Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Wren's bargain guide, week beginning July 30th:
Fooducate touches on high-protein chips, Rainier cherries (if you have not tried them do so AT ONCE), and mustard, especially Dijon mustard. A condiment with zero fats and zero sugars! Jane Brody at the Well has a basic what-you-need-to-know about probiotics, informative and healthily skeptical. Also at the Well, a comparison guide to activity trackers although it does not include the ActiveLink, and a video-enhanced guide to what the activity tracker notices and what it ignores, and why.
At AlterNet I find a listing “5 Healthy Foods You Can Easily Overeat”, definitely worth reading not only for its cautions about foods but for some very good tips on estimating portion sizes! (An ounce of nuts? An Altoids tin. Two tablespoons of hummus? A walnut in a shell.) And Monica Reinagel investigates the new food-replacement product called, and I really think they should have given this just a bit more consideration, Soylent.
Recipes! Ruth Reichl has how to cook a perfect piece of salmon. Chow.com rebuts with salmon kebabs, other shish kebabs, picnic dishes, and toppings for sweet corn. Smitten Kitchen has a three-ingredient salsa; Simply Recipes answers with a rather pretty “Confetti Cucumber Salsa” and a zucchini-turkey burger that might overcome my dislike for turkey. At thekitchn.com I find five tips for making a week's worth of salads on Sunday! Simple Nourished Living has, as usual, slow-cooker everything – taco fillings, sesame chicken, a berry cobbler – a green smoothie and some thoughts on juicing and Weight Watchers. And Snack Girl has a six-minute marinara sauce, and an eggplant recipe that doesn't open with “Salt the eggplant, let sit for ½ – 1 ½ hours, rinse off the salt under running water, and then dry the eggplant.” (As she says, who has time for that?)
Almost August – we're on the home stretch, soon we'll have survived another Arizona summer. Focus on the fact that it's National Peach Month and National Watermelon Month. The 3rd is National Watermelon Day. Also Grab Some Nuts Day. Changing topics with remarkable suddenness, next Tuesday is National Oyster Day. I'll never turn down a half-dozen on the half shell, even if eating raw oysters is (in the immortal words of Nanny Ogg) like having a bad cold and no handkerchief.
July 30th: National Cheesecake Day
July 31st: National Raspberry Cake Day, National Cotton Candy Day, National Jump For Jelly Beans Day
August 1st: National Raspberry Ice-Cream Pie Day, IPA (India Pale Ale) Day
August 2nd: National Ice-Cream Sandwich Day
August 3rd: National Watermelon Day, Grab Some Nuts Day
August 4th: National Chocolate Chip Day, National Champagne Day
August 5th: National Oyster Day
August 6th: National Root Beer Float Day
Albertson's:
Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York steaks, bone in, $8.99/lb
85/15 ground beef, $2.99/lb
Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, $7.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.67/lb (3 lbs or more)
Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.88
Albertson's eggs, AA large, 18 ct, 2/$5
Essential Everyday butter, 2/$5
Deli: Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
Dietz & Watson ham, turkey, chicken breast, $6.75/lb
Dietz & Watson cheeses, $6.75/lb
Hunt's tomato sauce, 15 oz cans, 88¢
Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, 88¢
Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 88¢
S&W variety (non-baked) beans, 15 oz cans, 69¢
Chicken of the Sea sardines, 79¢
Red cherries, $2.99/lb
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb (organic, $1/lb higher)
Yellow peaches, $1.99/lb
Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
Honeydew melon, 49¢/lb
Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
Cut up watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, 24 oz bowls, $3.99 ea or 3/$10
Sweet corn, 8/$1
English cucumbers, 99¢ ea
Summer squashes, zucchini/yellow/grey, 99¢/lb
Bashas':
Beef t-bone steaks OR tri tip roast, $5.77/lb
Beef crossrib roast or steak, $4.99/lb
Beef ribeye or New York steak, boneless, $8.99/lb
Ground beef chuck, fat content not listed, $2.99/lb
Center cut pork chops, boneless, value pack, $3.99/lb
Pork roast, boneless, $3.49/lb
Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.88/lb
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
Dover sole fillets, $5.99/lb “weather permitting”
Challenge butter, $3.29
Food Club cheeses, 10-16 oz chunk/shreds/string, $3.99
Francesco Rinaldi pasta sauces, 23-24 oz jars, 4/$5
Flav-R-Pac frozen veg, 11-16 oz pkg, 3/$5
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, regular or organic, $1.99/lb
Red or black plums, yellow peaches or nectarines, 2 lbs/$3
Blueberries, 6 oz box, 99¢
Bartlett pears, 77¢/lb
Sweet corn, 8/96¢
Vine tomatoes, 87¢/lb
Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 99¢
Fry's:
Beef NY strip steak, bone in, $5.97/lb
Beef chuck steak or roast, boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
85/15 ground beef, $3.99/lb (3 lb chub)
Pork loin back ribs OR St Louis style ribs, buy 1 get 2 free
Foster Farms boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
Kroger 85/15 ground turkey, 1 lb pkg, $2.99/lb
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
Orange roughy fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
Catfish fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
Fry's eggs, AA large, dozens, 99¢
Kroger cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or shreds, 2/$7
Lean Cuisine “Culinary Collection” frozen entrees, 5/$10
Raspberries, 6 oz box, 87¢
Yellow peaches or nectarines, 99¢/lb
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
Bartlett pears, $1.29/lb
Sweet corn, 8/99¢
Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, OR iceberg OR spinach, 99¢/bunch
Safeway:
This is a bit confusing: they have boneless beef top sirloin steaks listed at $4.99 and $5.99/lb, beef New York strip steaks at $5.99 and $7.99/lb.
