Earth Day Cuisine - The Plant Powered Plate
Ellie Wilson
MS, RDN, Manager, Health and Wellness
Earth Day, the largest secular observance event in the world, will be recognized again on its 51st anniversary, April 22nd. Over 1 billion people in 184+ countries will be engaged in activities and events that promote improved care and feeding of our unique planet. There is a streaming international event online and events that focus on community connection, education and collaboration in venues near and far.
Adding more plants to your plate is one way to engage in supporting Earth Day, agriculture and individual health. Americans at every age and stage have plenty of room to add more plant-based foods. Recent research released by the Produce for Better Health Foundation shows an almost 10% decline in fruit and vegetable intake since 2004. As 2021 is also the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, we fully support all efforts to add bounty and benefits of powering your plate with plants, and we have some resources to make it easy.
Recipe for a Plant Powered Plate
- Most people only eat just one vegetable one time per day – up the ante on that, double up veggie portions when you have them, and add some to all meals and snacks.
- Energize your day with a quick cup of 100% juice – a 4 ounce serving equals a full serving of fruit! Add 100% juice to water, vinaigrettes, marinades, or freeze in ice cube trays and bag up for a quick way to add flavor and benefits to your favorite drink.
- Participate in “conscious cuisine” – promoted by the Produce for Better Health Foundation, being more mindful of how plants can bring flavor, texture, antioxidants, fiber, and more to a dish. More plant-based eating benefits human and agricultural wellbeing.
- Check out the Know Your Colors Plant Powered nutrition guide for plant-based foods that only contain plant-based ingredients and at least 5 grams of protein.
- Find more ways to bring climate literacy and food education together here.
Some delicious plant-forward recipes from the Price Chopper recipe collections:
Shop Earth Day Favorites!
Picnic Locations in New York
Spring is finally in the air! The weather is starting to warm up and it’s time to get back outside. One of the best ways to enjoy the outdoors is a picnic with family or friends. Luckily, there are many places in our region that are perfect for a picnic. Here are some of our favorite locations!
Clift Park, Skaneateles, NY:
Just a short drive from Syracuse, Clift Park offers a great view of the beautiful Skaneateles Lake. Once you’re done eating you can walk out onto the pier that stretches into the lake. The park also offers a public beach open during the summer.
John Boyd Thacher State Park, Voorheesville, NY:
When you picnic at Thacher Park you have the choice of a panoramic view of mountains and trees or sitting next to a waterfall. No matter what you choose, the location offers the perfect scenery for adventurous picnickers. Plus, dogs are always welcome!
Overlook Park, South Burlington, VT:
Overlook Park is known for its scenic views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains. The 1.7-acre park is picturesque for picnics, watching the sunset, or taking a walk on the recreational path.
Elm Park, Worcester, MA:
Elm Park in Worcester offers a ton of family fun! Featuring a great playground, walking trails, bridges, water features, and of course picnic areas. The park also hosts nature programs for kids, and concerts on certain evenings.
Kirby Park, Wilkes-Barre, PA:
In 1921, Fred Morgan Kirby donated over 70 acres of riverfront land and hired the Olmstead Brothers firm, the preeminent landscape architects, to design a people’s park. Today the park still serves as favorite picnic spot in Pennsylvania.
Veterans Memorial Park, Southington, CT:
Veterans Memorial is a beautiful park located in Southington. The park offers wonderful picnic areas as well as a variety of facilities to take advantage of after eating. Check it out if you’re looking for a day of fun in the sun!
With the weather warming up we are excited to start getting back outside. Our region offers up a ton of beautiful parks for picnics and outdoor fun. Check out these favorites or do some exploring of your own! Be sure to stop by your local Price Chopper/Market or shop with us online for all your picnic needs!
Shop Picnic Favorites!
KCC Grilled Egg and Cheese Sandwich
Grilled Egg and Cheese Sandwich by Jodie Fitz
Have leftover, hard boiled Easter Eggs? We’ve got you covered at the Price Chopper/Market 32 Kids Cooking Club. You can turn them into a simple, but delicious, grilled egg and cheese sandwich. This combo is perfect for a breakfast sandwich, lunch or an easy dinner. YUM, yum and more yum…
2 slices PICS whole grain bread (or your favorite)
1 PICS hardboiled egg
½ cup PICS shredded sharp cheese
1/8 teaspoon PICS ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon PICS salt
1/8 teaspoon PICS paprika
1/8 teaspoon PICS black pepper
¼ teaspoon PICS onion powder
PICS butter
Peel and slice the hardboiled egg.
