Market Melissa Visits East Side Fairway and Dreams up Her Ideal Food Store

Market Melissa reviews the new Fairway Market and dreams up her what her ideal market would look like, take it away Melissa.

You won’t be hard-pressed to find a food market in NYC but what’s tricky is finding one that has everything on your weekly shopping list. I often go to 3 different stores in order to get the best produce, seafood and organic food. Fairway Market is a true one-stop shop. While Westsiders have been enjoying this store for over 50 years, the East side was just recently blessed with one this summer.

Brittany (our summer nutrition nerd) and I checked out the new store on a recent Friday afternoon. We were there around 11am and had quite an enjoyable shopping experience. This was a sharp contract to my experience at the West side store, which I like to compare to the game show Supermarket Sweep.

What I love about the new East side store are the wide aisles (for NYC) and how well everything is laid out and organized. The organic produce is clearly labeled in its own section of the store. In addition to the organic choices, you will also find all of your mainstream brands you find at other supermarket chains.

Here are some of the highlights that wowed us Supermarket nerds:

• A wheat free, gluten free, dairy free section – You won’t need to scour the aisles to find products that meet these allergy needs. All of the products that meet these criteria are neatly labeled and packed into a nook downstairs. 

• Ground peanut butter and almond butter station – Whole Foods has this as well. This is perfect for those who can’t be trusted with a full jar of peanut butter at home. You choose how much you want to purchase with a no nasty ingredients added. 

• Probiotic section – Next time you experience digestive woes or your immune system needs a kick in the butt, head to this section of the store. You will find everything from Kombucha, yogurt shots such as Siggi’s yogurt here. and supplements including Culturelle. 

• Oil tasting section – No more just picking up a plain extra virgin olive oil. Fairway has a whole section dedicated to different flavored oils, which you can taste with a small piece of bread that is offered. We opted out but there were numerous shoppers dipping in (perhaps double dipping).

• Made to order sushi – For all of you sushi lovers out there, Fairway offers grab and go, as well as made to order sushi. The best part is you can also request brown rice.

Despite the "specialty" nature of the store, Fairway is known for great value. I have yet to find a store in the city that can beat Fairway’s prices. Shoppers beware though – not everything is healthy. As always, read your labels and steer clear of the hot food self-serve bar upstairs.  They were serving fried chicken and mac n’ cheese during our visit.

Lauren asked me what my ideal supermarket would look like. After spending a good part of the past year at various markets I said:

It would be a place where everything you could possibly want would be available to avoid running to 10 different stores.  I would have a seasonal/local section and plenty of organic options. I'd love a cafe like Whole Foods so customers could buy food and sit down and eat and really spend time there. A juice bar would be nice. My store wouldn’t sell items with HFCS, hormones, food dyes or artificial sweeteners (so it may be a smaller store). And of course there would be someone like myself who could offer shopping advice and recipes to correlate with what the store was currently selling.

Where is your favorite place to shop? Do you find you need to visit numerous stores to find everything you need? Tell us about your dream market.

Overwhelmed with food shopping? Join us on a Market Foodtraining tour at the new Fairway or your store of choice. Contact Melissa to hop on the next tour. Not in NY? Follow Melissa on twitter (@MarketMelissa) for the latest market finds. Melissa is also giving away a NYC Market Foodtraining tour for four. To be eligible leave a comment below telling us you’re in the NY area.

Kosher for Foodtrainers: Top 10 Healthy Passover Snacks

At Foodtrainers, we help clients, of all religions, adapt their food plans for various holidays. After all, we see many holidays as weight loss opportunities and recently suggested nonreligious lent for all. . Passover starts tonight at sundown, do not stop reading if you aren’t Jewish. An unleavened week isn’t a bad thing for anyone. I asked Market Melissa to present some of her favorite Passover snacks that are not only Kosher for Passover but Kosher for Foodtrainers as well. Take it away Melissa.

 I find myself each year reviewing Passover food rules as I create client's food plans. Some clients feel they can actually eat better during this week, while others struggle to find appealing snack choices. After all, there is only so much matzo (aka intestinal mortar) you and your digestive system can handle.

For those of you not familiar with the dietary rules, during Passover Jewish people refrain from eating chometz or hametz, which is anything that is leavened or fermented. This includes anything made from barley, wheat, rye, oats, and spelt. The exception is matzo, which is made from wheat, but has not been allowed to ferment. Many Jews, who don’t regularly keep a Kosher house, will clear their cupboards and fill their home with “Kosher for Passover” only food.  

