Calling all banana and pineapple fans — this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss! We’re teaming up with EARTH University to give our customers a chance to win a trip to Costa Rica to visit EARTH University’s lush campus in Guácimo, Limón. Five winners will embark on a seven-day Costa Rican adventure. No purchase necessary! Just visit our contest page to enter by September 30th.

EARTH University students are passionate about affecting societal change and improving conditions in their home countries and the tropics through their knowledge and leadership — like recent graduate Pierre Paul Audate, who advises small growers in Haiti.

Whole Foods Market started selling fresh EARTH University bananas in 2007, then added their fresh pineapples, and were excited to begin offering the new frozen EARTH University Pineapple Chunks and EARTH University Banana Chunks in early 2011. The sales of EARTH University fresh and frozen fruits help fund scholarships, and finance research and investment in organic and sustainable agriculture. (Try our collection of tasty recipes featuring EARTH University pineapples and bananas.)

All of Whole Foods Market’s EARTH University offerings are part of our Whole Trade® Guarantee, which ensures fair prices are paid for products, better wages and working conditions for growers and sound environmental practices.

Ready to learn more about EARTH University? Enter by September 30th for a chance to win a trip to visit their lush campus in Costa Rica.

Chris Slick is the Senior Global Coordinator for Exclusive and Store Brands for Whole Foods Market. When he’s not working to bring great 365 Everyday Value® organic products to market, you can find him collecting comic books, and watching the Doctor Who series on BBC America.

It’s hard to believe it’s been more than twelve years since the launch of our first organic 365 Everyday Value® product. To this day, that first product — 365 Everyday Value® Organic Olive Oil — remains one of our best sellers. We are pleased to continue sourcing this olive oil from the same supplier in Italy for over a decade, which illustrates our commitment to strong relationships with our producers and to offering high-quality products for our customers. Of course, we’ve expanded our organic offerings over the years and there are now more than 500 products in our organic lineup. Last year alone we launched over 150 new organic items!

Our 365 Everyday Value® products provide a value-priced organic choice in every department, with a focus on pantry essentials and on products that may not have brand-name organic options readily available. So, whether you’re shopping for orange juice or almondmilk, pretzels or potato chips, ready-to-eat soups or kidney beans to make your favorite chili, you’re sure to find an organic 365 Everyday Value® product for all your kitchen creations.

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Do you like tropical adventures, delicious bananas, sustainable agriculture, long walks on the beach, Piña Coladas and getting caught in the rain? Then this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss! We’re teaming up with EARTH University to give you a chance to win a trip to Costa Rica to visit EARTH University in Guácimo, Limón.

Five winners will embark on a seven-day Costa Rican adventure where they will:

• Experience, first-hand, how EARTH University is preparing young students to become tomorrow’s leaders in sustainable agriculture, responsible business and community development.
• Visit with the farmers who produce the rich and creamy EARTH University bananas and learn how their innovative growing methods are helping to save our planet’s precious resources.
• Explore vibrant Costa Rica, relax on the majestic beaches of Puerto Viejo, sample local cuisine and cruise along the island’s southern coast in search of dolphins.

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CONGRATULATION TO OUR WINNER PATRICIA FROM ANN ARBOR, MI. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR GREAT COMMENTS!

We love our producers, suppliers and vendors and we think most of them have some pretty interesting stories behind their products too. We’ll be sharing some of our favorites here in an ongoing series. Read on for a chance to win a $50 gift card.

What does it take to run a creamery? If you’re Jennifer Bice, it takes lots of care, concern and meticulous attention to detail. The organic creamery behind Eros Organic Greek Yogurt, is operated 100% on solar power from two acres of solar panels. Running on these solar panels is “equal to taking 76 cars off the road, planting 110 trees or powering over 50 homes, “ Bice says. “Creameries use tremendous amounts of energy so we’re constantly looking at new ways that we can deliver the product in a more sustainable fashion.” In addition to solar energy, the creamery uses motion-sensored lights that only come on when needed in order to minimize lighting usage, has electric car charging stations (also operated by solar power) and a computer-operated water system that measures the exact amount of water needed to clean their operational equipment.

