Are you using reusable shopping bags instead of those ubiquitous plastic bags? I am. (at least for small to medium size shopping trips.) It seems that I’m not alone. Whole Foods Market estimates reusable bag use has tripled since last year and more than 150 million plastic bags have been kept out of landfills and our environment since that company became the first grocery to ban plastic grocery bags last Earth Day.

“At first we wondered if shoppers would just switch to paper but to our great surprise, people have been truly excited about using reusable bags,” …read more

From the people at Whole Foods Market, a hearty twist to traditional roast chicken. Whole Foods is also offering a printable $5 off $25 purchase coupon on their Web site, good from now until October 23 (2008). It’s a rare opportunity to purchase organic foods at a discount.
Honey-Glazed Five Spice Chicken
Serves 4
Add a sweet and spicy Asian note to the holidays with this effortless chicken dish. The savory spice mixture seals in the natural juices and ensures superbly tender meat, and the honey butter glaze adds a delightful finishing touch.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice power
1 teaspoon salt
1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken
2 …read more

As Linette reminds us over at Mother Earth’s Garden, tomatoes are just starting to ripen around the Midwest and the Northeast. So are zucchini, eggplant, peppers, and a host of other vegetables. Below is one healthy way to take advantage of this bounty, courtesy of the people at Whole Foods Market. Feel free to modify the vegetables to reflect what’s in your garden.
Grilled Veggie Tostadas
3/4 cup olive oil, plus additional oil for brushing tortillas
2 teaspoons chili powder
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 large zucchini unpeeled, ends trimmed
2 large yellow squash unpeeled, ends trimmed
2 red bell peppers
1 large …read more

I thought that I’d met most of the fruits of the world, even the more exotic ones. However, until last week, I’d not made the aquaintance of the açaí berry from the tropical marshlands of South and Central America. This little round, purple berry is a powerhouse. Lauded as a super fruit, it’s loaded with antioxidants (one study claims it to have 10 times the antioxidant properties as blueberries or cranberries) and includes 19 amino acids, the “building blocks” of protein.
Açaí isn’t as difficult to find as you might think. Like that new word you just learned and now …read more