Wren's bargain guide, week beginning August 28th:

September is National Rice Month, and Fooducate's promoting the newest-and-latest, something called “red rice”.  It's from Bhutan, south of Tibet, and is said to be laden with antioxidants and have more fiber than brown rice.  I have not tried it and don't know where it can be found other than Amazon.com – try AJ's or Sprouts?  Also, a few facts about bagged salad greens, and reasons to take a short walk after eating.  Per Marion Nestle, the FDA's started a new project to study whether people's attitudes about food products change when the products are claimed to have improved nutrition.  (Of course they do.  That's why companies add extra nutrients, and proclaim that the cookies or breakfast cereals are just laden with calcium or vitamins or fiber – so you'll buy the damn things!)

A couple of recent magazine articles have promoted the notion that by Using The App and properly tweaking the menu, you can actually Eat!  Healthy!  At!  McDonald's!  Weighty Matters slams this quite thoroughly, pointing out that even the source article admits one thus risks becoming “one of those 'When Harry Met Sally' types who hold up the line with instructions and substitutions” (which rather goes against the idea of, y'know, fast food), and that some McDonald's salads have (with dressing) more calories than a Big Mac.  While we're on McDonald's, Canada's National Post reviews the “McLobster” sandwich, which the reviewer says “is to the lobster roll what the McDonald's burger is to the real burger....  It is lobster that has had its flavor replaced by a 'Mc'.”  To my knowledge this sandwich is not available in Southwestern markets, but it doesn't sound as though we're missing much.  And at Summer Tomato, seven helpful tips for being less sedentary at work.

Recipes!  Grist has how to cook food in your dishwasher – using sealed glass jars or vacuum bags, so you can actually wash dishes at the same time.  If you're going to be flying over this holiday weekend, Chow.com has packable snacks that will go through security and not give you food poisoning (and a wonderful tip on mixing your own airplane sangria!).  There are also 31 box-lunch recipes (says here “Healthy Recipes for Kids' Lunch Boxes”, but I think the wild-rice-and-edamame salad or the roasted spaghetti squash with parmegiano-reggiano might appeal to grownups) and an instructional flowchart for what you should bring to the picnic.  Simply Recipes has a quinoa succotash and an octopus salad (not for me, thank you, I do not eat anything smart enough to open a closed glass jar to extract the contents), and Snack Girl has high-protein snacks, a 133-calorie serving of “fries” (OK, they're roasted carrots, but they look delicious), five-minute homemade frozen yogurt, and what happens when you form the HABIT of eating fruit as your default snack.

Tomorrow is National More Herbs, Less Salt Day, which will be good for us all, and also Lemon Juice Day which can go well with the herbs.  The 31st is the highly weather-contingent Eat Outside Day, also National Trail Mix Day.  This is followed by September, which is Whole Grains Month, National Chicken Month, National Mushroom Month, National Breakfast Month (the most important meal of the day!), and National Bourbon Heritage Month.  I do not know whether this pertains to the beverage Bourbon or the nobility Bourbon.  Also Wine Season and Oyster Season begin on the 1st.


August 28th:  National Cherry Turnover Day
August 29th:  More Herbs Less Salt Day, Chop Suey Day, Lemon Juice Day, Whisk(e)y Sour Day
August 30th:  National Toasted Marshmallow Day
August 31st:  Eat Outside Day, National Trail Mix Day, International Bacon Day
September 1st:  National Cherry Popover Day
September 2nd:  National Blueberry Popsicle Day;  1666, a fire starts in a London bakery and over the next four days burns down 13,000 buildings in London
September 3rd:  National Welsh Rarebit Day (don't be afraid, it's just posh cheese-on-toast)
September 4th:  National Macadamia Nut Day, Eat An Extra Dessert Day


Albertson's:

    Beef ribeye, t-bone, New York steaks, bone in, $7.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steak OR tri tip roast, $5.99/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/eye round/bottom round roast or family pack steaks, boneless, $4.99/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $2.79/lb
    Assorted pork chops, bone in (?), $1.88/lb
    Pork loin chops, boneless, $6.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.79/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Coho salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Tilapia fillets, 1 lb frozen bag, $9.99, buy 1 get 3 free
    Challenge butter, 2/$5
    Daisy sour cream incl. Light, 16 oz tubs, 2/$4
    Sargento cheeses, 6-8 oz shingle pack, $2.99
    Bush's baked or “Grillin'” beans, 21-28 oz cans, 3/$5
    Bertolli olive oil, 17 oz bottles, $5.99
    Carapelli olive oil, 25 oz bottles, $5.99
    Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, $1
    Essential Everyday tomatoes or variety beans, 14-15 oz cans, 69¢/lb
    Peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
    Cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Honeydew melon, 49¢/lb
    Clementines, 2 lb bag, $4.99
    Sweet corn, 8/$1 (first 8 only)
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Grape tomatoes, 12 oz box, 2/$4
    Earthbound Farms organic mini carrots, 1 lb bag, 2/$4
    Earthbound Farms organic romaine hearts, 3 pk, $2.99


