Whole Foods Share The Cheer

*sponsored post-while I was compensated for my time, all opinions in this post are my own.

 

The holiday bustle is already in full swing at Whole Foods.  When I was there last week to do a blogger review, the aisles were already filled with people getting their holiday shopping started, breadcrumbs, sage, and wine were definitely on most lists.   As I was heading past the produce section, I noticed a station set up with signs announcing “order your holiday meal here”.  What a great idea I thought, have a designated station for you to pick your meal, talk to a consultant, and order what you need to make your Thanksgiving day a little easier.

 

This year Whole Foods has a #sharethecheer campaign going, showcasing the variety of foods and gifts available to shoppers.  Before tonight I wasn’t aware of the the 8 meal packages you can choose from, all the way up until November 24th, or the a la carte items you can add to your already planned out Thanksgiving feast.  Maybe you want to have some appetizers to hold the guests over while you finish the green bean casserole-Whole foods has that!  From Spanakopita triangles (delicious with plenty of filling), roasted beet skewers(converted me to a beet eater), to Sriracha chicken wontons, you can have quite the spread to impress Aunt Janine or the culinary whiz that lives next door. 

 

 

Seafood on the brain?  Try the cooked shrimp platter with cocktail sauce.  Make it a Mad Men night, and serve old-fashioned cocktails with big round ice cubes.  Cheese platters have come back with a bang, and with a artisan cheese platter on the buffet, you will have both the kids and adults scrambling to make a high-stacked cheese and cracker sandwich!

If making turkey is the one tradition you look forward to each year, Whole Foods has the sides covered.  From classic mashed potatoes (I can never resist), sweet potato, leek, wild rice, and corn casserole, to green beans with shallots (I can’t rave about this side dish enough, the crispness with every bite made me want seconds and thirds) you have choices for the whole crew.   For just $39.99 you can have a whole holiday side package, that serves 8.  And as they say 8 is enough!

 

Dietary restrictions?  Vegan or vegetarian?  Whole Foods will hook you up! From an entire Vegan Holiday dinner, to a classic ham dinner that has plenty of food for the vegetarians in your life, holidays can be stress free for everyone, and at an affordable price.  And if you want something a little different, you can also order pheasant or lamb as your meat of choice.

 

While you are there, you can pick up some gifts for family and friends as well! From Toms, to wooden earrings, local soap that gives back, to handy kitchen gadgets for both yourself and the kids, you can get your gift giving complete while you take a look around if you haven’t had the amazing experience of ever visiting our local Whole Foods. 

 

While sitting around with three other amazing bloggers, chatting about the holidays, our families, life, and food, it really got me in the spirit of the holidays.  We are all so busy, so on the go that we forget that it’s a time to sit down, put the phones away, and just ask someone you care about how their day was, do they have anything fun/new to share, and that you are happy to know them.  I know that getting to know Alison, Trisha, and Erin a bit better was my favorite part of the meal.   Share the cheer guys, because in this busy day and age, we seem to forget that the little things are the things we will remember the most.

 

Thanks to Cass for putting this amazing meal on, to Phylis for making me laugh and knowing her stuff, and to Chef Vanessa for making a kick-ass meal for us to eat.  I know that even for a pastry chef/food blogger, I was impressed with how fresh and seasoned everything was, that it didn’t taste store-bought.  Best part-leftovers the next day were just as delicious!