Healthy Thanksgiving with WPMT Fox 43

Healthy Thanksgiving with WPMT Fox 43

This morning staff member Susan joined Kiersten Mathieu from WPMT Fox 43 to discuss Healthy Thanksgiving.  Watch the segment.

Here are the recipes showcased on the segment.

Parsnip Bread Pudding (Gluten Free)

Enjoy this spin on stuffing full of fall flavors.

1 lb Parsnips peeled and cut into ½” chunks

Olive Oil

Salt

2 tablespoons butter (We suggest Horizon Organic Butter)

3 tablespoons melted butter (We suggest Horizon Organic Butter)

1 large onion

1/3 cup vegetable broth (Try organic brands such as Pacific or Imagine)

2 tablespoons thyme

2 cups heavy cream

5 large eggs

1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1 loaf Gluten Free bread cut into 1” cubes

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. In a bowl, mix parsnips with olive oil and salt until coated.  Place on baking sheet and roast until tender approximately 25 minutes flipping over cubes as needed.
3. Reduce heat to 375.
4. Add 2 tablespoons to sauté pan and add onions stirring until tender and lightly brown.  Add vegetable broth and thyme.  Remove from heat and add parsnips.
5. Whisk slightly cooled melted butter with heavy cream, eggs and Parmesan Cheese.  Add onion mix and gently fold in bread.
6. Butter a 1 quart baking dish and pour mixture into dish.  Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes (or until puffed). 
7. Optional – if top does not brown and slightly crisp, remove foil and place in broiler for 1-2 minutes, watching carefully.
8. Garnish top with Parmesan Cheese when bread pudding cooled.

Yields 6-8 servings

Sweet Potato Casserole  (Low Glycemic)

Sweet potatoes are the only potatoes with a low glycemic index value. This holiday recipe for them is not loaded with sugar, marshmallows and other sweets.

2 cans (17 oz. each) sweet potatoes (not in syrup), mashed
Or  5 cups of fresh cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
3/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash cayenne pepper
4 eggs, beaten

1. In a large bowl, beat sweet potatoes, milk, and butter with an electric mixer until smooth.
2. Add remaining ingredients and beat well.
3. To bake in the oven, pour into a greased 3 quart soufflé dish or other large deep casserole dish.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until set.
5. To cook in a crock-pot, pour into greased crock-pot.
6. Cover and cook on HIGH setting for 1 hour, then turn to LOW setting for 3 to 4 hours.

Yield 6-8 servings

Wild Rice Stuffed Squash (Vegetarian & Gluten Free)

Nothing says fall like wild rice and squash.

2 acorn squashes (halved and seeds removed)

2 tablespoons butter

½ yellow onion

2 garlic cloves minced

½ teaspoon sage

Salt

2 oz wild rice

½ cup cranberries (or chopped figs)

½ cup pecans (chopped)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
2. On baking sheet, place squash cut side down and cover with foil.  Roast until tender approximately 40 minutes.
3. In a saucepan, melt butter, and gently sauté onion, garlic and sage.  Add salt, 1 ¾ cup of water and rice and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook for 25 minutes without stirring.
4. Remove rice from heat and stir in cranberries and pecans. 
5. Take squash and gently drizzle melted butter or olive oil and salt.  Add rice filling.

Tip for pecans: Place pecans in a plastic or paper bag.  Seal bag and using a mallet, gently pound the pecans until in pieces.

To add more flavor to the squash, drizzle olive oil and salt mixture, along with a pinch of sage, prior to baking.  Remove foil after 30 minutes and bake until edges turn golden brown.

Yields 4 servings

And the Pie Contest winner is....

Thanksgiving is a time of hearty traditional meals with good friends and family.  It's also a time for pie baking and eating.  At The Healthy Grocer, we held our 2nd Annual Pie Bake Off.

In 2011, approximately 12 pies were voted on during a live tasting with you, our customers.  Customers had a chance to sample this year's pies and vote for their favorite.  The winning pie becomes the official Healthy Grocer Thanksgiving pie.  By voting, customers were entered to win a Thanksgiving pie from The Healthy Deli. 2011's winning pie was a Peanut Butter Pie. 

This year we had 8 pies to sample.  All pies were made with organic and all natural ingredients from The Healthy Grocer.

Pies included:
Pecan Pie (Non-Gluten, Low Glycemic & Vegan)
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Pie
Cranapple Fig Pie (Non-Gluten, Low Glycemic & Vegan)
Caramel Apple Pecan Pie (Non-Gluten)
Shoefly Pie
Mustikkapiiras (Finish Yogurt Blueberry Pie)
Salty Caramel Apple Pie (Non-Gluten)

This year's winner?   Pecan Pie (Non-Gluten, Low Glycemic & Vegan) by our Deli Manager Fern Wilson!
And congratulations to Opal from Shiremanstown who tasted, voted, and won a Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving!