Stir the ground mustard, salt, paprika, black pepper and onion powder together with the shredded cheese.
Sprinkle half of the cheese onto one slice of bread. Place the egg slices on the cheese and then top with the rest of the cheese. Finish with the second slice of bread.
Melt butter in a pan over medium to low heat. Add the sandwich, toast one side and carefully flip to toast the other side.
Side Serves: This sandwich is great for breakfast with fruit on the side. It’s also delicious for lunch and you can add fresh veggies or salad.
Cooking with Kids: Every recipe is filled with life skills that help to encourage a child’s confidence in the kitchen. Here are a few to focus on when making this recipe;
- Peeling eggs
- Slicing
- Knife safety
- Measuring ingredients
- Stirring
- Grilling a sandwich
- Stovetop safety
- Flipping
- Following Directions
New Items: Cabot Triple Cream Premium Yogurt
The Northeast’s beloved dairy cooperative, Cabot Creamery, is sharing their farmers’ heavenly new way to indulge your sweetest cravings.
If you’re looking to treat yourself, look no further than Cabot Creamery’s new Triple Cream Premium Yogurt. Each serving is not only rich in flavor, but packed with protein, too. Talk about decadence with benefits! These yogurts are made with the finest ingredients and will leave your sweet tooth satisfied at any time of day.
Price Chopper carries three mouthwatering flavors of these new premium treats: Chocolate Mousse, Salted Caramel and Vanilla Chai. Which will you try first?!
Chocolate Mousse
A chocolate lover’s dream: sweet and rich yet balanced by the slight tang of yogurt. Find delight in each luscious spoonful.
Salted Caramel
If you’re more of a sweet-and-savory fan, Salted Caramel is the perfect flavor for you. Each bite takes your tastebuds on a journey between sweet notes of caramel and savory hits of salt.
Vanilla Chai
A new twist on classic vanilla, the subtle spices of chai enhance our traditional vanilla, creating a delightfully sumptuous flavor profile. Discover the power of premium taste with each spoonful of Vanilla Chai.
Cabot’s Triple Cream yogurts are conveniently sized for everyone to choose their own favorite flavor! Perfect for anytime, anywhere…take some time out for yourself and explore Cabot Creamery’s new premium line at your local Price Chopper today. Your taste buds will thank you!
New Items: It's Skinny Pasta
It’s Skinny™ doesn’t look like other pasta.
Oh pasta. So many ways to enjoy, but so many carbs! After centuries as the world’s go-to comfort food, isn’t it about time for an update? Skinny reimagines pasta to give fresh thinkers the freedom to feast on more creative eats, without the constrainment of unhealthy carbs. From spaghetti and meatballs to rich noodle soups, pasta has spent centuries as the world’s go-to comfort food. But after all this time of pairing the ingredients we crave with needless carbs and calories, isn’t it about time that some fresh thinker asked, “Couldn’t we make this better?” That’s why they created It’s Skinny, the 9-calorie noodle that grants you the freedom to enjoy your favorite pasta and rice dishes without guilt. Made with an ancient Japanese plant called Konjac, It’s Skinny is full of fiber, remarkably low in carbs, and amazing at capturing all the comforts you crave. So go ahead. Get creative. Fill a bowl with the biggest, richest, wildest flavors you can dream up. After all, when your pasta only has 9 calories, no ingredient is off the table. It’s Skinny time.
Enjoy pasta reimagined. No Guilt , No Hassle, That’s the Skinny.
March is National Nutrition Month!
Ellie Wilson
MS, RDN Manager, Lifestyles and Wellness
March is National Nutrition Month®, time to celebrate and activate to capture the bounty and benefits of food! National Nutrition Month® is an annual nutrition education initiative from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For 48 years, Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist members (now more than 100,000, the largest professional nutrition organization in the world), have led the food and health conversation, sharing all the benefits eating well and being active can bring to your life. The central theme for 2021, “Personalize Your Plate”, recognizes that family, history, culture and community all influence what we eat, and there are many flavorful, inspiring ways to bring food and health together.
If you believe there is room to get more benefits from the food you eat, check out some of my favorite tips and hacks from the Academy to power your plate in 2021:
- Take time to enjoy your food.
- Include healthful foods from all food groups.
- Use a grocery list to shop for healthful foods.
- Fuel for school or work with a delicious, nutritious breakfast.
- Keep healthy ingredients on hand.
