What’s different about the Equal Exchange Banana?

• Fair Trade. Gives small-scale farmers collective power and financial stability.
• Cooperation. Builds a cooperative supply chain that starts with farmers organized into agricultural co-ops and ends with bananas sold at consumer co-ops.
• Democracy. We partner with small-scale farmers who make their own decisions on business and community matters.

The focus this month for Equal Exchange is to grow awareness and educate about the unique story behind your bananas.

Watch this video from Equal Exchange, which highlights why all bananas are NOT created equal! You will see our very own produce manager, Kim Dvorak, and other Twin Cities Co-op produce managers share their experiences about their trip to Peru last year to visit small-scale banana farmers.

This Wednesday evening, these produce managers (including our Kim) are gathering together again, joined by staff from Equal Exchange to hold a special presentation at East Side Food Co-op. Click here for details.

If you are wild about organic, Fair Trade and cooperative bananas like we are, you may want to attend this free event!

Join Jessica Jones-Hughes of Equal Exchange and five co-op produce  managers from Eastside Food Co-op, Mississippi Market, Seward, Wedge and Valley Natural Foods for a slide show and presentation on their 2011 trip to Peru to meet the farmers who supply our co-ops with organic, fair trade and cooperative bananas! Our very own produce manager Kim Dvorak will be there!

Wednesday, March 14
from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
All are welcome, light refreshments provided

Located at Eastside Food Co-op in the Granite Studio
2551 Central Avenue NE
Minneapolis – 612.788.0950

Our very own Down in the Valley Bakehouse has rolled out a delicious gluten-free pizza crust! You can find them in 2-packs located in our freezers in  Trail no. 7, here at Valley Natural Foods!

Simply top crusts with your favorite pizza toppings and bake, or they can be used as a flat bread by brushing with olive oil, herbs and a little salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes. Cut into strips and serve as is or dipped into warmed marinara sauce. The possibilities are endless!

Right now is a great time to buy them—they’re on sale!

By Loris Sofia Gregory, Healthy Kitchen Coach, Apple Valley, MN

Challenged in getting your engine revved up in the morning and sustained throughout busy days? Sluggish and cranky from your roller coaster of energy highs and lows? Dreaming of steady sources of energy for a perpetual perky mind and body? If you are more than ready to jump start your engine each morning and stay productive, happy and energized all day long, consider these power-punched tips, breakfasts and snacks that you can find on our Bulk Trail.

Eat a satisfying breakfast. To break your overnight fast, your body needs fuel first thing in the morning. An adequate breakfast with enough protein will give you essential fuel plus a “full and satisfied” feeling for a productive morning. Here’s a few great fatigue-beating breakfasts you will find on our Bulk Trail. Supplement these cereals and grains with our fresh berries and fruits, low or no-fat “milks” (sourced from cows, almonds, hemp, rice, etc.), whole grain breads, low-sugar yogurts and fruit spreads. Satisfying anytime of the day!

Sign up for the March 20th  FRESH & LOCAL: Jump Start Your Engines on the Bulk Trail class to learn more!

Read More

A member of Valley Natural Foods  has entered the photo category of the My Co-op Rocks Video & Photo Contest! They have a chance to win a great prize, depending on how many votes are cast.  If you would like to add your vote, just click on this adorable photo for easy instructions. Hint: you’re allowed to vote once a day!

Now how about you?

How would you  like to win a $1500, $750 or $250 gift certificate to a co-op of your choice? Check out My Co-op Rocks Video & Photo Contest and create an original video or photo according to the Official Contest Rules. Dream up your own creative theme, or view other entries for  inspiration. Show how your co-op builds a better world.

• Submission deadline is April 30.
• Voting deadline is May 31.
• Winners announced June 15!

Check out My Co-op Rocks on Facebook!

Enter for a chance to win a cool prize from Udi’s Gluten-Free Foods!