This year's winning Pecan Pie will be available for sale at The Healthy Deli for your Thanksgiving dessert.  
 
While the winning pie's recipe will become a secret, we will be sharing the recipes of our other pies. 

National Vegetarian Month Recipes

This morning staff member Susan joined Kiersten Mathieu from WPMT Fox 43 to discuss National Vegetarian Month.  Watch the segment.

Here are the recipes showcased on the segment.

Shepherd's Pie
8 medium Russet Potatoes (peeled and quartered)
12 oz Meatless Grounds (Quorn Meatless Grounds or TVP)
4 sticks of Carrots (peeled and chopped)
3/4 cup of Corn (Cascadian Farms Organic Corn)
3/4 cup Peas
1 clove Garlic
Butter or Earth Balance Vegan sticks
Milk (or milk substitute such as Almond or Coconut Milk)
Olive oil

1.) Bring a pot of water to a boil and add potatoes.  Cook until tender.
2). Mince garlic and sauté with olive oil in a pan until garlic starts to turn golden.  Add meatless grounds.  Sauté until meatless grounds are hot and are mildly crisp. (Or use TVP soaked in vegetable broth.)
3). In a loaf pan, add meatless grounds layering the bottom of pan.
4). Add a layer of each peas, corn and carrots.
5).  When potatoes are tender, drain water, add butter and milk until you get a creamy consistency mixing with a electric whisk or food processor.
6). Add layer of mashed potatoes to top.
7). Place loaf pan in an oven at 375 degrees covered with foil for 25 minutes.
8). Remove foil and broil for 5 minutes until the tops of the mashed potatoes have a golden brown color.
Can be pre-made and frozen until ready to serve. 


Harvest Tart
1 Spelt Pie Crust
2 Orange Acorn Squash
1/2 Yellow Onion
1 cup of Cheese (any cheese you would like to use including Daiya's vegan cheese.  We used Horizon’s Organic Provolone Cheese)
3 Eggs (we used local eggs)
3 tablespoons Nutmeg
1 bunch of Swiss Chard and/or Kale (ends removed)
2 cloves Garlic
Olive Oil
Sea Salt

1). Skin the acorn squash, take out seeds and cut into chunks.  Mix in a bowl with 2 tablespoons nutmeg, olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt.
2). Spread squash evenly on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until tips of squash become brown.  Remove from heat to cool.
3). In a pan, sauté garlic with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt until garlic starts to sizzle.  Add swiss chard or kale.  Cover pan and sauté for 5 minutes or until leaves become wilted.  Remove from heat and put into a bowl.
4). Peel onion and chop coarsely.  Sauté onions and olive oil over medium heat for 20 minutes until onions caramelize.  Remove from heat.
5). Wisk eggs and add the cooled chard/kale, garlic, onions, half the pre-cooked squash, 1/2 cup cheese, and one tablespoon nutmeg.
6). Pour egg mixture into pie crust. 
7). Alternate the remaining cheese and squash on top.
8). Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until top is browned.  Cool before serving.
Can be pre-made and frozen until ready to serve.


Autumn Protein Squash (makes 1 serving)
1 Spaghetti Squash (halved with skin on and seeds removed)
2 tablespoons Goji Berries
3 tablespoons of Cinnamon
1 Bosc Pear
1/2 cup Quinoa
1/4 cup Quorn Chik'n Tenders
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
4 tablespoons Green Hulled Pumpkin Seeds
Olive oil
Sea Salt
1). Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2). In a bowl, mix olive oil, pinch of sea salt, and two tablespoons of cinnamon.  Brush half of the squash in the salt, olive oil and cinnamon mixture until the inside and outer edges are coated.  Remove the skin of the remaining half of the squash, dice and mix in the bowl with olive oil mixture.  Place the “bowl” of squash face up and the chunks evenly spread out into the pan.  Coat with the remaining olive oil mixture.  Cook for 20 minutes or until tips of squash become brown.
3).  Place Quinoa in a bowl of water for 5 minutes (to remove some of the bitter flavor).  Drain with a strainer and add to a pot of 1 cup water and one tablespoon of olive oil.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes until water is absorbed.  Remove from heat and cool.  Fluff with fork.
4). Place goji berries in a bowl of water to hydrate (approximately 10-20 minutes) until tender.  Drain.
5). On a baking sheet, place pumpkin seeds and cook for approximately 5-8 minutes until toasted.
6). Fill the “bowl” of squash halfway with cooked quinoa.
7). In a pan, sauté olive oil, pinch of sea salt, garlic and Quorn Chik'n Tenders until golden brown.
7). In a bowl, mix squash chunks, goji berries, maple syrup, chik'n tenders, and chopped pear. Add mixture on top of quinoa.  Garnish with pumpkin seeds.
8). Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.
For a cooling alternative to this dish, replace garlic with ginger, replace maple syrup with 5 tablespoons of honey, and add cilantro.  Want heat?  Add chili peppers instead of goji berries.

