Every Valentines’ Day I rekindle my never-ending romance with chocolate. The darker the chocolate, the better. It is a sensual delight, whether plain or with nuts, spices, dried fruit, a sliver of cheese or a splash of wine. Alas, I am hardly the only one involved in this romantic escapade with chocolate. Annual world consumption of cocoa beans averages about 600,000 tons! And did you know that it takes about 400 of those cocoa beans to make just one pound of chocolate?

Not only are all of the myriad forms of chocolate indescribably decadent and aromatic, the darker versions are also good for us! Here’s what I mean:

• Dark chocolate is packed with high-quality polyphenol antioxidants that may promote overall cardiovascular health.
• Cocoa beans include flavonoids (like those found in tea and red wine), which support healthy cholesterol levels and act as antioxidants.
• Chocolate delivers stearic acid, a unique fatty acid thought to be neutral for cholesterol levels.

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Add a burst of sunshine to a cold, dreary winter with fresh, juicy organic navel oranges from California — just 79 cents per pound this Friday only in our US* and Canada stores.  What will you do with your oranges?

Availability and limits may vary by region, so you can contact your store for details. While supplies last. Most of our stores do not provide rain checks for sales like this.

*Due to supply issues, Arizona stores will have organic Valencia oranges for the same price, 79 cents per pound, so you won’t miss out on this organic citrus deal!

Navel oranges are chock full of vitamin C, plenty of juicy flavor, and they’re a refreshing addition to most anything, from breakfast to snacks and salads, main dishes and desserts. You can use the juice, the rind, and the inside sections. They’re perfect in a pinch, they’re seedless and they section easily so they’re ideal for plenty of recipes and now’s the time to get ‘em fresh!

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While preparing food can be fun, there are plenty of times when you’re in a crunch and need to get something on the table fast.  For a lot of folks, that means drive-thru, take-out or dinner from a box. Unfortunately, many of these “fast” foods contain artificial additives, sweeteners, colorings, preservatives and hydrogenated fats. Instead, try turning to pre-cut fruits and fresh salsas made in-house, as well as our abundant salad bar choices, to help you get meals on the table quickly without sacrificing good health.

Here are some favorite short-cuts:

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When it comes to food, I’ll eat anything green (except mold!). Lucky to come from a family of southern cooks and green-leaf-lovers, I was certain I knew everything I needed to know about eating green things until my family moved to Hawaii. There, I was introduced to a new (to me) leafy green called bok choy.

Also referred to as Chinese cabbage, bok choy, like other cruciferous vegetables, is a nutrient-dense, delicious, easy-to-prepare vegetable known for containing special compounds that support good health. Although technically classified as a member of the cabbage family, it neither resembles nor tastes like any of the cabbages we are familiar with. The stalks resemble white celery and the leaves look more like broccoli leaves or dark Romaine lettuce. Read the rest of this entry »

I was born to vegetable-loving parents. Growing up in the South, I saw everything from okra to Kentucky Wonder Beans on my plate. Yet, I’ll never forget that Sunday dinner when my mother served me a very tiny one-inch head of cabbage. I soon learned it was a Brussels sprout, a cousin and cultivar of wild cabbage and a pretty amazing look-alike if you ask me!

The origin of Brussels sprouts is a little sketchy but they do appear to be mentioned in the late 16^th century. They are likely native to Belgium, specifically near Brussels, and thus their name. They spread across Europe in the early 20^th century where they became a favorite in England. Even today, our British friends consume more Brussels sprouts than any other country in the world. Here in the US we grow them mostly in California and New York. They’re at their peak from September through mid-February, so now’s the time to brush up on Brussels sprout recipes! Read the rest of this entry »

What’s not to love about this dairy (and non-dairy!) favorite? In our stores, you can choose from the largest variety of yogurt in a wide selection of flavors, from Greek yogurt to Icelandic skyr. And here’s an added bonus: All of our 365 Everyday Value® yogurts, organic or not, are made from the milk of cows never given artificial growth hormones (rBGH/rBST). This is true for many of the other brands we offer, too. None contain high fructose corn syrup or artificial colors, flavors or preservatives either. We’ve got a slew of alternatives made from coconut, almond, rice or soybeans that can be used in much the same way as the dairy versions.