Bashas':

    Beef t-bone or boneless top sirloin steaks, value pack, $4.97/lb
    Beef crossrib roast, $3.99/lb (steaks, 50¢/lb higher)
    Beef porterhouse steaks, $6.97/lb
    Pork loin country style, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Pork loin end chops, $2.99/lb
    Chicken breast OR leg quarters, bone in, 87¢/lb
    Swai fillets, $2.99/lb
    Swordfish steaks, bone in, 6 oz portions, $2.99
    Atlantic salmon, 5 oz portions, $2.99
    Steelhead fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Cod fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Orange roughy fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Challenge butter, $2.99
    Daisy sour cream incl. Light, 16 oz tubs, 2/$4
    Sargento cheeses, 5-8 oz shreds or shingle pack, 2/$5
    Bush's baked or “Grillin'” beans, 21-28 oz cans, 3/$5
    Red seedless grapes, 87¢/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Red or black plums, 99¢/lb
    Organic Gala apples, $1.49/lb
    Organic vine tomatoes, AZ grown, $1.99/lb
    Green or red bell peppers, 77¢ ea
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 99¢ ea
    White or mild yellow onions, 59¢/lb
    Organic Hass avocados, 88¢ ea


Fry's:

    Beef ribeye or strip steaks, bone in, 50% off
    Whole beef brisket, boneless, $3.49/lb
    Beef crossrib roast or “Texas broil”, $3.99/lb
    Assorted pork loin chops, bone in, $2.49/lb
    Pork loin back ribs OR “St Louis style” ribs, buy 1 get 2 free
    Kroger 85/15 ground turkey, 1 lb pkg, 2/$7
    Swordfish steaks OR mahi mahi, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
    Kroger butter, 2/$5
    Country Crock spread, 45 oz tubs, $2.97 – buy 1, get a dozen Fry's eggs (AA large) free!
    Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/slices, $1.79
    Kraft or Sargento cheeses, 5-8 oz chunk or shreds, 2/$5
    Bush's baked beans, 21-28 oz cans, $1.79
    Kroger frozen veggies, 10-12 oz bags, 10/$10
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrées, 5/$10
    Mini seedless watermelons, 2/$3
    Cantaloupes, 99¢ ea
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
    Yellow peaches, 99¢/lb
    Plums, pluots, yellow or white nectarines, $1.88/lb
    Bartlett pears, $1.29/lb
    Honeydew melons, 2/$5
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Sweet corn, 3/99¢
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, OR iceberg, 99¢ ea
    “Mini peeled” carrots, 1 lb bag, 4/$5


Safeway:

    Beef top sirloin steak, boneless, value pack, $3.77/lb
    Beef NY strip steak, bone in, value pack, $4.77/lb
    Beef ribeye steak, bone in, value pack, $5.77/lb
    Beef round tip steak, boneless, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Beef chuck steak, boneless, $3.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Pork sirloin country style ribs or chops, boneless, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Pork shoulder country style ribs, bone in, value pack, $2.49/lb
    Safeway Farms chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone in, $1.39/lb
    Jennie-O Turkey Store ground turkey, 20 oz pkg, $3.99
    King salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
    Swordfish steaks, bone in, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Rockfish fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb “subject to availability”
    Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.89
    Sargento cheeses, 6-8 oz shingle pack, 2/$5
    Daisy sour cream incl, 16 oz tubs, $1.99
    Safeway Kitchens bread, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $1.99
    Smart Ones frozen entrées, 5/$10
    Birds Eye “Steamfresh” or “C&W” frozen veg, 10-16 oz bags, buy 2 get 2 free
    Green Giant “Steamers”, 11-12 oz pkg, 2/$5
    Yellow peaches or “Red Lion” nectarines, $1.99/lb
    “Pristine” green grapes, $2.99/lb
    Gala apples, $1.79/lb
    Mini watermelons OR cantaloupes, 2/$6
    Mangos, 10/$10
    Sweet corn, white/yellow/bicolor, 5/$1
    Hass avocados, 99¢ ea
    Hot house tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Campari tomatoes, 1 lb pkg, $3.99
    Organic bell peppers, red/yellow/orange, 2/$4
    Safeway Farms sweet mini peppers, 2 lb bag, $3.99
    O Organics “baby peeled” carrots, 1 lb bag, $1.99