Beef chuck roast, boneless, $4.99/lb
Pork shoulder blade country style ribs, bone in, $1.79/lb
Whole pork tenderloin, $5.99/lb
Keta salmon fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb “weather permitting”
Norwegian Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $9.99/lb
Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
Tilapia fillets, farm raised, $4.99/lb
Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.88
Tillamook cheeses, 8 oz shingle pack, $2.99
Snyder's pretzels, 12-16 oz bags, 2/$5
Prego pasta sauces, 14-24 oz jars, $1.49
Smart Ones frozen entrees, $1.99
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
Whole seedless watermelons, $5.99 ea
Yellow peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
Apples: Envy, Fuji, Gala, $1.99/lb
Navel oranges, $1.79/lb
Red cherries, $2.99/lb
Mangos, 10/$10
Sweet corn, 4/$1
Vine tomatoes, 99¢/lb
Hass avocados, 10/$10
Organic leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, $1.99/bunch
Hatch chiles, 99¢/lb
Sprouts:
Beef NY steak, bone in, $6.99/lb
Beef chuck or crossrib roast, boneless, $5.99/lb
Beef stew meat OR London broil, $5.49/lb
Pork sirloin chops or roast, boneless, $2.99/lb
Pork or chicken bulk sausage, $3.49/lb
Chicken leg quarters or drumsticks, value pack, 99¢/lb
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
Blueberries, 6 oz boxes, 98¢
Green seedless grapes, 98¢/lb
Whole cantaloupes, 98¢ ea
Bartlett pears OR mangos, 2 lbs/$1
Black plums OR Dapple pluots, 98¢/lb
Red cherries, $1.98/lb
Gala/Granny Smith/Red Delicious apples, 98¢/lb
Apple pears, 2/$1
Beefsteak tomatoes, 98¢/lb
Italian or yellow squash, 98¢/lb
Cucumbers, 2/$1
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Wren's bargain guide, week beginning July 23rd:
RECALL: There's a voluntary recall on stone fruits grown in California, packed by Wawona Packing Company, including both organic and conventionally grown white and yellow peaches, white and yellow nectarines, black plums, and pluots. Some of the fruits – which may be contaminated with a bacterium called Listeria monocytogenes, which causes the serious illness listeriosis – are known to have been shipped to Trader Joe's, Costco, Wal-Mart, and Sam's Club; they have possibly also been shipped to several other stores, including (in our area) Fry's and Whole Foods. More information including a complete list is available at my blog, http://wwwrentips.blogspot.com . Listeriosis can be dangerous, but there have been no cases reported in connection with this fruit: the recall is entirely precautionary. I have continued to include stone-fruit listings in this handout and blog although I do not know whether the products listed are part of the recall.
At Fooducate, trivia about cashews, and why is ranch dressing so popular? (It's easy to make your own!) And a recent study suggests that exercise doesn't just relieve stress emotionally, but on a cellular level – it counters the physical damage caused by cognitive stress. And it doesn't have to be much exercise: as little as eleven minutes a day made a significant change!
Recipes! Chow.com just can't leave Salade Niçoise alone this summer, but they've also got slow-cooker salsa, things to do with leftover BBQ brisket, and what they're honest to call “25 Recipes To Use Up Zucchini” (Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night isn't for another two weeks yet). Smitten adds a summer-squash gratinee, and Sprouted a batch of summer-squash pasta (didn't someone recommend that here just a couple of weeks ago?). Martha at Simple Nourished Living offers slow-cooker white beans and shrimp, new stuffed peppers with couscous in, leaner meatballs and sauce, and some blessed snark on a currently popular list of “52 Healthy Late Night Snacks”. As she points out, “Bean-kale burgers with sweet potato wedges (17 ingredients, 1 hour 10 minutes cooking time”) or “Healthy General Tso's Chicken (14 ingredients, 45 minutes cooking time)” are not the sort of things that leap to mind when one thinks “late night snack”: like most of us, she's functioning more on a “Triscuits and a wedge of Laughing Cow” level. Simply Recipes has squash-blossom quesadillas which sound tasty. And Snack Girl piles on zucchini-parmesan ovenfries, sugar-free homemade strawberry jam, PB2, grilled peaches, mushroom meatball parmigiana sandwiches, a sweet-potato smoothie, and the Top Seven Worst Weight Loss Tips. (“5. Give up all added sugar. Yeah, that will work FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES … ”)
Next Tuesday is, for absolutely no reason I have ever been able to discover, Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day. This may have something to do with sacrificing cheese in mousetraps. It's also National Lasagna day, a better use for cheese. And this fourth week in July is National Salad Week!
