Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer. Beaches fill with umbrellas and sandcastles, swim clubs open for the season, campgrounds flood with tents, and the smell of barbeque pervades neighborhoods. Start your holiday weekend with our bbq favorites and the natural condiments to go with them.

Between the Buns
All-Beef: For a plump, hearty, tastes-like-it-came-off-the-grill treat, try Applegate Farms Great Organic Hot Dog. Made with 100% organic grass-fed beef, this dog has half the fat as many traditional varieties, but all the flavor as your childhood faves.

Pork & Beef: Juicy, with hints of both sweet and salty, Organic Prairie’s Uncured Hot Dog gives a great snap as you bite into it. For the youngsters, try Niman Ranch Fearless Uncured Franks for Kids. These dogs are made with antibiotic- and hormone-free meat, plus the mild flavor and thin shape make them a great choice for little mouths.

Vegetarian: Want a dog, but not meat? Packed with protein, LightLife’s Veggie Dogs, made with organic ingredients, and all-natural Yves Good Dog boasts a delicious hickory flavor. Plus, there’s no saturated fat or cholesterol in these dogs, making them one summer snack that won’t ruin your diet.

Poultry: Organic Prairie Uncured Chicken Hot Dogs and Uncured Turkey Hot Dogs are skinless, made from organic meat and boast a smoky and hearty taste, but contain much less fat than pork or beef dogs.

Tasty Toppers
Ketchup: With Annie’s Naturals Organic Ketchup, delight in the same traditional ketchup taste that you love but without the high fructose corn syrup or pesticide-ridden tomatoes. Or try a new twist on an old classic with Wholemato’s Spicy Organic Agave Ketchup, a thick adaptation with a smoky flavor that’s sweetened with agave nectar.

Mustard: Available in a jar or a squeeze bottle, Eden Organic Yellow Mustard Stone Ground with Apple Cider Vinegar is essential for any condiment lover. Gentle hints of vinegar and garlic harmonize in this smooth-textured mustard.

Sauerkraut: Tree of Life sauerkraut contains only organic cabbage, water and salt, making it mild enough for even the youngest family member to enjoy.

Relish: For a refreshing summer treat, top your dog with the crunchy Del Monte Organic Sweet Pickle Relish. Its tangy taste will be sure to put your tongue into overdrive.

– Cricket Azima, KIWI Food Editor and lover of bbqs

EACH CAMP INCLUDES: Professional cooking instruction of hands-on kid-friendly recipes in a focused, fun and safe environment. Trained culinary teachers from Whole Foods Market Bowery Culinary Center and KIWI Magazine. A limit of 12 participants, ensuring a low child-to-instructor ratio. Cooking projects, games, craft activities and creative excursions. Lunch or snack and beverages (special diets can be accommodated). Lessons on sustainability, composting, gardening, recycling and other eco-friendly ways of life. Apron, chef’s hat and a graduation goodie bag packed with cool stuff!

SESSION I:
Half-Pint Voyager: 2 ½ to 4 years
11am – 12pm
July 14TH to 16TH
Jr. Jetsetters: 5 to 7 years
2pm – 3:30pm
July 13TH to 17TH
World Explorers: 8 to 10 years
11am – 2pm
July 20TH to 24TH
Globe Trekkers: 11 to 14 years
11am – 2:30pm
July 27TH to 31ST

SESSION II:
Half-Pint Voyager: 2 ½ to 4 years
11am – 12pm
August 11TH to 13TH
Jr. Jetsetters: 5 to 7 years
2pm – 3:30pm
August 10TH to 14TH
World Explorers: 8 to 10 years
11am – 2pm
August 17TH to 21ST

To enroll in KIWI Kids’ Camp, please register online. For general questions about the camp or to register over the phone, please contact Alison Martin at the Whole Foods Market at 408-257-7000 x325.

Whole Foods Market, Stevens Creek Culinary Center
20955 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014

Join chefs from KIWI® Magazine and Whole Foods Market® in exploring culinary regions of the world through food and festivity. Each camp incorporates exciting global foods and facts. We’ll crank up the heat and get hands-on as we make international dishes from places such as Mexico, Morocco, China, Italy and Japan. The camps culminate in an around-the-world cooking competition. Explore continents and countries one plate at a time!

