I don’t know about you, but when I spend all morning in the kitchen preparing the Thanksgiving feast, I’m not that interested when the time comes to sit down and eat. My senses are completely overloaded from chopping, stirring and tasting and living in the wonderful aromas of the kitchen. I know, I know. I could make or purchase things ahead, or ask people to bring things or help-and I do to some extent-but my true enjoyment of that day is actually the cooking.

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I was flipping through the October-November issue of The Whole Deal and this money-saving tip caught my eye (I wrote the piece months ago, so I’d almost forgotten it):

Make Décor do Double Duty. Decorate your table with winter squash, fresh herbs, citrus, apples, pears, pomegranates and nuts, and then use them in recipes. Read the rest of this entry »

Your “Buy-Some-Make-Some” Ideas Could Make you a Winner

I truly enjoy cooking and I get a decent meal on the table pretty quickly most nights of the week, but I’m not too proud to take shortcuts when my time is especially valuable. And, while going the buy-some/make-some route usually-not always!-costs a bit more than completely homemade, it is still a money saver compared to dining out.

So, there are plenty of times when I pick up a rotisserie chicken or pre-cut veggies from the salad bar to help me save time in the kitchen by omitting a few steps in a recipe. What about you? Tell us your tip for using an item from our Prepared Foods department to cut your cooking time and get a meal on the table PDQ. You might win a $100 Whole Foods Market® gift card just in time to help make your holiday meals a little easier, whether you order a complete prepared feast or buy-some/make-some-perhaps starting with a cooked turkey. We’ll draw a winner at random from all the tips we receive by the deadline of November 3rd.

Remember, if you haven’t already, sign up for The Whole Deal e-newsletter. You’ll hear from us a few times each month about in-store specials and money-saving tips…and future contests, too.

Hope you enjoyed “value contest month” on our blog during October. Tune in to our Facebook and Twitter feeds for more weekly contests throughout the holidays.

Let’s Hear about Restaurant Meals Made at Home

Sometimes when I go out to eat, as I’m enjoying a favorite restaurant dish, I think about what went into that dish and how I might make it—or something similar—at home. It’s fun for me to try to identify the ingredients and the preparation steps. And, of course, it’s also a real money saver to cook and eat at home!

I’d love to hear which restaurant dish you’ve tried to replicate at home—or which one you wish you could! So share your desired dish for a chance to win a $50 Whole Foods Market® gift card plus three of our favorite cookbooks. The winner will be chosen at random from entries received by the deadline of October 26^th.

Remember, if you haven’t already, sign up for The Whole Deal e-newsletter. You’ll hear from us a few times each month about in-store specials and money-saving tips…and future contests, too.

Tune in to our Whole Story blog next Wednesday for another special value-focused weekly contest!

Tell Us About Your Favorite 365 Everyday Value® Product and You Could Win

It was definitely not news when I learned that 82% of those in a Harris Interactive survey said that the way they shop for groceries has changed in the past year or so, that they’re using more coupons, comparison shopping and buying more grocery store brands. Sales of our own branded 365 Everyday Value® products have indeed grown as shoppers discover their value…great pricing on natural and organic, without the artificial additives often found in value brands. Can you tell we’re proud?

We know you’re buying them-thanks!-so tell us which is your favorite 365 Everyday Value® brand product and how you use it. We’ll choose a winner at random from the responses we receive and that winner will receive a $50 Whole Foods Market® gift card plus A Better Bag filled with some of our favorite 365 Everyday Value® items. Get on it! The deadline for responding is October 19th.

And, if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for The Whole Deal e-newsletter. You’ll hear from us a few times each month about in-store specials and money-saving tips…and future contests, too.

Tune in to our Whole Story blog each Wednesday in October for a special value-focused weekly contest!

Share your Ideas and You Could Get Some Good Stuff Free!

In a recent Harris Interactive survey, 76% said they don’t want to compromise on the quality of the food they buy and 65% say they would like to find ways to be able to buy natural and/or organic foods on a budget.

I was thrilled to read these stats because not only have I known in my heart that the former was true, I also knew that the latter happens all the time, so it’s clearly possible…and maybe this Value Guru actually provides some help. Honestly, though, while I never seem to run out of ideas-and certainly not words-I don’t have all the answers for how to get the most value out of great-quality natural and organic products. That’s where you come in.

Share your best tip for how to get the good stuff for less and you could win a $50 Whole Foods Market gift card along with a Better Bag loaded with our pantry favorites. We’ll choose a winner at random, but get on it…the entry deadline is October 12th!

And, if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for The Whole Deal e-newsletter. You’ll hear from us a few times each month about in-store specials and money-saving tips…and future contests, too.

Tune in to our Whole Story blog each Wednesday in October for a special value-focused weekly contest!

Congratulations to Susan K for her Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms recipe! To see Susan’s simple, tasty recipe, check out our upcoming special Giving & Entertaining issue of The Whole Deal value guide when it appears in stores and online December 1st.

Thanks for playing everyone! We received more than 500 ideas for small bites appetizers costing less than 50 cents per piece. And boy was it hard to whittle that down and choose a winner. We were searching for a recipe that used ingredients and an approach that wasn’t already in our list of 50-cent small bites that will appear in that issue. While many delicious ideas made the short list, her use of spinach provided a much-needed vegetable component and the mushroom cap replaced the cracker or bread “carrier” so common in appetizers.

In addition to celebrating the glory of seeing her recipe in print, Susan will receive a $50 gift card from Whole Foods Market®. How’s that for a small bite of fame?

Stay tuned for more online contests from The Value Guru throughout October!

Are you a fan of The Whole Deal in-store value guide? If so, here’s a sneak preview of the special December issue we’re putting together. It will focus around giving and entertaining on a budget and feature several recipes for amazing “small bites” party food that cost less than 50 cents per piece-many much less than that!

I know, I know, it seems awfully early to be talking holiday parties, but to be ready to inspire and assist you when the time comes we have to start Christmas in July, so to speak. And this year we also want some help from you! Simply use the comments space below to share your own favorite value-focused “small bites” holiday appetizer recipe that costs less than 50 cents per piece. If your favorite is selected as our favorite of all the entries, we’ll send you a $50 gift card and print your recipe in The Whole Deal. But, hurry up, the deadline is October 5th!

Good luck…I can’t wait to get a taste of your ideas.

And, if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for The Whole Deal e-newsletter. You’ll hear from us a few times each month about in-store specials and money-saving tips…and future contests, too.

Tune in to our Whole Story blog each Wednesday in October for a special value-focused weekly contest!

I’m not one of those people who love breakfast, but I do truly appreciate the power of the humble egg. With the exception perhaps of bananas, eggs are presented in the most perfect package nature provides. They cook quickly. They are versatile. They have just enough flavor to stand on their own, yet combine with other flavors wonderfully. Best of all, the egg is one of the most affordable sources of high-quality protein. Here are some of my favorite ways to take advantage of the nutritional and financial benefits of eggs. Most are probably obvious, but maybe you’ll pick up a new idea or be inspired to save some money by making a meal around eggs more often. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s so hot I can barely think. Here in Austin it has been over 100°F every day for weeks on end. All I want to do is crawl into the freezer. So, that’s what I’m going to do, virtually, anyway. Maybe just focusing on cool, cold, icy things will lower my body temperature. And in the meantime you can hopefully benefit from climbing in there with me to see why the freezer is my money-saving friend. Here’s what’s in my freezer right now:

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