SPROUTS FARMERS MARKET STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST

There's talk on the street; it sounds so familiar.

Great expectations, everybody's watching you.

People you meet, they all seem to know you.

Even your old friends treat you like you're something new.

Johnny come lately, the new kid in town.

Everybody loves you, so don't let them down.

There is a new kid in town. This new kid has a man bun and wears skinny jeans. He loves organic and gluten free. This new kid in town is the newly open "Sprouts Farmers Market". I personally am not thrilled with this chain cashing in on the name Farmers Market because I am a manager at the Richmond Certified Farmers Market. Sprouts is a chain grocery store with locations throughout the country. It has been nicknamed the "Poor Mans Whole Foods". I need to do some further research before I pass judgement. With that in mind, it was time to pay a visit to our new local grocery store.

It was a dark and stormy rainy Monday but we still felt lucky to find parking in Sprouts designated parking lot. Since their Grand Opening several weeks ago the place has been a traffic nightmare. We ran through the raindrops and entered this new establishment. Inside we were greeted by a bright shiny new store that probably is the same throughout the country. The produce area was impressive with all the perfect shiny produce. Sprouts has a large selection of bulk grains, spice and even carry that hard to find item; gluten free coffee flour. (stay tuned for coffee flour adventure).Everything seemed so perfect and socially food correct that I was beginning to feel happy and wanted to purchase a beanie but I was on a mission to check out the meat market.

The meat market was nice. I was fascinated watching the clerk rolling fresh sushi rolls. The usual offerings of free range, organic and dare I say, grass fed meats, poultry and fish were displayed. The prices were comparable to other bay areas stores that include bay area inflation.. Sprouts runs a weekly ad and we were going to take advantage of the $2.99/pd stuffed chicken breast. The stuffing's offered were, cordon bleu, cheddar jalapeno, and asparagus jack. We bought two of the latter. (When we got home we discovered the clerk mistakenly gave us two of the asparagus jack). Cooking instructions were included with our purchase. I jest at hipness of this establishment but this was a very good deal for a dinner meal. Let's go home and cook dinner.

The cooking could not be easier. They were baked in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. I have to admit these were tasty. The clerk made a mistake by not including the different flavored stuffing but we forgive her because we devoured them. The stuffed breast had a seasoned breadcrumb covering which was crisp.and flavorful. The breast was juicy and moist. The filling was gooey with cheese and had little flavorful asparagus spears.

   It is too early to pass judgment on our new neighbor Sprouts. We were happy with our dinner. I want to explore more of the meat offerings and have coffee flour in my sights. I do have a problem with the use of Farmers Market in Sprouts name but working at a true Farmers Market makes me biased. With time I may be one of Sprouts best customers? In the meantime I may be shopping for a beanie.