My name is Laura, and I’m excited to join the growing team of dietitians at Harmons! I will be spending most of my time at the new City Creek store in downtown Salt Lake. As part of our commitment to health and wellness, I will be offering individual counseling, healthy eating store tours, and nutrition workshops. My office is located next to the pharmacy – please stop by with questions or just to say hello! I am excited to meet you and share ideas about healthy eating, cooking, and grocery shopping.
One of my favorite winter vegetables is brussel sprouts. I know, they often get a bad rap, but I’d like to share a quick, easy, delicious recipe in hopes of luring you into the tasty world of brussel sprouts. Your health (and taste buds) will thank you as they are high in fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin K.
Easy Brussel Sprouts Prep Time: 4 minutes Cook Time: 5-8 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb Brussel sprouts (4-5 sprouts per person is a good number to start with)
½ tsp Garlic powder
1-2 Tbls Olive oil
Black pepper to taste
Pinch of salt (or Mrs. Dash if you are watching your sodium)
Directions:
Rinse brussel sprouts in cold water and trim off the outer leaves and “stemmy” end. Cut a “cross” design about half way into the stem side to help even out the cooking. Throw brussel sprouts into a medium sauce pan with about a half-inch of water on the bottom. Cover. Steam on medium-high heat until the brussel sprouts turn bright green and are slightly tender when poked with a fork (approx. 5-8 minutes). Drain the water and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Add garlic powder, black pepper, and salt to taste. Enjoy!
Did you know that if you have celiac disease your trip to the grocery store may actually be tax deductible? Here are some basic instructions to get you started:
Obtain an official diagnosis from your doctor in writing that you have celiac disease. Without that you cannot claim a tax deduction
Save all your records of gluten free purchases, including grocery receipts and canceled checks. Then compile a list of the regular cost of all the gluten free items you’ve bought. For example, if regular wheat flour costs $1.99 and your gluten free flour costs $3.99, then you can only claim the difference of $2.00 between the two prices.
Note that in order to claim a tax deduction for medical expenses (including any gluten-free food purchases), your expenditures must exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income, minus any insurance reimbursements. For example, if you have an adjusted gross income of $50,000 a year, then your total medical expenditures must exceed $3,750 in order to claim a tax deduction and use the gluten-free food expenses.
Try using your insurance’s flexible spending account. If you have medical coverage and likely cannot claim a tax deduction for the cost of your gluten free food, your employer’s Flexible Spending Plan may allow reimbursement for the cost of gluten free food.
Be persistent if you’re researching whether your Flexible Spending Plan will cover the cost of gluten free foods. Your human resources department may not know if the expenses are covered. Contact the provider if necessary until you get a definite answer from someone whether you can get reimbursed for your gluten-free food.
This will take some effort to accomplish. In case you are audited, you will have to keep very detailed records of what you have purchased.
I am not a licensed accountant, so please talk to your accountant or tax professional to verify the information listed here before submitting any tax deductions to the IRS.
Everyone at Harmons City Creek is very excited for the opening of our 16th store! Wednesday morning at 9am we will open the doors and welcome the downtown community into a spectacular Harmons store. There are some people who wanted to say “HI” and invite you to come visit. Here are some of the incredible associates working at Harmons City Creek -
You can also check out pictures from the first dig of dirt to the night before opening.
Valentine’s Day is almost here! Do you have a special surprise for your Valentine yet? Or are you the type to wait until the last minute? Or have you just completely forgotten?
There’s still time to order beautiful flowers for your loved one to be delivered on Tuesday. Our designers have been working nonstop to create amazing floral arrangements sure to impress your Valentine. Order online or call our Floral Design Center at 801-957-8477. You can also pick up last minute romantic gifts – beautiful bouquets, fun plush toys, delicious chocolate covered strawberries, and more – at any Harmons store just in time for you special date.
Most people find themselves in a “food rut” from time to time; you find yourself serving the same few favorite dinners and convenient lunches week after week. If you are currently stuck in a healthy food rut that contains a variety of foods and you are enjoying it, then no problem. If you are in a less-than-healthy food rut, a food rut with very little variety, or are just ready for a change, consider trying some new foods.
