Earth Fare Contest Winner!!!

Thank you to all those who participated in our Earth Fare preview contest. We are excited to try all of these new, healthy recipes!

And, the winner is.....

PEDRO H.!

Congratulations, Pedro! Please leave your email address in the comments below so we can get in touch and figure out how to get your prize to you!

We'd love to hear about your Earth Fare experiences! The Foodie Family is checking it out today!

Earth Fare Preview

Well Foodies... we know it has been quite some time since there has been any traffic on this site. I would say I am sorry about that, but we've been living our very busy lives with a VERY busy 2-year old. That said, we are trying to keep you in-the-know on great food via Facebook, so if you haven't found us there yet, you really should. I promise we post at least once a week.

 

Also, we pin almost daily! We've got lots of food (and non-food) boards. Find us and follow us on Pinterest for more Foodie fun!

 

On to the business of this post...

 

A beautiful produce section welcomes you when you enter the store.

The Kalamazoo Foodies were honored to be invited on a special tour of the organic-food market, Earth Fare, which opens in Portage THIS Wednesday. They are open 7 am- 10 pm daily.

 

The company is 40 years old and started as a one-shop operation in North Carolina. Their mission is to connect communities and improve lives through food. They place a strong value on customer service and aim to provide the freshest, healthiest food available. Learn more about Earth Fare here.



Earth Fare's Food Philosophy.

The Portage store will be their 35th store. They are growing slowly and purposefully, and look for communities that are vibrant, have a strong local-food movement, and focus on wellness. This will be their first store in Michigan.

 

Their labeling system makes it easy to tell what is local, organic, or gluten free. They define local as sourced within a 100 mile radius. Most aisles have easy-to-find gluten-free sections.

Clear labeling helps to identify local (within 100-mile radius) products.

The bulk-foods area is robust and you are encouraged to try before you buy by opening up any bin and scooping a sample into your hand. I tried their English Toffee and organic, vitamin C gummi bears. There are no dyes in any of their foods, which means that the color candy section is full of colors you would find naturally. You can also buy honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar in bulk and can even bring your own container if you want. Also included in the bulk-food section is a nut grinding station for fresh-nut butters.

 

Nut-grinding station.

The Earth Fare brand offers many options throughout the store and are priced at a great value. I saw boxed macaroni and cheese, pasta sauce, and more that I will be trying.

 

At the back of the store are three aisles of wellness-related items including medicinals, supplements, and beauty products. Our tour guide showed us a collection of gift baskets that will be raffled off this week after the grand opening. I saw many brands I recognized and many new ones.

 

Other areas of note within the store:

• All products at the meat counter are antibiotic free.
• The cheese counter has a large selection, including many local cheese, and all are made from "grass-fed milks."
• The majority of the breads are baked in-store and made from scratch. Plus, they have fresh baguettes at an everyday low price of $.98!
• The deli counter features a large variety of house-made salads and other options. There is a salad bar ($7.99/lb) and a hot-foods bar (also $7.99/lb). There are also a multitude of grab-and-go options including sushi. These items can be enjoyed in the store's Café area (which includes free wifi) or taken to go. You can also grab a cup of coffee from the coffee bar.
•  Finally there is a fresh juice and smoothie bar. You can build your own or go with one of their blends. All are made fresh to order.  "Happy hour" is from 2-5 pm and gets you a $1 discount on your juice and smoothie purchase.  

  

  Fresh juice and smoothie bar.

 



Check out the daily meal deals!

I was especially intrigued by the Meal Deals. I have included a picture of the Meal Deals board. In addition to the daily deals, which include things like $7 pizzas and $5 rotisserie chickens, they also ALWAYS have $3 healthy kids meals. For an on-the-go family who strives to eat fresh while on a budget, I feel as though this may become a new option for us to add into our meal planning rotation!



The grand opening is THIS Wednesday, February 25th! The first 100 people "in line" (they have worked out a ticket system so you don't have to actually stand outside in line, but can wait in your warm car) will get a gift card with a surprise value ranging from $5-$500! They will also be announcing the amount of a donation they will be making to Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes following a fundraising event they held this past Saturday. They are excited to become engaged in our community and help others when they can.

