Written by Jane N. Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs January 3rd, 2013

     SlimFast ADVANCED MEAL REPLACEMENT SHAKES

              Losing weight has never been easier than with SlimFast.  Delicious, nutritious SlimFast controls hunger for up to 4 hours. And now, new SlimFast Advanced Nutrition has up to 20g of protein and as little as 1g of sugar.  Snack it off with savory chips!  Crunch it off with decadent bites!  Even cheat it off with delicious sweets. See results in just 1 week with America’s favorite weight loss brand.  It’s your thing! Control hunger for up to four hours with delicious and filling Meal Replacement Shakes.  Each shake has 20g of protein, 1g Sugar and is full of nutrients to have you lose weight without feeling like you’re on a diet.  SlimFast Meal Replacement Shakes come in a variety of flavors so you can lose weight your favorite way. Look for SlimFast Advanced Meal Replacement Shakes in the Diet aisle.  

SlimFast ADVANCED MEAL REPLACEMENT BARS and 100-CALORIE SNACKS 

  Losing weight has never been easier than with SlimFast.  Delicious, nutritious SlimFast controls hunger for up to 4 hours. And now, new SlimFast Advanced Nutrition has up to 20g of protein and as little as 1g of sugar.  Snack it off with savory chips!  Crunch it off with decadent bites!  Even cheat it off with delicious sweets.  See results in just 1 week with America’s favorite weight loss brand.  It’s your thing. Decadent dark chocolate with fruit and nuts make these protein bars taste like dessert.  Curb your hunger and watch the weight slip away.  If you prefer bars to shakes or just want to switch it up when losing weight, there are a variety of delicious flavors to choose from. Snack your way slim with new SlimFast Advanced 100-calorie treats.  These delicious chips and sweets will satisfy your hunger between meals and still help you lose weight! Look for SlimFast Advanced Meal Replacement Bars and 100-Calorie Snacks in the Diet aisle. Written by Jane N. Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs December 27th, 2015

CAMPOVERDE ENERGY BOOST FRUIT and VEGGIE BLENDER 

  Try Campoverde Fruit and Veggie Blenders for delicious and nutritious smoothies. The Campoverde Blenders are 100% natural pre-mixed fruits and vegetables with no sugar added or preservatives.  They come ready for the blender (washed, Chopped, peeled and without seeds).  Just add water, juice or milk. Campoverde four blend mixes were carefully selected to create smoothies with health properties for every lifestyle.  Energy Boost provides the energy that your body needs to be active.  Healthy Life strengthens the immune system and nervous system.  Fit & Wellness increases muscle mass for greater natural strength and Forever Young contributes to maintain a younger looking skin. Enjoy a smoothie prepared with a premixed portion and keep the rest inside the re-sealable package in the freezer. Look for Campoverde Energy Boost Fruit and Veggie Blender in the Frozen Food aisle. Written by Jane N. Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs December 27th, 2015

