Saturday, July 11, 1:00-4:00 p.m.

• Grilled Brats, side and lemonade for $2.00 – come enjoy Valley Natural Foods’ very own homemade brats!
• German Grill demonstration – Learn why this grill is one if the best out there for all you who love to grill.
• Flagpole Dedication and Honoring of Local Servicemen & Women
• Chair Massage, Aromatherapy and Stress-Relieving Tips
• Free yoga class by Isis Yoga at 1 p.m.
• Kick-off 5-2-1-0 program – Let’s help our kids develop healthy habits for a lifetime!

Sunday, July 12, 1:00-4:00 p.m.

• Brunch for sale in the deli (starts at 11 a.m.)
• Fire It Up grilling tips, recipes and free samples
• Outdoor dog wash while you wait in the Walser RV – bring your dogs and let someone else do the dirty work! Dogs will be washed with all-natural pet products by a two young Valley Natural Foods staff members who are raising funds for entry into the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, on behalf of a family member.

 Menu: 

JULY 7

Backyard BBQ featuring Beef or Chicken Kabobs, Great Homemade Bread, Pesto Pasta Salad and deli-baked Bundt Cake for dessert.

JULY 14 

Choose 2 pieces from our own Pizza favorites: Caramelized Onion with Chevre, Smokehouse Bacon with Smoked Provolone, 5-Cheese or Pepperoni, Spinach Strawberry Salad and Mini Snickerdoodles for dessert.

JULY 21    

Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Peaches, homemade Parmesan Pepper Bread, Seasonal Veggies and Strawberry Cheesecake Bars for dessert.

JULY 28    

Oven-fried Chicken, Classic Potato Salad, Roasted Summer Veggies and a Brownie for dessert.

AUGUST 4   

Chicken Caesar Salad, Fresh Bread and a Heath Bar Cupcake for dessert.

AUGUST 11

Baked Tilapia topped with Mango Salsa, Roasted Potatoes, Veggie of the Day and an Oatmeal Cookie for dessert. 

AUGUST 18

Chicken Enchilada Bake, Black Bean Salad and Fresh Fruit for dessert. 

AUGUST 25

Chicken Scampi served over Pasta, Health Salad, Fresh Bread with Butter and Coconut Cake for Dessert. 

HOURS
5:00-6:30 p.m.

All dinners  are $7.99 per person. Ask about our vegetarian options. Served in our eat area with take-out option available. You can even pick them up through our drive-thru and serve them at home! Call ahead for reservations or take-out orders: 952-891-1212, #228.

 Now that Summer is here, you can enjoy your meal outside!

Are you a musician? We are looking for public entertainment during our Summer Tuesday Night Family Budget Meals. If you are interested, please e-mail Jessica at: jcarroll@valleynaturalfoods.com .

Click the link to read customer comments from previous Family Budget Meals events: Customer Comments

We love the summer, but our groceries aren’t so keen on the heat. Organic and natural foods are more sensitive to spoilage a bit quicker than the conventional brands because they aren’ treated with all those substances and chemicals for preservation.

There are some things you can do to help keep your refrigerated items and produce fresh longer.

Getting your groceries home fresh:

• Grocery shop last thing before returning home.
• For longer trips, pack your groceries wisely. Pack all cold items together, or purchase one of our Hot and Cold bags.

Keeping in mind that your organic foods have a shorter shelf life once you do get home, here are some tips to keep them fresh:

• Consume as close to the purchase date as possible.
• For produce try Debbie Meyer GreenBags found near the Bulk Trail.
• Debbie Meyer CheeseBags are available are available at the Cheese Counter.

If you have any questions about keeping your organic groceries fresh longer, feel free to ask a staff member. They’d be happy to help you.  

For the last decade Valley Natural Foods has been a stop on the North Dakota Farmers Union cooperative tour. This year about 45 students filled the store to learn more how a food cooperative is run, and of course to taste our great samples.

We were lucky to meet Josh Norby, NDFU Member Education Coordinator, who says this is his third tour of Valley Natural Foods with NDFU. He came to the co-op 10 years ago as a student, then again as a counselor, and this year he led the tour.

Valley Natural Foods was happy to be a stop on the NDFU tour and loves hosting tours for commmunity members who are interested in learning more. If you have a group interested in touring, please contact Josie at communications@valleynaturalfoods.com

 Saturday, July 11, 1:00-4:00 p.m.