 

 

With that, I am excited to announce that the KALAMAZOO FOODIES have a gift card to giveaway! A $50 card to Earth Fare! All you need to do it post the link to a healthy recipe that your family enjoys in the comment section below, and we will randomly choose a winner  THIS Friday, February 27th!  How easy is that?



Check out more photos from our tour below! We look forward to adding your recipes to our collection! 



 

Loving the Healthy Kids Meal options!!! Only $3!

Sandwich counter with a great daily deal!



Clean, bright, and welcoming. The view from the front door.

Fresh pizza! 1/2 a pizza for $6!

The cheese counter with its large selection.

Check out the local cheese options.

Fresh, made-from-scratch breads including $.98 baguettes!

Lots of great health and beauty options.

 



THIS COULD BE YOURS!

 

Where to find us...

Hello Fellow Foodies!

We haven't forgotten about you. And, I promise we are still eating great food. We just don't have as much time to tell you about it.

If you aren't already a Foodies Fan on Facebook, we do post more frequently there.

And, the Foodie Family is now pinning away on Pinterest. We have lots of food related boards and more! We would love to see you there as well!

Until next time... happy eating!

Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays from the Kalamazoo Foodies!

Foodies Lately..

Sorry for the lack of food musings lately. We've had a very busy start to the academic year.

Posts coming soon on:
Our date night to The Wine Loft
An early dinner at The Crew
And, a surprise birthday breakfast at Sophia's House of Pancakes

Thanks for your patience. We will blog soon!

Hungry for more?

Hi Foodie friends!

Hungry for some Kalamazoo Foodies? Sorry we have been so quiet lately. The last few months have brought us a lot including: a first birthday party, a new job, croup, sleepless nights, and busy times at work. So, we have not only not been posting, but we haven't been exploring a whole lot in the food area.We hope to get back to posting a little more soon. And, wanted you to know we are thinking about you.

In the meantime, if you haven't popped over to Facebook and "liked" our page, I recommend you do so. We post a little more frequently on Facebook... fun photos, links to new places we want to try, etc. Hopefully, we will see you there soon.

Signing off for now. Yummy treats coming your way before too long!

Little Foodie in the kitchen

Foodie friends! We know it's been awhile. We've been busy chasing around this little one year old! But we promise we will be back in the swing of things soon.

In the meantime, here is a pic of Little Foodie exploring the kitchen.

See you soon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!

The Kalamazoo Foodies are 5 YEARS OLD TODAY! 

 That's right, our first post was published 5 years ago today! Take a read and see how far we have come!

That's all. Just wanted to pause to celebrate! 

THANKS!

Disregard the number of candles and my name... if only we had a Bert's Bakery Cake to celebrate with!

Macaroni and Cheese

What makes macaroni and cheese good?

Recently, the Foodie Family was out for a  meal and I ordered mac and cheese. Paul, aka Mr. Foodie, asked how it was. My response... "Bland. Creamy, but bland". That got me thinking about macaroni and cheese and what the expectations are for good mac and cheese.

Texture is important. A successful mac and cheese, in my mind, is gooey and oozy. Crunch on the top is an added bonus. But, a dry or chunky mac and cheese doesn't knock my socks off like a creamy one does.

Flavor is uber important in my  book. I want complexity. I want to taste the cheese and for there to be more than one cheese flavor profile. I like a little heat. Maybe some mustard or Worcestershire sauce or both. There should be layers to the flavor, not just one note. The one I had the other day didn't even seem to have salt and pepper in it... not enough to taste anyway! Those are certainly musts!

But, what else? Is it down to those two things? Does type of pasta matter? Macaroni versus shells versus cavatappi versus rigatoni? Do we even care? 

And, do you have a go-to recipe that you use? The Foodie Family would love to try it out!

 Tell us what you think about this very important topic! 

Plainwell Ice Cream

You may find it hard to believe that this Foodie has lived in Kalamazoo for 5 years (almost to the day) and JUST visited Plainwell Ice Cream for the first time.  My friends, it is true. We jumped in the car and make the trek out to Plainwell - construction and all - to meet our friends for some ice cream.