Sprouts:

    Beef NY steak, bone in, $5.99/lb
    Beef chuck roast or steak, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Pork shoulder roast or steaks, boneless, $2.49/lb
    Pork or chicken sausage, all varieties, bulk or links, $2.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $2.49/lb
    Tilapia fillets, $3.99/lb
    Whole seedless watermelons, 18¢/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, 98¢/lb
    Yellow nectarines, red or black plums, 98¢/lb
    Gala apples, 98¢/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 98¢/lb
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 98¢ ea

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning August 21st:

Couple of interesting pieces at Fooducate:  a comparison between fruit and fruit juices (“It takes 3-4 oranges to make a one-cup serving of orange juice. You can drink a cup of orange juice in 25 seconds and instantly ask for another glass”), and an analysis of whether “organic” produce is really that much better than the other kind.  Per Grist, climate change is making apples and other fruits softer and sweeter than they were a few decades ago.  Food Politics approaches the FDA's definition of “whole grain”.  And Summer Tomato looks for “Sugar's Sweet Spot:  How To Eat Less Without Saying No”.  In this one Darya coincidentally touches on one of our recent WW topics, whether a particular food is worth the calories or PointsPlus:  there's a difference, she says, between “eating donuts during your meeting because you ate a chalky energy bar for breakfast” on the one hand, and on the other letting “Grandma’s apple pie whisk you back in time, filling you with a Proustian bliss of nostalgia and joy”.

Recipes!  Summer Tomato also provides us with summer-perfect fish tacos, “nothing like your typical restaurant version overloaded with sour cream and under-filled with a few tiny pieces of fried fish”, topped with a peach-avocado salsa.  At Chow.com, a video on how to pack a salad for lunch that stays reasonably crisp and doesn't leave you getting hungry by 1:30!  Also a sauteed ratatouille, plausible uses for the veggie pulp from your juicer, and God help us bacon jam.  At Smitten Kitchen, rice-stuffed tomatoes which doesn't sound interesting but they look tasty.  Simply Recipes has a number of items this week:  quinoa succotash, grilled shrimp with an Italian tomato salsa, vinaigrette green chiles, and how to roast your own sunflower seeds.  And at Snack Girl a two-ingredent black bean soup that doesn't call for cooking and can double as a dip if you serve it at room temperature, portion-controlled garlic fries, and healthy snacks on a budget.

With Labor Day in the offing, the biggest grocery promotions are for things that can be cooked on a grill.  When I was a girl this meant burgers, steaks, hotdogs, sweet corn, and maybe the occasional piece of chicken.  Today the category has been expanded to include just about anything short of peas or Cream of Wheat, which includes a lot of healthier options and possible wise choices!

Next Tuesday is Banana Lovers' Day.  The 24th is National Waffle Day, not to be confused with International Waffle Day which is in March.  And one week from today is La Tomatina:  in the town of Buñol, in Spain, twenty thousand people throw 120 tons of tomatoes at each other.  (There are rules:  all tomatoes have to be pre-squashed, don't throw anything but tomatoes, get out of the way of trucks, no ripping off of t-shirts.)  Sounds messy but fun.



August 21st:  National Spumoni Day
August 22nd:  National Pecan Torte Day
August 23rd:  National Spongecake Day
August 24th:  National Waffle Day, National Peach Pie Day
August 25th:  National Banana Split Day;  some sources give this as National Waffle Day
August 26th:  National Cherry Popsicle Day
August 27th:  National Banana Lovers' Day, National Pots de Crème Day
August 28th:  National Cherry Turnover Day;  La Tomatina (Spanish tomato-throwing festival);  1837, John Lea and William Perrins of Worcester, England go into the sauce business




Albertson's:

    Beef ribeye, t-bone, New York steaks, bone in, 50% off
    Beef London broil, boneless, $2.97/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round/eye round roast or family pack steaks, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steak, $4.99/lb
    Beef tri tip roast, $4.99/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $2.79/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $2.97/lb
    Pork loin chops, boneless, $7.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, $2.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.88/lb
    Jennie-O ground turkey patties, 3 lb IQF package, $7.99
    Whole salmons, wild caught, $2.99/lb
    Orange roughy fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.89
    Essential Everyday butter, 2/$5
    Essential Everyday cheeses, 8 oz chunk, 2/$5
    Tillamook sliced cheeses, 12 oz square pack, $3.99
    Deli:    Jennie-O “Deli Style” turkey breast, $4.99/lb
        Deli Fresh Provolone/Muenster/pepperjack/mild Cheddar, $5.99/lb
        Charlie's Pride pastrami or corned beef, $5.99/lb
        Magherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
    Essential Everyday tomatoes or veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 50¢
    Hunt's tomato sauce, 8 oz cans, 25¢
    Essential Everyday pasta, 12-16 oz boxes, 75¢
    Barilla pasta, 12-16 oz boxes, 4/$5
    Barilla pasta sauces, 24 oz jars, 2/$4 – buy 2 and get 1 Barilla pasta free!
    Morningstar Farms frozen entrées, 2/$7
    Healthy Choice frozen entrées, $2.49
    Birds Eye “Steamfresh” veggie blends, 2/$4
    Jumbo cantaloupes, 99¢ ea
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
    Peaches OR nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Black plums, $1.49/lb
    Navel oranges OR Minneolas, $1.49/lb
    Bartlett pears, $1/lb
    Organic grape tomatoes, 12 oz bag, 2/$5
    Bell peppers, red/yellow/orange, 2/$3


Bashas':

    Beef t-bone/New York/top sirloin steaks, 50% off
    Beef crossrib steak or roast, $3.99/lb
    Ground beef chuck, fat content not listed, $2.99/lb
    Boneless pork chops, 50% off
    Pork loin country style, bone in, country style WHAT they decline to specify, $2.49/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, 50% off
    Sanderson Farms  whole chickens, $1.39/lb
    Food Club butter, 2/$5
    Bashas' eggs, AA large, dozens, 98¢
    Kraft cheeses, 7-8 oz chunk or shreds, 2/$5
    Kellogg's Nutri-Grain or Fiber Plus bars, $2.49
    Birds Eye “Voila!” meals, 21 oz frozen pkg, $3.99
    Yellow peaches, 77¢/lb
    Mini seedless watermelons, $1.99 ea
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
    Red or black plums, 99¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, regular or organic, $1.99/lb
    Large Hass avocados, 2/$3
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, AZ grown, 99¢ ea
    Earthbound Farms “baby peeled” carrots, 2/$3
    Cucumbers OR green bell peppers, 77¢ ea
    Red or gold bell peppers, 10/$10


Fry's:

    Beef top sirloin, boneless, $5.99/lb
    Pork roasts:  loin, picnic, butt, boneless sirloin, whole in bag, 50% off, sliced free
    Pork loin center chops, boneless, $2.99/lb
    Pork country style ribs, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Foster Farms boneless skinless chicken breast/thighs/tenders, buy 1 get 2 free (same item)
    Coho salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Corvina fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    Fry's milk, half gallons only, 10/$10
    Kroger cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or shreds, $2.99
    Nature Valley OR Fiber One bars, 5-12 ct, $2.49
    Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 79¢
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrées, 5/$10
    Green seedless grapes, 85¢/lb
    Yellow peaches, 99¢/lb
    Cantaloupes, $1.99 ea
    Dole bag salads, 99¢ ea
    Sweet corn, 2/88¢
    Mini rose in a 4 inch pot, with eeny trellis, $5.99 but they have no scent


Safeway:

    Beef chuck steak, boneless, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Beef bottom round roast, $3.99/lb
    90/10 ground beef, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Pork sirloin country style ribs, boneless, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Pork loin chops, bone in, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Safeway Farms chicken breast/thighs/drums/leg quarters, bone in, 99¢/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Tilapia fillets, $3.99/lb
    Kraft cheeses, 6-12 oz shreds or shingle pack, buy 1 get 1 free
    Safeway Select pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, $1.99
    Healthy Choice frozen entrées, 5/$10
    Gorton's “Grilled Fillets”, buy 1 get 1 free
    “Red Lion” nectarines, 99¢/lb
    Cantaloupes OR honeydew melons, 2/$4
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.99/lb
    Gala apples, $1.99/lb
    Navel oranges, $1.99/lb
    Pluots, $2.99/lb
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, $1.49/lb
    Iceberg, 99¢ ea
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Sweet corn, 2/$1