July 23rd: National Vanilla Ice-Cream Day, National Hot Dog Day
July 24th: National Tequila Day
July 25th: National Hot Fudge Sundae Day
July 26th: National Coffee Milkshake Day
July 27th: National Scotch Day, National Crème Brûlée Day
July 28th: National Milk Chocolate Day
July 29th: National Lasagna Day, Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day
July 30th: National Cheesecake Day
Albertson's:
Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $10.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York steaks, bone in, $8.99/lb
Beef top sirloin steaks OR tri tip roast, boneless, $5.99/lb
85/15 ground beef, $3.49/lb
Assorted pork chops OR country style ribs, bone in, family pack, $1.99/lb
Center cut pork chops, boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
Sanderson Farms boneless chicken breast or thighs, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
Tilapia or cod fillets, 1 lb IQF bag, $9.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
Rockfish or Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb
Catfish fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
WHOLE pink salmon, wild caught, $2.99/lb, good luck
Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.88
Albertson's eggs, AA large, 18 ct, $1.99
Essential Everyday butter, 2/$5
Albertson's cottage cheese, 24 oz tubs, 2/$5
Deli: Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
Dietz & Watson Santa Fe, Oven Classic, or Black Forest turkey breast, $8.99/lb
Dietz & Watson sharp or baby-Swiss cheeses, $8.99/lb
Healthy Ones oven-roasted or honey turkey, chicken breast, honey ham, $6.99/lb
Libby's veg, 11-15 oz cans, 50¢
Essential Everyday tomatoes, 14-15 oz cans, 50¢
Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, $1
Essential Everyday chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 89¢
Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, $1
Seedless (mini? it's hard to tell) watermelons, $1.99 ea
Fresh mangos, 75¢ ea
Prima nectarines or black plums, $1.99/lb
Red cherries, $2.99/lb
Red Delicious apples, 99¢/lb
Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
Eggplant, 99¢ ea
Cut up watermelon/cantaloupe/pineapple, 24 oz bowls, $3.99 ea or 3/$10
Bashas':
Beef crossrib/sirloin tip/bottom round roast or steaks, buy 1 get 1 free
Beef top sirloin steaks, $6.99/lb
Ground beef round, fat content not listed, value pack, $3.99/lb
Assorted pork chops, bone in?, $1.88/lb
Center cut pork chops, bone in?, value pack, $3.49/lb
Sanderson Farms whole frying chickens, 88¢/lb (cut up, $1.49/lb)
True cod fillets, $5.99/lb “weather permitting”
Rockfish fillets, $3.99/lb “weather permitting”
Food Club butter, $3.29
Bashas' cottage cheese incl. Light, 16 oz tubs, $1.89
Bashas' sour cream incl. Light, 16 oz tubs, $1.39
Kraft cheeses, 7-8 oz chunk or shreds, 2/$5
S&W tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 88¢
Nabisco snack crackers (Triscuits, Wheat Thins), $2.99
Bumble Bee chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 88¢
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, 87¢/lb
Chiquita bananas, 39¢/lb
Bartlett pears, 87¢/lb
Yellow peaches or nectarines, 87¢/lb
Red or black plums, 87¢/lb
Vine tomatoes, 2 lbs/$3
Grape tomatoes, 12 oz boxes, 2/$4
Zucchini, 99¢/lb
Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 99¢ ea
Fry's:
Beef chuck or crossrib roast, boneless, $2.49/lb
Beef flat iron steak, boneless, $6.99/lb
Beef t-bone steaks, bone in, $8.99/lb
Pork sirloin roast, boneless, whole in bag $1.99/lb, single roasts 50¢/lb higher
Pork sirloin chops, boneless, family pack, $2.99/lb
Foster Farms chicken breast/thighs/drumsticks, bone in, 97¢/lb
Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
Fry's milk, half gallons only, 10/$10
Kroger cheeses, 1 lb chunk or shreds, $2.99
Simple Truth cage-free eggs, white or brown, AA large, dozens, 2/$5
Chicken of the Sea solid white tuna, 5 oz cans OR 2.5 oz pouches, 10/$10
Del Monte fruit, 14-15 oz cans, 10/$10
Del Monte veggies, 11-15 oz cans, 10/$10
Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 10/$10
Healthy Choice frozen entrees, $1.88
Yellow peaches OR nectarines, 99¢/lb
Red cherries, $2.49/lb
Red or black plums, $1.88/lb
Whole pineapples, $1.99 ea
Whole seedless watermelons, $3.99 ea
Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, OR spinach, OR iceberg, 99¢/bunch
Safeway:
Beef London broil OR bottom round roast, boneless, $2.99/lb
Open Nature beef London broil, $4.99/lb
Beef chuck steak, boneless, $5.99/lb
Beef t-bone steaks, $9.99/lb
80/20 ground beef, $2.99/lb
Assorted pork loin chops, bone in, $1.69/lb
Safeway Farms chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone in, $1.49/lb
Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, $2.99/lb
Honeysuckle White frozen turkey breast, bone in, 99¢/lb
Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb “weather permitting”
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $9.99/lb
Pacific rockfish fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
Lucerne cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $8.49/lb
Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 75¢
Libby's veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 79¢
Mezzetta pasta sauces, 24-25 oz jars, buy 1 get 1 free
Prego pasta sauces, 14-24 oz jars, $2.29/lb
Whole cantaloupes, AZ grown, 79¢ ea
Blueberries, 2 lb (!!!) box, $5.99
Red cherries, $2.99/lb
Bartlett pears, $1.49/lb
Yellow peaches or nectarines, OR plums, $1.99/lb
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.99/lb
Gala or Fuji apples, $1.99/lb
Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons, $3.99/lb
Vine tomatoes, 99¢/lb
Sweet corn, 2/$1
O Organics grape tomatoes, dry pint, $3.49
Sprouts:
93/7 ground beef sirloin, $3.99/lb
Beef carne asada, $3.99/lb
Beef sirloin steaks, “New York cut”, $7.99/lb
Assorted (“2 center and 2 end”) pork chops, bone in, $2.99
Boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $2.99/lb
Mahi mahi fillets, wild caught, $3.99/lb
Coho salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
Red cherries, $1.98/lb
Strawberries, 1 lb box, 3/$5
Blackberries OR blueberries, 5-6 oz boxes, 3/$5
Apple pears OR honey mangos, 3/$1
White peaches OR white nectarines, 98¢/lb
Braeburn or Granny Smith apples, 98¢/lb
Navel oranges, 98¢/lb
Organic Bartlett pears, 98¢/lb
Green or red seedless grapes, $1.98/lb
Apricots, 2 lbs/$3
Whole seedless watermelons, $3.98 ea
Vine tomatoes, 98¢/lb
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Wren's bargain guide, week beginning July 16th:
At Fooducate, I find a short but helpful guide to proteins, exactly what a “complete protein” is, and whether you need to worry about it. (Short answer: if you live in North America and eat a reasonably varied diet you're good.) Also, for National Blueberry Month (or, as I have also found it called, July Belongs To Blueberries Month) some facts about blueberries and the simplest blueberry recipe (“Ingredients: 1 package of blueberries. Instructions: 1. Rinse thoroughly. 2. Eat.”). Also, is “organic” produce really better for you? (Yes … but make eating produce in the first place the top priority. If your $10 can buy you two pounds of organic produce, or six pounds of conventionally grown … you know what to do!)
