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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

Wow, we’ve got some creative shortcut chefs out there, chock full of creative ideas for saving time in the kitchen without sacrificing quality. From stocking up on fresh veggies in season and freezing them yourselves to inventive uses of rotisserie chicken to “cheating” with our Prepared Foods and Bakery selection – there’s lots of wonderful ways to save both time and money in our dinnertime pursuits.

And without further ado, this week’s randomly selected* winner…

Denice H:

If I am in need of a quick meal, I turn to soup. It is healthy, tastful, and easy. However, all the chopping,washing,peeling of the vegetables can be a pain. Instead I just open a jar of good quality mild salsa and add it to chicken stock. It is a great, quick foundation for many soups. It already has the mirepoix plus a nice small amount of heat.

Denice will be receiving a $100 gift card! We hope you enjoyed “value contest month” on our blog during October. For more giveaways, check out our Facebook Fridays and Twitter Thursdays for more weekly contests throughout the holidays.

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* This comment was randomly chosen using random.org.

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.

With tight budgets, lots of cooks are turning to their home kitchens to recreate their restaurant favorites. We’re happy to hear lots of you out there being ambitious and creative with your culinary endeavors! Check out our winning entry for this past week’s Value Guru contest:

Congratulations to our randomly selected* winner…

Docletic:

Pasta Pomodoro in San Francisco bay area has a simple butter sauted bay leaf butternut squash ravioli recipe that I have made at home using store bought Japanese noodle/dumpling dough wraps. I’d love a better recipe. Also, the pomogranate martinis at Longhorns steakhouse – to die for. The cactus pears are good to, but nothing like pomogranate.

Docletic will be receiving a $50 gift card and three of our favorite cookbooks! Keep an eye out tomorrow and all this month for more great value giveaways on The Whole Story!

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* This comment was randomly chosen using random.org.

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!

Last week, we thought we did pretty well with over 300 responses to the “Get the Good Stuff for Less” Value Guru giveaway. This week, we had over 1000 responses to the “What is your favorite 365 Everyday Value product?” question.  A big thanks to you all for sharing your faves with us!

Congratulations to our randomly selected* winner…

CadesMom:

I love your 365 semi-sweet chocolate chips! I make the 30 mile trip to get them whenever it’s time to bake cookies and brownies. I also buy in bulk! They have the richest, chocolaty-est taste. Wonderful!

CadesMom will be receiving a $50 gift card and a Better Bag loaded with some of our 365 Everyday Value favorites (and her favorite 365 semi-sweet chocolate chips!). Keep an eye out tomorrow and all this month for more great value giveaways on The Whole Story!

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* This comment was randomly chosen using random.org.

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!

Wow!  We received over 300 responses to this past week’s Value Guru giveaway, where you shared how you get the good stuff for less.  Thank you all for your great tips and congratulations to our randomly selected* winner…

Liana: I shop sales, buy store brands (Helllllloooo 365 Everyday Value products!), buy in bulk when possible, buy dried instead of canned (ex: dry beans are usually less expensive than canned beans), and in general shop at Whole Foods! Oh, and make a meal plan for the week & stick to it — that really helps, too!

Liana will be receiving a $50 gift card and a Better Bag loaded with some of our pantry favorites.  Keep an eye out tomorrow and all this month for more great value giveaways on The Whole Story!

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* This comment was randomly chosen using random.org.

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!