The Whisk and The Spoon
The Learning Kitchen at Whole Foods Market, Princeton
3495 US Route 1 South
Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone 609.799.2919

SESSION I:
Half-Pint Voyager: 2 ½ to 4 years
11am – 12pm
June 29 and 30
Jr. Jetsetters: 5 to 7 years
11am – 12:30pm
July 1 to 3

SESSION II:
Globe Trekkers: 11 to 14 years
11am – 2:30pm
August 24 to 26
Jr. Jetsetters: 5 to 7 years
11am – 12:30pm
August 27 and 28

To enroll in KIWI Kids’ Camp, Please register online or if you want to register over the phone or have additional questions please email Nirit Yadin nirit.yadin@wholefood.com or call 609.799.2919 ext. 305.

EACH CAMP INCLUDES: Professional cooking instruction of hands-on kid-friendly recipes in a focused, fun and safe environment. Trained culinary teachers from Whole Foods Market Bowery Culinary Center and KIWI Magazine. A limit of 12 participants, ensuring a low child-to-instructor ratio. Cooking projects, games, craft activities and creative excursions. Lunch or snack and beverages (special diets can be accommodated). Lessons on sustainability, composting, gardening, recycling and other eco-friendly ways of life. Apron, chef’s hat and a graduation goodie bag packed with cool stuff!

AUGUST DATES: TBD. CHECK BACK FOR SCHEDULE UPDATES

OR CALL THE CULINARY CENTER AT 916-488-2800

To enroll in KIWI Kids’ Camp, please register online. For general questions about the camp or to register over the phone, please contact Customer Service at Whole Foods Market Sacramento (916) 488-2800.

Join chefs from KIWI® Magazine and Whole Foods Market® in exploring culinary regions of the world through food and festivity. Each camp incorporates exciting global foods and facts. We’ll crank up the heat and get hands-on as we make international dishes from places such as Mexico, Morocco, China, Italy and Japan. Explore continents and countries one plate at a time!

EACH CAMP INCLUDES: Professional cooking instruction of hands-on kid-friendly recipes in a focused, fun and safe environment. Trained culinary teachers from Whole Foods Market Bowery Culinary Center and KIWI Magazine. A limit of 12 participants, ensuring a low child-to-instructor ratio. Cooking projects, games, craft activities and creative excursions. Lunch or snack and beverages (special diets can be accommodated). Lessons on sustainability, composting, gardening, recycling and other eco-friendly ways of life. Apron, chef’s hat and a graduation goodie bag packed with cool stuff!

SESSION I:
Half-Pint Voyager: 2 ½ to 4 years
11am – 12pm
June 23RD, 24TH and 25TH
Jr. Jetsetters: 5 to 7 years
11am – 12:30pm
July 13TH to 17TH
World Explorers: 8 to 10 years
11am – 2pm
July 20TH to 24TH
Globe Trekkers: 11 to 14 years
11am – 2:30pm
July 27TH to 31ST

SESSION II:
Teen Bootcamp
11am – 3pm
August 5TH to 7TH
Jr. Jetsetters: 5 to 7 years
11am – 12:30pm
August 10TH to 14TH
World Explorers: 8 to 10 years
11am – 2pm
August 17TH to 21ST
Globe Trekkers: 11 to 14 years
11am – 2:30pm
August 24TH to 28TH

To enroll in KIWI Kids’ Camp, please register online. For general questions about the camp or to register over the phone, please contact Christine Carroll, The Culinary Center Director at the Whole Foods Market Bowery at 212-420-1320 x245.

Here at KIWI, moms are very important to us and to the future of our green babies.  Give your mom an easy, inexpensive Mother’s Day gift by nominating her for our Moms of the Revolution contest. Share her story on how she is revolutionizing the way kids in your community eat. Revolution Foods and KIWI have teamed up for this wonderful, inspiring contest and it does not come as a surprise that others are appreciating how important this contest is. TreeHugger, a well known website focusing on going green, has just mentioned our MOTR contest and we could not be more thrilled! Thanks for your support TreeHugger!  Check it out.

– Brittany, KIWI staff and wishing all moms a happy mother’s day

Peas and fava beans are everywhere in many of California’s farmers’ markets.  In Texas, the growing season is in full swing, with strawberry season already giving way to early zucchini and yellow squash.  We aren’t yet quite as lucky here in the Northeast, but the first of the spring lettuces are starting to pop up.