Pet Photo Contest Winner Annoucement

Congratulations to the winners of the Pet Photo Contest.

Cody James Slothower with 893 votes
 
Nala Smiling with 1558 votes


Little Miss Barbaretta with 1905 votes
 
and Carl Francisco Kuhns with 892 votes
 

Thank you to everyone who participated and voted!  To learn more about Freshpet Foods, visit http://freshpet.com/

People Who Love Their Pets = Great Food!

A number of us in the store have little (and some big) furry kids.  We, like most pet owners, worry about what they are eating, whether they are getting enough exercise for their body and mind, and we try to make sure our pets know they are loved.

At The Healthy Grocer, we were excited to bring in a new line of pet food this week - Freshpet.  And it seems like their worries were the same as ours....

"Almost seven years ago, a bunch of us were talking about how much we love our pets – we let them sleep in our beds, we spend whatever it takes when they get sick, we throw them birthday parties. They’re part of our families. We work hard to give our pets the very best, just like our children - to keep them happy, healthy and safe.  And then we turned to what we were feeding them.  Most of us were feeding our pets dry, processed corn byproducts and dehydrated meat from a bag. And we all know dogs and cats are carnivores.

We decided, in that conversation, to do something about it. To stop feeling frustrated by the constraints of big companies – to start fresh."

And from that conversation, Fresh Pet was born in 2006. 

We hope your pups and kitties enjoy these products!  Available in store only.

Making the whole planet feel better, one bottle at a time.

Naked Juice know a healthy body doesn't mean much without a healthy world to live in. That's why at Naked they make sure that all their products make an impact that will enhance your life and the planet's. From their fruit-sourcing partnerships and LEED-certified bottling facility to their 100 % post-recycled reNEWabottles®, they make juices committed to the belief that wellness is about more than just personal health — it extends to the entire world around us, too. 

A partnership with plenty of ap-peel.

Bananas are good. They're loaded with nutrients. Naked Juice gets help sourcing bananas from The Rainforest Alliance, a nonprofit organization that's committed to conserving biodiversity and ensuring sustainable livelihoods for farmers and their families.

Benefits include:

• Clearer, Cleaner H2O through contamination controls. You're welcome fishies.
• Erosion Reduction through soil conservation practices.
• Wildlife Refuge in critical ecosystems such as wetlands and forest patches are preserved to keep our furry, flighty and fishy types in their homes.
• Better Lives for Farmers, their families and communities reap the benefits, too. They're given access to healthcare, transportation and education programs.
• Waste Reduction through more composting and recycling, where possible.

Do you believe in bottle reincarnation?

If Naked Juice could find a way to get tasty juice into your mouth without a bottle, they'd do it. But since they need to package it in something, that something might as well be a good thing. Hence, the Naked reNEWabottle. It's a bottle made from other bottles and can be turned into a bottle after you've finished the delicious juice inside.

Here's the deal, though. Naked Juices needs them back. Because we're the only nationally distributed beverage company to use rPET (recylcable polyethylene terephthalate) we have to make sure they're recycled and turned into bottles again, again and again. By using this new plastic we'll be able to use nearly 50 percent less energy than if we started with virgin plastic.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Reincarnate. 

Raw Foods Expansion

The Healthy Grocer is introducing a new Raw Foods section in our store.  

 

Products include:

Rhythm Foods Kale Chips

Righteously Raw Macaroons

Go Raw Super Cookies

Rawcholatl Cacao Spiced Drink

Raw Agave Nectar

and much more!

Stay tuned for updates on great new raw food products.

Click here for online Raw food and supplement resources.

New Organic Juices and Smoothies at The Healthy Deli

Looking to Quench Your Thirst?

 

Beet the Heat Smoothie with Red Beets, Apples, Bananas, Rice Milk, Pomegranate Juice, and Ginger.  

Summer Refresher Juice with Apples, Cucumbers, Celery, Lemon Juice, and Ginger.

Tropical Carrot Smoothie with Carrots, Pineapple Juice, and Bananas.

