|  Perhaps you’ve heard about the benefits of chia and hemp seed? Striving to find that perfect high protein,high fiber way to start your day? Well,have we got a tasty treat for you! Try new Qi’a (pronounced kee-ah) from Nature’s Path Foods in Richmond,B.C.
This superfood cereal is made with organic chia,hemp and buckwheat for a powerful boost of plant-based protein,fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids. Available in three flavors:Cranberry Vanilla,Apple Raisin Cinnamon or a plain variety without any added sugar. Plus,it’s certified gluten free,vegan,and Non GMO Project Verified. But don’t stop at enjoying Qi’a as a hot or cold breakfast cereal. Read more New Qi’a Superfood Cereal … Paleo and Plant Based,these two kinds of diet have been gaining traction lately,thanks to movies like Forks Over Knives and books like Practical Paleo and Eat to Live. What is the Paleo Diet?  It’s essentially all about eating the foods that have been available to humans for most of our evolutionary history:meats raised on their natural forage,seafood,eggs,fibrous vegetables and greens,nuts and seeds,healthy fats and some fruit — all things that would have been recognizable as food to our most primitive ancestors. It’s about “focusing your choices on
real,whole foods that are more nutritionally dense and less detrimental to your health,” -Cain Credicott.
Challenges ñ Locating sources of high-quality and sustainably raised meat,fish and vegetables takes legwork.
ñ Real food comes with a price tag:Grass-fed,wild and organic foods can be more expensive,though you can learn to become a savvy shopper.
ñ Paleo or vegetarian:pick one. It’s nearly impossible to be both.
ñ Time commitment:You have to be willing to cook — and plan ahead. It’s hard to grab something on the go or pop open a can when you’re avoiding grains and beans,and restaurant dining can be restrictive.
Read more Paleo and Plant Based recipes … 
Wondering if you really could handle Vitamineral Green or curious about the taste of Earth? We are happy to welcome Doug from Healthforce on Tuesday,February 19th who will be in our Wellness Department from 11 am to 2 pm,offering samples and smiles. Come by for a sip and a chat. You wouldn’t be the first person to claim that Healthforce has changed your life for the better.
 Solis Nutritional Blends are locally handcrafted pastes that can be used to make hot drinks or smoothies. Made locally by Melanie Archuleta,a pioneer in the raw food and food co-operative movement,each 6 oz. jar contains 36 servings that can be used in hot drinks,smoothies or in the kitchen. These 100% organic,raw,vegan and gluten free blends are made with turmeric,maca root and other raw ingredients that contain live vitamins,minerals and antioxidants.
Enjoy at breakfast to give yourself a nutritious start to the day,or boost energy in the afternoon or savor in the evening. Solis Blends are available in three varieties:Superfood Calm,Superfood Energy and Super Immune Charge. Try making the following recipe,inspired by the Solis website’s recipe section. Read more Local Solis Blends:Raw Superfood Bites Recipe …  Soak up the full flavors of seasonal produce and flood your body with healthy goodness with this recipe for a tasty salad for the winter months.
Available year-round,beets are a tasty and trusted local winter vegetable. And don’t forget the tops:leafy beet greens are actually a better source of nutrients than beet roots. Both are healthy and delicious:the greens are rich in iron,calcium and vitamins A and C,while the root is a good source of manganese,potassium and fiber. Red or purple beets also contain the pigment betacyanin,a colon cancer fighting compound responsible for that characteristic deep purple color. Winter Green Salad with Beets,Citrus and Goat Cheese Read more Winter Green Salad with Beets,Citrus and Goat Cheese …  thanks facebook,for this one… As tempting as the following link may be as a method of grappling with habit changes: A New Strategy for Res0lutions I’m going to go straightforwardly well-intentioned back to a more Plant Based Diet focus for the new year. After the season of meat, cheese and bread, comes the season of green leafy veggies! My collaborator Jill and I spent the month of May in a blog experiment on Paleo and Plant Based Diets, (you can find these archived posts on our website by searching Plants,Mostly or Paleo) and we’re going to reprise this for the new year. So come along with us as you like –look for our weekly series (mostly on Thursdays:Plants,Mostly and Practicing Paleo) to stay tuned into unusual recipes, reflective musings, and new ideas about using food as your medicine. As I began to write this, I was munching on one of our Deli’s delicious Breakfast Sandwiches –cheese and meat and bread again –and I said a little “goodbye for now”as I finished my last few bites. I love these! Not all love is meant to last. I’m going to spend time with foods that treat me right…As I contemplate my breakfast options for January,here are some of my frames and guidelines. Read more Plants,Mostly:Contemplating 2013 …  Now that we’re on the verge of surviving the holiday season you may want to boost your energy and immunity with natural remedies such as Kombucha. Recover with Kombucha,a nutrient rich fermented tea,thought to have originated in Northeast China and later spread to Russia and the rest of the world.
