The holidays are a time of joy and celebration, of getting together with family and friends and sharing the gifts of the season. The holidays are also a time when North Americans produce 25% more waste than any other time of the year, which equates to 25 million extra tons of garbage going to the landfill. Ho! Ho! Holy crap!

This season, we’re sharing a few favorite tips from the Whole Foods Market Green Mission Team to help us all reduce our holiday waste. We know 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 Lights
Yes, we know that lights are festive, but you can find ways to save money and energy while turning on the twinkle.

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Are you a baking whiz adept at creating recipes to meet your or your family’s special dietary needs? Think your baked goods should be called baked betters because they’re so scrumptious? Then warm up the oven and break out your mitts because we have a bake-off on our hands!

Whole Foods Market has teamed up with Earth Balance and is sponsoring a Holiday Bake-off to celebrate the debut of their Made Just Right™ web site.

In their own words, Made Just Right is a community where like-minded people can share recipes, photos, cooking advice, product reviews, food news and lifestyle tips. Whether you’re vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free or someone who chooses to use only natural, non-GMO products, you’ll find flavorful and delicious recipes and tips that jive with your diet.

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The holidays are a time of joy and celebration, of getting together with family and friends and sharing the gifts of the season. The holidays are also a time when North Americans produce 25% more waste than any other time of the year, which equates to 25 million extra tons of garbage going to the landfill. Ho! Ho! Holy crap!

This season, we’re sharing a few favorite tips from the Whole Foods Market Green Mission Team to help us all reduce our holiday waste. We know 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.

Christmas Trees
More than 50 million trees are sold each Christmas and it’s estimated that 30 million of those end up in our landfills. This year, make mulching your mantra.

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I often hear concerns about gaining weight during the holidays. That’s why I think it’s important to keep fresh fruits and veggies high on your priority list. But, that doesn’t mean you have to be left out of holiday fun. Unique, delicious fall vegetables are abundant and I plan on staying fit as a fiddle by keeping my focus on a variety of versatile vegetables. High on my list is fennel, a unique, aromatic bulb-vegetable that will delight your taste buds and help keep you fit, too. If you’re not sure you’ve ever tried it before, fennel is unmistakable in appearance and flavor. Reminiscent of both licorice and anise, and looking a bit like celery, one crunchy bite tells you this is no ordinary vegetable!

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Have you decided what to serve for your special holiday dinner? Christmas ham is a delicious classic. We know you want your meal to be special and we’ve done the work to make sure it will be with one of our hams. In the next couple of weeks, we’ll have several blog posts introducing you to our ham producers and sharing recipes and cooking tips. But, first, let’s take a quick look at why we think you should get your ham from us instead of somewhere else.

* Federal law does not allow the use of supplemental growth hormones in pigs.

Pretty compelling, don’t you think? Lots more reasons to get your ham from us in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned in and we’ll help you make sure your holiday is just right.

Mother Nature is gearing up for a wardrobe change as we head into the holidays, and so are many of our stores! This year, as in years past, our trees are fresh from the Blue Ridge Mountains, about 10 miles southeast of Sparta, North Carolina, and grown by family-owned and operated Bottomley Evergreens & Farms. Our stores* will have Fraser Fir trees available for guests to choose from in the hunt for the perfect holiday tree… are you ready?

Did you know that Fraser Firs are one of the most popular choices when it comes to bringing home a fresh tree for the holidays? With a dark green color, full shape, classic aroma, and excellent needle retention, no wonder the Fraser Fir holds onto all that glitz and glam so well!  What’s your favorite reason for choosing a real tree? I think mine is that a well cared for tree can last up to three or four weeks, and who doesn’t love having that smell fill the air?

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Just in case you missed the announcement – we’ve got the perfect holiday gift (box) for your friends, family, secret crush, office mate, your college advisor, or your kids’ teachers!

Ordering is simple. Go to our gift box page, choose one of five delightful (we think), affordable ($40 to $60, plus shipping) gift boxes, and you’re done! Place your order now through Monday, November 29 and it ships for FREE! And since it’s from Whole Foods Market, you know your gift is going to show your holiday spirit in a whole new way.

Keep in mind that these gift boxes are ONLY available to order online. That’s how we can give you the best pricing and the quickest delivery. Now let’s get to the goods!

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The Top Ten Holiday wines were flowing and the tweets were flying at our first-ever Twitter Tasting last week where we joined a few hundred of our closest friends all across the country (and Canada!) to taste and tweet about these top-notch wines at easy-to-swallow prices.

As the corks popped, the tweet parties began with bloggers and wine-loving tweeters joining in the fun from Austin, TX to Atlanta, GA and from Boca Raton, FL to Kennewick, WA. Many gathered at their nearest Whole Foods Market stores while others hosted their own Twitter Tastings in their homes. In one short hour, we tasted six of these holiday-friendly wines and the twitter-verse was buzzing with nearly 700 tweets sharing comments, photos and kudos for the Top Ten wines – all under $15 a bottle!

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Leftovers are one of the best parts of Thanksgiving as far as we’re concerned, and we have lots of ideas for getting creative with cooked turkey.

For ideas on using other leftovers from the Thanksgiving meal, covering everything from stuffing and gravy to mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, check out our guide to making the most of leftovers.

*Substitute leftover turkey on recipes that call for chicken or ham

Pot Pies

• Gluten-Free“Pot Pie” with Crunchy Brown Rice Crust
• Turkey Pot Pie

Soups, Stews and Curries

• Hearty Turkey Noodle Soup
• Turkey Sweet Potato Curry
• Turkey with Sweet Potato Dumplings
• Turkey Picadillo

Casseroles, Enchiladas and Quiche

• Turkey Enchiladas
• Turkey and Roasted Vegetable Quiche
• Turkey Tetrazzini
• Turkey and Wild Rice Casserole

Sandwiches and Wraps

• Ham and Brie Sandwiches
• Turkey and Cucumber Wrap
• Turkey, Plum and Brie Panini
• Turkey Salad Wraps

Salads

• Chicken Orzo Salad
• Chipotle Turkey Salad
• Creamy Turkey Salad with Apples
• Green Salad with Buffalo Turkey and Blue Cheese
• Turkey Pasta Salad

What are your top tips for using leftovers to create delicious meals?

Here’s wishing you and your loved ones a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Still facing the bird with no clue how to cook it? Got a finished turkey and unsure how to carve it? Missing an ingredient and need a last minute substitution? Check out ourHoliday Guides & Tips for some help!