DIRECTIONS FOR USE
Product needs to be thoroughly cooked.

STOVE TOP

1. Rinse Wild Oats Marketplace™ Organic Long Grain & Wild Rice Blend thoroughly under cold water until the water runs clear.
2. In a medium saucepan, add 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil (optional). Stir well.
3. Combine 1 cup of rice blend and stir well.
4. Bring contents to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.
6. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
7. Fluff with fork before serving.

Since individual stoves vary in temperature, these instructions are guidelines only.

FOR BEST RESULTS:
For firmer rice, use less water and simmer for a shorter time. For softer rice, use more water and simmer for a longer time. Do not lift lid while cooking; steam cooks rice.

Quinoa and rice are natural agricultural products. Despite the use of modern cleaning equipment, it is not always possible to remove all foreign materials. Sort, remove foreign material and rinse before cooking.

Wild Oats may have struck a beautifully karmic cord by democratizing organics. Turns out that the shift to more affordable organic food could impact more that just the health of consumers. The democratization of organics could actually make people nicer.

Okay, it’s a given that those who regularly purchase organics are concerned about their health and the environment. But a recent survey published in SAGE Journal‘s Social Psychological & Personality Science update reports that people who routinely purchased high-priced organics felt that they were “doing enough” for planet and community, and were less likely to participate in volunteerism. What’s more, according to the study the high-priced organic purchasers was more likely to be judgmental and selfish.

Why? They study cites the feeling by participants that by paying more for organics, the group felt that they were already giving enough, and didn’t need to extend themselves any further to help the environment or the less fortunate.

By contrast, those who participated in the study who spent less on food in general were more likely to participate in philanthropy, and had kinder and less judgmental attitudes toward their fellow man.

So Wild Oats, by virtue of their very goal — to make organics more affordable — has created a situation that could pay off not just in health and environmental ways, but in making the world a nicer place.

Spending less money to have healthy, environmentally-friendly organic foods could have a ripple effect across our country, creating a more friendly, happier and more charitable world.

Way to go Wild Oats!

Wild Oats has many delicious snack options to go along with any fireworks show. Our Organic Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips with one of our organic salsas, like Mild Black Bean & Corn or Tequila Lime would surely be a hit!

Which snacks are you snagging for the holiday weekend? Share with us for a chance to win a Wild Oats prize pack. Just comment with your suggestions on our Twitter or Facebook page and you’re automatically entered!

To share on Facebook, simply comment on our Mission Monday post by 8:59pm PT/11:59pm ET tonight to be entered to win!

To share on Twitter, tweet us with #WildOatsMission and #sweeps by 8:59pm PT/11:59pm ET tonight to be entered to win!

Full Sweepstakes rules and details can be found here: bit.ly/1DoNN9U

Oh my gosh!  We are smack in the middle of cherry season here in Washington State!  The big luscious Bings and  the super sweet local Rainiers (yummy).  How could I not take this opportunity to talk about one of my favorite “fruits in season”!

Aside from tasting great, here are 6 Smart Reasons to get those fresh cherries:

1)  They are fresh right now! Cherries are nutritionally dense fruits.  A cup of cherries is only about 90 calories and contains 3 grams of fiber.  Cherries contain a good amount of Vit C, Vit A and potassium, tons of health promoting phenolics and even melatonin which can help us get a better night’s sleep!

2)  They have a very low glycemic index score of 22!  What … you don’t remember the details about glycemic index?  Here you go.  Basically, 22 is low and low is good.  An apple is 39 and watermelon is 72.  They are both super healthy too, just not as sweet as that sweet cherry!

3)  Improves recovery time after exercise!  A review out of the UK covers “the role of cherries in exercise and health”.  Basically, athletes who eat cherries or take a cherry juice supplement recover quicker and experience less pain!

4)  Cherries contain special phytonutirients that protect nerve and brain cells.  Researchers  have identified a group of phenolics in cherries that have a strong anti-neurodegenerative effect (that’s a scientific way of saying they protect our brains)!