Find numerous varieties of this naturally carbonated drink that contain live active probiotic cultures,B vitamins and antioxidants that may benefit the digestive and immune system. The Co-op stocks several organic and raw Kombuchas in our large drink cooler,including: G. T.’s Kombucha –Company founder G.T. Dave started bottling his own blends of kombucha when he was a teenager. Read more Holiday Recovery with Kombucha …  Welcome to our “on the fly”cooking demo at the Sedro-Woolley Farmers Market,which happens Wednesdays through mid-October. Jill picked up a bunch of goodies from the market vendors and proceeded to blow some minds with her improvisational skills. Read more Cooking up a small storm at the S-W Farmers Market …
 Next time the snack urge hits reach for a tasty and healthy Corazona Oatmeal Square. Ramona Cappello founded Corazonas Foods as her “revenge against heart disease,starting with its number one foot soldier high cholesterol.”As she watched her father struggle with heart health and give up his favorite foods,she knew there had to be a way to incorporate healthy eating and tasty foods. Corazona Oatmeal Squares were born.
Read more Freedom to Snack:New Corazona Oatmeal Squares …  Greens in the spotlight:a full house and some media attention,too! The focus was on eating well at the Eating Better on a Budget Class Greens with Claire,which took place this past Thursday in meeting room 309. In attendance were roughly 25 community members excited about eating greens,including Mt. Vernon Mayor Jill Boudreau. The class was offered in conjunction with a number of events relating to the Mayor’s Wellness Challenge. Co-op staffer Claire led the class and discussed a variety of topics relating to greens,including phytonutrients,different types of greens and a variety of ways to incorporate eating green leafy vegetables into your diet. In addition to the familiar green lettuce salad,use lettuce as a wrap for veggies,noodles,rice and proteins (see recipe below). Read more EBB Greens Class Recap with Mayor Jill Boudreau …  Save the rainforest one sip at a time! Check out the Co-op’s cold drink case to find a new stimulating organic beverage:Guayakí Sparkling Yerba Mate has arrived! An excellent substitute for soda,these refreshing drinks are packed with antioxidants,minerals and vitamins from organic fair trade yerba mate. Lightly sweetened with organic cane sugar and organic lime,tamarind and ginger juices,each 12 oz. can also contains 120 mg of naturally occurring caffeine for a gentle energy boost. Best of all:when you buy Guayakí Yerba Mate you are helping to drive the restoration of the Guayakí Rainforest Preserves and its people. The Guayakí company creates markets for fair-trade organic rainforest mate which provide a sustainable economic alternative to destructive income generating practices such as deforestation for lumber and cattle grazing. Guayakí uses a triple bottom line to measure success:Economic Viability,Social Justice and Environmental Stewardship. Read more Sparklers for Reforestation:Guayaki’s Yerba Mate …  Handmade with love –Chicaoji. Pronounced “chee-COW-jee.” Inspired by a friend’s raw food snack,Randall Waugh developed this uniquely flavored Chicaoji Chipotle Chili sauce by combining nutritious super foods. Randall is based on Lopez Island where he works to spread a compassionate,sustainable philosophy around raw and whole food nutrition. Chicaoji explodes with flavors:from the smoked earthiness of cacao and chipotle,to the herbal sweetness of goji berry and agave and finishes with a balanced savory spicy kick. The sauce is gluten free,vegan,kosher and organic. It’s made from a handful of ingredients:agave nectar,raw cacao,raw goji berries,chipotle chilies,raw apple cider vinegar and Celtic sea salt. Read more Chicaoji:Superfood Flavor from Lopez Island … by nancylee bouscher 