So, what's the big deal about Plainwell Ice Cream? Well, a few things in my opinion:

1) The sheer number of flavor options! I wish I would have counted them, but I didn't. And, not just your run of the mill chocolate- vanilla- strawberry- cookie-dough business, but some creative ones like Salted Caramel (which I ordered of course!), Key Lime Pie (one of their top summer sellers), and Peanut Butter Fudge (which made its way to Paul's cone!). And, as any good ice cream shoppe should, you could taste flavors before deciding.

Kate's Cone featured: Salted Caramel on the bottom and French Silk on top

Paul's Cone featured: Peanut Butter Fudge on the bottom and Pecan Praline on top

Mr. Foodie's and my cones

2) The quality of the product is high. I don't know the story behind Plainwell Ice Cream (I should remedy that) but the ice cream was creamy, the flavors were distinct and well balanced, and I am guessing the ingredients are of high caliber.

3) That was the best darned waffle cone I have ever had. Period. Made in-house, no doubt.

Little Foodie was digging this treat

4) The staff were friendly and welcoming.  Little Foodie also got in some flirting with the ladies.

5) And the building itself is charming with an old soda-shoppe-type feel.

Long story short, Plainwell Ice Cream is worth the drive. I have had my fair share of excellent ice cream (Check out this post featuring two amazing Columbus, Ohio ice creameries... Jeni's and Graeter's. Both TOP NOTCH) and Plainwell Ice Cream holds its own in this race.


http://www.plainwell.org/cgi-bin/display.pl?uid=129

Foodies at Home: Chunky No-Cook Tomato Soup via The Cooking Club

We made THIS delicious soup the other day for dinner. It is served cold, with feta on top. And, we had some yummy multi-grain bread with it. It was SO GOOD! Refreshing, crisp, and surprisingly filling. And, it couldn't have been easier. If you like tomatoes, try this out. We are having leftovers (there were lots) for dinner tonight. YAY!

That is all.

Confections with Convictions

When Dale Anderson posted the following on the Kalamazoo Foodies Facebook page, we didn't know just what we were in for:

Dear Kalamazoo Foodies: It would be fun to meet you, to talk about delicious food, and to see what you think of our chocolatey treats. First-timers always start with a free sample from the case. Stop by sometime soon! Dale, from Confections With Convictions (116 E. Crosstown Pkwy., Ste, 101, Kalamazoo, MI 49001 (269) 381-9700 www.confectionswithconvictions.com)

After some scheduling issues, we finally made a trip to Confections with Convictions to check them out.  We are so very glad we did! We were greeted by Dale himself  who smiled from behind the case of beautiful treats.  After introductions, Dale starting telling us about each treat as if they were his children. The confections are not only beautiful but they are incredibly flavorful too. He has such thoughtful combinations (my FAVORITE BY FAR: White Chocolate Truffle with Vanilla, Walnut, and Poppy seeds! Who comes up with that?) and quality ingredients.

His story, including his convictions, are on his website. The concept is truly inspiring. Dale is an amazing artist with a keen sense for chocolate. I was delighted when days later I saw him featured on the Maranda show on WOTV 4.

What the foodies tried: Kentucky Sorghum Molasses Caramel with Applewood Smoked Sea Salt & Poppy Seed, Walnut, and Vanilla Truffle

What the foodies bought to take home:
1.  Poppy Seed, Walnut, and Vanilla Truffle X 2
2. 65% Dark with Honeycomb
3. Maple Butter Crunch
4. 72 1/2% Ecuadorian/Peruvian Blend Truffle

Even Little Foodie was in wonderment!
He couldn't stop staring in the case even though he wasn't able to try any of the treats

Next time, Little Foodie, next time.

five forks out of five

Little Foodie Lately

Checking out the menu at the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange

First Trip to the Farmer's Market

Enjoying the Farmer's Market

Not old enough for a beer at Bell's just yet. I guess this water will have to do!

Walking with daddy in the Bell's beer garden

Covered in blueberries and getting sleepy!

Kalamazoo Beer Exchange (for Dinner)

A few notes before we dive into this exciting post...

