with all of our green holiday tips so far? We’ve covered “Green Holidays” tips on party planning, holiday cards, holiday lights, precycling and Christmas trees. North Americans produce 25% more waste during the winter holidays – that’s 25 million extra tons of garbage going to the landfill. The Whole Foods Market Green Mission Team has gathered our favorite tips to feature on this blog throughout the holidays to help us all reduce our load. Our customers are some of the greenest folks around, so please share your tips with us too. Hopefully we’ll help each other discover new and creative ways to live lighter on the planet this holiday season.

Gift Wrap

If you’ve ever seen a typical living room on Christmas morning, you already know that gift wrap is a HUGE issue for greening our holidays. We’ve heard that if every family in America reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, we’d have 38,000 miles – enough to tie a bow around the planet. Wouldn’t that be a nice gift?

• Reuseable gift bags are perfect for eliminating waste.
• Better yet, use A Better Bag – it’s sturdy and can be reused over and over and over again. We have smaller ones for 79 cents and the large ones are 99 cents. A greatdeal for reusable gift wrap that doubles as a present!
• Decorate an unwrapped gift with reused ribbons and bows or dried grasses and flowers.
• Use a pretty dish towel, an old scarf, fabric scraps or a bed sheet to wrap gifts of all sizes.
• Use old calendar photos to wrap smaller gifts.
• If you do buy wrapping paper, make sure it’s made from post-consumer recycled paper and is non-metallic. Less ink and non-shiny surfaces make it easier to recycle.
• Use string, ribbon or wool for wrapping gifts rather than sticky tape. The string and paper can then be reused.
• Shipping a fragile gift? Instead of Styrofoam packing peanuts, use unbuttered popcorn. Got peanuts with your present this year? Drop off clean Styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap for reuse at mailing companies.

Now, it’s your turn. What green gift wrap tricks do you have up your sleeve?

Before you get the party (planning) started, check out our previous Green Holidays tips on precycling, holiday cards, holiday lights, and Christmas trees.

North Americans produce 25% more waste during the winter holidays – that’s 25 million extra tons of garbage going to the landfill. The Whole Foods Market Green Mission Team has gathered our favorite tips to feature on this blog throughout the holidays to help us all reduce our load. Our customers are some of the greenest folks around, so please share your tips with us too. Hopefully we’ll help each other discover new and creative ways to live lighter on the planet this holiday season.

Holiday Parties

At least 28 billion pounds of edible food are sent to the landfill each year. Isn’t that amazing? Especially considering much of that can be composted. This year, let’s all challenge ourselves to green those holiday parties and try to make them zero waste. Who knows? If you set a good example for your guests they may take some of your green ideas home with them and keep the momentum up in 2011.

• Send e-cards or e-mail instead of paper invitations.
• Rent dishes or glassware to avoid using disposables.
• Or, go with compostable disposables.
• Host a “Bring Your Own Bowl” party,where guests supply their own reusable dish.
• Support sustainable farming practices bycooking with natural and organic ingredients.
• Consider hosting a party featuring food that has travelled less than 150 miles to get to your hometown.
• Turn down the heat before the guests arrive. The extra body heat will heat the room while you save energy.
• Recycle and compost everything you can. Set up recycling bins for bottles and cans. If composting is available in your area, put out a bin for compostables.
• Walk, ride your bike, snowshoe, ski, car-pool or take the bus to neighborhood parties.
• Keep an eye on the buffet table and make sure nothing sits out longer than two hours – this will help prevent having to throw out the food that’s no longer safe to eat.
• Pack leftovers to go for your guests. Freeze what you can’t give away! Make sure no food goes to waste.

Now, it’s your turn. What tips do you have for making holiday parties and gatherings as green as can be?