Lovin’ Natural Grocers! – Recipes & Giveaway

by Kristi F | Giveaway, Healthy Food, Healthy Tips, Recipes

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Kristi F

I am an Oklahoman by birth, a Texan by current living situation, but claim the world as my playground.I love to travel and hope to someday soon take our family on adventures to far off lands, where we can share God with others and experience all the wonders He has created.

I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.

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I love FOOD!   I feel it is a way that God gives us to fuel our bodies, so I take food very seriously and am thankful to find a grocery store that does the same.

Have you heard about Natural Grocers?  Located mostly from the mid-west to the west coast, maybe you know something about them.  I thought I “knew” about them but then in July, I had the opportunity to attend an open house/grand opening event at their newest location in Edmond, OK and learned a lot more about the company.

I liked Natural Grocers before and really love them now.

Here are some of the highlights that I learned about the company:

1.  They ONLY have Organic Produce.  – No confusion as to whether it’s conventional or organic.  Go in, shop & know you’ve got something without accidentally grabbing a conventionally produced product.

2.  Each store has a Nutrition Health Coach (NHC).  They serve as an educational resource for employees, customers and the community.  They offer FREE services that include:

• Lunch & Learns
• Community Wellness Info
• Cooking Demonstrations (they have beautiful kitchen classrooms)
• Store Tours – this is awesome. For example, if you were just told that your child is allergic to “x” and you don’t even know where to start looking, they will actually take you on a tour of the store and help explain what foods would best fit your needs.
• One-on-One cooking sessions
• Design eating programs
• Nutrition & how it supports the body information

3.  They are very picky as to what they allow on their shelves.  They actually visit every single farm, supplement shop & factory every single year to make sure they are meeting Natural Grocers’ standards.

• No Artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or preservatives
• No hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils
• Only Naturally Raised Dairy & Meat
  • In 2014, they began phasing out any item related to confinement dairy aka CAFO’s. (Side Note: CAFO’s are horrendous and detrimental to our food supply and health & use lots of antibiotics.)
  • Grazed on pasture for minimum of 120 days (for colder climates.)
  • No animal by-products in feed (This means leftovers from animals will not be ground up and refed to other animals.)
  • No bovine grown hormone (rBST or rBGH).
  • No growth promoters.
  • No non-therepeutice or off-label use of drugs any time, through the entire life-cycle of the animal.  (Antibiotics are only used if the animal gets sick, at which point it is removed from the herd and not allowed to return until the antibiotics are completely out of it’s system.)
  • No cloned animals.
  • Each product, not brand, goes through a rigourous process of determining whether or not it meets company standards.

4.  Affordable Food.  By letting word of mouth be their advertiser and encouraging customers to bring their own bags or reuse the boxes that are shipped, they are able to be competitive in their pricing.

5.  On August 13th, 2015, Natural Grocers will be celebrating their 60th anniversary with

• prizes
• 60% off select products
• Ice Cream Social from 4pm-6pm

Don’t let the idea of a Grocery/health food store scare you.  I was overwhelmed the first time I entered a health food store because all the products were different and I didn’t know where to start.  But Natural Grocers will actually give you a personal tour of the store and help you find the food that fits your family.  Go and enjoy the anniversary festivities and experience a new and easy way to fuel your body!

Register here to win a $30 gift card to use next time you shop.

Natural Grocers $30 Gift Card

Delicious Recipes to enjoy with your family:

Yogurt-Berry Parfait by Karen Falbo, CN

• 4 cups Maple Hill Creamery plain full-fat yogurt
• 2.5 cups fresh or frozen berries
• 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• 4 tsp NOW vanilla extract
• 1 packet NOW stevia*

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together yogurt, stevia and vanilla.  Using 8 small wine or parfait glasses, spoon in a layer of yogurt, top with berries, then add toasted pecans.  Continue alternating layers to fill glasses.

(*Stevia can be used in place of sweeteners for such things as tea, lemonade, plain yogurt, smoothies, and baked goods.  Oftentimes the licorice aftertaste of the whole herb as well as the bitter aftertaste of the steviosides disappears when used in the proper amounts.  Although stevia can actually enhance flavors in some dishes (like yogurt), it may not work at all in others.)

Curry Cashew Chicken Wrap by Jaena Barrera

• 6 Romaine lettuce leaves
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1/2 lime
• 1- 5oz can of chicken in water, drained or 2/3 cup cooked chicken
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1/2 apple, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Wash & pat dry 6 Romaine lettuce leaves. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, mash together the avocado, olive oil, curry powder and the juice squeezed from 1/2 a lime.
• Add the chicken, celery, apple, cashews, scallion and stir to combine.
• Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon into lettuce leaves & enjoy!

Have you been to Natural Grocers?  What do you like the most?

(We did not receive any compensation for writing this post, although when I attended the company open house, I won a mug and was gifted the gift cards.)