Heart Healthy Diets Q&A with Fern Wilson

We recently sat down with Fern Wilson, The Healthy Deli Head Chef and Manager, to discuss healthy eating for American Heart Month.  According to the CDC, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.  Last week Fern conducted a “Heart Healthy Cooking Workshop” for the community.  As Manager of The Healthy Deli, Fern brings over 30 years of restaurant & catering experience plus the whole foods education obtained from the Intensive Chef's Program at The Natural Gourmet Institute in N.Y.C. 

Q: You recently taught a class on Heart Healthy diets.   Tell us about what is a “Heart Healthy” diet or meal.

A: Heart healthy diets involve omitting saturated and trans fats, and cholesterol while adding more fresh fruits, vegetables, low fat proteins, and whole grains.

Q: What foods in particular are good for the heart?

A: There are lots of wonderful foods for heart health such as broccoli, spinach, asparagus, blueberries, kidney or black beans, salmon, tuna, and tofu.  People who eat meat should also focus on the word “loin.”  Substitute tenderloin for a delmonico steak; pork loin instead of pork shoulder.  Loin will get you a leaner meat.  And of course, controlled portions of walnuts, almonds, and even dark chocolate have all been shown to help support heart health!

Q: What are a few healthy habits one could do for their optimal health?

A: The list can go on and on.  However, simple habits are usually the easiest to incorporate to our lifestyle.  Those include getting enough sleep (like your mother always said!), exercise, and having positive social connections.  Having a supportive family or friend base creates an easy transition for any person and the good vibes will provide healthy physiological effects.  The most basic is of course watching what you eat.

Q: What tips would you give to those who are starting to eat more whole foods for their heart?

A: A few tweaks can go a long way.  You can make simple modifications to your everyday foods and see the difference.  Try trading your sour cream for greek yogurt on your baked potato.  Use olive oil, vinegar and blue cheese crumbles instead of the store bought blue cheese dressing.  Simply being mindful when you eat, and savoring the flavor will enable your body to tell you when you are full instead of feeling overfull later after you’ve eaten.  Remember to plan ahead for your meals instead of last minute when most people are more likely to make unhealthy dietary choices. 

To learn more about Fern’s workshop and read workshop notes, please visit http://thehealthygrocer.com/WorkshopResources.html.

February is American Heart Month

According to the CDC, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day.  Heart disease is also the number one killer of women.
February is not only about chocolate and flowers; showering our loved ones with our gratitude.  It is also about loving ourselves and taking care of our bodies.  February is American Health Month and this month we are helping you on your path towards a heart healthy lifestyle.
Fresh produce is the best kick start for your heart.  Fruits and vegetables help wipe out free radicals in the bloodstream, protecting blood vessels.  Heart superfoods include Oranges, Kale and Lentils.  Oranges’ soluble fiber pectin acts like a giant sponge, sopping up cholesterol in food.  Kale contains glucoraphanin that activates a special protective protein called Nrf2 which (like Teflon) coats your arteries to keep plaque from adhering. 

Other helpful foods include almonds, sardines, and dark chocolate.  The good Omega 3 fatty acid in Sardines lower harmful triglycerides, raise protective HDL, reduce potentially fatal heart arrhythmias, and tamp down inflammation.  

Supplements for optimal health include CoQ10 and Resveratrol.  A polyphenol found in red wine, grapes and other plants (which is in Resveratrol) may help improve circulatory function. CoQ10 may help with heart-related conditions, because it can improve energy production in cells, prevent blood clot formation, and act as an antioxidant.

And of course, a regular exercise routine such as walking can help bring down stress levels and keep your body in optimal shape.

We look forward to working with you this February on your heart health goals!

New Year's Resolutions

The New Year rings in a new opportunity to reinvent ourselves.  We make resolutions to loose weight, be a better partner, exercise more, or change our diet. We each start off the tradition as young adults watching our elders make these little wishes for a new start.  As we grow older, we tend to make them less or for some, a secret pact we make and share only with ourselves.

Resolutions are a unique opportunity to not worry about whether we keep our promises to ourselves, but can be a moment of self-reflection.  If we take the time, we can hear that whispered promise of what our heart most desires or what our body needs.  The new year can be a time of compromise with our current habits and those which suit us best.

At The Healthy Grocer, we hold true to our yearly pact – to make a positive difference in your lives.  To us, 3800 Trindle Road is more than a building with 4 walls and a roof.  It is more than a place where people buy their meals.  To us it is a haven where you can come and learn about what being healthy truly means and how every person can start on this path.  We believe in cultivating relationships with our customers to nurture their hearts; offering them the healthiest (and best priced) products we can provide to nourish their bodies;  and free workshops during the month to feed the soul.

This new year, as always, we look forward to helping you find that space between resolutions and your best self.