- Keep food safety front and center.
- Share meals with family and friends, in your home and virtually!
- Hydrate healthfully.
- Learn how to read Nutrition Fact Panels.
- To get personalized nutrition advice to meet your goals, see a registered dietitian nutritionist!
Take credit for the good choices you are already making and consider what you could add to your efforts to enjoy a healthier lifestyle. Check out our website and learn more about the Know Your Colors nutrition guides, health and wellness articles on the Price Chopper blog and Pharmacy pages, Price Chopper You Tube videos, the Kids Cooking Club and the healthy recipes – explore the website and store for more information and inspiration. Enjoy eating well with us for National Nutrition Month!
3 Reasons You'll Love Little Leaf Farms Lettuce
Didn’t think you could “love” lettuce? Lett-uce tell you why Little Leaf Farms is deliciously different:
- You’ll love Little Leaf Farms lettuce because they show their lettuce love. Their baby greens are grown in an environment where every condition caters to exactly what the lettuce needs. These pampered greens are harvested at the peak of flavor, giving you a balanced and refreshing crunch that will make you crave your next salad.
- Little Leaf Farms lettuce is grown close to you! Did you know that 95% of lettuce in the United States is grown on the West Coast? That means it takes 10+ days to get to your local grocery store. Little Leaf Farms baby greens on the other hand waste no time – traveling from their greenhouse in Devens, MA to your local Price Chopper in the same day. This means that they will stay fresh in your fridge for two weeks or more and you’ll never have pick through slimy, wilted greens.
- Sustainability and food safety are built into every level of the Little Leaf Farms 10-acre greenhouse. They grow their greens using state-of-the-art technology to harness natural resources like the sun and recycled rainwater, and they never use harmful chemicals, pesticides, or GMOs. Their automated system ensures that Little Leaf Farms lettuce never comes in contact with human hands and harmful pathogens, so their greens are always clean and safe to eat. You don’t even need to wash them – just pop open the container and enjoy!
For your next salad, drizzle Little Leaf Farms greens with their simple yet delicious signature vinaigrette:
New Items: FAGE BestSelf® Yogurt
NEW FAGE BestSelf® Lactose Free Greek yogurt is here! Discover the heavenly taste of real dairy Greek yogurt without the lactose. FAGE BestSelf is available at Price Chopper|Market 32 in three delicious 5.3oz flavors – Vanilla, Strawberry and Blueberry.
It is rich, creamy, low-fat and protein-packed Greek yogurt that’s unbelievably lactose free – allowing you to enjoy with confidence. FAGE BestSelf contains 100% natural ingredients and is Non-GMO Project Verified.
Try these easy, delicious, and lactose free recipes!
Mixed Berry Smoothie with FAGE BestSelf
5 minutes · Perfectly creamy with 100% natural ingredients, our new Greek yogurt is not just delicious, it’s lactose free. Add FAGE BestSelf to your favorite smoothie recipe for the boost you need.
Produce
- 1 Banana, fresh or frozen
- 2 cups Berries, fresh or frozen mixed
- 1 Blueberries
- 1 Mint
- 1 Raspberries
- 1 Strawberries
Condiments
- 2 tbsp Agave maple syrup or honey
Nuts & Seeds
- 1/2 cup Almonds
Dairy
- 1 1/2 cups Milk
Frozen
- 1 cup Ice
Other
- 1 ½ cups FAGE Total 5% FAGE Total 2% FAGE Total 0% or FAGE BestSelf
Pineapple Turmeric Smoothie
5 minutes · Kick-start the week with this refreshing smoothie! It’s made with our new FAGE BestSelf Greek yogurt that’s not just tasty, it’s surprisingly lactose free.
Produce
- 1 Banana, frozen or fresh
- 1 tsp Ginger, fresh
- 2 cups Pineapple chunks, frozen or fresh
Baking & Spices
- 1 tbsp Turmeric, fresh
Dairy
- 1 cup Milk
Other
- ½ cup FAGE Total 5% FAGE Total 2% FAGE Total 0% or FAGE BestSelf Plain
Winter Citrus Yogurt Bowl
5 minutes · Creamy, dreamy FAGE BestSelf Greek yogurt pairs perfectly with bright, seasonal citrus to give you that much-needed boost without the lactose.
