It’s in the job description: moms have to make up all kinds of rules. Some moms are particularly gifted at this part of the job: “Don’t run with scissors.” Others, not so much: “No whiskey before noon.”
Let’s have some fun sharing our Moms’ rules about food and eating – maybe even pick up some new ones! For example, I tell my daughter that she can only eat pizza if she has a side salad along with it. Here are a few of the “Moms’ Food Rules” collected from my teammates.
You don’t get a dinner roll until your salad/veggies are gone.
No quesadillas without pintos on the side.
Taste your food before adding table salt.
Take three bites of everything on your plate.
Can’t buy a packaged cereal if sugar is one of the top three ingredients.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Don’t snitch the cookie batter – there are raw eggs in there.
No mac and cheese without peas.
Wait an hour after lunch before getting back into the pool.
At picnics: a little dirt never hurt anyone and you can’t taste ants.
What are your favorite rules from your mom or the rules you’ve made up for your kids? We’d love to hear them!
I have to admit, Sunday afternoon I was beat from an active day that began with a big dog walk then progressed into grocery shopping, a yoga class, cleaning house and working in the garden, followed by a very welcome shower. All would make for a fantastic spring day if I didn’t then have to make dinner! I was too tired and broke to consider going out to pick something up, so I took an exploratory tour of cupboard, fridge and freezer, grumbling all the while that I hadn’t followed my own oft-preached advice and planned tonight’s meal when I shopped just that morning!
I opened a fortifying local beer, nibbled on some sunflower seeds and forced myself to start pulling a few things out and putting some thought into it. A mere 20 minutes later, when I took a load off and took my first bite, I was so happy that I laughed out loud at myself because this is one of my very favorite meals with benefits: really awesome flavors, satisfying without being too heavy, costs so little and is pretty darn healthy. I relaxed in front of a stupid movie and savored every bite. It was a gratifying way to end a productive Sunday.
Here’s what I dug up in the kitchen…
Whole wheat couscous: So easy and fast to cook. Then I toss and season with something tasty I have on my overloaded fridge door: a few olives and/or sundried tomatoes in oil to mince; half a jar of pesto or tapenade; some crumbled feta or goat cheese; cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, celery, carrot, red onion. Give it a generous squeeze of lemon and then, if needed, a little salt, Bragg’s liquid aminos or tamari soy sauce. I like a spoonful of harissa, too…a little goes a long way for very flavorful heat. Read the rest of this entry »
Around the middle of April, lots of things start happening with fruit in the produce biz. Citrus starts to fade – we still see plenty of great late availability in oranges, lemons and grapefruit but many of the cool varietals finish for the season. Apple and pear variety generally tends to shrink at this time as well, though they will get a boost in the form of new crop off shore arrivals from South America. Berries are in full swing but very weather dependent and the early soft fruit (peaches, plums, apricots and cherries) choices are limited to non-existent. Springtime marks a time of renewal and growth but, in the world of fresh produce, spring also means a gap separating the end of the domestic winter (or hard fruit) season and the beginning of the summer (soft fruit) season. It is in this gap that mangoes are at their seasonal best – a “bridge fruit” that carries us from winter to summer. Read the rest of this entry »
Mother’s Day is coming up on May 10. Looking for ideas on how to celebrate this special day?
Follow Mara Fleishman, a Team Member and mom of two, around the store to find out her favorite picks for celebrating being a mom Mother’s Day and every day. Then, share with all the moms reading this blog your tips on celebrating yourself and motherhood!
Post a comment to let us know your product recommendations. You’ll be entered for a chance to win a $100 Whole Foods Market gift card and a FEED 100 bag, one of Mara’s top picks. Please post your comments by midnight Wednesday, May 6. The winner will be selected by our panel of Team Member moms and posted in this blog on May 8.
Stop by participating Whole Foods Market stores for more great product picks from Team Member moms. Just look for signage throughout the store.
