January 2014
The New Header
"In the kitchen, it is the time for long-cooked dishes of earth-colored beans, meat on its bones and homemade cakes. A month of beans, bones, and baking..."

- Nigel Slater in Notes from the Larder: A Kitchen Diary with Recipes

Nutritionist offers tips for starting the year off on a healthy note

Jo Schrubbe, owner of Farm Fresh Market Meals, recommends taking a few basic steps

 
 
Lifelong cook, graduate of the Clayton College of Natural Health, holistic nutritionist and creator of Pueblo's Farm Fresh Market, Jo Schrubbe, shown above, provides Ranch Foods Direct with a line of wholesome prepared meals and offers her customers classes on weight loss and proper nutrition. She is also committed to bringing healthier fresher food to Southern Colorado's dinner tables, local schools and hospital cafeterias. Here, she offers her recommendations for staying healthy during the winter season.

"Compared to other seasons, winter is a challenging time for eating healthy. The bounty of summer produce is gone. A winter tomato is usually picked green, artificially ripened, and shipped thousands of miles before it reaches the grocery store. You'll pay a hefty price for a very blah tomato. However, winter is a great time to switch to warming produce like root vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips) and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage). But if you're just dying for a tomato in winter, rejoice. Southern Colorado has a good variety of hydroponically and greenhouse grown produce.

� Staying hydrated in winter is a challenge. A glass of ice cold water doesn't sound as tempting on a frosty winter day. Meet the goal of half your body weight in ounces of water by drinking herbal teas, hot water with lemon and eating soups made with broth.

� Winter weather can derail the heartiest outdoor exerciser. Be sure to have alternate activities available like fitness DVDs around your home or head to yoga classes or the mall for a brisk indoor walk.

� The key to staying healthy during cold and flu season is to boost your immune system. Consume Vitamin C-rich foods like oranges, lemons, and peppers along with foods high in zinc like spinach, pumpkin seeds, seafood and Callicrate Beef. Beef is a great source of zinc. A small, lean rib-eye steak has about 95% of the USDA daily recommendation for zinc.

� Don't forget that sugar is the enemy of immunity so toss out any leftover holiday sweets that might be lingering around the house, limit alcohol consumption and wash your hands often.

� Make the effort to seek out healthy foods. Since I'm a trained nutritionist, the quality of ingredients we use to make our Farm Fresh Market meals (available at Ranch Foods Direct) is of primary importance to me. We make everything from scratch, using sustainably raised meats and produce. Our meals have no additives or preservatives, and we don't over-salt our food. Ranch Foods Direct is our exclusive provider of beef, pork, chicken and lamb, so you can be sure the flavor is outstanding and the quality high. Our heat-and-eat meals have been recommended by the Diabetes Care Center and the Cardiac Rehab Center at both Pueblo hospitals.

"We're thrilled to partner with Ranch Foods Direct," Jo concludes. "Once our customers try the meat, they're hooked. This is what meat is supposed to taste like. They really appreciate the quality for the price. Customers who try our prepared meals notice how good the meat tastes. There's a definite difference. Local, sustainable, and flavorful - it doesn't get any better than that!"

Contact Jo for more info or to place special orders!
Farm Fresh Market � 2310 S. Prairie Ave., Suite B, Pueblo � (719) 248-5188 � Open Wed-Fri 10-4 p.m. � www.FarmFreshMarketOnline.com
 
Watch for these January events

Saturday, January 18

Ranch Foods Direct holds a truckload sale in Pueblo!
Get the best deal there is on Callicrate ground beef. Regular price is $5.99 lb, but on this day the price is ONLY $3.50 per lb (if you purchase at least 20 lbs.) All ground beef is vacuum packed in convenient 1-pound packages. Call Ranch Foods Direct (719-473-2306) to place orders by Saturday Jan. 11, for pick up on Sat., Jan. 18, at Cats Pourhouse, 177 S. Purcell Blvd, in Pueblo West
Phone (719) 647-0270.

This truckload event is also a convenient time to "cowpool" and pick up an eighth or quarter of beef to fill up your freezer! Go to Cowpool.org for pricing and quantity info.

For more details on this and other sales events, keep up with Ranch Foods Direct on FACEBOOK.  

 
Thursday, January 23

Originally planned for January 15, the Tim Gill Citizen Journalist awards program is now scheduled for Thursday, January 23 to allow more time for the judging process. Ranch Foods Direct is a sponsor of this special community-wide project. More from local coordinator Amanda Mountain, below.


By Amanda Mountain
Executive Director of the Tim Gill Center for Public Media

How often do you turn on the local news or read the paper and just don't see your experiences of your community reflected back at you?

The first annual Citizen and Student Journalism Contest seeks to provide citizens with tools and opportunities to tell your own stories and maybe even have a chance to read, listen to and watch those stories on your favorite news outlets. Rocky Mountain PBS, the Pikes Peak Library District and the Tim Gill Center for Public Media Collaborative is partnering with The Gazette, the Colorado Springs Independent and KRCC 91.5 FM to give voice to student and citizen journalists with the support of Ranch Foods Direct.

Nearly 50 submissions were received in the first year in categories including print, audio/podcast, video, photojournalism and multi-media. Students in middle school, high school, and college were invited to participate as well as citizens in El Paso and Teller Counties. As a part of the contest, 12 free workshops were provided on topics ranging from journalism ethics to production values and were attended by more than 100 people. Nearly $9,000 in cash prizes will be awarded at a community celebration on Jan. 23 from 5-7pm at the Tim Gill Center for Public Media located at 315 E. Costilla St. (80903). If you'd like to attend, please send an email to [email protected].

 For more information, visit www.rmpbs.org/timgillcenter.


Saturday, January 25

Enter a raffle for a Callicrate Beef family bundle at the next Pikes Peak Urban Gardens gardening class on Saturday, January 25. Class runs from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Horace Mann Middle School
1001 E. Van Buren St., Colorado Springs
Cost: $5 and pay at the door

Learn the eight principles of NO STRAIN gardening;
� find out about Larry's favorite veggies for 2014;
�try your hand at making soil blocks;
� learn why the "Brix Test" is important;
and more...

To join Pikes Peak Urban Gardens e-mail list for future updates on gardening classes and events, e-mail director Larry Stebbins at [email protected]. Or visit them online at: http://ppugardens.org

Wednesday, January 29

SEEDS Community Cafe, the unique pay-what-you-can all-local dining model downtown, launches a new campaign to celebrate local food luminaries in Colorado Springs with a series of special "pop-up" dinners. The January kick-off will feature Callicrate Beef and the extraordinary cooking talents of local foods chef Kevin Campbell, owner of Full Circle Cuisine. Monthly dinner celebrations at SEEDS Cafe will follow throughout 2014.

Watch for more details on this one-of-a-kind campaign to support community building and celebrate the best and brightest local food luminaries in the Colorado Springs community. It promises to blend art with good eating, beautiful food with beautiful surroundings!


Have you voted?

It's time to cast your vote in the annual Best of the Springs contest. Visit the Colorado Springs Gazette online and vote Ranch Foods Direct/Callicrate Beef for Best Steak. To start your ballet, CLICK HERE.


 Don't forget to stock up with good eats for Denver Broncos game day ...

Ranch Foods Direct offers fresh handmade dips and salsas;
crackers, bread and chips (including gluten-free versions from Outside the Breadbox);
sliced snack and sandwich meats;
ground beef for sliders, chili or nachos;
and many cheeses to choose from.
ON-GOING SPECIAL SALMON SALE CONTINUES IN JANUARY.