Variety in your food selection is important to your health. Consider a diet where the nutritious carrot is the only vegetable eaten: The diet would contain a lot of vitamin A (found as beta carotene, an antioxidant and precursor to vitamin A) which has many important roles in the body from eye health, bone health, and the immune system, lutein and zeaxanthin which are great for eye health, and fiber, but would be missing out on many other important nutrients found in other vegetables.
Great Health Weekly Menu on www.harmonsgrocery.com/ads/
If you’d like suggestions that might tempt you to break out of your food rut, check out the Great Health Weekly Menu on our web site. The link can be found on our Ads page in the right side menu. We (your Harmons dietitians) use the weekly and monthly sales flyers and add other great price items to create healthy and affordable meals. We provide information on the cost of the items and serving suggestions as well as nutrition facts. If you’ve already tried out some of the meals that we’ve suggested, we’d love to hear feedback or suggestions from you on ways that we can improve this feature.
Just a few more days until Valentines Day. The day to celebrate the people in your life that you love, including yourself, and we have a great way to say I Love You, CHEESE! We have flown strait from France our mini hearts and Coeur De Bray hearts. Just the perfect gift for anyone. So grab some cheese, eat your heart out, (sorry, couldn’t help it) and enjoy the day!
The Floral Design Center is in all-out holiday design and arranging mode! Valentine’s Day is by far the busiest time of year for floral designers – extremely crazy, but a ton of fun at the same time. With orders pouring in online and over the phone, it is important to get a head start and be completely ready for the rush that happens in the couple days before the holiday. Not only are we preparing and organizing for the delivery orders, we also are making all the same great arrangements available for pick up in the stores. We have an entire crew of extra helpers to prepare vases and containers, process incoming flowers and greens, and much more. Spending time with great people, playing with beautiful flowers, and creating something you know will make someone happy – doesn’t get much better than that.
Checking to make sure all the incoming flowers are accounted for before being put in the coolers for processing
Don’t wait until the last minute and panic about your Valentine’s gift!
Order now and don’t stress over the weekend. If you do reach panic mode Monday night (or Tuesday evening), don’t worry, we will have you covered in the store with last minute arrangements and gifts. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Roses ready to go out for delivery and to the stores just over the next couple days
As Valentine’s Day rapidly approaches, you are probably wondering what to do for that special someone. Maybe your plans include preparing a elegant dinner. If this is the case, you can stop by Harmons bakery. We have the bread to go with any meal you make, plus the pastries for after the meal. May I suggest our chocolate dipped strawberries?! We will have available 3 for $3.99 and 7 for $10.99! They are dipped in dark chocolate and will be made fresh in store at every Harmons location. If you are going out to eat you can still take advantage of the great pastries. Along with the strawberries, we have cakes, eclairs, cheesecake, and carmel scotchies, just to name a few. However, if you are really trying to impress your special someone, may I recommend the our Tira Misu. It is made with layers of marscapone mousse followed by made from scratch lady fingers, then topped with cocoa powder and coffee flavored chocolate beans. In my baking experience, a lot of pastry chefs order pre-made lady fingers. So, to have them made from scratch is just another example of Harmons is going that extra step for the sake of great product and satisfied customers! Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
Panoramic view of Harmons City Creek from the mezzanine
Here’s a peek inside what is rapidly becoming another open Harmons store. This inverted panoramic view from the mezzanine shows the Business Center and Post Office on the left and the Kitchenware department and the Cooking School on the right. Harmons City Creek will open on February 15th at 9am. With all the big windows along 100 South uncovered, it is easy to peek in and think that all the activity going on is happening in an open store. Be patient, we’re almost there!
Tomorrow, February 9th, is our annual PTA DAY! The stores are decorated with great artwork created by students and everyone is excited! On this special day each year we donate 5% of store sales to schools in our communities. All 15 locations will have great deals on items throughout the store and fun activities for kids and their families. Stop by and help us support these great local schools!
One of my favorite winter vegetables is brussel sprouts. I know, they often get a bad rap, but I’d like to share a quick, easy, delicious recipe in hopes of luring you into the tasty world of brussel sprouts. Your health (and taste buds) will thank you as they are high in fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin K.
Valentine’s Day is almost here! Do you have a special surprise for your Valentine yet? Or are you the type to wait until the last minute? Or have you just completely forgotten?