Marion Nestle looks into a recent metastudy which strongly suggests that increased consumption of fruits and veggies “has no discernible effect on weight loss”. Turns out this project was funded by Kellogg's, Kraft, Coca-Cola, Mars (the candy company), Red Bull, PepsiCo, the American Beverage Association, and the World Sugar Research Organization. Among others. Can you say “conflict of interest”, boys and girls?
Grapes are good for your heart. Peaches and watermelon are good for all sorts of things. And they're all delicious. And PointPlus-free.
Recipes! Chow.com has an interesting tomato-watermelon-kalamata olive salad, a dessert of herbed strawberries and grilled apricots on angel food cake, slushy cocktails, and seven homemade pickles. Smitten Kitchen adds an eighth. From Simply Recipes we have grilled Japanese eggplant with tahini sauce – I imagine it would work equally well with conventional eggplant, if you chose a young tender fresh one – and from Simple Nourished Living a pair of slow-cooker cakes (!!), a slow-cooker chicken Alfredo with broccoli, and hydration tips useful in an Arizona summer.
Today's National Fresh Spinach Day – have a salad. Rather inexplicable, both today and this Monday are listed as National Ice-Cream Day: in fact it's quite complex because the 16th is National Ice-Cream Day, the 17th is National Peach Ice-Cream Day, the 20th is National Ice-Cream Soda Day, the 21st is National Ice-Cream Day again, and the 23rd is National Vanilla Ice-Cream Day. And then the 25th is National Hot Fudge Sundae Day. I do not necessarily recommend that you celebrate all of these with equal enthusiasm. But then, they're your bonus PointsPlus to spend. And the 21st is also National Junk Food Day, which let us honor in the breach rather than the observance.
July 16th: National Corn Fritters Day, National Fresh Spinach Day, National Ice-Cream Day, National Ice-Cream Sundae Day
July 17th: National Peach Ice-Cream Day
July 18th: National Caviar Day
July 19th: National Daiquiri Day
July 20th: National Lollipop Day, National Ice-Cream Soda Day, National Fortune Cookie Day
July 21st: National Ice-Cream Day again, National Junk Food Day, National Creme Brulee Day
July 22nd: National Maple Syrup Day, National Penuche Fudge Day
July 23rd: National Hot Dog Day, National Vanilla Ice-Cream Day
Albertson's:
Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York steaks, bone in, buy 1 get 1 free
Beef petite sirloin steaks, $10.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round roast or family pack steaks, $7.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
Beef London broil, boneless, $3.49/lb
80/20 ground beef, $2.49/lb (3 lb pkg)
Center cut pork chops, bone in, family pack, $2.77/lb
Pork sirloin chops, boneless, family pack, $2.29/lb
Sanderson Farms chicken breasts/thighs/drums/leg quarters, bone in, jumbo pack, 99¢/lb
Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
Albertson's eggs, AA large, dozens, 99¢
Kraft cheeses, 7-8 oz chunk or shreds, OR Cracker Barrel 8 oz chunk, 2/$6
Deli: Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
Healthy Ones honey or oven roasted turkey, chicken breast, honey ham, $6.99/lb
Dietz & Watson Santa Fe/Oven Classic/Black Forest turkey breast, $8.99/lb
Dietz & Watson sharp or baby-Swiss cheeses, $8.99/lb
Bertolli olive oil, 25 oz bottles, $7.99/lb
Hunt's pasta sauce, 24 oz cans, 10/$10
Hunt's tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 10/$10
Ro*tel tomatoes, 10/$10
Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, $1.88
Seedless grapes, green or red, 97¢/lb
Black plums, 99¢/lb
White peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
Yellow peaches, $1.99/lb
Red cherries, $2.99/lb
Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
Red bell peppers, 2/$1
Grape tomatoes, 12 oz boxes, 99¢
Organic vine tomatoes, $2.99/lb
Fresh Express bag salads, buy 1 get 1 free
Red or white onions, 99¢/lb
Organic kale, $1.49/bunch
Bashas':
Beef round steak, boneless, OR ground beef round, value packs, $2.78/lb
Beef sirloin tip roast or value pack steaks, $4.99/lb
Pork picnic, $1.59/lb
Chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, 88¢/lb
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
Food Club cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $7.99
Food Club cheeses, 6-8 oz shingle pack, 2/$5