1) This is our first sponsored post! Thanks, Downtown Kalamazoo, Inc. for your support of Kalamazoo Foodies. You like us, you really do! ;)

2) I am excited to introduce the newest addition to the Kalamazoo Foodies blogging team... PAUL, aka Mr. Foodie.  Mr. Foodie joins me for most meals, and though he won't accept the title, is also a total foodie. I believe he will bring a great new perspective considering he is male AND he eats red meat - not exclusively, but sometimes. . . like at this meal where he had the meatloaf!

Little Foodie checking out the beer board

What Kate Ate: Bar Chips with House Made French Onion Dip and Roasted Wild Mushroom Crepes

 This was not our first trip to the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange. We went a few years ago for Paul's birthday and had appetizers and beer. We've also been a few other times for drinks. We have always liked the beer menu as we typically are able to find some of our favorites, but had not really had much off the menu. We had a free evening and the opportunity to dine in Downtown Kalamazoo, so we thought that we would give the menu a shot.

As you can see, Little Foodie was along for the ride. You may be thinking, 'a baby at the Beer Exchange? That seems inappropriate!'   You know, we weren't even sure about it, so we called ahead to make sure they had high chairs. What do you know, THEY DO! This place is GREAT for kiddos. It's loud enough that your child doesn't bother others with noise. There are lots of things to look at and distract them. Only warning... when the market crashes, there is a very loud siren that may startle your child. Hopefully, they will rebound quickly like ours did, but it definitely was scary for a minute or two.

Bar Chips with French Onion Dip

Alright, onto the food... we splurged a bit and went for the Bar Chips mainly because, well, we don't get out a whole lot anymore and they sounded good. GOOD SPLURGE. When they arrived, Paul and I looked at each other with that, 'there is no way we will eat all of these .' However, we made a pretty sizable dent. The chips are perfectly seasoned, not too greasy, just the right cut/thickness and hard to resist. Add the French onion dip and you have an unbeatable combo. I highly recommend this zero calorie (yeah right!) treat!

Roasted Wild Mushroom Crepes

Now let's talk dinner. I was intrigued by many things on this menu. There are some tasty sounding sandwiches, a salad or two that had some prime ingredients, but the Roasted Wild Mushroom Crepes just kept calling me back. One reason... the caprese salad on the side. You know how I feel about a caprese salad, right? Then, the description of the crepes themselves (spinach, boursin, balsamic drizzle) contained all things I love. So, the crepes it was. This dish was really great and really unexpected. Previously, when I thought of the Beer Exchange, I thought about bar food, maybe glorified bar food at best. So wrong. This plate could have been served at any number of fine dining establishments. The caprese was fresh and really everything you could want in a caprese - thick slices of fresh mozzarella. Huge basil leaves. Firm but still juicy tomatoes, and a balsamic drizzle that danced over the crepes as well. And the crepes? I took my first bite and was floored. No ingredient stands out, they dance together nicely wrapped up in the light crepe. Only possible complaints were that the mushrooms took FOREVER to cool down, and the spinach was in large pieces which slid out when trying to grab a bite. The spinach issue may be fixable. Mushrooms stay hot, I get that. But, honestly, this dish was a real surprise and one that made me move the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange up on the list of places to go for a great meal in Kalamazoo.

And, special shout out to Cody, our fantastic server. He was super  knowledgeable about both the beverage and food menus, made great recommendations, seemed like he is a big fan of the food (which I think shines through clearly for some servers and is something I love to see personally), and was really friendly. He even got some huge smiles and played "peekaboo" in with Little Foodie.

All in all, a great dining experience. I do believe we will be hitting up the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange again -  hopefully soon!

four golden forks out of five

What Paul Ate: Bar Chips with House Made French Onion Dip and Home-style Meat Loaf

I would echo Kate's take on the Bar Chips.  They were just the right thickness, seasoned perfectly, and fried without being greasy.  I could have eaten them all night long.

Great outdoor seating... perfect for festival watching

Now as to my entree, I happen to be a meatloaf connoisseur, or at least think I am.  I've had it in lots of greasy spoons and in many a sports bar.  My mother makes a good meat loaf and I make a mean turkey meat loaf (yes, I still consider that meatloaf).  The Beer Exchange's version happened to be very good, but it was the sum of the parts that made it great.  

