Written by John on August 9th, 2010
At Country Choice Organic we try to live healthy, active lifestyles. And like many of our customers, we’re always looking for new ways to stay motivated. So this summer, we are hosting a Facebook photo contest to find out how our fans keep fit and eat right.
To participate (and earn a chance to win a year’s supply of Country Choice Organic products), oat fans can submit a picture that shows how oats fuel their active lifestyle. Whether it’s a photo of a power-packed recipe or a pic of you and your friends refueling with an Oatmeal on the Run bar after a long run, we want to know how oats help you stay active and healthy.
Submit your photo before September 10 for a chance to win. A panel of Country Choice Organic employees will select the winning entry. To enter, visit: http://www.facebook.com/CountryChoiceOrganic
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Tags: Active Lifestyles, Country Choice Organic, Facebook, Oatmeal, Oatmeal on the Run, oats, organic food, Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats, Soft Baked Cookies, Steel Cut Oats, USDA organic, whole food, whole grain
Written by John on June 9th, 2010
I received wonderful news yesterday…our CSA starts on Friday! What’s a CSA? Short for Community Supported Agriculture, some people refer to CSA as a produce subscription, a garden share, or a vegetable-of-the-week program. No matter what you call it, each week throughout the growing season you receive a box of whatever’s ripe for market.
Okay…so it starts out a little slow in the spring, with lots of green, leafy things that end up in the salad bowl. But, as we move in to summer, each week blossoms into a rainbow of color (including the perfect tomato in August) and ultimately reaches a zenith of earthy goodness with bulbous root vegetables in the fall.
CSA’s exist to help small farmers plan better and capture more value for their labor. By becoming a member, you share in the bounty (as well as the risk) of the farm. I remember a few skimpy “harvests” some years back when summer floods ravaged southern Minnesota. However, in any weather, a CSA is a great way to connect with your food.
To learn about CSAs operating in your areas, check out your local natural food co-op or go to www.localharvest.org/csa/.
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Response »
Tags: CSA, farmer markets, food co-ops, local food
Written by John on April 20th, 2010
Earth Day is coming. You can tell by all the commercials peddling ways to save the environment…buy a car and plant a tree…save box tops to protect the rain forest. The possibilities are endless. Unfortunately, what isn’t endless is a commitment to the environment and soon the marketing mix will shift to the Memorial Day selling season.
It’s a shame that Earth Day has been relegated, along with Christmas and Back to School, to an annual sales event. Earth Day is a secular, multi-generational opportunity for everyone to contribute to a greater good. The message for Earth Day is simple: the little contributions we all make add up to big changes for the environment.
Here’s the ad I’d like to see: “Happy Earth Day…Buy Less Stuff”. I know there’s a recession and we’re a consumer-driven economy, but do we really need a new phone every two years or a 4WD Bushwhacker for our 3-mile paved drive to the mall? Here’s another thought: align yourself with companies that do the right thing every day, not as a marketing gimmick once a year. Chipotle, Patagonia and 7th Generation are all examples of mission-driven organizations having built sustainable, low-impact businesses.
So happy Earth Day. Celebrate. Eat a burrito or plant a tree. Just don’t buy the car.
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Tags: Country Choice Organic, Earth Day, Environment, organic food, Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Sustainability
Written by John on March 25th, 2010
The Organic Trade Association yesterday announced the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 by the Senate Agriculture Committee. Their press release focused on an amendment that adds a pilot project to offer healthy organic food in school feeding programs. As an organic manufacturer we applaud the OTA’s efforts to lobby for organic programs, however, this announcement fails to see the forest for the organic trees.
The real news here is that Congress is finally waking up to the reality that we are feeding our kids to death. This action acknowledges that the high calorie, low nutrition processed foods that pass for lunch at most schools is contributing to the obesity epidemic we face today. And they are offering significant dollars to upgrade the menu. While current nutrition programs receive about $16 billion annually, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 provides an additional $4.5 billion over ten years for expanding and adding programs that:
- Help Schools Improve the Nutritional Quality of School Meals
- Create National Nutrition Standards for All Foods Sold in Schools
- Promote Nutrition and Wellness in Child Care Settings
- Connect More Children to Healthy Local Produce through Farm-to-School Programs
- Strengthen Local School Wellness Policies
- Support Breastfeeding in the WIC Program
- Improve School Food Financing
The OTA release expresses it well, “As we all recognize, the health status of our children is crucial to the well-being of our nation’s future, and the food that they are fed in schools is key to that status.” These words ring true whether or not the food is organically grown.