ARM & HAMMER CLUMP & SEAL MICROGUARD CLUMPING CAT LITTER

Introducing: Clump & Seal MicroGuard Clumping Cat Litter from ARM & HAMMER! Clump & Seal MicroGuard Clumping Cat Litter contains an antimicrobial agent to prevent odors caused by bacteria. This unique technology seals in and destroys odors, both Immediate odors, as well as… Potential future odors that may be caused by bacteria in the litter box. Clump & Seal MicroGuard contains heavy duty odor eliminators plus Arm & Hammer Baking Soda to immediately destroy odors on contact. ARM & HAMMER Clump & Seal MicroGuard Clumping Cat Litter prevents bacterial odors and delivers guaranteed 7 day odor control. Look for Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal Microguard Litter in the Pet Aisle. Written by Tyler Blance, Marketing Program Coordinator – Local We’re celebrating local on Saturday, January 16^th from 10am-5pm in our Sutton, Massachusetts Market 32! Sutton’s home.grown Market Day will include samplings and appearances from producers local to the region, ranging from dairy partners to snack food makers. Eastern Massachusetts is home to a wide variety of local producers and unique brands, and we’ve invited a group of them to come chat with our guests, talk about what they do as an area producer and sample some of their products! The home.grown samplings begin with our friends at Kayem Foods, who’ll be sampling breakfast sausage. Kayem hails from Chelsea, MA and partners with us on a variety of different meat items. And to add to the roster of popular brands who call eastern Massachusetts home, HP Hood will be in the house in the afternoon, sampling their awesome cone sundae desserts. In addition to household names like Hood, Sutton’s home.grown Market Day will include appearances from a variety of smaller-scale local folks who offer unique and interesting products. Chat with Marc Cooper, the man behind an amazing Salted Caramel Sauce from Coop’s MicroCreamery in Watertown, MA, or meet a team member from Blossom Water, who locally produces flower-infused water! We’re also excited to have Tully Farm in the house, a Massachusetts dairy farmer from the Cabot Cheese co-op, which you can find out more about here. We host events like these because supporting and celebrating local is important to us, whether it be supporting national brands hailing from our region or small town, small scale outlets local to specific communities. If you’re in the Sutton or greater-Worcester area on the 16^th, come on down to meet and greet with some folks from our homegrown crowd! We’ll be hosting home.grown-focused sampling events in other stores going forward: Stay tuned as we round up the local crowd in other parts of the Northeast!   Schedule: –Blossom Water:                              10am-1pm, flower-infused water -Kayem Foods:                                  10am-1pm, breakfast sausage -Concord Foods:                               10am-1pm, smoothie mixes -Tully Farm – Cabot Cheese         11am-2pm, cheese -Breezelands Orchard:                   11am-2pm, apples -Paino Organics:                               11am-2pm, chips and salsa -Biena Foods:                                    11am-2pm, chickpea snacks -HP Hood:                                           1pm-4pm, cone sundaes -Coop’s MicroCreamery:              2pm-5pm, hot fudge and salted caramel sauce -Raw Food Central:                         1pm-4pm, vegan snacks -Sid Wainer & Son:                          2pm-5pm, herb blends The holiday season is here! I have absolutely no idea where 2015 went, but I am looking forward to everything 2016 has to offer. Even though I am sad that we won’t be having a White Christmas here in New York, I’m excited to celebrate the holiday with my close family and friends. I love learning about the different holiday traditions that are passed down through the generations, as well as, new traditions that are discovered. With Christmas and New Year’s Eve just around the corner we would love to share our favorite holiday traditions. Meagan

• Bake a ton of cookies and send them to my friends and family members who I don’t get to see at Christmas.
• Elf on the Shelf! We try to hide it in a different spot every night, but forget all the time and have to run down at 5am to hide it!
• Opening presents Christmas morning followed by a big breakfast before everyone goes their separate ways.
• Making homemade pierogis and having them with dinner on Christmas Eve.
• My dad sends us communion wafers blessed by a Polish church and on Christmas Eve, we ‘break bread’ with each other wishing happy holidays and health and happiness for the New Year.
• Banging pots and pans together to ring in the New Year.

Cate

• Making Christmas cookies with my Grammie.
• Making fudge with my mom.
• Opening one present on Christmas Eve (pajamas required)
• Opening stockings with my pets, they each get their own!

Sara

• Making potato latkes and playing dreidel during Hanukkah.
• Going out with my Dad to cut down the Christmas tree.
• Leaving milk and cookies out for Santa.
• Watching The Santa Claus and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
• Drinking champagne at midnight on New Year’s Eve while wearing a festive New Year’s Party Hat.
• Eating leftover Chinese take-out for dinner on Christmas Eve.
• Drinking peppermint mocha lattes!

  Josh

• Putting milk and cookies out for Santa, and then eating most of them before my sister wakes up so she thinks Santa did.
• Leaving carrots out for Santa’s reindeer.
• Drinking eggnog.
• Watching The Nightmare Before Christmas.
• Watching the dogs unwrap their presents by themselves.

Maritza

• Decorating the Christmas tree together while listening to Christmas music.
• My friends and I have a big holiday dinner and instead of exchanging gifts we adopt a family or donate gifts to a charity organization instead!

Greg

• My wife and I have attended Christmas Mass the past few years at different area Catholic churches. It gave us the chance to meet other people and check out the different church buildings, from big cathedrals in Albany and Schenectady to the tiny church in Worcester, NY.
• On New Year’s Eve we follow many of the Filipino folk beliefs to ring in the new year, some of these include turning on all the lights so that the upcoming year us bright and opening up all the doors, drawers and windows to let good fortune in!

Megan

• Our family tradition is opening up one present on Christmas Eve and then proudly modeling our new pajamas!
• My siblings and I also lay around the fireplace and read The Night Before Christmas before we go to sleep!

