Taking food home

I like to cook -- a lot -- but sometimes you just have to get take out. Recently, my daughter and I had a very full day planned and I knew we weren't going to be able to cook for ourselves at home and still keep to our schedule. We were in the Kingston area at the time, and someone recommended we check out Mother Earth's in the Kings Mall on Route 9W (technically in the town of Ulster.)

I'd shopped there many times before but not since it grew into another space in the mall. It's a natural foods (and other products) store and they now have an expanded area where they sell prepared, fresh foods. Well -- YUM! Are we glad we made that discovery! We brought home a fresh kale salad, a roasted beet salad, a sweet potato salad and a sesame noodle salad. It all was delicious. In fact, my nine-year-old keeps asking when we're going back to get more of the kale salad -- it was THAT good.

Mother Earth's also has stores in Poughkeepsie (1955 South Road) and in Saugerties (249 Main Street) and they say they are opening soon in a new location in Hyde Park. This is what they say on their Web site about the take-out food offerings at their "superstores" in Kingston and in Poughkeepsie: self serve salad bars and full service deli counters. We offer vegetarian and vegan dishes as well as fresh, heat them yourself, entrees. You will be able to find wheat free, gluten free, low sodium, and other diet conscience dishes as well. Hot soup is also available for eat-in or take-out.

I have a little trick I've used when I am rushed for time, in that I'll prepare our entree at home in the crockpot but pick up take-out veggies from our favorite Chinese restaurant (my kid adores their sauteed bok choi and spinach). Now that I know about the fantastic salads and veggies at Mother Earth's, I am adding them to my list. We WILL be back! :-)