Sprouts:

    Beef rump roast, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, $6.99/lb
    Pork shoulder roast OR country style ribs, boneless, $1.49/lb
    Pork sirloin chops or roast, $2.99/lb
    Pork sausage, sweet or hot, bulk $1.99/lb, links, $2.99/lb
    Ground pork, chicken, chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Coho salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Ahi tuna steaks, bone in, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, 98¢/lb
    Whole seedless watermelons, 3 lbs/$1
    Large cantaloupes, 98¢ ea
    Black or red plums, 98¢/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 2 lbs/$3
    Organic white or yellow peaches OR yellow nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 98¢/lb
    Grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$4
    Organic vine tomatoes, 2 lbs/$3
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 98¢ ea
    Sweet corn, 5/$1

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning August 14th:

Fooducate has 10 reasons to eat kiwifruit this week (my God, that's an embarrassing edit:  the antecedent for “this week” is “has”, not “eat”), and a list of five tips for keeping weight off after you lose it.  Grist covers Grapery's “Cotton Candy” grape cultivar:  slightly higher sugar level than most grapes, very low acidity, and aromatics that mean they really do taste like cotton candy:  Grist suggests they may be “a gateway drug to kids eating more fresh fruit”.  I've seen them at AJ's Fine Foods in past years:  frankly I prefer “Sweet Celebration” but YMMV.

A group of people on Kickstarter are soliciting donations to start making something they're calling “100% Sugar-Free Juice”.  And how does one go about making juice “sugar-free”, I hear you asking?  Why, by taking out everything that makes it juice, leaving only the water.  Bottle the water – in what we're assured is a “long and elegant, smooth and sophisticated” bottle, “sculpted to fit perfectly in the average woman's hand” – and you get “Koa Organic Water”, soon (they hope) to be available at a store near you for what I can only surmise will be a decidedly non-trivial price.

Appropriately for this month's Weight Watchers routine, the NYT covers a new study about reasons losing sleep makes it harder to lose weight.  (WW would have to choose this routine the week of the Perseid Meteor Shower!)  And Summer Tomato has how to break the late-night-snack habit, and seven reasons not to think “I'll start eating healthy, just as soon I've lost some weight on this DIET!”

Recipes!  At Chow.com three dozen “cold dishes for hot weather” (caution:  there are a fair percentage of creamy salads), a set of “veggie sides and salads” for a cookout, a video on how to make a workplace lunch actually interesting, and twenty-six tomato recipes ranging from the pretentiously elaborate (a fresh-tomato-and-cheese tart with goat and ricotta cheeses and a balsamic reduction) to the elegantly simple (heirloom tomatoes, good vinegar, olive oil, fresh herbs).  Simply Recipes has tomatoes too, in a delicious-looking pasta dish.  Sprouted Kitchen and Smitten Kitchen both have kale-salad recipes, although Deb at Smitten freely admits she's the one who said “the world would be a better place if we could all stop pretending that kale tastes good”.  And Snack Girl has workouts, lunchbox snacks, coconut oil, and a reasonable substitute for fried rice under 200 calories.

Friday is National Rum Day, surely worth celebrating in moderation.  Monday, the 19th, is both National Potato Day and Hot & Spicy Foods Day, a possibly tasty combination.  And tomorrow is the birthday of Julia Child!  All hail!



August 14th:  National Creamsicle Day
August 15th:  National Lemon Meringue Pie Day;  Julia Child born, 1912;  Surströmingspremiären, the date on which Swedish ordinance permits the selling of the year's supply of Surströming to begin. 
August 16th:  National Rum Day, National Bratwurst Day, Baba au Rhum Day;  1889, Hanson Goodrich patents the coffee percolator
August 17th:  National Vanilla Custard Day, National Honeybee Day
August 18th:  National Ice-Cream Pie Day
August 19th:  National Soft Serve Ice-Cream Day, National Potato Day, National Hot & Spicy Foods Day
August 20th:  National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day, National Lemonade Day
August 21st:  National Spumoni Day, National Pecan Torte Day



Albertson's:

