Whole Foods is testing a new wellness program. For a mere $199 signup fee and $45 per month, participants “can get lifestyle evaluations and access to classes in nutrition, cooking and health, along with 10% discounts on 1,000 better-for-you foods sold in Whole Foods,” USA Today wrote. The programs running in Massachusetts, Illinois and California. NYC and Princeton, New Jersey are coming soon. If the program’s a hit (and who can say “No” to that sexy 10% discount for spending over $700?), it might be rolled out to more, if not all, stores nationwide.
Cookbook author Bee Yinn Low’s new book “Easy Chinese” won’t hit shelves for another couple months, but if you’ve been curious about the logistics of whipping up dim sum or other Asian specialties at home, you might give it a look. Even if Chinese isn’t your thing, she’s got one tip you’ll want to incorporate: using baking soda to tenderize meat. Sprinkle a teaspoon of baking soda over chicken or steak and let it sit for fifteen minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water, then season and/or marinade. The baking soda helps tenderize the meat, living up to Low’s claim, but I swear it helps get the seasonings into the meat much, much faster. A flank steak only needed an hour of soaking in a ginger, lime and garlic marinade to taste amazing off the grill, and seasoned chicken breasts were equally terrific after just an hour of sitting in the fridge with a dry rub after they got the baking soda treatment. Try it and see for yourself.
Kyle Tonniges