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It’s back to school season and that means it’s time to get creative with afterschool snacks and lunches, and time to stock up on dorm room nosh. In the spirit of keeping our readers healthy, snack-happy and on-budget this school year, we’re giving 10 lucky winners each a set of snack-packing essentials and a $25 gift card from The Container Store, plus a $100 Whole Foods Market gift card to help keep you stocked up this fall. Just tell us about your favorite healthy snack in the comments below by September 6^th and your comment might be randomly selected as a winner.

Check out these snack-packing essentials you’ll find at The Container Store:

Insulated Lunch Carrier

Keep your food chilled while you’re on the go.

lunchskins Sandwich Bag

Replace those plastic sandwich bags with these reusable ones made from quick-drying, lightweight cotton fabric. BPA-free!

Colorful Klip-It Lunch Cube

Ingeniously arranged dividers keep a sandwich, chips and fruit tastefully compact and compartmentalized.

Klipo Cutlery Set

Say “so long” to disposable cutlery! Set includes two handles with interchangeable utensils – choose from chopsticks, a knife, for or spoon.

PeopleTowels Reusable Napkin

This earth-friendly napkin was designed to be easy to use and portable. It’s absorbent, lightweight and fast drying — without the waste.

EZ Freeze Ice Block

Put it in the freezer overnight then add it to a lunch tote in the morning to keep food and beverages cool for hours.

Tellfresh Lunch Kits

Grab your lunch and go with these convenient Lunch Kits. Each kit comes with a fork that fits into an integrated storage slot in the lid.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO ANN, WHOSE COMMENT #435 WAS CHOSEN AT RANDOM TO WIN! THANKS FOR ALL YOUR GREAT COMMENTS!

Once you have spent the time, energy and love creating a healthy, nutritious and delicious lunch for your kids, it makes sense that you would want the perfect container to pack it in.  Whole Foods Market and The Container Store have teamed up to create this video that gives you great healthy lunch ideas and tips for choosing the perfect containers to pack them in. Lunch is no longer just a sandwich and chips, kids love a variety of different finger foods and finding the perfect containers for these items can make a difference in the lunch getting eaten or not. We hope you enjoy this video as much as we enjoyed making it with The Container Store. For more information about the products featured in this video or to see their full selection, please go to containerstore.com.

Leave a comment with your ideas for fun and nutritious lunches by August 24th for a chance to win a $100 gift card from The Container Store.

I work for a grocery store and even I can get stuck in a shopping rut. I know what my family and I like and as I wander down the aisles I pull the familiar boxes, bottles and bags. Either I don’t notice anything else or if I do spot something new, I don’t always have the nerve to try it.

That’s why product recommendations are always helpful. So, I’ve asked our Grocery Team to tell me what new products they’re excited about. Here’s a list of some of their top picks for August. Click on the product name and you’ll be able to add the products to your online shopping list, plus see what others are saying about them and even rate them yourself.

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We recently teamed up with our friends at Sambazon to offer one lucky winner and their guest a week-long trip to Brazil, to visit the beautiful beaches of Rio de Janeiro and explore the Amazon Rainforest. Katie T. from Houston, Texas is our lucky winner. Not only will she get to see the typical Brazilian sights, she’ll also visit Sambazon’s production facilities and meet the family farmers who grow the organic açaí used in their products.  Her trip will give her a comprehensive look into the lively Brazilian culture and Sambazon’s rainforest roots.

Known for introducing açaí into the US market, Sambazon has been working with Brazil’s local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to build the supply of organic açaí. Over 10,000 people in the Amazon now help Sambazon harvest açaí through their fair trade program. This incentivizes farmers to  manage their land and protect it for generations to come. “A HUGE thank you to Sambazon and Whole Foods for awarding me with this incredible experience and adventure!” Katie said. “I can’t wait to be immersed in the sounds, tastes, smells and culture of Brazil!”

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS KERI FROM AUSTIN, TX, SUDHA FROM MINNEAPOLIS, MN, MICHELE FROM LOUISVILLE, KY, CHARLOTTE FROM EUCLID, OH AND JESSICA FROM HALETHROPE, MD.  THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS!

Have you heard of halal? If so, you can skip ahead to the end and enter to win coupons for some tasty, convenient halal-certified prepared foods from Saffron Road. But if you’re scratching your head and asking, “What is this halal about?” Read on!