What are your favorite holiday traditions? Share in them with us in the comments below! Happy Holidays! Written By Jerry Golub, CEO One of the most enjoyable aspects of our business is helping our customers celebrate their holiday traditions as they come together to create special moments and lasting memories.   Knowing that we play this role is incredibly fulfilling, as it speaks to our higher purpose and the important difference we can make in peoples’ lives. As I visit our stores during the holiday season, it’s apparent that our teammates share this feeling.  The excitement of the season seems to transcend their interactions with our shoppers and with each other.  As a result, the bonds that have been built over time between our teammates and shoppers appear to be highlighted and strengthened as a result of those exchanges. As a company, we are completely focused on delivering a great shopping experience on a consistent basis throughout the year.  Whether someone is shopping for a special occasion such as their holiday meal, or to satisfy any number of everyday needs, our goal is to be viewed by each customer as a valuable resource.  In order to accomplish this, we depend on all our teammates to understand and meet our shoppers’ many different needs through their interactions with thousands of individuals every day. I believe those interactions between our teammates and our customers have been even more important this holiday season than in past years.  During a time of uncertainty and disruption for many around the world, the reassurance of everyday connections we share and the caring we show each other during our daily routines can act as a very powerful grounding force for everyone. So I have two messages this holiday season. First, to all our teammates, I want to thank you for the incredible job you do.  You are able to set aside the pressures of your own daily lives, and focus on delivering a great shopping experience to our customers every day of the year.  For that, I am extremely grateful. Finally, I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a very happy, healthy, and fulfilling new year.  May 2016 bring an increased awareness of the humanity we all share and with it a universal goal of achieving peace, both in our own homes and in the world. Happy New Year, everyone. Musical Inspiration:  Here’s a recording of a classic, but very timely song, performed by some exceptionally talented local high school students at the 2007 “Melodies of Christmas” concert at Proctor’s Theater in Schenectady.  This annual concert benefits the Melodies Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at Albany Medical Center, and is also broadcast on Albany’s CBS station on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxCOrfS_NY0       Written by Jane N. Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs December 20, 2015

ATKINS HARVEST TRAIL BARS

Atkins Harvest Trail Bars are a good source of protein.  They are low in Sugar and Net Carbs.  Atkins Harvest Trail Bars have no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives along with no sugar alcohols.

Atkins Harvest Trail Bars have more natural ingredients with pieces of fruit.  They are a less processed bar with a cleaner, easier to understand package label. Atkins Harvest Trail Bars are available in four delicious flavors: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Dark Chocolate Cherry & Nuts Vanilla Fruit & Nuts   Look for Atkins Harvest Trail Bars in the Diet/Nutritional aisle.  

CENTRUM VITAMINTS

New Centrum VitaMints multivitamins are a unique combination of essential nutrients you enjoy like a mint. Take Centrum VitaMints any time of day, with or without food or water, to replenish your body with vitamins and minerals that support your energy, immunity, metabolism and overall well-being. Centrum is the most recommended, most studied, most preferred multivitamin brand. Look for Centrum VitaMints in the Vitamin aisle with the other Centrum Vitamins.   Written by Jane N. Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs December 13, 2015

PROGRESSO COOKING STOCK

At Progresso, their kitchens have embraced a vibrant way of living and eating for over 100 years. And now, Progresso introduces a new way to bring flavor to any dish – introducing Progresso Cooking Stocks.  Progresso Cooking Stocks are gently simmered with real bones, bright vegetables and aromatic herbs to create stocks that are rich and deeply layered. Progresso Cooking Stocks come in Chicken Stock, Unsalted Chicken and Vegetable varieties.  Add a savory dimension to bring the flavors of your cooking to life. Look for Progresso Cooking Stocks in the Soup aisle – Broths and Stocks section – and add flavor to your next meal.  