Click here to read more about the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 http://ag.senate.gov/Legislation/CN%20budget%20framework-%20nutrition.pdf
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Tags: Healthy Hunger-Free Kid Act of 2010, kids health, Nutrition, Real Food, school breakfast prgram, School nutrition, USDA organic, whole food
Written by John on March 3rd, 2010
Every generation or so a British invasion hits our shores and shakes things up a bit. This latest assault won’t “Twist and Shout” its way to Billboard’s Top 10, but it’s message is worth tuning in.
Jamie Oliver, British-born chef cum reality television star, has taken to main street USA to tell Americans they are too fat, which is somewhat ironic, given the UK is one of the few countries that can match our collective girth thigh for thigh. He’s set his sights on Huntington, West Virginia, the least healthy community in the union, and his message is simple: we are feeding our kids to death. And it’s hard to argue his point, when he shows us young kids suffering with “adult” diseases like heart disease and diabetes or reviews the weekly diet of an obese mom and her three obese kids.
The sad (or frustrating or maddening…your pick) thing is his message isn’t new or something we all don’t already know. We have spent the last 30 years literally eating ourselves to death and in doing so, created the first generation of kids whose life expectancy is shorter than their parents.
Oliver’s putting his cooking skill where his mouth is, working with the local schools to improve lunch menus, building basic nutrition into curriculums and spreading the gospel throughout the community…all under the spotlight of a reality television series. While cynics may question his motivation, there’s no denying the problem is real and the need is great. So what if it takes a cockney voice to alert us to our problem? I say jolly good show, old chap! With any luck, Oliver’s efforts will give a new generation cause to appreciate “When I’m 64”.
Click here for more in formation on Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.
Posted in In the News | No Responses »
Tags: dinner, empty calories, family meal, farmer markets, Food Revolution, Jamie Oliver, kids health, Obesity, Real Food, school breakfast prgram, TED Awards
Written by John on February 22nd, 2010
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (February 2010) —Country Choice Organic, a leading producer of USDA certified organic oatmeal, cookie and snack products, is reducing the sugar in each FIT KIDS Instant Oatmeal variety by 18 to 23 percent as part of an ongoing program to improve nutrition on all its products. The new FIT KIDS Instant Oatmeal arrives on store shelves in March.
Country Choice Organic FIT KIDS Instant Oatmeal makes it easy for kids to eat a heart warming breakfast every morning by making whole grain, high fiber cereal taste delicious to the pickiest of children. “At Country Choice Organic, we constantly review our products to find ways to improve our nutrition profile”, says Sharon Herzog, Research and Development Director at Country Choice Organic. “Reducing the sugar in FIT KIDS Instant Oatmeal is a perfect example of tweaking a formula to improve nutrition while still delivering the great taste kids want at breakfast.”
Country Choice Organic FIT KIDS Instant Oatmeal is made with whole grain organic oats and fortified with calcium and iron, and available in kid-friendly flavors including, Chocolate Chip/Cinnamon Toast and Caramel Apple/Berry Blast Variety Packs. Found in organic food aisles nationwide, each package contains eight servings for a suggested retail price of $4.29. Every serving is a good source of fiber, protein and iron and contains no trans fat. Find more information at www.countrychoiceorganic.com
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Tags: Breakfast, Country Choice Organic, Great Taste, healthy start, kids health, Oatmeal, organic food, USDA organic, whole grain
Written by John on January 29th, 2010
At Country Choice Organic, we work hard to minimize our operational “footprint”, constantly reviewing our packaging materials, transportation, and warehousing to make sure we only use what is necessary to deliver the freshest, best tasting organic products.
Our parent company, Grain Millers, the largest miller of organic grain in North America, shares this concern and has developed a novel way to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and help the local community. In partnership with the local school district and private enterprise, Grain Millers donates oat hulls to heat a middle school in St. Ansgar, IA., home of one of Grain Millers largest oat mills.
