And in the spirit of saving money in this economy, a family stew is a good healthy way to feed everyone and stay money-spending conscious. Right now at Kroger’s, they have a good deal on stewed tomatoes for 50 cents a can. I bought 4 cans. And just fyi, I compared it to a couple brand names like Hunt’s that was selling for twice the price. And actually the Kroger’s brand was healthier.

So here’s what I add to the stew. I mix the tomato stews with some beef bouillon cubes and water, to taste. Sorry, I don’t measure. I get a lot of loving grief from Eric who measures everything. For me, it takes the fun out of cooking. Baking is a whole ‘nother story. I’ve had too many disasters so I always measure the main dry and wet ingredients. …But don’t worry I have a lot of fun with the other ingredients in  my “recipe”:-)
 
Oh, and with bouillon cubes, less is really more ‘cause they’re usually very salty. I used to buy pre-made soups on sale. But in the end I still think it’s  healthier to make your own soups ‘cause the store bought ones have too much added salt and sodium. And the organic and healthy soups like Amy’s Soups, and gourmet ones like Wolfgang Puck brand, are just too expensive.

So after I make the stew, I add broccoli florets that I buy from BJ’s Wholesale Club. This is really the best value and broccoli I’ve found. It’s $6 for two big bags of frozen broccoli florets.

BJ's Brocoli Florets

Be sure not to over cook the florets as they’re cooked already. They come frozen so basically all you’re doing is thawing in the pot. I add chicken that I cook in a pan. I buy the chicken from Super Walmart and store up in the freezer. I also cook in another pot some whole wheat pasta. I undercook the pasta (before al dente) ‘cause it will cook some more once you put it in the heated stew. Sometimes I substitute with brown rice. In soups and stews, you really can’t taste the difference of whole wheat versus regular pasta, and brown rice versus white rice… so I figure I might as well go healthy. But if you wanna save some money, then you can usually find regular pasta for 50 cents on sale and white rice for pretty cheap. There’s usually some kind of pasta or rice sale at any grocery store all the time. And then last step, I add some oregano, and a lot of black pepper and whatever dry herbs and flavors strike my fancy… remember, I don’t like to measure and I like to “play with my food”…LOL, Eric. I also sometimes add some corn and other veggies like mushrooms and carrots. …and that’s it! A super simple, inexpensive and healthy meal. Hardly a recipe, but maybe you can try my stew inspired meal.  I might even give it a new name like ‘recession proof stew’ or something like that .

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But if you’re looking to cook up a Valentine’s Day gourmet meal (or heat up an already prepared one)… then Earthfare, “The Healthy Supermarket”, may be your store. If you’re not familiar with the chain, Earthfare’s are found in the Carolinas and several other southeastern states. There’s a store right here in Raleigh near Brier Creek.

When you walk in, you immediately get the sense you’re in an upscale grocery store. There are ceiling spotlights on the food. Kinda like the lighting in jewelry stores where they put a light on certain jewelry pieces to help make them sparkle more and show better. Okay maybe not that extreme, but you get my point.

A perfect example is when you hang a right to the produce section. It’s full of colorful fruits and vegetables. They’re laid out very orderly. And they show very well. You rarely see bags of oranges and apples for sale. Instead you pick out each fruit or vegetable individually, ‘cause each one is perfect. You won’t find a bad one (or it’s rare)… so you don’t have to go diggin’ in the back and messing up the grocer boy’s orderly display. And, he’s usually standing around nearby, not as a watchdog, but to straighten up behind you if needed…and of course to answer any questions. If there’s any slight hint of bruising or imperfection on any of the produce, I think they sell them off to the regular grocery store chains.

Brier Creek Earthfare's Fresh Produce

While I like Earthfare, I can’t see myself shopping there every week. It’s expensive and there are only a few items there that I can’t get at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Lowe’s, or Kroger’s. One is their ShaSha Co. organic, trans fat and cholesterol free cookies. They are very light tasting and don’t really have any bad ingredients. Only 8 grams of sugar for 15 cookies! And for a ‘sweet tooth’ like me, they do the trick. It’s about 8 bucks for a 12 ounce container. It ain’t cheap but it’s worth every penny. They have a few flavors including lemon snaps and ginger snaps. You can get something similar at Trader Joe’s for half the price if it’s convenient for you to go to Cary. Btw, Trader Joe’s has really taken off, huh? They’ve had a Cary store for awhile and will be opening a store off Wake Forest Road in Raleigh, this year. I started going to Trader Joe’s about 10 years ago in Virginia. It was not a ‘mainstream’ grocery store yet that everyone knew about, and I could buy a big bag of nuts for $4. Prices have really gone up as word has gotten out about T.J.’s. But I think they still have ‘Two Buck Chuck’ which is Trader Joe’s brand red and white wine.

I used to buy Paul Newman no trans-fat cookies…they use better for you palm oil… But now you can buy them anywhere. And Izze soda pops and IBC root beer. Again, you can buy these anywhere. Unlike The Fresh Market (have you been?), at Earthfare, there’s not a big chocolate and candy area per se (darn it!). But there is a bulk area where you can buy nuts, chocolate covered raisins, and trail mix type foods in bulk. And unlike Whole Foods which is crowded a lot, Earthfare actually allows you some elbow room. I don’t think a lot of people know about it or they prefer to stick to what they know.

I just want to point out a few unique things about Earthfare. One is that they have a counter where you can order fresh vegetable juice made to order. It’s really quite a treat. I’ve had several and they’re all tasty without all the sugar like in V-8 and some of those other store bought juices. One was beet red, literally. It had a lotta beets in it with carrots. Definitely worth a try. For the price around a Starbucks coffee, it’s just so good for you. Oh, and they sell a selection of fresh coffee there too.

They also have an area near the vegetable juice bar where you can buy prepared lunch foods to eat like cous cous and salads. It’s really convenient if you want something quick, and on-the-go. Those foods are sold by weight. There’s also a very nice case with prepared dinner foods. If you wanna impress your friends with a gourmet, seemingly-home-cooked-meal, this is a good place. I haven’t had anything there that I didn’t like or mind trying.

Across from these prepared foods, there’s a health section where you can buy all kinds of herbs and vitamins, and stuff to help you stay and be healthy. These days, there are so many mind-body-spirit things that are sold. I couldn’t even begin to tell you what they are. I’ve talked to the attendant in that section, and she is really helpful.

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