Kraft Cracker Barrel cheeses, 8 oz chunk, $3.99
Tillamook cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or slices, $3.99
Bashas' cottage cheese, 24 oz tubs, $2.39
Chicken of the Sea solid white tuna, 5 oz cans, 99¢
Bumble Bee chunk white tuna, 5 oz cans, 2/$3
Food Club pasta, 13-16 oz boxes, 88¢/lb
Bertolli pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, 2/$5
Food Club variety (non-baked) beans, 15 oz cans, 4/$3
Blueberries, 6 oz boxes, 88¢
Yellow peaches, nectarines, red or black plums, 88¢/lb
Red seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
Organic cantaloupe OR honeydew melons, 2 lbs/$1
Organic yellow peaches, $1.99/lb
Organic mini seedless watermelons, 2 lbs/$1
Fry's:
Beef NY strip steak, bone in, $7.99/lb
Beef tri-tip roast, boneless, $4.99/lb
93/7 ground beef, $2.99/lb (2 lb chub)
Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $2.99/lb
Pork shoulder butt steaks OR country style ribs, bone in, family pack, $2.99/lb
Foster Farms boneless skinless chicken breast/thighs/tenders, buy 1 get 2 free
Jennie-O 85/15 ground turkey, $1.99/lb (3 lb chub)
Fry's milk, gallons, 2/$5
Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/shingle, $1.97
Healthy Choice “Cafe Steamers”, $1.88
Yellow peaches or nectarines, 99¢/lb
Red cherries, $2.49/lb
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
Mangos, 99¢ ea
Dole bag salads or kits, 5-12 oz, 99¢
Summer squashes, zucchini/yellow/grey, 99¢/lb
Bell peppers, red/yellow/orange, 99¢ ea
Organic kale, 99¢/bunch
Safeway:
Beef chuck or crossrib roast, boneless, $2.49/lb
Beef NY strip steak, bone in, $6.99/lb
Open Nature beef chuck roast, boneless, $4.99/lb
80/20 ground beef, value pack, $2.99/lb
Pork top loin chops, boneless, $5.99/lb
Pork shoulder blade country style ribs, bone in, $2.99/lb
Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.88
Kraft cheeses, 6-8 oz shreds, OR Cracker Barrel 8 oz chunk, $2.99
Philadelphia cream cheese, 7-8 oz block or tub, $1.99
Nature's Own bread, 20 oz loaves, 2/$5
Libby's veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 79¢
Bush's variety beans, 14-15 oz cans, 99¢
Alpine Valley organic bread, 18 oz loaves, $3.49
Peaches/nectarines/plums, $1.99/lb
Red cherries, $2.99/lb
Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons, $3.99 ea
Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
Rainier cherries, $4.99/lb
Bartlett pears, $1.49/lb
Gala or Fuji apples, $1.99/lb
Sweet corn, 5/$1
Vine or slicing tomatoes, $1.99/lb
Sprouts:
Beef NY steak, bone in, $7.99/lb
Beef chuck roast or steaks, boneless, $5.49/lb
Pork sirloin chops or roast OR spare ribs, $2.99/lb
Chicken breast tenders, $2.99/lb
Whole, split, or cut up chickens, $1.59/lb
Ahi tuna OR swordfish steaks, wild caught, $6.99/lb
Sea of Cortez halibut fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $10.99/lb
Sprouts butter, $2.99
Blueberries, 18 oz boxes, $1.98
Whole cantaloupes, 4/$5
Bartlett pears, 48¢/lb
Navel oranges, 48¢/lb
Red cherries, $1.98/lb
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.98/lb (organic, 2 lbs/$5)
Organic black plums, 98¢/lb
Whole seedless watermelons, $3.98 ea
Vine tomatoes, 2 lbs/$3
Organic grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$5
Red or yellow bell peppers, 48¢ ea
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Wren's bargain guide, week beginning July 9th:
We have it direct from the mouth (or specifically the Twitter account) of Neil deGrasse Tyson, folks: “Wanna lose 1200 Calories a month? Drink a liter of ice water a day. You burn the energy just raising the water to body temp.” That's only forty calories a day, but it's a start!
Fooducate has a useful quiz that will help you to figure out, on a purely scientific basis, exactly how many servings of fruits and vegetables you should eat per day. (Question: Have you ever said to yourself, “I shouldn't be eating this!” If the answer is Yes, add 1 fruit serving to your score. If the answer is No … really?)
Two good pieces at Summer Tomato: a list of tips for being less sedentary at work (“Sitting is becoming the new smoking”, one commentor says dryly), and a guide for knowing when you've eaten enough – being able to “eat when you're hungry and stop when you're satisfied,” as we say in WW, rather than going on eating until you're overloaded. And at Mark's Daily Apple, a set of seven tips for making walking more exciting.