Looking for beauty to believe in? After decades of natural foods, more natural cosmetics are also emerging. It’s easy to understand the importance of natural foods, but are there real reasons for buying cosmetics with natural ingredients? Check out our pocket guide and podcast to get the facts behind the hype about natural cosmetics and body care ingredients.
I read once that we should eat only what we could hunt, pick, gather or grow. Wow, what a concept! When I think about the nature of the human body, it does seem logical that our cells must naturally crave these “whole and real” foods. And yet we are a nation that loves our fast, processed, packaged food.
We do seem to be somewhat unique in that addiction and we can break it if we try. About 15 years ago I went on a trip to Peru. Once I arrived at my hotel in Cusco, toured the grounds and then my room, I remember thinking: “Where are all the garbage cans?” There were none that I could see. I began to wonder if the people of that great land generated much garbage. So I really looked around and discovered that when it came to food and cooking, I barely saw a package or a can or a box to throw away. They prepared fresh, whole foods from scratch. It was wonderful!
Of course, I don’t expect all Americans to live on diets that contain no processed foods at all, but I do think we can learn to assess the varying degrees of food processing and choose wisely. Read the rest of this entry »
Since 1983, Jim Law has been delicately working the soil at Hardscrabble Vineyard in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, intent upon growing the best grapes in order to produce the best wine in the region. The soil, site, and microclimate are even more important to Jim than the grape varieties. The combination of a cool mountain microclimate and well-drained mineral soils give Linden Vineyard wines their fresh, assertive aromas and concentrated flavors.
Don’t forget to join us for our live blog at 1pm CST today (Friday, April 24th).
We’re getting together to share ideas for ways to keep Earth Day going all year long. Kathy Loftus, nationally recognized green management expert and active member of Whole Foods Market’s Green Mission Team, will guide the chat.
Whether you are new to green living or have been on the bandwagon a long time, join us to share your questions and answers to how we can all work together to protect the world around us.
We know that our customers hold us to a higher standard than conventional stores. If you talk the talk, then you better be walking the walk. We agree. So, in case you missed the press coverage of our company’s big Earth Day announcement, here’s a recap. We set the environmental bar higher than ever before with our comprehensive energy commitment that more than triples the number of Whole Foods Market stores with solar panels, extends our 100% offset of any non-renewable electricity with wind energy, and provides for a significant investment in energy reduction by retrofitting existing stores with energy efficient lighting, equipment and mechanical components.
Here’s the breakdown:
Solar Power: 20 more stores will be powered by rooftop solar installations. Future rollout phases include plans for around 70 solar locations (about 1/4 of our total stores.)
Wind Power: We are continuing our 100% wind power offset; which brings our four-year total purchase to 2 million megawatt-hours of renewable energy credits from wind farms. This is the equivalent of the electricity used in more than 160,000 homes in one year. Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome to Whole Story, the official blog of Whole Foods Market.
Don’t know us? In a nutshell, we are the world's leading natural and organic grocer and we’re passionate about healthy food and a healthy planet. Learn more about us.
We’re lucky to have a whole bunch of smart, passionate people doing incredible things in areas like organics, supporting local growers, green practices, fair trade, micro-lending and all kinds of food related stuff. We’ll use this blog to share some of the cool things going on around here.
Of course, what makes this blog really exciting is YOU — so join the conversation!
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Looking for beauty to believe in? After decades of natural foods, more natural cosmetics are also emerging. It’s easy to understand the importance of natural foods, but are there real reasons for buying cosmetics with natural ingredients? Check out our pocket guide and podcast to get the facts behind the hype about natural cosmetics and body care ingredients.
We know that our customers hold us to a higher standard than conventional stores. If you talk the talk, then you better be walking the walk. We agree. So, in case you missed the press coverage of our company’s big Earth Day announcement, here’s a recap. We set the environmental bar higher than ever before with our comprehensive energy commitment that more than triples the number of Whole Foods Market stores with solar panels, extends our 100% offset of any non-renewable electricity with wind energy, and provides for a significant investment in energy reduction by retrofitting existing stores with energy efficient lighting, equipment and mechanical components.
