Do you know a kid who speaks for the trees? Tell us your eco-hero’s story in our Kids for Our Planet contest. You just might win a screening of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax in your hometown theatre for 200 friends and family on March 1^st, the night before the movie opens to the public. Read on to find out how to enter our Facebook contest.

Curious about Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax? Here’s how Universal Pictures describes the movie:

From the creators of Despicable Me and the imagination of Dr. Seuss comes the 3D-CG feature Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, an adaptation of the classic tale of a forest creature who shares the enduring power of hope.  The animated adventure follows the journey of a 12-year-old as he searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams.  To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.

In hopes of spreading the eco-message of the film, we’ve partnered with Universal Pictures on our Kids for Our Planet contest as well as on pre-screening events and ticket giveaways in some of our stores. (Check here to see if your store’s included.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Are you familiar with the Martha Stewart Living Daily Giveaway? Each day visitors to their site can enter to win some great stuff. This month, the daily prize is a $50 Whole Foods Market Pantry Staples Stock Up. Yeah!

Awarded as a $50 Whole Foods Market gift card, winners can stock their pantries with our list of staples to keep on hand for healthier meals and a healthier budget. Running the gamut from beans, grains and oats to broths, diced tomatoes and pasta sauce, you’ll be fully stocked and prepared to drive past that drive thru in favor of healthy meals at home. Just add some fresh ingredients and spices and you’ll have everything you need to cook 14 of our favorite recipes.

Read the rest of this entry »

To celebrate the New Year, we want to show you that eating healthy can be affordable. Make your choices count by picking up our list of pantry staples — that rings up at about 50 bucks — and you’ll be set for healthier meals and a healthier budget. Running the gamut from beans, grains and oats to broth, diced tomatoes and pasta sauce, you’ll be prepared to drive past that drive thru in favor of healthy meals at home. Just add fresh ingredients and spices to have everything you need to cook 14 of our favorite recipes (we’ve listed them below).

To get the party started, we’re giving stuff away! All you need to do is send an email to pantrycontest@wholefoods.com by January 31st telling us what healthy foods are “must haves” for your pantry. We’ll select random emails in February for our pantry-focused giveaway. You might win:

$50 Pantry Staples Stock Up – We’re giving away 31 stock ups. Winners will receive a $50 Whole Foods Market® gift card along with a list of suggested pantry staples needed to make 14 of our healthy recipes.

Read the rest of this entry »

No other time of year is so richly steeped in tradition than the holiday season, and lucky for us, lots of those traditions involve cooking, eating and sharing great food.

We’ve all got memorable dishes and must-make recipes connected to this time of year. Maybe it’s Uncle Charlie’s extra-strong eggnog or Grandma Ruth’s red cabbage sauté. How about your own famous scalloped potatoes or a special-batch baklava you make every New Year’s Eve?

We want to know about your treasured holiday food tradition. Tell us about it in the comments section below by December 21 and we’ll pick a winner at random to receive a $50 Whole Foods Market® gift card.

To get in the spirit, we asked some Team Members to share their favorite food traditions.
Read the rest of this entry »

We love sharing the flavor of satsumas! In some cultures, it’s traditional to give citrus to friends and relatives for good wishes and we couldn’t agree more — satsumas make a perfect gift for the holiday season.

Bring a bright spot of citrusy sunshine to your holiday season with a box of satsumas and gift one to a friend — on us! Leave a comment below by December 13th telling us who you would share satsumas with and why. We’ll pick 10 winners at random to receive a 13-pound box of satsumas along with another box for the giftee of their choice.

Read the rest of this entry »

Read on for a chance to win a 5-CD set of Putumayo’s Christmas music. Dan Storper is the CEO and Founder of Putumayo World Music.

Looking for some new family Christmas music this holiday season?  We are excited to bring you our latest release, Celtic Christmas, an enchanting collection of Celtic music from Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada and United States. Celtic Christmas joins our other Christmas CDs: A Jazz & Blues Christmas, New Orleans Christmas, Christmas Around the World and World Christmas Party, which are sold at most Whole Foods Market stores.

Celtic Christmas offers Celtic interpretations of Christmas classics along with an original recording. The collection begins with the joyful singing of The Albion Christmas Band on “Here We Come A-Wassalling” and moves into Charles T. Cozen’s instrumental version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.’” The Gothard Sisters update the classic “Little Drummer Girl” with fiddle and guitar, while DruidStones’ rendition of the French carol “Noel Nouvelet” features harp and harmonious vocals.

Read the rest of this entry »

CONGRATULATION TO OUR WINNER YESSENIA FROM CLERMONT, FL. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR GREAT COMMENTS!