Recipes, lots this week! At Chow.com I find salmon burgers, things to put on them, a whole raft of strawberry recipes, another of peach recipes, things to do on the grill with beef, and French recipes for a Bastille Day picnic. (Ça ira!) Nutrition Diva has a chilled cucumber-and-yogurt soup; Simply Recipes has cucumbers too, as a salad with mint and quinoa. Martha at Simple Nourished Living reaches into her slow cooker and pulls out summer veggie soup, a warm three-bean salad, and honey-bbq drumsticks – these last 2 PointsPlus each. And Snack Girl has watermelon recipes, crunchy alternatives to chips, and a lighter version of Sangria!
Tomorrow is National Pick Blueberries Day. If you can find a place in central Arizona to do that, more power to you. If not, tomorrow's also National Piña Colada Day, followed by National Mojito Day – then it's the weekend, and Monday besides being Bastille Day is National Grand Marnier Day, so there's no real reason to sober up until next Tuesday! (Unless of course you have trivial nagging little concerns like a job, or a family, or a life … )
July 9th: National Sugar Cookie Day
July 10th: Pick Blueberries Day, National Piña Colada Day
July 11th: Vegetarian Food Day, National Blueberry Muffin Day, National Mojito Day
July 12th: National Pecan Day
July 13th: National French Fries Day
July 14th: National Macaroni Day, National Grand Marnier Day; 1789, storming of the Bastille
July 15th: National Gummy Worms Day, National Tapioca Pudding Day
July 16th: National Corn Fritters Day, Fresh Spinach Day, National Ice-Cream Day, Ice-Cream Sundae Day
Stay cool!
Albertson's:
Beef NY strip steak, bone in, family pack, $4.99/lb
Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $10.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
Beef ribeye or t-bone steaks, bone in, family pack, $7.99/lb
Beef top sirloin steak OR tri tip roast, boneless, $5.49/lb
Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round roast or steaks, boneless, family pack, $4.79/lb
85/15 ground beef, $2.99/lb (3 lbs or more)
93/7 ground beef, $3.99/lb
Pork loin chops, center cut bone in, $1.99/lb
Pork sirloin chops, boneless, family pack, $2.29/lb
Assorted pork chops, bone in, family pack, $1.69/lb
Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.67/lb (3 lbs or more)
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
Albertson's milk, gallons, 2/$5
Essential Everyday cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.98
Tillamook cheeses, 1 lb chunk OR 12 oz slices, $4.99
Deli: Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
Dietz & Watson turkey or ham, $8.99/lb
Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
Dietz & Watson sharp Cheddar or baby Swiss, $8.99/lb
Bumble Bee chunk light tuna, 2.5 oz pouches, 10/$10
Essential Everyday tomatoes, veggies, variety (non-baked) beans, 14-15 oz cans, 10/$10
Hunt's tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 10/$10
Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, 10/$10
S&W variety beans, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 10/$10
Bertolli pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, $2.99
Essential Everyday olive oil, 17 oz bottles, 2/$7
Flav-R-Pac frozen veggies, 1 lb bags, 4/$5
Red cherries, $2.99/lb
Rainier cherries, $4.99/lb
“Great White” peaches, $2.49/lb
Yellow nectarines, $2.49/lb
Mangos, 99¢ ea
Sweet corn, 4 pk, $2.99
Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 4/$5
Bashas':
Beef bottom round steak or roast, buy 1 get 1 free
Beef London broil, value pack, $2.99/lb
Beef top round steak, $3.99/lb
Beef top round roast, $4.99/lb
Ground beef round, fat content not listed, value pack, $2.99/lb
Pork chops, center cut boneless, value pack, $4.99/lb
Pork roast, center cut boneless, $3.99/lb
Pork loin country style, bone in, $1.99/lb
Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb
True cod fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb “weather permitting”
Ahi tuna OR swordfish fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
Bashas' milk, gallons, $2.59
Bashas' eggs, AA large, dozens, 2/$3
Food Club butter, $2.99
Food Club cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/cubelets, $1.99
Hunt's tomatoes (14 oz cans) or pasta sauces (24 oz cans), 10/$10
Chicken of the Sea chunk white tuna, 5 oz cans, 10/$10
Ragu pasta sauces, 16-24 oz jars, 2/$3
Bashas' “Homestyle” bread, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $2.49
Healthy Choice frozen entrees, 5/$10
Whole cantaloupes, 25¢/lb
Whole seedless watermelons, 25¢/lb
Whole pineapples, 88¢ ea
Yellow peaches OR nectarines, 88¢/lb
Green or red seedless grapes, $2.49/lb
Vine tomatoes, conventional or organic, 99¢/lb
Dole bag salads, 9 oz “Classic Romaine” or 12 oz “Greener Selection”, buy 1 get 1 free
Zucchini, 99¢/lb
Small Hass avocados, 2/$1
Fry's:
Beef chuck or crossrib roast or steaks, boneless, family pack, $2.99/lb
Beef bottom sirloin flap meat (Gad, what an unappetizing name), boneless,family pack, $6.99/lb
Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
Foster Farms chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone in, OR whole chickens, 89¢/lb
Kroger boneless skinless chicken breast, 3 lb IQF pkg, $6.99
Kroger 85/15 ground turkey, 1 lb pkg, $2.99
Atlantic salmon/tilapia/corvina fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
Fry's milk, gallons, $1.88
Kroger butter, $2.99/lb
Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/shingle, $1.99
Del Monte fruit, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 69¢
Kroger veggies, 1 lb frozen bag, 10/$10
Red cherries, 97¢/lb
Rainier cherries, $3.99/lb
Yellow peaches or nectarines, 99¢/lb