This is the first school in Iowa to be heated with biomass energy, which replaces the natural gas previously used to fuel the school’s boilers. “We use biomass in our facilities to replace fossil fuel consumption with renewable energy sources,” says Steve Eilertson, Grain Miller president. “Extending the opportunity to our local community partners lets us broaden our impact.”
So next time you sit down to a hot bowl of Country Choice Organic oatmeal, your breakfast might be fueling more than you. It might be sustainably heating a classroom in Iowa, which is a warm thought to start the day.
Read more about heating St. Ansgar Middle School here.
Posted in Company News, Organic Industry | No Responses »
Written by John on January 26th, 2010
Health magazine recently named oats one of the healthiest super foods for women. This should come as no surprise since we’ve known for a long time that oats can help lower cholesterol. Now scientists say oats, rich in soluble and insoluble fiber, are also good for helping you feel full so you can control your weight. This may explain why January is National Oatmeal Month.
Whether eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack, oatmeal provides a warming, nutritious meal for everyone…male or female, children and adults alike. Everyday, millions of Americans start their day with some variety of oats: creamy instant oatmeal, traditional old fashioned oats, nutty steel cut oats. There are even “on the run” options for those who prefer their oats to go.
You can check out other super foods at Health magazine. Then download a money saving coupon for Country Choice Organic Oats to help you keep your New Year resolutions.
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Tags: Breakfast, Country Choice Organic, Fiber, Oatmeal, Oatmeal on the Run, Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats, whole grain
Written by John on January 5th, 2010
January is the time of year when everybody’s thinking about food. While some savor December’s holiday feasts, others lament their yuletide excess. And for many, the New Year brings with it a steely resolve to “eat better”.
It is thought that over 100 million Americans set New Year’s resolutions. Sadly, most are abandoned by February, victims of weighty aspirations. Too many resolutions focus on improbable dreams of “losing this” or “quitting that”, instead of smaller, easier-to-keep lifestyle changes that might actually survive Ground Hogs Day.
Recent research into longevity has uncovered simple things everyone can do to live longer, better:
- Switch to 10” plates and skinny glasses
- Put healthy options in plain view and hide the junk food…even in the refrigerator
- Stop eating when you are 80% full
- Avoid mindless munching by turning off the TV when eating
- Take a short walk after dinner
These incremental changes are relatively painless and can have a profound effect on our wellbeing. However, they won’t become habit overnight. It actually takes five weeks of practice to make a new behavior a habit. So resolve today to eat better in 2010. Just make you’re still practicing until the next national food holiday…Super Bowl Sunday!
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Tags: Blue Zones, New Year's, Resolutions
Written by John on December 23rd, 2009
My daughters made Christmas cookies last night. Not the “heat and eat” frozen dough variety, but the kind that leaves a light dusting of flour on the counters and the crunch of sugar sprinkles under foot. This was significant because:
- it was their idea,
- they planned far enough ahead to allow for the dough to chill,
- they cleaned up everything (almost).
Achieving this milestone was appreciated almost as much as the first time we left them without a sitter.
Food experiences abound during the holidays. In my family, Christmas brought a mix of old world Italian traditions and Midwest sensibilities…tortellini and broth chased with Tom & Jerry’s. The actual menu was less important than reserving a place at the table for traditional holiday fare: JoAnn’s trifle, Ginny’s caramel corn, Norma’s turtles. I once carried a marzipan fish across eight time zones to deliver a holiday tradition from my Italian aunts to their brother in Minnesota. It was worth the Interpol APB to see my father’s face when that “fish” showed up on Christmas Eve.
Today, however, too many of our food traditions have gone the way of the Tofurky (really…tofu “turkey”), pushed aside by a new tradition of acquiring “must have” toys from China. These new traditions are available at big box stores that lure shoppers to the glow of $400 flat screen TVs and then offer a complete holiday meal as a $20 impulse item.
I submit that we should not allow retailers’ deference for high-margin electronics to interfere with our ability to bake real memories for our friends and family. My wish this year is for everyone to spill some flour making a holiday food tradition. Nothing fancy or expensive. In fact, the best traditions are made from scratch. Bake some tonight.
Merry Christmas!
Nana’s Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
- 2 cups white sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.
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