Produce
- 1 Blood orange
- 1 Grapefruit
- 1 Mint
- 1 tbsp Pomegranate seeds
Nuts & Seeds
- 1 tbsp Granola or nuts
Other
- 2 cups Fage total 5% fage total 2% fage total 0% or fage bestself plain
- 1 Naval orange peeled and thinly sliced
For recipes, and to learn more about FAGE’s products, please visit:
Seafood Smarts for Heart and Health
Ellie Wilson
MS, RDN, Lifestyle and Wellness
If you are thinking more about eating well and supporting better health with food, you are not alone. The good news is, there is one move you can make to add foods that bring benefits for heart and mind at every age and stage – eat more seafood.
The Seafood Team at Price Chopper has gone hook, line and sinker off the deep end to make sure you have fresh, delicious choices. Waiting for you in the Seafood department, beautiful Fresh Chilean Salmon Fillet, amazing colossal scallops, (super tender and the perfect serving size for young children), premium shrimp and a wide variety of other fillet options are all ready for your favorite family-friendly Fast Fresh Beach Tacos recipe, a cutting edge twist on international flavors like Maple Gochujang Roasted Salmon with Shiitake Mushrooms Charred Red Cabbage, and grilled seafood recipes like Tequila Lime Shrimp Skewers with Grilled Fruit Salsa. Chef tip – many recipes are adaptable to your favorite seafood item, fresh or frozen, though cooking times may vary. Grilled recipes can also be oven-baked or broiled – make it your own!
Time-crunched? Seafood fits perfectly into a busy schedule, cooking up in an average of about 10 minutes. Catch a great deal and enjoy a M32 seafood and vegetable dinner with Seafood meals available in the GrabNGo case. Salmon Florentine Pinwheel with Broccoli is just one of these just-right portioned Market 32 Seafood Meals that bake in their own tray for quick cooking and cleanup. Watch for AdvantEdge bonus points – what a great way to benefit waist and wallet!
Need any more reasons to dive in? Seafood is a nutrient-dense food – lean protein, omega 3’s, Vitamin D, and minerals like iron, selenium, zinc and iodine are all part of the package seafood offers. That is straight from the updated recommendations released by the FDA and EPA last year. In this update, the FDA and EPA enhanced their recommendations and guidance with a Best and Good choices list, (more than 20 recommended items are in stores!) and shared some evidence-based guidelines for women who might become pregnant, breastfeeding mothers and young children. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, encourages starting children on seafood at 6 months or older – a bright beginning for smart food habits. Fresh, frozen and canned/pouch all count, and fit every appetite and budget. Only one third of Americans eat seafood each week, with the average intake just below 3 ounces per person – about half the twice-per-week recommendation of the American Heart Association and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. So, get with the guidelines and enjoy more seafood each week!
10 Ways to Love Lemons and Limes
Lemons and limes are major culinary collaborators, complimenting and enhancing many flavors, used in beverages, baking, and dishes from breakfast to dessert. They are essential to some cuisines – lemons front and center in Mediterranean and Italian dishes, limes synonymous with Southwestern, Caribbean, Thai and Mexican specialties. Every chef, foodie and dietitian has favorite ways to use the juice, zest and fruit of these citrus superstars.
Good to know:
- Lemons and limes should be washed under cool running water before use.
- A large lime or medium lemon will yield about ¼ cup of fresh juice.
- Store lemons and limes in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks
- Lemons and limes can be frozen – sliced in rounds or quarters, frozen individually on a parchment covered sheet pan, then bagged for use within 3 months.
- Add lemon or lime juice to pan sauces at the end of cooking, after removing from heat.
- Too much lemon and lime can curdle dairy – check ingredient ratios for best results.
- Lemon or lime juice can be used to minimize browning in apples and potatoes
- Fresh zest is best – lemon and lime zest lose flavor with exposure to air
- Lemon juice can substitute/reduce the need for added salt in some recipes.
Power pairings – lemons and limes are easy to use with a variety of herbs and spices. Check out this luscious list for some inspiration!
Lemons love:
Butter, basil, ginger, honey, pepper, rosemary, garlic, parsley, thyme, oregano, Dijon, parmesan, dill, blueberry, and raspberry.
Lavish limes in dishes with:
Coconut, curry, chili, cilantro, coconut, chipotle, mango, hoisin, red pepper, jalapeno, cranberry, raspberry, and blackberry.
Bring that zing to your table with some great recipes:
Chicken with Lemon Herb Mushroom Sauce
Leftover Lemony Pork Kale White Bean Fettuccine
Roasted Garlic Parmesan Dip (also a great sauce for chicken or seafood!)