A short history of Chia seeds at the Co-op:These tiny beads seeds lived happily in the bulk herbs section for oh-so-many years somewhere between celery seeds and dandelion root. They had regular visitors,a few dedicated people who used chia seeds to eat,drink or maybe to use on their Chia Pet. Then one day Oprah mentioned them on television. I remember this day because suddenly many,many people were asking for chia seeds. Like so many before them,now that they were in the lime light,chia seeds had fans flocking to them. They were moved into the upscale bulk,now next to sesame and flax seeds. They started getting invited to parties,everyone wanted chia seeds to sign their yearbook –chia seeds has “made it.” For good reason too. They are tiny powerhouses of omega-3,calcium,protein and fiber. In one tablespoon of chia seeds there are 2.4 grams of Omega-3,64 mg of Calcium,2 grams of protein and….wait for it….4 grams of fiber. In one tablespoon! Folks want fiber to help with digestion- which can aid in weigh loss or detoxification. Plus,there’s no grinding involved,like with flax seeds. Chia seeds can be eaten raw or soaked which will prompt the lil’dots to produce a gel-like sac and quickly turn water into something thicker. So everyone wanted chia. The wanted,they got and then there was no more. No more chia. Sad,sad day for co-op-ers. Until,one day,a clever gal found some chia and another clever gal ordered over 150 twelve ounce bags of chia from Spectrum Organics. So now,chia seeds are back! They are planning their stage set,their costumes are at the cleaners and they want to schedule a performance in your morning smoothie. Come on and get ‘em soon! You can find them,under the big lights!,in the Health and Beauty Aid Department really close to those clever gals.  It’s summer in full swing here in the Skagit Valley! Be sure to stay hydrated and drink plenty of water and isotonic beverages like coconut water,the delicately sweet juice of young coconuts. The Co-op carries many brands of coconut water-based drinks. Some are sweetened,some include lime juice,others are completely natural. Some are also on sale. Check out thirst quenchers from  Harvest Bay ($0.99 each!),Maui &Sons,Zico and Vita Coco,among others. Pack some coconut water for hikes,sports events,and exercise workouts.
Coconut water is an ideal sports drink. It’s gluten free and a natural source of electrolytes:including potassium,magnesium,calcium,phosphorus and sodium. This nutritious drink can help rehydrate,balance pH levels and aid in muscle recovery. Fans of incredibly fresh coconut water can stop by the Co-op’s Produce department to select a young coconut,cut open the top and enjoy straight from the coconut shell! Posted by Claire Eating Plant,Mostly:Week 6 closure What a great month! This has been good for me,and while I have confirmed my suspicions that I am a far from perfect human being,I have gained my own trust and respect some,also. I feel more like a scientist of myself,and also more empowered to handle change of other kinds,beyond diet. Which is good,because life is twisting up some curve balls this spring and I want to be on my game.  I batted a home run (sorry,where did this baseball metaphor come from?) last weekend with a bean curry recipe from the back of a spice packet –Arora Creations organic spice mix,to be exact –and some baby lima beans this customer had recommended as his favorite kind of bean one time when i was standing in the bulk aisle looking stumped (try this some day you are feeling brave –let a stranger –or a friend –pick out your dinner idea –it’s a great way to learn where your food blocks are. I,for instance,have been INCREDIBLY prejudiced against the baby lima bean. I apologize,little lima beans. Also to lentils –I have not been nice to lentils.)
Food guilt aside,I used what I had in the fridge and pantry. It went a little bit like this: Read more Eating Plants,Mostly Week 6:Closure … |
Need help finding Gluten-free options? Look for this label in the Store  |