    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $8.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Beef chuck/crossrib/eye round/bottom round roast or family pack steaks, boneless, $3.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $2.99/lb
    Assorted pork chops, bone in (?), $1.49/lb
    Pork loin chops, boneless, buy 1 get 1 free
    Center cut pork loin or sirloin chops, bone in, buy 1 get 1 free
    Sanderson Farms whole frying chickens, 88¢/lb
    Sanderson Farms chicken breast/drums/thighs/leg quarters, bone in, 88¢/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    Alaskan coho salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.89
    Albertson's sour cream, 16 oz tub, $1
    Essential Everyday cheeses, 8 oz shingle pack, $2.99/lb
    Deli:      Signature Virginia ham, $3.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson ham/turkey/chicken, $7.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson slicing cheeses, $5.99/lb
        Charlie's Pride regular or Italian roast beef, beef pastrami, corned beef, $6.99/lb
        Stella Swiss/Provolone/Muenster cheeses, $6.99/lb
    Hunt's tomato sauce, 15 oz cans, $1
`    Bertolli olive oil, 25 oz bottles, $6.99/lb
    White peaches or nectarines, $2.49/lb
    Bartlett pears, $1/lb
    Roma tomatoes, $1/lb
    Eggplant, $1 ea
    Tomatillos, $1/lb
    English cucumbers, $1 ea
    Zucchini, $1/lb


Bashas':

    Beef t-bone steaks, value pack, $4.88/lb (regular pack, $1/lb higher)
    Beef ribeye steaks, boneless, 12 oz portions, $8.99 ea
    Beef New York steak, bone in, $7.38/lb
    Beef porterhouse steaks, $6.38/lb
    Ground beef chuck, fat content not listed, $2.99/lb
    Pork loin country style, that's all it says, $1.18/lb
    Pork loin end chops, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Chicken breast, bone in, $1.18/lb
    King salmon fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    Dover sole fillets, $3.99/lb
    Mahi mahi, 6 oz portions, $2.99 ea
    Orange roughy fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Cod fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Tillamook cheeses, 8 oz chunk or shreds, 5/$10
    Food Club tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 69¢
    Libby's veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 69¢
    Dole pineapple, 8 oz short cans, 69¢
    Chicken of the Sea solid white tuna, 4/$5
    Healthy Choice frozen entrées, 5/$11
    MorningStar Farms frozen, 5-12 oz, 2/$7
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, 88¢/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 88¢/lb
    Red or black plums, 88¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, regular or organic, $1.99/lb
    Green bell peppers, 2/$1
    Red or gold bell peppers, 10/$10
    Zucchini OR grey squash, 99¢/lb
    Hatch green chiles, 88¢/lb

Fry's:

    Beef chuck roast or steak, boneless, 50% off
    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Pork loin chops, boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Kroger chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone in, $1.39/lb
    Jennie-O 93/7 ground turkey, 20 oz pkg, $4.99
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
    Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/shingle pack, $1.79
    Nature Valley OR Fiber One bars, 5-12 ct, $2.49
    Barilla pasta, 12-16 oz boxes, 10/$10
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrées, 5/$10
    Yellow peaches, 99¢/lb
    Yellow or white nectarines, $1.88/lb
    Red or black plums, $1.88/lb
    Honeydews OR mini seedless watermelons, 2/$5
    Raspberries, 6 oz boxes, 99¢/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/romaine, OR iceberg, 99¢ ea
    Celery, 99¢ ea
    Broccoli, 99¢/lb


Safeway:

    Beef London broil, boneless, $2.79/lb
    Beef crossrib steak OR chuck “country-style” ribs, boneless, value pack, $3.49/lb
    Beef ribeye steak, bone in, value pack, $8.49/lb
    80/20 ground beef, value pack, $2.79
    93/7 ground beef, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Pork shoulder country style ribs, value pack, $1.49/lb
    Pork loin, boneless, whole in bag, $2.99/lb
    Sanderson Farms boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, $2.99/lb3.99
    Safeway ground turkey, 20 oz pkg, $
    Keta salmon fillets, wild caught, value pack, $3.99/lb (regular pack, $1/lb higher)
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.88/lb
    Starkist chunk light or white tuna, 5/$5
    American Beauty pasta, 1 lb bags, buy 1 get 1 free
    Safeway Select “simmer sauces”, 16 oz jars, 2/$5
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrées, 4/$10
    Green seedless grapes, 99¢/lb
    Red Delicious apples OR Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Mini seedless watermelons OR “Tuscan-style” cantaloupes, 2/$6
    Peaches OR nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Gala apples, $1.49/lb
    Red seedless watermelons, $5.99 ea
    Red or black plums, $1.49/lb
    Mangos, 10/$10
    Sweet corn, 6/$2
    Vine tomatoes, $2.49/lb
    Grape tomatoes, 10 oz box, 2/$5
    Fresh Express OR Safeway Farms bag salads, 2/$5


