Gourmet & Healthy in East Hill-Meridian

Today's Groupon frees you from the daunting decisions of canned-soup shelves: get 12 gourmet, pre-packaged, well-balanced meals designed by world-famous chefs Graham Kerr (TV's "The Galloping Gourmet") and Karl Guggenmos from Day-by-Day Gourmet. For all 12 tasty, one-portion meals, you pay only $59 (normally $99). Each perfectly portioned, healthy meal saves you days of mulling in the spice aisle, sobbing over chopped onions, scrubbing burnt rice off pans, and bleaching the mixing spoon.

The chefs at Gourmet Dog Japōn tinker with the classic hot-dog recipe, incorporating Japanese flavors such as wasabi mayo, seaweed nori, and red ginger for internationally flavored sandwiches in grilled buns. Classic dogs come topped with pickles, pizza dogs are piled with pepperoni and mozzarella, and hawaiian dogs are freshly picked from fields planted in underwater volcanoes.

Sassafras, sarsaparilla, and vanilla: above all, these are the flavors celebrated by The Root Beer Store, which is chock full of root beers from around the country. Owner Corey Anderson grew up making root beer with his dad, generating his admiration for root beer culture. Anderson was featured on King 5 for his passion for the soft drink, which manifests in his selection of more than 100 types from craft root-beer makers. From Hawaii to Maine to Australia, the creativity of each brewer shines in the collection, which customers browse with visions of ice cubes and ice cream to accompany them. The staff is on hand to help home brewers make their own soda with root beer kits, extracts from different brewers, and the lyrics to the chant sung to the root beer lord before starting each batch.

Since The Grainery first opened its doors in 1975, its stock has grown to include more than 4,000 natural and organic groceries and supplements, including many locally sourced items. To help customers navigate this cornucopia of items, staffers are on hand to direct shoppers to particular bulk spices, organic products, and rare items such as teff and sorghum, henna powders, and emu oil. Moreover, they can use their in-depth knowledge of the products to help customers select items that cater to specific lifestyles, including dairy-free, gluten-free, and Cheetos-free diets. In addition to food items, the store stocks cooking accessories that facilitate a healthy lifestyle as well as nonplastic food containers and utensils.

Nestled near the banks of the Columbia River, scores of leafy fruit trees bask in the sun's mild rays, free from the shock of hail or snow. This is Tiny's farm, which benefits from a unique microclimate ideal for growing stone fruits, whether those are their 10 peach varieties, six types of cherries, or nectarines glanced at by Medusa. Apples and pears flourish at a second, cooler farm location, and a bevy of heirloom tomatoes and leafy greens take residence in the nourishing soil as well. Once these chemical-free morsels have been picked and inspected, staffers haul them off to pickup locations, farmers' markets, and doorsteps throughout the area. Families can fill their pantries with organic goodies by joining Tiny's CSA program, which does double duty by not only granting a heaping bag of fruits and veggies each week, but also directly supporting a local farm. Offices also benefit when they snag a weekly office fruit box full of energy-boosting sweetness sure to stave off the sugar crash of break room donuts or water coolers filled with hummingbird nectar. :m]]