The meatloaf was seasoned nicely without overpowering the meat itself.  The mushroom and onion ragout had a deep, dark, red tint and unique taste, almost like they deglazed the pan with burgundy.  The garlic mashed potatoes were fluffy and delicious.  The peas and carrots were, well, peas and carrots.  However, they didn't have that fresh from a can taste; they actually tasted fresh.  

There was so much on my plate I could not finish it all.  I'm sure that gorging on Bar Chips prior to the main course had something to do with that, but this is a meal that will certainly leave you satisfied.  

I will also say that Cody was a great help, especially with beer selection.  I am sure a lot of you may disagree with me, but hoppy beers are awful.  Much to my chagrin, it seems like the "it" thing for brewers to do is add as many hops as they can to their beer.  Some day they will brew quintuple hops brews and I will cry.  But I digress...I told Cody what I did and did not like in a beer.  Cody suggested the New Belgium Heavenly Feijoa, and he was on the money.  Crisp, clean, refreshing, slightly fruity, tart, and completely pleasing to the palate. It went well with both the chips and the meatloaf.  I will have to track this one down in the future.  The only bad part was that I purchased it prior to the price drop a few minutes later when it was $2.00 cheaper.  That's what you get when you play the Beer Market, I guess.

I had a great time and a great meal.

four golden forks out of five

Little Foodie endorsed!

Check out the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange for yourself!

Kalamazoo Social Media Week

It's Kalamazoo Social Media Week. That's pretty darn cool. Today, Tuesday, is Foursquare Day and one of the events is a Food Truck Lunch featuring our local favorites. Wish this Foodie didn't have a lunch meeting so she could go visit them! If you can... you SHOULD!

In other news... Kalamazoo Foodies has been nominated for a Social Media Award for Best Blog. That is super cool and very unexpected. Thank you for the nomination. We are sad we won't be able to attend the award ceremony but are very grateful for the nomination.

Crow's Nest

What I ordered-Captain's Ration Omelet with seasoned red skin potatoes and an English muffin

So as you can see by this post, I had visited the Crow's Nest before. A long time ago. Like almost 5 years ago (woah! Have I really been in Kalamazoo this long?). And, was unimpressed. For awhile now, Mr. Foodie has been saying that we needed to go there for breakfast. That opportunity finally arose when we both had a day off and dropped Little Foodie off at daycare so we could be productive. First stop, the Crow's Nest.

The decor and atmosphere is just as I remember it. Kitschy. Cutesy. Divey. And other words ending in "y". The menu,  however, seemed different to me. My  memory of this place is VERY divey. With a plastic cover menu with too many things on it. That is not what we got on this visit. So, now I am asking myself if my memory is way off, or if things have changed a lot in the last 5 years!

The breakfast menu is so awesome sounding, in fact, that I had trouble deciding what to order. A lot of trouble. I landed on this gem of an omelet with basil walnut pesto mixed into the eggs, sausage, sun dried tomatoes, and provolone inside, and a really great red pepper aioli on top. Add the side of potatoes (YUM) and the house made English muffin (SUPER YUM) and you've got yourself quite the breakfast.

The omelet was truly fantastic. The flavors all came together in such harmony. Not one really stole the show, though the pesto stood out. But, if you know me, you know I love pesto! The sausage was great and added to the hardiness of this meal. I really probably shouldn't have finished this whole thing but (don't judge me!) I did!The potatoes were really well seasoned and with a little of the housemade ketchup were really yummy. I tried them with the red pepper aioli too... that was super tasty.

I was really blown away by the English muffin. I LOVE English muffins and have never ventured into the English muffin making place. And, knowing that these gems are available around the corner makes me not want to. The outside had the right amount of crisp. The inside was the right amount of chewy. So, so very good.

One surprise was the pricing. With this being such a hot spot for college students in the area, I expected it to be uber cheap. It was not. I didn't have to take a loan out to pay for breakfast, but it was pricier than I expected. It is absolutely worth the money, but that took me a back a bit.