Sprouts:

    Beef London broil, $2.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef sirloin, $3.99/lb
    Pork loin chops or roast, boneless, $2.99/lb
    Whole or cut up chickens, $1.59/lb
    Rosie's organic chicken drumsticks, $1.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken thighs, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Chicken sausage:  apple, basil, bratwurst, $2.99/lb
    All the frozen food you can fit in a bag, 20% off
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $8.99/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 68¢/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, 98¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 48¢/lb
    Gala apples, 98¢/lb
    Mangos, 68¢/lb
    Cantaloupes OR honeydew melons, 2/$3
    Organic vine tomatoes, $1.48/lb
    Beefsteak tomatoes, 98¢/lb
    Grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$3
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 98¢ ea

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning August 7th:

For the benefit of newer members:  Every week I go through the newspaper grocery flyers, typing up the bargains that seem healthiest, lowest-PointsPlus, and least processed.  I add items of possible interest, with commentary often snarky and occasionally political, and print it out.  This is NOT in any way, shape, form, or fashion an official Weight Watchers THING – it's just my hobby.  There's a blog, too, and you've found it -- welcome.  B-)

Fooducate is really riding the “hydration” topic this summer, currently treating how to hydrate with water, fruits (watermelon, 92% water), and veggies (cucumber, 96% water).  They're also promoting Snack Girl's classic burger alternative:  brush a portobello mushroom cap with olive oil, grill it 5-8 minutes per side, put it on a bun!  Top of course with whatever you'd like on a burger (me for sundried tomatoes and a slice of reduced-fat cheese).  The New York Times on the difference between eating fruit and drinking fruit juice.  (Guess which is better!)  And at Food Politics, the fraught topic of which food additives are considered GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) by the FDA:  “Manufacturers get to decide whether food additives are safe or not.  Manufacturers get to decide whether to bother to tell the FDA the additives are in the food supply.  And if they do volunteer to inform the FDA (and many do), manufacturers get to decide who sits on the panels that review the evidence for safety.”

Recipes!  Chow.com has eight chilled soups, DIY frozen yogurt, twenty “Fast and Light Summertime Breakfast Recipes”, and a review of the Prodyne Fruit Infusion pitcher.  Everyone else is doing tomatoes:  Simply Recipes has a tomato salad with soy sauce, Smitten Kitchen has a cherry-tomato galette, and Snack Girl has bruschetta, caprese, and a friend who carries a salt-shaker in his glove box all summer just in case he passes a produce stand.

This second week of August is National Apple Week!  August, however, is not National Apple Month – that comes later.  And if your garden harvest has been substantial this year, don't forget that tomorrow is National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night. 

August 7th:  National Raspberries & Cream Day
August 8th:  National Frozen Custard Day, National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night
August 9th:  National Rice Pudding Day
August 10th:  National S'mores Day, National Banana Split Day
August 11th:  National Raspberry Bombe Day
August 12th:  National Toasted Almond Bar Day, Julienne Fries Day;  grouse season opens in Britain
August 13th:  National Filet Mignon Day
August 14th:  National Creamsicle Day;  feast of St. Werenfrid, patroness of vegetable gardeners


Albertson's:

    Beef ribeye or New York steak, bone in, family pack, $5.97/lb
    Beef country style ribs, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Beef London broil, $3.99/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $2.97/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $2.99/lb
    Pork country style ribs, bone in, $1.99/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut, boneless OR bone in, buy 1 get 1 free
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.88/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillet, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.89
    Albertson's eggs, AA large, dozens, 99¢
    Daisy sour cream, 16 oz tubs, $1.79
    Albertson's cottage cheese, 16 oz tubs, $1.79
    Deli:    Dietz & Watson slicing cheeses, $5.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson slicing meats, $7.99/lb
        Jennie-O “Honey Smoked” or “Oven Brown” turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        USA Gold honey or baked ham, $5.99/lb
        Charlie's Pride roast or Italian beef, corned beef, pastrami, $6.99/lb
        Stella Swiss/Provolone/Muenster cheeses, $6.99/lb
        Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $4.99/lb
    Chicken of the Sea chunk white tuna, 4/$5
    PictSweet “Steamables”, 10 oz frozen bags, 98¢
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
    Nectarines OR black plums, $1.49/lb
    White peaches, $2.49/lb
    Navel oranges, $1.69/lb
    Grape tomatoes, 12 oz box, 2/$4
    Earthbound Farms organic box salads, 5 oz, $2.99


