Super 8 Delayed

Paramount Studios has removed “Super 8” from their intended September 20, 2011 release date.  While no new date has been confirmed it will likely be available for rental in November 2011.

Taste of Sundae

Hi, I’m thirteen years old and I am reviewing Nestlé’s Shocking Strawberry Shortcake Sundae.

I picked out this frozen treat from all the others in the cabinet because it had a spoon.  That’s what caught my attention, yes this little, tiny spoon persuaded me that this is the cool treat for me.  The scoops you can make are tiny, making the wait to get to the strawberry at the bottom forever.  When you do get to the bottom, the handle is so short that your fingers are all sticky.

Okay, now for the sundae, the creamy texture of the vanilla ice cream blending with the white chocolate balls in the topping is bliss.  A nice, sweet combination that munches well together.  After that white goodness, comes the strawberry concoction at the bottom.  Aah, the melting vanilla cream really brings out the strawberry of the red, gooey layer on the bottom.  It’s like ying and yang, perfect synergy.

At 250 calories, the Shocking Strawberry Shortcake Sundae is a fine choice.  The strawberry is well matched with the vanilla ice cream, while the white chocolate ball topping adds a nice accent.  A sweet sundae, just use you own spoon.

 

Cooking Burro Bananas

Burro Bananas are similar to plantains, a starchy flesh that lends well to cooking.  Can be prepared and substituted for potatoes in many dishes, but it is best ripened to when the fruit is soft.

Ripening can take time and can be helped along by sealing the fruit in a plastic bag with a conventional banana.  The fruit will be a molted brown or even black when Burro bananas are ready to cook.

In South America as well as in the Philippines, these bananas are sliced along it’s length about half a centimeter thick and pan fried.  Sprinkle with sugar immediately after removing from the pan.  Another common practice is to boil the whole banana in the skin and then eaten like baked potatoes.

 

Best Flower Shop 2011

Thank you to all our loyal and valued customers who voted Super Grocer & Pharmacy the Best Flower Shop in the Richmond Review’s readers poll of 2011.  The staff in our Floral department appreciates the recognition bestowed and will continue to strive to deliver the beautiful flowers and plants that many have come to depend on.  If there is anything that we can do to improve our service or your shopping experience, please fill in the response form below.

Pharmacare Change Medication Review

Pharmacare have announced that starting August 1, 2011 patients must have seven (7) medication, either prescription or non-prescription, recorded on their pharmacy profile for the government to continue to fund their Medication Review.

Medication Reviews are a health enhancing service.  Many misused and misunderstood medications have been corrected in the patients who have under gone this review.  Please contact our pharmacy to arrange for this valuable service if you have not reviewed your medication history with our pharmacist.

We can try to help you preserve your eligibility for Pharmacare funding.   Please bring in all your medications, vitamin and other medicines like Aspirin as well as herbal remedies that you current take.  If the containers are too bulky or inconvenient, you may write a list and we will record these medications for you in your pharmacy profile.

 

Beef Grading and Quality

Before discussing what qualities are used to differential grades of beef, a short introduction into cattle production will help.

Cattle raise for beef starting from calves are place in a feedlot.  They are fed grain, usually wheat, until they are ready for market.  There are also grass fed cattle that are then place in feedlots for finishing – that is fed grains to whiten the fat that otherwise will be yellow.  For the majority of beef from Alberta, where most of our beef comes from, 70% – 75% are of the Angus breed.

beef rib steak

Cattle for beef are fairly young, less than thirty months old.  Grades of beef are primarily segregated based on how much, what size and distribution of fat deposited in the rib eye muscle of an animal – called marbling.  In general, Canada Prime has the most marbling, followed by AAA, AA and A.  Sometimes, there maybe lots of fat in the muscle, but the fat deposits are too large or is not evenly distributed across the muscle, this lowers the grade.  At Super Grocer & Pharmacy, we primarily sell grades AA or AAA, with the intent to balance between tasty meat and lean meat.

In the United States, beef is graded similarly, with Prime, Choice and Select as the primary grades available in stores.  Choice and Select would be equivalent to our grades AAA and AA or A respectively.

Dairy cattle is sometimes sold to retail customers.  Some are “finished” with grain feed to whiten the fat and others are sold with their “natural” yellow fat.

