A new year and a fresh look at the budget.

We all love the bulk buy and, if you’re like me, it just about KILLS you if some of that abundant purchase spoils before you have a chance to use it.  So, here are some tips for freezing some of that extra bounty so you can stretch your food budget – and eat well too!

1. Blanch your fresh veggies and THEN store in plastic bags in the freezer.  The blanching process helps the produce maintain its color, taste and mouth feel.

2. Nuts can go bad after a while in the pantry but can stay fresh and yummy for up to 6 months when frozen in freezer bags – great protein and unsaturated fats for another day.

3. If you’ve got fruit that’s about to go bad (think brown bananas in the bowl on the counter) puree it and freeze it in ice cube trays.  As you’ve heard me say time and time again they make great additions to smoothies, hot breakfast cereal AND baked goods (think Indigo Rabbit!)

4.  Tofu is even great frozen.  You can either drain, slice, wrap in plastic and freeze or simply toss the whole container in the freezer.  The resulting tofu will be great in stir-fries!

5. Eggs work great after being frozen as well.  Just store whites and yolks separately.

Oh, and remember to label everything.  You wouldn’t want to add thawed egg yolk to your morning yogurt thinking it’s a beautiful mango puree!

Okay I have a confession to make.

Vendors are often sending us samples of their products for us to evaluate for our business needs (http://indigorabbit.com).  Recently a company sent some fabulous dried vegetables in powder form.  While we enjoy working with them in the test kitchen, I made sure to set aside some of my favorites for personal use here at home.

Last night is when I achieved my first sneaky success.  It was pasta night at our house and my kids are huge parmesan cheese eaters.  I grabbed a hold of the powdered sweet potatoes I’d stowed in the pantry as they were the same color as our parmesan and had a mild enough taste for my plan to work.  I simply poured the powdered veggies into the 1/2 full cheese shaker, mixed it all up, and onto the table it went.

Wouln’t you know it?  I had everyone fooled!  Even my husband!!!

Kudos to me.  A sneaky success!

Are you planning to do some holiday food shopping this weekend?

Make your way over to Whole Foods Hingham to get yourself some FREE Indigo Rabbit cookies.  We’ll be there handing out delectable samples this Saturday, December 5, from 11:00-2:00.

Can’t wait to see you!

The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show is taking place in Washington DC November 7-8 and Indigo Rabbit will be there!  Maybe we’ll meet some of our favorite personalities from the Food Network at this “premier consumer event of the nation”!

Cookie lovers often contact us at Indigo Rabbit to share their favorite cookie flavors with us.  Sometimes we’re even lucky enough to hear tips and new recipes from our cookie munching friends.

Some folks enjoy soft cookies.  Some folks enjoy their crispier cousins.  I, personally, love them all.  A gentleman from Cape Cod, MA contacted us today to describe how he placed his favorite Indigo Rabbit Gingerlicious cookies in the toaster to see what would happen.  He LOVED the crispy result.  Another loyal customer warms her favorites in the microwave and tops them with a swirl of whipped cream. 

When you come up with your own ingenious take on your favorite Indigo Rabbit goodies, we’d sure love to hear about your creations!

Indigo Rabbit is thrilled to announce its participation in this year’s Healthy Living Expo at the DCU Center in Worcester October 24-25!  Come join the thousands of visitors who flock to this event each year – and eat Indigo Rabbit goodies!

Once again, make sure you do your shopping at an area location where you can sample goodies from Indigo Rabbit.

We’ll be at Whole Foods Market in Hingham tomorrow from 12:00-3:00 and at Whole Foods in Dedham on Sunday 12:00-3:00.  We’ll save you some munchies.

Make your way to Whole Foods Market in Fresh Pond, Cambridge from 3:00-6:00 tomorrow for free samples of your favorite Indigo Rabbit cookies.

We’ll also be at the Whole Foods Market in Bellingham on Sunday from 12:00-3:00.  See you there!

Get those kiddos off to a terrific start for the school year!  Include delicious, healthful, allergy-safe goodies from Indigo Rabbit in their lunch boxes.  The convenient grab n’ go pouches are great for the backpacks, sports bags, even those cute little pencil cases!

Leave those preservative-laden ”100 calorie packs” on the shelves and pick up some scrumptious Indigo Rabbit cookies so your kids get the taste they want and the nutrition they need to make the most of their school day.

If you’ve got college students in your brood, send along a care package they’ll LOVE filled with their favorite varieties of Indigo Rabbit cookies!  They AND their roommates will be the hit of the dorm.

NO high fructose corn syrup

NO hydrogenated oils

NOTHING artificial

You can PRONOUNCE every item in the ingredient list

Make sure you try every delicious flavor

Heavenly Chocolate Pillows, Seriously Cinnamon Almond, Gingerlicious, Luscious Lemon Chewies, Perfectly Peanut Butter

Make sure those kiddos get off to a great start at school this year.  Leave those preservative-laden “100 calorie” packs on the shelf and include delicious, healthful, allergy-safe Indigo Rabbit cookies in their lunch boxes instead.

Get yourselves over to Donelan’s Market in Littleton for $1 off on each box of Indigo Rabbit cookies!  The promotion is running through the beginning of school.