Bashas':

    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, value pack, $3.88/lb
    Beef London broil, $3.99/lb
    Beef ribeye steak, bone in, $7.99/lb
    Ground beef sirloin, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Center cut pork chops, boneless, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Pork loin, boneless, whole in bag, $1.88/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.88/lb
    Rockfish fillets, $3.79/lb “weather permitting”
    Bashas' milk, gallons, $1.89
    Food Club cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $7.77
    Bashas' “Homestyle” bread, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $1.99
    Chicken of the Sea chunk white tuna, 99¢
    PictSweet frozen veg, 10-12 oz pkg, 2/$3
    Yellow peaches, nectarines, red/black plums, Bartlett pears, 69¢/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
    Sweet corn, 5 ct, $2.49
    Vine tomatoes, regular or organic, $1.99/lb
    Grape tomatoes, 12 oz box, 2/$4


Fry's:

    Beef NY strip steaks, 50% off
    Beef crossrib roast OR Texas broil, boneless, $4.29/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $2.99/lb (3 lb chub)
    Pork loin back ribs OR St Louis-style spareribs, buy 1 get 2 free
    Pork loin chops, bone in center cut, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.79/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught,  $8.99/lb
    Swordfish steaks, bone in, $6.99/lb
    Mahi mahi fillets, boneless, $6.99lb
    Fry's milk, half gallons, 10/$10
    Kroger cheeses, 8 oz chunk or shreds OR 6 oz shingle pack, $1.88
    Classico pasta sauces, 50% off
    StarKist chunk white tuna, 4/$5
    Birds Eye “Voila Meals”, 21-22 oz, 50% off
    Smart Ones frozen entrées, 5/$10
    Simple Truth meatless entrées, 14-16 oz, $3.99
    Green seedless grapes, 85¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 88¢/lb
    Yellow peaches, 99¢/lb
    Whole seedless watermelons, $4.99 ea
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb


Safeway:

    Beef crossrib steak, boneless, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Beef country style ribs, boneless, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, value pack, $4.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Pork loin chops, bone in, value pack, $1.49/lb
    Pork tenderloin, boneless, whole in bag, $4.99/lb
    Pork loin, boneless, whole in bag, $2.99/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Safeway Farms chicken thighs/drumsticks, bone in, $1.39/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $4.99/lb
    Lucerne OR Open Nature cheeses, 24-32 oz chunk or shreds, $6.99/lb
    Sargento cheeses, 6-8 oz shingle pack, $3.49
    Safeway Kitchens crushed-wheat or 100%-wheat bread, 22 oz loaves, $1.99
    Safeway Kitchens veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 69¢/lb
    Hunt's tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 10/$10
    Lean Cuisine “Simple Favorites”, $1.85
    Safeway Kitchens frozen veg, 24-32 oz bags, 2/$5
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, buy 1 get 1 free
    Red or black plums, 99¢/lb
    Hot house tomatoes, $1.49/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Gala apples, 3 lb bag, 2/$6
    Bartlett pears, $1.49/lb
    Navel oranges, $1.49/lb
    Sweet corn, white or yellow, 2/$1
    Red or green bell peppers, 99¢ ea





Sprouts:

    Beef sirloin tip roast or steak, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Beef New York steaks, boneless, $7.99/lb
    Grass-fed organic beef crossrib or rump roast, $5.99/lb
    85/15 “all-natural” ground beef, value pack, $2.99/lb
    “Super lean” ground pork, $2.99/lb
    Pork sirloin chops or roast, boneless, $1.79/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $2.49/lb
    Chicken sausage:  Italian, Parmesan, or spinach-and-Feta, $2.99/lb
    Mahi mahi fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb
    Ethnic Gourmet frozen entrées, 2/$6
    Yellow nectarines, red or black plums, 48¢/lb
    Bartlett or Asian pears, 48¢/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, 98¢/lb
    Gala apples, 98¢/lb
    Cantaloupes, 98¢ ea
    Seedless mini watermelons, 2/$5
    Organic pluots, red or black plums, $1.49
    Organic yellow peaches, $1.49/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 2 lbs/$3
    Cherry tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$3
    Sweet corn, 48¢ ea
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 98¢ ea
    Green or red bell peppers, 48¢ ea
    Cucumbers, 48¢ ea