Grand Prize: A 3-day 2-night trip for two people to California to attend a gluten-free cooking class at renowned culinary institute Le Cordon Bleu.

10 finalists will receive free Udi’s product coupons!

 Visit  Udi’s Gluten-Free Facebook page and submit your favorite gluten-free recipe using at least one Udi’s product in the ingredient list. Last day to enter: March 25, 2012.

Look for a coupon to save $2.00 off two Udi’s Gluten-Free Products! They’re located in the freezer section (Trail no. 7) at Valley Natural Foods—time to get cooking! Good luck!

Enter for a chance to WIN a trip for two to Cascadian Farm when you buy ANY five Muir Glen or Cascadian Farm products! National Cooperative Grocers Association is partnering with Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen (Small Planet Foods) in this cause promotion to award a prize of an all-expenses paid trip for two to Cascadian Farm’s home farm in Oregon.

Look for sweepstakes mail-in entry forms located near Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen product end caps here at Valley Natural Foods. Enter between March 1 and March 31, 2012 to be eligible for a chance to win!

The cause? Small Planet Foods will donate $5000 to support the Organic Farming Research Foundation.

As its Latin name—Citrus paradisiattests, grapefruit could well be the citrus from Paradise. Juicy, tangy-sweet, and beautiful, the grapefruit is actually a cross between an orange and a pomelo. A juicy grapefruit half, warmed in the oven with honey and cinnamon is a classic start to the day, but there’s no need to relegate grapefruit to the breakfast table. Grapefruit segments add a burst of flavor to fruit salads and green salads alike; balance grapefruit’s tartness with mellow avocado chunks. Serve a crescent of grapefruit with a simple fish dish instead of a lemon wedge; it’ll add just a hint of sweetness.

What to Make: Pacific Halibut with Fennel & Grapefruit Salad

You can pick up recipe cards in our produce department. Or, check out the February 29  Co+op Deals flyer or Stronger Together website for recipes.

Looking for a coupon? Save on some of the ingredients for this recipe with online coupons! Coupons good through March 20, 2012.

8.4% of the U.S population is estimated to have Type 2 diabetes, or approximately 25.8 million people. Even more shocking is over one third of those people are undiagnosed.  Even though lifestyle changes are difficult, more and more people are looking for ways to reduce their own risk for developing the disease.

At Valley Natural Foods, we want to make this lifestyle change easier for you. Join Valley Natural Foods experts for our Let’s Cooperate to Prevent Diabetes program and get four weeks of the coaching (Mondays in April: 2, 9, 16 and 23)  you need to make healthy diet and exercise changes a reality in your life. We will also go over stress relief and relaxation techniques that will help.

Unlike traditional Type 2 diabetes prevention programs, we focus on a more holistic approach to wellness–one that heals not only the body, but the mind and spirit too!

Our experts will also help you to understand simple ways to include more fruits, vegetables and grains in your diet. A diet with more fruits, vegetables and grains is recommended by the American Diabetes and the American Dietetics Association to help reduce the risk for this disease.

You can register for this class online, in-store or over the phone by calling 952-891-1212 ext 221. Cost is $53 for members and $63 for non-members. The cost is for all four  hour and a half coaching sessions.

COMMUNITY FOOD DAY

Saturday, March 10, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Hosted by: Valley Natural Foods and Homegrown South

Event Location: Echo Park Elementary School,
14100 County Road 11, Burnsville, MN—Visit Community Food Day Event Page for map and directions to the school.

Community Food Dialogue, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Learn about Homegrown South and other local food initiatives, explore individual and community needs and help determine our next best steps. Everyone is welcome and your voice counts!

Open House, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Meet local farmers, gardeners, food producers and activists representing Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), community gardens and other groups committed to a healthy local food network. Sign up for CSA shares and community garden plots. Watch for more details at www.valleynaturalfoods.com and in our store.

Enjoy an interesting article posted on Gather! Read: Community Food Systems by Gary Johnson, Community Relations Developer for Valley Natural Foods.