Halal is Islamic dietary law that applies, among other things, to meat and poultry, specifically prescribing certain slaughtering and processing practices. Like some other religious dietary practice, halal prohibits pork and alcohol consumption. In order to provide more options to people following a halal diet, Saffron Road has created the first line of certified halal frozen entrees and they’re currently only available here at Whole Foods Market.

Saffron Road features ethnic foods with Indian, Asian and Middle Eastern flavors, as well as chicken nuggets and tenders. All of their products are made with lamb and chicken raised on vegetarian diets, with no added hormones or antibiotics. Plus, all of their products are certified halal by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA).

Whether you eat halal because of your religious dietary guidelines or you simply prefer to choose food that’s made with high-quality, responsibly farmed ingredients, then Saffron Road has some tasty offerings for you. Take a look:

Lemongrass Basil Chicken

Roasted white-meat chicken simmered in a lemongrass and basil green curry with green peppers and onions.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Prepared with tender, boneless, chicken, and baked according to authentic traditions with freshly-ground tandoori spices simmered in a savory yogurt and tomato sauce.

Chicken Biryani

Traditionally prepared by cooking Basmati rice with succulent chunks of chicken, cashews and raisins infused with an unmistakable blend of enticing spices, aromas and flavors, including a pinch of saffron salt.

Moroccan Stew

Tender cubes of lamb slowly simmered with sweet potatoes, coriander, cumin, cinnamon and ginger until every drop is perfection. Since it tops delicious couscous, no drop is wasted.

Lamb Saag

Australian lamb slow-simmered with a blend of Indian spices, ginger and yogurt and served on a thick bed of savory Saag, a traditional spinach dish.

Lamb Vindaloo

A spicy Portuguese-Indian curry dish dating back to the 16th century. Australian lamb marinated in an exotic tamarind-infused curry sauce, cumin, hot Indian spices and yogurt, then slow simmered for hours until tender and tangy and served with Basmati rice.

Chicken Pad Thai

A delightful version of the Thai favorite featuring wide flat rice noodles topped with roasted white-meat chicken and simmered with carrots and scallions in an exotic peanut sauce.

Lamb Koftis

Lamb marinated in a secret recipe of the most classic spices, and then formed into traditional koftis, or meatballs. The finishing touch? It’s served on a bed of aromatic long grain white rice.

Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Tenders, Chicken Bites and Tandoori Seasoned Chicken Nuggets

Made from the meat of chickens raised on a vegetarian diet and never given antibiotics, ever!

What a line up! Are you ready to try some Saffron Road? Good, because we’re ready to give some away. We’ll pick five winners at random to receive five coupons for free Saffron Road entrees. To enter, leave a comment below by August 11 and tell us which of the entrees you’d try first and why.

The Kid-Friendly Cherry Recipe Contest came to a head on Saturday, July 23^rd, where the three finalist recipes created by bloggers were pitted against each other in a cherry battle.

The judges? Hungry kids attending the Whole Foods Market Kids Club at the Lamar store in Austin. The recipes? These three delicious kid-friendly recipes with seven ingredients or less, featuring cherries plus at least two other fruits or veggies:

• Cherry Apple Peach Crisp from Angela Grassi from the PCOS Nutrition blog
• Cherry Eggrolls with Honeyed Yogurt from Megan Myers of Stetted
• Cherry Slaw Salad from Chris Arpante of Mele Cotte

Kids not only enjoyed these three sweet, delicious cherry recipes, but they carefully tasted and voted by placing cherries in a jar representing their favorite recipe. Afterwards, they enjoyed activities such as a cherry pit spitting contest (the winner made it an amazing 23 feet!) and playing “pin the cherry on the sundae.”

When the cherry-filled festivities had to come to an end and the cherries were tallied, the Cherry Apple Peach Crisp came out on top. For her efforts, recipe creator and blogger, Angela will receive a $500 gift card to Whole Foods Market. Cherry Eggrolls with Honeyed Yogurt was the runner up for a $100 gift card with Cherry Slaw Salad in a close third for a $50 gift card.

Thanks to all the bloggers who participated in this contest that helped bring delicious cherries and fresh produce to the front of kids’ plates this summer.