This Week's Sweepstakes Winner!

Congratulations to Nicole! She won this week's Burt's Bees Sweepstakes! Make sure you check out the post below and enter your name and email for a chance to win! Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the sunshine (just make sure you slather on some good sunscreen)!!!

Food for Thought Giveaway: Asian Cuisine Blend

This week's giveaway features the best of Indian, Chinese, and Thai foods! The scrumptious grocery basket includes one box each of Annie Chun's pad thai and mai fun noodles, a jar of Golden Temple's Tikka Masala simmer sauce, and Tasty Bite's tandoori pilaf and tikka masala simmer sauce. It's vegetarian and sure to be a family pleaser! To win, enter your name and e-mail in the comment section on the blog! The winner will be drawn Saturday, Apil 17!

Aromatherapy!

Basil Essential Oil

As planting time approaches, I’m looking forward to planting more herbs in my garden. My son loves helping with these, as he can pick the “fruits” of our labor and help fix them for dinner.

One favorite, basil, does really well in my backyard. Beyond cooking, though, Basil provides a multitude of benefits through aromatherapy.

Basil essential oil, Ocimum basilicum, is steam distilled from leaves and flowers. The oil is a golden yellow with a green tone. It helps clear the sinuses, promotes digestion and stimulates circulation, especially in the respiratory system. It has been used successfully for migraines and 1 drop soothes wasp stings.

More April Sale Items!

In addition to our monthly sale flyer, there are a lot of great deals in-store!  Check out these super sales!

Truly, healthy salads!

You enter the restaurant with a group. You smugly order the salad, as others around you order entrees. You congratulate yourself on your supreme willpower. Then, someone kindly points out that your salad has the same or more fat & calories than their meal. How can this be?

We want YOUR opinion!

Well, it's starting to get to that time of the year again where we are looking at doing a few seminars at the store! We would love to get your input... What are things you want to know more about? Make up? Beauty care (What not to wear)? Supplements? Leave a comment and let us know! Thanks!

Eat your fruits & veggies and skip the pesticide!

The Dirty Dozen!

The FDA estimates that 20 pounds of pesticides per person are used annually in the U.S.   Some fruits and vegetables can have nine different pesticides in a single serving! Blech.  Thankfully, the Environmental Working Group studied 43 fruits and vegetables and ranked them according to contamination of pesticides. If you choose the organic version of the 12 “worst offenders,” you’ll reduce your exposure by 80%  Nearly all the studies used to create the list test produce after it has been rinsed or peeled.

Click here for the most recent Dirty Dozen List!

Then, check out these great deals of fruits and veggies this week at Food for Thought!  All items are Certified Organic!  We do not carry conventional produce.

Bananas 69 cents/lb

Meyer Lemons $1.59/lb

Valenica Oranges 89 cents/lb

Braeburn Apples $1.39/lb

Red Leaf Lettuce $1.69/lb
Bartlett Pears $1.79/lb
1-lb Bag Baby Carrots $1.79
 

Vegan Wednesday Recipe!

Homemade Vegan Mac and Cheese
Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 1/2 cups of plain soy milk
1 cup of water (you can cut this down and use vegan margarine to make a creamier sauce)
1/3 cup of tamari or soy sauce (you can cut this out if you don't want a lot of salt, or use low sodium soy sauce-available at Food For Thought)
1 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/4 of a block of firm (not silken) tofu
1 cup of canola or vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
1 1/2 lbs of pasta of your choice preferably macaroni
a relatively large baking pan (like a brownie pan)
1 dollop of mustard (optional)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Boil water in a big pot for the pasta.
Blend all ingredients (minus pasta).
Once pasta is cooked-drain and put it in the baking pan.
Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta.
Bake until the top of the pasta looks slightly browned and crispy (about 15 minutes).

Serves: a lot
Preparation time: about 8 min.
To spice this up a bit, throw in veggie pepper or add fresh onions. Garlic is always a good choice too.
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All of these ingredients are available at Food For Thought.

**Original recipe found on vegweb.com**

Cool off with Coconut Water!

Did you know that coconut water is second best to water in its purity? It's full of electrolytes, potassium and magnesium. It doesn't contain any preservatives, artificial sweeteners or colors and absolutely no sugar. And besides cooling you off and quenching your thirst it also has a multitude of benefits.

Coconut water is the liquid taken from unripe coconuts. If they get ripe the liquid will harden and become a part of the white flesh of the coconut, which is how coconut milk is made. So picking the coconut while unripe will guarantee that the body gets all the benefits of coconut water.

1. This wonderful water hydrates the body. It is an isotonic solution that "replaces fluids and minerals that the body loses during physical activities".

2. It relieves urinary problems, if consumed on a regular basis.

3. It kills intestinal worms. Drinking coconut water with one teaspoon of olive oil for 3 days will kill intestinal worms and clear the stomach, aiding in digestion.

4. It breaks up kidney stones. If you are plagued by kidney stones try drinking coconut water to break up the stones and making them easier to pass.

5. It controls vomitting. While helping to settle the stomach from various ailments it also helps during a hangover!

6. It's delicious. Maybe not a "benefit" but it sure is a plus!

Food for Thought carries five brands of coconut water in six delicious flavors. Try lime, mango, acai with pomegranate, pineapple and plain.

Gluten Free Tuesday!

Quinoa Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

2 c. rstd.and unsalted peanuts

1 cup Sugar

2 large Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Quinoa Flour
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
Directions:
Preheat oven at 350°. Grease 2 baking sheets. In a food processor, process the peanuts until they turn into peanut butter. Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla and process to blend. In a mixing bowl, combine the quinoa flour and salt. Add the peanut butter mixture and stir, then knead lightly with hands. Shape into 24 (1/2” balls) and lay onto prepared baking sheets. With a moistened fork, flatten each ball into a 2-1/2” cookie. Bake 15 minutes.

Manic Monday Meal

The weekend is over and it's back to reality! Each Monday we will post a five ingredient or less recipe to help you eat healthy, simply!
Here's this week recipe:

Simply Asia Broccoli and Tofu

Ingredients:

2 large broccoli crowns, cut into bite-size florets

1 lb firm or extra-firm tofu, well drained, and diced

1 package your favorite Simply Asia Sauce
Your farvorite rice, prepared
Directions: 
Steam the broccoli in stir-fry pan with about 1/2" of water, until tender-crisp.  Gently stir in the tofu and sauce.  Cook over medium heat until heated through.  Serve over rice.

April Taste for Life

Be sure to pick up April's Taste for Life magazine in store for lots of great information, recipes and the following coupons:

$1/1 Country Choice Product

$3/1 Country Life Bone Solid supplement

50 cents/1 Florida Crystal product

$1/2 Kashi Organic Promise Cereals

$3/1 Organic Life Vitamins

$1/1 Organic Valley Live Yogurt 32 oz.
$1/1 Frontier branded product

$3/1 Real Food Organic product

$3/1 Ultimate Flora Critical Care
$3/1 Renew Life First Cleanse
$3/1 Renew Life Cleanse Smart
$1.50/1 Kashi U cereal