Red or black plums, $1.88/lb
Apples: Gala, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious, 99¢/lb
Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
Red onions, 99¢/lb
Organic vine tomatoes, AZ grown, $1.99/lb
Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 99¢ ea
Broccoli, 99¢/lb
Safeway:
Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, $4.99/lb
Beef chuck roast, boneless, $2.99/lb
Beef loin NY strip steak, bone in, value pack, $9.99/lb
Open Nature beef London broil, boneless, $4.99/lb
Pork sirloin country style ribs, boneless, $4.49/lb
Assorted pork loin chops, bone in, $3.49/lb
Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, value pack, $1.99/lb
Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb “weather permitting”
True cod fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb “weather permitting”
Lucerne cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $8.49
Lucerne cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $2.69
Lucerne sour cream, 16 oz tubs, $1.79
Yoplait yogurts, 10/$5
Del Monte veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 99¢
Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 85¢
Bush's variety beans, 15 oz cans, 99¢
Safeway Select pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, $1.99
Strawberries, 1 lb box, $1.99
Yellow peaches, nectarines, plums, $1.99/lb
Red cherries, $2.99/lb
Rainier cherries, $4.99/bl
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.99/lb
Whole cantaloupes, 2/$6
Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons, $2.99 ea
Organic vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
O Organics box salads, 5-7 oz, 2/$5
Organic heirloom tomatoes, $3.99/lb
Sweet corn, 2/$1
Sprouts:
Beef rump roast, stew meat, or carne asada, $5.49/lb
85/15 ground beef, value pack, $3.49/lb
Pork loin chops or roast, boneless, $3.99/lb
Boneless skinless chicken thighs, value pack, $1.99/lb
Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
Blueberries, 6 oz boxes, 98¢
Red cherries, $1.98/lb
Honey mangos, 3/$1
Apples: Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, 98¢/lb
Yellow nectarines, 98¢/lb
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.98/lb
Maradol papayas, 98¢/lb
Navel oranges, 98¢/lb
Organic D'Anjou pears, 2 lbs/$3
Vine tomatoes, 2 lbs/$3
Organic leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 98¢ ea
Eggplant, 98¢ ea
Red bell peppers, 98¢ ea
Organic Hass avocados, 98¢ ea
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Wren's bargain guide, week beginning July 2nd:
Fooducate's backing Consumer's Union in their effort to get the word “natural” banned from food packaging. (3 out of 5 people would prefer to buy a product labeled “natural”, on the grounds that it must be healthier – this despite the fact that the word “natural” is meaningless and can be slapped on absolutely anything.)
Michael Ruhlman has an interesting piece on the phenomenon he calls “carb confusion”. Should we eat carbohydrates, or avoid them? The key, he suggests – and this makes sense to me – is to stay away from the “stripped” carbs: corn syrup, polished rice, white flour, all the things that metabolize quickly and basically drop a dose of sugar into your bloodstream. Marion Nestle has more about the current protein craze, and about the new “Cheerios Protein” cereal from Kellogg's. (It apparently contains an ingredient called “cluster”.) And a new study from Finland suggests that eating oily fish three or four times a week positively changes the level of HDL, or “good” cholesterol, in your blood. So grill some salmon this Fourth. Or have sardines on whole-grain toast for lunch. Or pickled herring. And speaking of the Fourth, as I just was, Summer Tomato provides a terrifically helpful list of “9 Tips for Enjoying a Long Holiday Weekend (With Minimal Damage)”.
Recipes! Chow.com has chilled soups, watermelon recipes both sweet and savory, and an interesting shandy concocted from beer and liquefied watermelon. (Actually it's watermelon juice. Which means this recipe DOES NOT COUNT AS A FILLING FOOD nor as a fruit serving.) Also a very helpful guide to how long it's safe to leave the potato salad out.
101 Cookbooks has a stack of suitably picnicky salads. Simply Recipes has angel hair pasta with clams, cherry tomatoes, and basil. (I have the latter two in my garden. Sadly the pasta crop has not come in yet.) Simple Nourished Living has slow-cooker sweet corn, slow-cooker sausage and veg, slow-cooker German potato salad, and not from the slow-cooker, watermelon smoothies. And Snack Girl makes her own popsicles!
July: National Watermelon Month, National Baked Bean Month, National Grilling Month. Also, and I find it necessary to put this in quotes, “National July Belongs To Blueberries Month”. This first week in July is National Canned Luncheon Meat Month (lovely Spam! wonderful Spam!) Tomorrow is Eat Beans Day; the 4th is National Barbecued Spareribs Day, the anniversary of the invention of Caesar salad, and Sidewalk Egg Frying Day, and I fully expect that any year now it will also be declared Dashboard Chocolate Chip Cookies Day.
July 2nd: National Anisette Day
July 3rd: Eat Beans Day, National Chocolate Wafer Day
July 4th: National Barbecued Spareribs Day, Sidewalk Egg Frying Day; Caesar salad invented, Cardini's Restaurant (San Diego), 1924
July 5th: Graham Cracker Day, National Apple Turnover Day
July 6th: National Fried Chicken Day
July 7th: National Strawberry Sundae Day, National Chocolate Day, Macaroni Day, National Ice-Cream Cone Day
July 8th: National Milk Chocolate with Almonds Day
July 9th: National Sugar Cookie Day
Be careful, and have a wonderful Fourth!
