Earth Fare - Columbus, OH

I was thrilled when my dear friend, Kristin asked me on a date to the grand opening of Earth Fare in Columbus, OH last night.  We drove together which she noted was extra time to chat (NOT about kids or family life...just girl stuff).  She shared a new song, by Gotye, "Somebody That I Used to Know".  Very chill and fun to smoothly dance to in the car...cause we be smooth.  I needed it (and she new it) from having a rough day.  Love her!

As we pulled up to Earth Fare, I said to Kristin, "I really hope it's not a wannabe Whole Foods.  I want it to be just like Whole Foods.  Not a ghetto version."  Oh, I was SO excited when we walked in and it had the exact same feel!  You are not in a regular Kroger or what not, it's definitely like it's own community of fresh and healthy and organic produce, the best products and even food to go if you need it!  People are always asking you if you need any help...LOVE LOVE good customer service! (Remember how much I hate bad customer service?)

 You MUST try it out!  We spent about 2 hours just browsing...found some great deals and I cannot wait to visit more often.  So excited that it's so close to home!

Here is a recipe I tried tonight.  It's a chicken tortilla soup recipe from my friend.  I edited it a bit but overall, it's kind of genius.

Chicken Tortilla Soup~ Crock-Pot Style (makes plenty for a family of 5 with leftovers!)
-2 Pacific Natural Foods Cream of Chicken Soup
-Your favorite chunky Salsa (Earth Fare Organic Mild Salsa)  1.5 lbs (1.5 small jars)
-1 pkg. of Mexican Seasoning (Mexican Fiesta)
-Fresh cilantro
-4 medium chicken breasts (uncooked)
-3 cups of dried beans (pinto and black)
-Sour cream
-Limes
-Mexican cheese
-Tortilla chips
-3 cups of water (I use the cans of salsa to get the rest of the flavor out of it)

What to do?
-Soak the beans over night or the same morning that you'll be making this delish dish (4 hours).
-5 hours before you will serve, place the Cream of chicken soup, salsa, Mexican seasoning, pre-soaked beans, water and chicken breasts in the crock-pot on high.
-An hour before, take the chicken breasts out and cut them up (should break apart easily) into bite-sized pieces and place back in the crock-pot so they can continue soaking up all of the flavor.

The finishing touch (and most important!)
-Ten minutes before you tell your hungry family dinner is ready, dish out the soup into bowls.  Let cool while you set up bowls with cheese, fresh cut cilantro and sour cream along with chips and limes cut into 1/4.  Your kids will LOVE to add their own extras into the soup and will want to eat it even more!
A small dollop of sour cream (or plain yogurt for less fat/calories), a bit of cheese, a squeeze of 1/4 of a lime, a pinch of cilantro and crumbled chips to top it off!

 Notice the pineapple Jarritos

Oh my word!  You'll die with the delicious taste!  My kids had a bowl and wanted another!  A regular around here from now on!

Enjoy!