• Grilled Brats, side and lemonade for $2.00 – come enjoy Valley Natural Foods’ very own homemade brats!
• German Grill demonstration – Learn why this grill is one if the best out there for all you who love to grill.
• Flagpole Dedication and Honoring of Local Servicemen & Women
• Chair Massage, Aromatherapy and Stress-Relieving Tips
• Free yoga class by Isis Yoga at 1 p.m.
• Kick-off 5-2-1-0 program – Let’s help our kids develop healthy habits for a lifetime!

Sunday, July 12, 1:00-4:00 p.m.

• Brunch for sale in the deli (starts at 11 a.m.)
• Fire It Up grilling tips, recipes and free samples
• Outdoor dog wash while you wait in the Walser RV – bring your dogs and let someone else do the dirty work! Dogs will be washed with all-natural pet products by a young Valley Natural Foods staff member and her friend who are volunteering to raise funds for their entry into the RELAY for LIFE, on behalf of a family member.

Stop by our Demo Kiosk on Tuesday, June 30th and enjoy a piece of made-from-scratch cake from our own deli. That’s right, we are serving free cake in celebration of our Cooperative Excellence! Cake will be served between 11:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Come celebrate the excellence with us.

For more information on the recent awards Valley Natural Foods has won, please visit:

This is Our Co-op of Excellence

and

Our Excellence Continues

In addition to Valley Natural Foods’ general manager Susan McGaughey accepting the Howard Bowers Fund Award of Cooperative Excellence (please see This is Our Co-op of Excellence), Valley Natural Foods’ marketing/communications team Charli Mills, Josie Biocca and Susie Hessburg received two Excellence in Communications awards at a recent Cooperative Communicators Association Institute.

Awards received were:

To learn more about CCA, please visit www.communicators.coop. If any of you are involved in co-op communications, CCA is worth checking out! CCA is a unique organization of professionals who communicate for cooperatives.

Hey Kids—Get Healthy this Summer with 5-2-1-0!

The wellness department is sponsoring the 5-2-1-0 program at Valley Natural Foods this summer. It is free for kids of all ages. Stop by the wellness department to pick up detailed information and the program’s Star Chart for participation. Then get ready to commit to 4-weeks to better health:

• July 11-17, Week 1: Eat 5 fruits and veggies a day

• July 18-24, Week 2: Limit 2 hours of screen time a day

• July 25-30, Week 3: Get 1 hour exercise a day

• July 30-Aug. 7, Week 4: 0 sugary drinks a day

Each week participants can stop by the wellness department for that week’s information and a FREE Fruit Coupon. There will be demonstrations at the demo kiosk each week to reinforce the week’s healthy habit. At the end of the 4-week program, kids who participated can return their Star Chart to the wellness department for a free jump rope and a chance to enter a drawing for a family membership to the MN Zoo. It’s healthy, fun and free!

Howard Bowers Fund Award of Cooperative Excellence recognizes a retail cooperative that has made significant progress in meeting the needs of members through growth in net sales and earnings, initiation of new and innovative programs, and expansion of member services.

Thursday, June 11 Susan McGaughey, general manager of Valley Natural Foods, was honored among her peers in Pittsburg, PA with the Howard Bowers Fund Award of Excellence. This prestigious, national recognition honors the passion of our members, the vision of our board, the leadership of our general manager, the innovations of our management team, the dedication of our staff, the consumer loyalty of our shoppers and the co-op’s amazing story of success. Even in a recession Valley Natural Foods continues to thrive.

Please e-mail a hearty and deserving “congratulations” to Susan at smcgaughey@valleynaturalfoods.com and to our dedicated board of directors at board@valleynaturalfoods.com. Thank you to all who support and cherish Valley Natural Foods. This is our co-op of excellence!

The most recent group of people to experience First Line Therapy had a great deal of fun getting to know each other and learning about an energizing lifestyle that includes an anti-inflammatory diet, daily exercise and regular stress-relief. Many participants were excited to find they could build healthy muscle and decrease fat stores by following their individualized eating plans. It was helpful to actually receive recipes and do some cooking and preparing First LineTherapy meals and snacks together. Practicing stress-relief techniques together in the classes and developing an individual exercise plan also helped participants to make these healthy habits a reality in their lives.

This particular program is not medically based so cannot claim to diagnose, prescribe or treat any medical or emotional condition. Participants are encouraged to review blood lipid tests from their health practitioners, but this is purely for educational purposes and to observe benefits they may have experienced from the program.  No blood tests will be carried out here at Valley Natural Foods. People with questions can feel free to contact Eileen Johnson, RN, at ejohnson@valleynaturalfoods.com. You too can achieve a healthy lifestyle!