Had this been my first trip to the Crow's Nest, I probably would have gone with 5 forks, but I can't forget that other trip. So, let's average it out, and 4 it is.

four golden forks out of five

Frona's Pantry, Richland

What I ordered- Housemade granola, fruit and yogurt cup with a side of bacon and coffee

Little Foodie and I met a friend for breakfast at this little place on Gull Lake. I had never heard of it, but she highly recommended it. I tell you what, we will be back!

A little off the beaten path, Frona's sits right next to the lake. The decor is kitschy with the feel of an old diner. The pastry counter beacons when you walk in with yummy looking treats. Though, I did get the sense that this is where the locals really are. So, when I walked in, I felt like the whole place, which isn't really that big, looked at me wondering who we were. But, I got over the pretty quickly.

We found a table and waited for our friend. The one high chair they have was in use, so Little Foodie and I played a bit until it was available. I also tried to look at the menu when he wasn't trying to put it in his mouth and was immediately torn. Prices are GOOD. Really low. And, once I say the servings sizes, I realized they are really low as you get a good plateful of food. So many things sounded good. Pancakes? French toast? Housemade bagel? What did I want????

It came down to decision time and I, of course, still had no idea, so I went with what I looked at first. And this, my friends, was the granola (also housemade),  fruit and yogurt cup. But, wanting so more protein, I opted for a side a bacon as well... GOOD CALL!

My goblet of goodness arrived with my granola on the side. Fresh strawberries and bananas over a very creamy and thick vanilla yogurt. The raisin-free (this is a thing for Mr. Foodie) granola was loaded with nuts. I dumped it on top and mixed it all together. Now, maybe I was super hungry. Or maybe this was one spectacular start to my day! Light and fresh and creamy and yummy. I could eat this every day!

And, let's not forget about the bacon. I am new to bacon eating. Until recently, the last year or so, I was a turkey bacon girl. I have been converted, however, and this bacon tops my list of best bacon I have had so far. Thick cut. Slightly peppered. Crispy. Substantial. So good.

While I didn't order the most complex or special thing on their breakfast menu, I was thoroughly pleased. The ingredients were of high quality. The service was good. And, I understand that when the weather is warmer, they have a lot of outdoor seating, which sounds like a dream.

We will be back to Frona's Pantry. There is no doubt in my mind.And, you should go too! It is worth the drive.

four golden forks out of five

Little Foodie getting big!

Our little foodie is getting so big!
Look at him helping daddy with his delicious homemade sweet potato puree!

New Favorite (Shareable) Cookies

Clearly I suck at this right now. I have three drafts sitting here waiting to be written. And, they are all for new restaurants. And, are dying to be shared. But, life is crazy right now, and we will get there eventually.

In the meantime, I will make it my goal to give you something every week. Even if it is just re-posting some recipes that we are using at home and love.

So, here you go. Here are the Foodie Household's favorite cookies as of right now:

Giant Rainbow Cookies
Puffy Peanut Butter Cookies

Funny, they are based on the same recipe!

I have been making the Giant Rainbow cookies with regular, semi sweet chocolate chips. They are to die for! In fact, I had to stop, because there was a danger of much increased waistlines in the Foodie home. I will now reserve them for special occasions. The kicker in these is the melted butter. The cookies are so buttery and decadent. And, it is a super easy recipe.

The Puffy Peanut Butter cookies are amazing because it is the perfect amount of peanut butter. It is subtle. Not punch you in the face peanut butter. I love them!

So, make some cookies. And, share them. Share them because a) they are amazing and people will think you are the world's greatest baker, and b) no one needs to eat this whole recipe... they are a treat. Not an everyday thing. Unless you want to gain 25 pounds!

So sorry... and a DELICIOUS PIZZA

Hello fellow Foodies!

Sorry to be such a disappointment as of late. I promise. This foodie is still eating good food and still wants to tell you about it. We've got blog posts in the works (BOLD Dining in Kalamazoo, A visit to Cleveland and a few Food Network featured places, and East Egg in Richland). We also are still exploring food with our crockpot and need to share some of those recipes with you. And, we will. I promise. Someday.

In the meantime, enjoy this DELICIOUS PIZZA. So glad I saw Giada make this. And, so VERY glad that we tried it out last night.

Until next time, happy eating!