Grass fed cattle is considered healthier than grain fed.  Grass fed cattle yields a leaner beef and meat that have an almost ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid, 2:1 or better.  Unfortunately, we have grown accustomed to the tender and the mild taste of meat from grain fed cattle.

beef steak

New Zealand is a small country composed of islands.  They have smaller pastures and grasslands and limited grain production.  Cattle is grass fed, minimally finished with grain and typically brought to market when twenty-four months old – younger, leaner and healthier.  New Zealand beef is tender, lean and has a mild flavour.  Super Grocer & Pharmacy carries beef from New Zealand.  Check our meat counter for cuts ready to grill.  Click here for recipes.

 

Summer Eating

There has just been but a trickle of hot weather this summer, yet many of us have started on our regular summer fare of barbecues and salads.  The fatty meats that tastes so good from the grill and the dressings that, well, dresses up our salads all contribute fats to our diet.  So here is a quick review of fats and our health.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are part of every healthy cell, but they can’t be produced by the body. EFAs must be consumed through food or supplements.  There are two major types of essential fatty acids: omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

 Omega-3 are polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish and some plant oils.  Not only are omega-3 fatty acids beneficial for a healthy heart, they also play a part in improving brain function ( learning ) and visual acuity.

Omega-6 fatty acids are very common, found in cooking oils such as sunflower and corn oils, plentiful in grain fed meats and in egg yolks.  They play a crucial role in brain function as well as normal growth and development.  They help stimulate skin and hair growth, maintain bone health, regulate metabolism, and maintain the reproductive system.

Both types of fatty acids are easily found in the foods we eat everyday.  The question then is what do we do to make our eating choices healthier.  The answer is balance.  It is how much of each type of fatty acid we eat that affect our health.  With our meat and oils heavy diet, we are consuming too much omega-6 fatty acids.  This leads to all the bad things we associate with fats – deteriorated blood circulation, leading to strokes, heart disease, and blindness.

Since we consume lots of foods rich in omega-6 fatty acids, we should emphasize eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids.  Common sources are from oily fish like sardines, salmon, trout and mackerel, oils from flax seed, canola seed, grape seed and olives and vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and raw spinach and lettuces.  If taste preferences or availability is an issue, then supplements of omega-3 is easy to introduce into our lifestyle and found in the the vitamin section of our pharmacy.

If you have more questions please ask our pharmacists.   Direct phone number is 604-274-7878.  While consulting the pharmacist, be sure to ask about our Medication Review service from Pharmacare.

Rice bran oil sampling.

On July 23, 2011, a Saturday, Brian from Natural Harvest will be sampling Rice Bran Oil.

Come try some.

natural harvest rice bran oil

Natural Harvest Rice Bran Oil

Rice bran oil starts to smoke above 250 degrees C, allowing foods to be fried for shorter periods and to minimize oil absorption.  The slight nutty flavour of the rice bran oil enhances food flavours; ideal for marinades and vinaigrettes.

Health benefits of rice bran oil derives from it’s high vitamin E content( an anti-oxidant ).  It is also rich is phytosterols, which helps lower cholesterol.

Brian will be demonstrating an oil and balsamic vinegar dip for those who would like to experience the unique taste of rice bran oil.

For that one day only, Super Grocer & Pharmacy will be featuring this exceptional oil at an exceptional price of $3.99 for 500ml.

Improvements to our website.

Our newly designed website started yesterday.  We hope that it improves the viewing experience for all of our customers.  There are improvements and new features.

Many requests were for our advertised prices to be better displayed.  We changed from publishing our ad in pdf format to a simple image in jpeg format.  The whole ad is now displayed in its entirety when viewed on most computers.  Easy to view online or download and print with any image viewers.

Our contact information moved to a separate page.   The various extensions for each department is included, as well as the pharmacy’s direct phone number.  For those who like to be rewarded, here is an alternate number you can use should our main telephone line be busy: 778-297-3955.

Feedback can now be left on each page.  So, if you not find or find something you want to comment on, please do so, always happy to know how to improve.

During our tests on the usability of our website, we found that we had scrolled down the page and would like to go to the top quickly.  Look to the lower, right side of your browser, you will find a red box that when clicked, takes you to the top.

This post you are reading is a new feature.  A way for us to share news, events and timely information with you, our valued customer.  We want to enhance your shopping experience by telling you more about the items that you buy or may wish to try.

Check back again and we will have more news and information to share with you.

Thank you for your business and have a nice day.