Here are some Foodtrainers’ top 10 Passover snacks that can be enjoyed all year round:

1. ½ a bar Matzel Toff Dark Chocolate Matzo (available in NYC at Zabars and Dean & Deluca) 

2. 1 cup of Dannon Kosher for Passover plain yogurt with ¼ cup fruit compote

3. Mock (mushroom) Chopped Liver or 2 oz. Kosher for Passover Tuna wrapped in a large  romaine leaf 

4. 2 Medjool Dates with 1 oz. of Natural & Kosher Goat Cheese – slice dates in half, remove pit and spoon goat cheese into the 4 halves 

5. Quinoa Almond Butter cookies *use Ancient Harvest Quinoa for Passover

6. Pesach Pizza: 1 Whole wheat matzo or Lakewood gluten free matzo 2 tbsp  Geffen tomato sauce  and 1/2oz natural and kosher pizza cheese (they actually have a pizza cheese).

7. Trader Joe's individual trail mix and nut packs (We like the Go Raw Trek Mix)

8. 2 oz. Empire turkey slices rolled around 1/4 of an avocado (sliced) and a dash of lemon juice

9. 1 Haolam string cheese with 1 cup bell pepper and celery sticks (if you’re going to eat any matzo you need the fiber)

10. Pre-Seder Smoothie –1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen strawberries, handful baby spinach, 1-2 tsp. chia seeds, honey. Combine ingredients in blender; add ice water to desired thickness (note frozen banana slices are a tasty treat on their own).

If you observe Passover are there any other snacks you enjoy? If you're not Jewish would you consider an unleavened week? Do you ever  find it difficult to follow food rules during a religious holiday?

Market Foodtraining: After School Snacks

Truth be told, getting back into a routine after the summer is kind of nice. For parents, September presents the challenge to come up with ideas for after school snacks. Unfortunately, many of the snacks that are marketed for children do not meet Foodtrainers’ snack criteria - i.e. no high fructose corn syrup, artificial food colorings and partially hydrogenated oils. Food dyes just may be the real culprit when it comes to behavior problems in children that parents often chalk up to “too much sugar”. However, sugar is hardly innocent when it comes to children’s health. Always read the ingredient list before buying something in a package.
We encourage clients to think outside of the “child-friendly” box and keep it simple. Don’t worry your kids will like snacks even without Sponge Bob on it. Ideally, a good afternoon snack should contain both a source of protein (such as low-fat dairy or nuts) and healthy carbohydrates (which include whole grain crackers, fruits and veggies) to fuel activity for the remainder day. Our September newsletter focused on snacks. We had requests for additional after school options. Melissa (aka Market Melissa) put together some of our favorites and hopefully soon to be your children’s’ favorites too.

 1. Funky Monkey freeze-dried organic fruit snacks and Horizon String cheese.









 2. My Family Farm organic whole wheat crackers (they come in individual sized bags for on-the-go) and Organic Valley low fat milk boxes.











3. Clif Z Bar and apple slices.











 4. Earthbound Farms Carrot Dippers - carrots with ranch dip.







5. Lifeway Probugs Kefir drink and an Asian pear.








And for a homemade treat try making these Energy Bars, recipe from Ellie Krieger.
For more information on our Market Foodtraining fall tours please email Melissa@Foodtrainers.net

What are your favorite after school snacks? What were your favorite snacks as kids? Would you give your children what you used to eat?

Vegetable of the Week

This year, for Thanksgiving, I was put in charge of sides. I made Brussels sprouts hash, I made string beans and I made something new… When I arrived at my sister’s house I left my new creation on the counter as we finished preparing other parts of the meal. “What are these” my brother in law asked as he tasted my new creation and “yum, these are good” remarked my niece Sam. The next day, my new creation received the ultimate vegetable vote when my sister wrote in an email “oh and I need the _________recipe, those were a hit.” So what was my well-received new creation? It was roasted parsnips with parsely and while I cooked it, I can’t take credit for creating it- Bon Appetit did.


Recently, we blogged about cauliflower. Whereas most people know about cauliflower, I am not sure everyone knows what a parsnip is or could identify them. Parsnips look like whitish carrots. They have a unique flavor (good unique) and get fairly sweet when cooked. In fact, parsnips been cultivated for over 2000 years and were used as a sweetener for jellies and cakes before sugar was on the scene. Parsnips are a winter vegetable and will only get better later in winter as sweetness increases with frost.

• When purchasing parsnips look for firm parsnips that aren’t too large

•To prepare trim both ends and peel (like a carrot)

• Use parsnips raw grated in salads, roasted or in soups

• I asked Market Melissa and she told me parsnips (per cup) have 100 cals, 6-7g fiber and are a good source C, folate and potassium.

Roasted Parsnips with Parsley (4 servings)

2 pounds parsnips peeled and cut into ½ inch thick slices (don’t slice too thinly will burn)
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1tbs butter (optional, I have made with and without…)
2 tsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 450. Toss first 3 ingredients in a bowl and spread on a rimmed baking sheet, if using butter dot with butter. Roast 20 minutes and turn parsnips with tongs. Roast another 15 min or until browned but soft. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with parsely.

How do you like to prepare parsnips? We would love to hear.