5)  Research shows that sweet Bing cherries decrease several blood markers of chronic inflammation.  The main marker that we follow with my patients is CRP.  In this study, CRP went down 20%!   Chronic  inflammation is directly associated with heart disease, cancer and many other health conditions.

6)  A Study out of Boston shows a 35% lower risk of suffering a gout attack.  People with gout are called “gout sufferers” for a good reason … gout hurts like crazy!  For folks on anti-gout medicine, the added cherries drop attacks by 75%!

Now, if you have health or medical conditions, or food allergies, talk to your doctor about how you should manage those issues.  I am not prescribing cherries for you.  I am recommending cherries for all of us who can enjoy this tasty fruit. We are fortunate to have organic cherries readily available here.  For me … it’s organic all the way!

I figure out all sorts of ways to enjoy these cherries.  At this time of year pretty much everything is finished with a “cherry on top” (or at least in a bowl on the table)!

I have always wondered why I am attracted to the number 17. I am not sure why, but I can’t even walk past a roulette table without betting on Black 17.

So today, while on the elliptical, I was listening to a conversation between Wayne Dyer and Esther Hicks. It was both entertaining and interesting, about the fact that it takes only 17 seconds to manifest or create an idea. When I realized that I was listening to this on the 17th of May, I thought I better pay attention and reflect on this and share the 17 second rule. The rule is that it takes 17 seconds for a thought — or a want or whatever you are thinking about — to start to gain momentum and become real.

So after reading and reflecting, I put it to the test and pulled out my weekly play-sheet with all of the projects that I am currently working on, and starting thinking about them. Trying to get some momentum going for them. What shocked me is that I barely really thought about any of them for even 5 seconds before getting distracted. Could it really be that 17 seconds is a long time to think about anything? OMG! How will I get momentum going if I can’t concentrate for 17 seconds?

So I set a stopwatch, trying not to look at it while I gave some of the projects I am working on positive vibes, just thinking about the results. Then, I started thinking about how companies that our group has formed in the past actually did become real from just a simple industry thought process —about what a particular industry did or didn’t do well and where people like ourselves might exploit it. Whether it be Pet Promise, Greenopolis or Wild Oats, it was never one person’s 17 seconds of thought. It was one person, giving to another person, who gave to another person the thought and discussion. And like a snowball building down a hill, it took an entire ensemble of people thinking about it and working on it.

Then, I thought about the fact that a 45-minute call is actually 159 – 17 second intervals. So you get where this is going. On my own, I could not have created or manifested any of those businesses. It was the collective group that built those businesses… One 17 second thought process at a time, that became more and more and more as the ensemble started to grow. Which it always does, if people buy into the idea or value prop.

So today, share your ideas. Don’t hold them tight or smother them because it is highly likely you will not get there on your own. You will get there with an ensemble of others that will join your thought process to string together 1000’s and 1000’s of 17 second strings of thought that will bring the project to reality.

If you have been thinking of a business concept or idea for an organization, today socialize it and see if it gets any momentum. An idea shared is an idea that will get momentum. If you have any question about that, reflect on how many times have you been told by someone that they had an idea —or maybe you said, wow, I had that idea, but nothing ever came of it because you didn’t string the momentum together with others.

I talk a lot about our Innovation Team. We have a daily call, and it is basically just to see if we can string two or three thoughts together to create some momentum.

One day, a friend of mine happen to call me while we where on the group call, so I put the team on hold, and answered the call from my friend. He said, “ Anthony, want to share a business idea.”  I listened to a little bit and asked him if he would mind if I asked him to share his idea with the group, and he said yes. So I merged him into the call right then and there and had him pitch the team. This was a couple of months ago and on last Friday, I received the LLC paperwork for the company. It is up and operating — with revenues after just a few months — incredible how this works.

Onward and upward —

AZ