Personally, I’m looking forward to making some great salads full of leafy greens, fresh shell beans, some chopped dates for sweetness and a few walnuts for crunch.  Drizzle on some lemon tahini dressing and I’m good to go!  What about you?  What are your plans (present or not-too-distant future) for spring’s delicious offerings?

Marygrace, KIWI intern and spring greens fan

Do we really need an excuse to eat chocolate? Well it seems we have more and more reasons to eat it these days. Most people don’t realize that chocolate, much like fruits and vegetables is plant derived. Dark chocolate bars, with high-cocoa content, are loaded with something called epicatechin. Epicatechin is a particularly active member of a group of compounds called plant flavoniods. Flavonoids help protect us by exhibiting anti-oxidant activity in the body.

And here is more good news, some of the fats in chocolate are actually good for you! The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid. Oleic Acid is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil. Stearic Acid is a saturated fat, but one which research is shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol. Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat, however this one does raise cholesterol and increases the risk for heart disease. That means that only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you. Not bad when you consider that alternative sweet treats such as baked goods are often loaded in partially hydrogenated fats, and excessive amounts of plant fats such as soy and canola oil which promote inflammation in the body.

In a study published in the journal Hypertension in August 2005, researchers from Italy found that dark chocolate may lower blood pressure in people with hypertension. The research also found that levels of LDL cholesterol in these individuals dropped by 10 percent. Another study showed that flavonoids in cocoa prevent fat-like substances in the bloodstream from oxidizing and clogging the arteries which will make blood platelets less likely to stick together and cause clots.

While a little dark chocolate can be good, a lot is not better. Chocolate is still loaded with calories. If you’re going to put more chocolate in your diet, you’ll have to cut back somewhere else. Don’t forget that a balanced diet, full of other plant based foods, and plenty of exercise is still the key to heart health.

So remember, pure cocoa powder ranks the healthiest amongst all chocolate products, followed by dark chocolate and milk chocolate. The way that cocoa powder and chocolate syrups are manufactured, removes most flavonoids and depletes the finished product of any health benefits. Avoid all chocolate products with artificial sweeteners and corn syrup and look for ones with high cocoa content. According to the Chocolate Manufacturers Association, dark chocolate contains about eight times the amount of polyphenol antioxidants found in strawberries. How about some chocolate covered strawberries? It is almost berry season.

– Dr. Keri Marshall MS, ND is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor who specializes in holistic pediatrics and women’s medicine.

Did you get fooled today? I did. I am a frequent Whole Foods Market website reader. Today, for a limited time only, you can purchase organic air for only $6.99. Or get an exclusive recipe for toast. Very clever Whole Foods Market…you fooled me!

– Stephanie, KIWI staff and April fooled

It’s time again for another round-up of the best of the mom blogosphere!  Here’s what’s going on…

• Hopping on board the backyard vegetable garden train this spring?  Nature Moms reviews garden tool sets and gear for your little farmers-in-training.
• To school or not to school?  Read about Mama-Om’s journey on her family’s decision to send their son to school or stick to unschooling at home.
• Green Baby Guide puts the bokashi bin, an indoor composting system from Japan.
• Forget balance.  Instead, Healthy Green Moms says we should be seeking harmony.
• The Soft Landing Blog covers possible legislation for federal ban of BPA in children’s food containers.  Yes!

What’s happening on your blog?  We want to know!

Marygrace, KIWI intern

Last week temperatures in the Philadelphia-area reached about 60 degrees. For a moment, I thought we beat winter. Visions of spring - fresh veggies, flowers and warm, sunny days - put a smile on my face. Then, I checked the 10 day forecast. Winter storm approaching. Normally I don’t believe storm warnings, but I grabbed my fabric bag and got ready to head to the food store.My partner stopped me and asked what I would be getting. I answered plainly, “Milk, bread, juice, eggs. The standards.” He challenged me to use what we had in the apartment instead of spending money to purchase food we didn’t desperately need. “Okay,” I replied always up for a challenge. I had chicken in the freezer and veggies leftover from Friday night’s dinner. This should be easy.I woke up today and the streets are snow-covered. Winter prevails and I am home cooking. For breakfast, we ate blueberry pancakes. My chicken soup is simmering in our cast iron Dutch oven. I think I’ll whip up some brownies later. I feel like I won, but more importantly, we won. It is a challenge for all of us in this economy. Let’s think to use what we already have to create something we may not have originally thought of.– Stephanie, KIWI staff and lover of creative cooking