There’s wisdom in ancient traditions. Our ancestors have been preserving food by natural fermentation and culture for millennia. By some accounts, there’s evidence that cultured milk dates back as far as 2000 BCE. Roman author, philosopher and naturalist Piney the Elder once made mention of certain tribes of people who knew the way “to thicken the milk into a substance with an agreeable acidity.”

With the creation of modern refrigeration, many of our traditional ways of fermenting and preserving food has largely been forgotten, but thankfully, the practice of eating yogurt, a popular fermented dairy food, still remains. Yogurt contains beneficial bacteria that support healthy digestion and promote beneficial intestinal flora. It’s been said that Francis I, King of France in the early 14^th century, suffered from a severe bout with diarrhea which no French doctor could cure until his ally Suleiman the Magnificent (what a name!) of the Ottoman Empire sent a doctor who cured King Francis with yogurt.

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I feel lucky that my home state is Louisiana. It’s famous for some of the best food on the planet. On New Year’s Day, we usher in the coming year with special good-luck foods, namely fresh cooked collard greens and a gigantic pot of steaming hot black-eyed peas.

Over the centuries, traditional cultures have created superstitions around foods for luck – generally connected to having money, being prosperous and having enough to eat. Food, of course, meant survival. It’s especially wonderful that many of these “good luck” foods taste great and can be so simple to prepare. Some are even nutrient dense and that makes them extra lucky.

Here are some of the “luckier” foods:

Cooked Greens: Around the world, all sorts of cooked greens are eaten on New Year’s Day. This is because green leaves represent folded money, a symbol of economic good fortune. The more you eat on New Year’s, the greater your wealth in the coming year. Leafy greens are nutritional powerhouses too.

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This week I am honored to focus on the humble spud, also known as the potato, the totally tempting tuber that once fascinated British naturalist Charles Darwin during an expedition to South America. Turns out potatoes can produce nutritious food faster than any other food crop, using less land and in just about any environment!

Potatoes were first cultivated about 7, 000 years ago in South America, where their early reputation was neither humble nor happy. The Spanish first encountered them in Peru and took them back to Europe where they were regarded with tremendous suspicion, trepidation and fear. The poor potato was considered unfit for human consumption and only suitable as animal fodder or food for starving people. Eventually, the “upper class” in Europe recognized the potato’s true potential, and slowly but surely, the humble spud gained its rightful popularity.
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Holiday baking and cooking always warms my heart along with my kitchen. This was a learned tradition for me, though. Growing up in Honolulu did not lend itself to abundant cold-weather cooking. Living in central Texas gave me a few weeks of cooler weather that allowed me to make merry in the kitchen, but it was not until I landed in Northern Virginia that I began some serious cold-weather holiday cooking. I quickly learned that I could lift my spirits and warm up wonderfully with warming, seasonal spices. Here’s a list of favorites with fun holiday ideas.

Ginger

Available candied, powdered or fresh, all have unique and interchangeable uses. You can add grated ginger to fruit juice, dairy, nut or coconut milk, and even a little rum! Add dried (or fresh) ginger to cookies, cakes, muffins, pancakes, soups and stews. Here’s a recipe for Cranberry Sauce with Candied Ginger and here’s an idea for Ginger Applesauce, so perfect for the season. If you love hot soup, this Carrot-Ginger Soup will hit the spot. You can also try a cup of hot ginger tea on a cold day, or add it to punch and fruit juice for holiday parties. Peel ½-inch piece of ginger root finely grate it into a mug and pour boiling water over it. Cover and steep for 5 minutes. Strain or leave as is. If desired, add a squeeze of lemon and a bit of honey or other sweetener.
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We all know the holidays are supposed to bring good will and joy and all that nice stuff, but truth be told, for many people, ‘tis the season of dread. The food, the family, the festivities — the hijacked good intentions! Really, for many of us, there is no more stressful time than now.

If you are on a health-building program — either for weight loss or to improve your health — managing food and festivities around the holidays can lead to a sense of guilt and failure. To help you this year, I have a bag of holiday party survival tricks you might want to check out:

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