SABRA VEGGIE DIPS

Sabra’s all-natural Greek Yogurt dip has 67% fewer calories and 88% less fat than the leading sour cream dips.  Gluten Free, it is composed of 100% farm-fresh vegetables. Tzatziki is one of the world’s most favorite dips.  Sabra makes theirs with ingredients like cucumber, garlic, milk and dill. Farmer’s Ranch is a fresh take on America’s favorite bottled dressing and dip with 60% fewer calories and 75% less fat per serving compared to the leading ranch dips.  A delicious and better for you dressing or snacking choice. So dip right in with your favorite veggies, grab a friend and share the experience.  Fresh, crisp, delicious – what’s not to love? Look for Sabra Veggie Dips in the Deli Department. Written by Sara Lilkas and Tyler Blance  We’re proud to support farmers and producers of the Northeast throughout the whole year! Our Christmas trees are grown and harvested on farms in New York and Vermont: When it’s grown here, we get it here. We recently were able to talk with Richie Hourihan, our farmer at Cabot Christmas Tree Farm in Cabot, Vermont about everything from growing Christmas trees from seed to keeping them beautiful once they are decorated at home!   PC: How long does it take from seed for a tree to grow full-sized? RH: It usually takes about 12-20 years from seed to grow a full-sized tree. When planting new trees we usually transplant trees that are already about 5 years old and 14 inches tall.   PC: When do you start cutting down trees for the Christmas season? RH: I usually start cutting down trees the day after Halloween, however with the warmer weather this year we had to continually put off cutting down the trees. Every tree must go through 2-3 hard frosts or “killing frosts” before they’re ready for cutting and bring home. After 2-3 hard frosts the trees enter dormancy, when trees are cut in dormancy they last longer in household temperatures and hold onto their needles.   PC: How long did you have to wait to cut down trees this year as a result of the warmer temperatures? RH: This year we started cutting trees down a few days before Thanksgiving, and I was able to start delivering them the day after Thanksgiving.   PC: How many new trees do you plant each year? RH: About 3,000 new trees every year.   PC: What growing methods do you use for your Christmas trees? RH: No chemicals, sprays or fertilizers are used. The farm is USDA GAP [Good Agricultural Procedures] Certified. GAP ensures safe, environmentally friendly growing practices, regardless of the crop. We voluntarily go through this audit to verify the produce and trees we grow are handled and stored in the safest way possible.   PC: What’s your favorite variety of tree to grow? RH: Balsam fir. Balsam fir trees are indigenous to the area (since they are native to the area they grow fast than other varieties) and they hold up the longest once cut and put indoors. An added bonus to growing balsam fir trees is that the deer do not like to nibble on them unlike other varieties!   PC: What is your favorite part of growing Christmas Trees? RH: My favorite part of growing Christmas trees takes place in the summer time. After a long day on the farm attending to the other crops [Richie also grows berries, corn, and other vegetables] is mowing in between the rows of trees. I go out after dinner when it’s still light out and everyone who works on the farm with me has gone home. Mowing in between the trees is very peaceful, quiet, and I have a beautiful view of the mountains.   PC: What are some tips you could offer for keeping a healthy tree during the holiday season? RH: When you get your tree home, cut about an inch off the base. When the trees are first cut sap starts to bleed and forms a cement-like layer along the base of the tree preventing it from taking in any water.   PC: How often should you water your Christmas tree? RH: You should check to make sure the base is full every one to two days. A tree can use up to a quart of water a day!   PC: How should trees be disposed of, once the holidays are over? RH: I recommend checking to see if there are any local ordinances in place. Many towns recycle Christmas trees either into mulch to be used in gardens and parks or are used to make barriers to prevent soil erosion.   We would like to thank Richie Hourihan for being a partner with us and for taking the time to share his knowledge about harvesting trees. We love being able to provide locally grown products to our customers and that would not be possible without farmers like Richie. From our family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas.   Written by Jane N. Golub Director In-Store Marketing Programs December 6, 2015

ANNIE’S ORGANIC SOUPS

Annie’s has long been known for bringing you the best in Natural and Organic Foods and now there is a new way to enjoy Annie’s.  Introducing Annie’s NEW Certified Organic Soups. Annie’s Organic Soups are a whole NEW take on some traditional favorites, but without artificial flavors, synthetic colors, preservatives or MSG. The soups come in a variety of delicious flavors and feature happy pasta shapes your kids will love.  Enjoy Annie’s Star Pasta and Chicken, Tomato and Bunny Pasta and Bunny Pasta Chicken Broth varieties. Look for Annie’s Organic Soups in the Soup aisle today!

BERTOLLI RISERVA PASTA SAUCES

Inspired by our Italian roots, each Bertolli Riserva Sauce with a special blend of unique specialty ingredients that pair beautifully together to add an extra touch of deliciousness. Bertolli Riserva Pasta Sauces come in four varieties: Marinara, made with vine-ripened crushed tomatoes, freshly crushed garlic, butter, imported Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Balsamic Vinegar & Caramelized Onion, made with aged Balsamic vinegar and sweet caramelized onions for a delicious tangy taste experience.  Serve this sauce with fusilli pasta or chicken. Asiago & Artichoke, made with aged Asiago Cheese and tender artichokes.  Serve this sauce with farfalle pasta or chicken. Porcini Mushroom & Truffle Oil, made with shade grown porcini mushrooms and decadent white truffle oil to create a rich taste experience.  Serve this sauce with fettuccine pasta or chicken Look for all of these Bertolli Riserva Pasta Sauces in the Pasta Sauce aisle at your local Price Chopper or Market32 store.