Wow! What an overwhelming response! We were moved (moved to tears in some cases) by your heartfelt stories. Congratulations to Yessenia T. from Florida who was randomly selected to win a $50 gift card. There certainly is so much to be thankful for and we hope that everyone had a memorable Thanksgiving.

Several years ago, I set myself the November challenge of posting on my Facebook page one thing I was thankful for every single day of the month. It surprised me how simply focusing on gratitude shifted my perspective and lightened my mood. And sharing that gratitude was uplifting to my friends and family, too!

In honor of thankfulness, we’re holding a contest. For a chance to win a $50 Whole Foods Market gift card, all you have to do is respond in the comments section below by November 24 (which just so happens to be Thanksgiving!) with a few sentences describing “The Thanksgiving I’m Most Thankful For.” The winner will be chosen at random so you don’t have to be an English major, just willing to share your story of gratitude with the rest of us.

Read the rest of this entry »

YumSugar and Whole Foods Market have teamed up this holiday season to give one lucky YumSugar newsletter subscriber a chance to win a $1,000 Whole Foods Market gift card and to help raise money for Whole Kids Foundation. During each week leading up to Thanksgiving, YumSugar will launch a new recipe slideshow — featuring Whole Foods Market’s fabulous recipes — focusing on a different part of the big meal (main dish, side dish, desserts). At the end of each slideshow you can vote for your favorite dish and sign up for their newsletter for a chance to win. For every vote cast, YumSugar will donate 25 cents (up to $5000) to the Whole Kids Foundation. Read the rest of this entry »

Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to the five lucky winners: Ellen from Hillsborough, NC; Erica from Santa Fe, NM; Erin from Clearwater, FL; Sarah from Tulsa, OK and Stephanie from San Jose, CA. Happy Thanksgiving!

Can you believe it’s almost November? Now is the perfect time to take stock of your pantry and make sure you have the basics on hand for your big Thanksgiving meal, all of that holiday entertaining and baking, and for everyday cooking in between. Here are some of our favorite tips to get your pantry in ship shape order and ready for the holiday season.

Plus, five readers will win an assortment of organic and natural pantry favorites perfect for preparing your Thanksgiving feast. Read on to find out how you could be one of the lucky five.

Start with a Clean Slate

Before bringing home your holiday groceries de-clutter your pantry and restore order. Here’s how:

• Take stock of what you have by taking everything out of your pantry and spreading it out on the kitchen counter. Separate the stuff you use every day from less frequently used items. Consider donating unopened extras to a food pantry. Anything past its expiration date should be tossed out. Remember the adage, “when it doubt, throw it out.”
• Wipe down dusty shelves, cans and jars with warm water and a bit of dish soap. For sticky messes, sprinkle the spot with baking soda and top with a warm, wet paper towel. Let sit for a minute then scrape off with a spatula. Dry shelves thoroughly before restocking.
• Place stuff you use every day (cereal, nut butters, snacks) within easy reach.
• It’s best to put lightweight items on higher shelves and heavy items on lower shelves.
• Group items together, such as baking supplies, canned beans and veggies, sauces and soups.
• Place flours, dried beans and nuts in clear containers so you can see when you’re running low.
• Corral small items (like oatmeal packets) into baskets so they don’t get lost.

Feeling inspired? Extend these ideas to your freezer and fridge.

Read the rest of this entry »

Update:

Congratulations to our recipe photo contest winner, Janet Foster!

This picture of our Pumpkin-Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies looks good enough to eat. Many thanks to everyone who submitted pictures. We received so many wonderful entries that we’d like to share a few of our favorites. (Top row, left to right: kelsiwil, lschirmbeck, susan.m.rudolph. Bottom row, left to right: DoughingRogue, Lizz King.)

Keep taking and sharing those pics with us! Remember, you can share pictures of any of our recipes right on the recipe page. Stay tuned for future photo contests, and happy cooking!

Original post:

If you’re like us and you love baking, cooler weather makes your heart sing. It’s the perfect excuse to turn on the oven and whip up warm batches of muffins, cookies and cakes with seasonal ingredients and spices like pumpkin, cinnamon, cranberry and cloves.

Which is why we’re excited to reveal a new recipe for fall baking: Pumpkin-Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies. We know these taste wonderful but trouble is — we don’t have a picture of them yet. We’d love to feature yours!

Whip up a batch using our recipe, snap a beauty shot and upload it to our recipe page. Fun and you get to eat cookies. What could be better? Winning a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card! Upload a picture to our Pumpkin-Cranberry Oatmeal Cookie recipe page by October 29^th and we’ll select the best of the best to win.

Read the rest of this entry »