Albertson's:
Prices good only through Friday the 4th:
Beef ribeye or New York steaks, bone in, family pack, $5.77/lb
Pork loin back ribs, buy 1 get 3 free
Large (31-40 ct) raw shrimp, no heads, $5.99/lb
Whole seedless watermelons, $1.88 ea
Prices good through next Tuesday:
Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, $7.99/lb
Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $10.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
Beef NY strip steaks, bone in, $6.99/lb (boneless, $1/lb higher)
Beef t-bone steaks, bone in, $7.99/lb
Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, family pack, $5.99/lb
Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round roast or family pack steaks, boneless, $4.79/lb
80/20 ground beef, $2.99/lb (3 lbs or more)
Pork assorted chops or country style ribs, bone in, family pack, $1.99/lb
Pork loin chops, center cut bone in, family pack, $2.99/lb
Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb
Keta salmon fillets, wild caught, $3.99/lb
Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.99
Albertson's eggs, AA large, dozens, $1.27
Daisy sour cream incl. Light, 16 oz tubs, $1.99
Tillamook cheeses, 8 oz chunk/shreds/shingle, 2/$5
Deli: Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
Charlie's Pride Italian roast beef, corned beef, beef pastrami, $7.99/lb
Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
Stella Swiss/Provolone/Muenster cheeses, $7.99/lb
Nature's Own “100% Whole Wheat” bread, 20 oz loaves, $1.88
Bush's variety (non-baked) beans, 15-16 oz cans, 10/$10
Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, $1.88
Whole cantaloupes, 87¢ ea
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
Red cherries, $2.99/lb
Rainier cherries, $4.99/lb
Peaches, $1.99/lb
“Plumogranate”, $3.99/lb – new, reportedly a red-fleshed pluot cultivar high in antioxidants
Fruit tray, 60 oz, $14.99
Veggie tray, 46 oz, $9.99
Slicing tomatoes, $1.99/lb
Sweet corn, 4 pk, $2.99
Bashas':
Beef t-bone steaks OR tri tip roast, $4.99/lb
Beef top sirloin steaks, 12 oz portions, $5.88
Beef rib eye steaks, 12 oz portions, $8.88
Beef New York steaks, 12 oz portions, $8.88
Beef bottom round steak or roast, $3.99/lb
Beef NY strip steaks, bone in, value pack, $6.99/lb
Ground beef round, fat content not listed, $2.88/lb
Pork loin country style, value pack, $1.99/lb
Boneless pork roast, center cut, $3.99/lb
Split chicken breast, bone in, buy 1 get 1 free
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
Yoplait yogurts, 49¢ ea
Bashas' cottage cheese incl. Light, 16 oz tubs, $1.89
Bush's baked beans, 22-28 oz cans, 2/$3
Strawberries, 1 lb box, 88¢
Blueberries, 6 oz box, 88¢
Red cherries, $1.99/lb
Green or red seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
Yellow peaches or nectarines, red or black plums, $1.99/lb
Whole seedless watermelons, 39¢/lb
Vine tomatoes, regular or organic, 2 lbs/$3
Fry's:
Beef ribeye, bone in, whole damned thing in a bag, $4.97/lb, “sliced & wrapped free” or you could just fling the thing onto the grill and pray
Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, $5.97/lb, a less daunting prospect
Pork ribs, loin, back, St Louis-style, buy 1 get 2 free (like item only)
Pork loin chops, center cut bone-in, family pack, $3.99/lb
Jennie-O 93/7 ground turkey, 1.25 oz pkg, $3.99
“Silverbrite” salmon fillets, wild caught, $3.88/lb
True cod fillets, $7.99/lb
Kroger cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or shreds, $2.99
Bush's baked beans, 21-28 oz cans, 3/$5
Simple Truth organic variety beans, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
Red cherries, $2.99/lb
Yellow peaches or nectarines, 99¢/lb
Whole cantaloupes, AZ grown, 2/$5
Sweet corn, 5/$2
Vine tomatoes, $1.79/lb
Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 99¢ ea
Safeway:
Beef ribeye or NY strip steaks, bone in, $5.99/lb (boneless, $2/lb higher)
Open Nature beef top round/London broil, boneless, $4.99/lb
Beef chuck roast, boneless, $4.99/lb
90/10 ground beef, value pack, $2.99/lb
Pork shoulder blade country style ribs, bone in, $3.49/lb
Pork spareribs, $2.49/lb
Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $12.99/lb “weather permitting”
Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.99
Lucerne cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $8.49
Sargento cheeses, 6-8 oz shingle pack, 2/$6
Lucerne cheeses, 6-8 oz shreds, $2.69
Bush's baked beans, 21-28 oz cans, 3/$5
Ragu pasta sauces, 16-24 oz jars, 2/$3
Progresso Light soups (with the WW logo), 3/$5
Safeway Kitchens veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 79¢
StarKist solid white tuna, 5 oz cans, $1.69
Red cherries, $1.99/lb
Organic strawberries, 1 lb box, 2/$5
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.99/lb
Rainier cherries, $4.99/lb
Whole cantaloupes, 2/$6
Gala apples, $1.79/lb
Organic plums, $2.49/lb
Whole seedless watermelons, $5.99/lb
Fresh Express bag salads, 4-12 oz, 2/$5
Sweet corn, 6/$1
Organic vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
Sprouts:
Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, $8.99/lb
Beef sirloin tip roast or steaks, $5.49/lb
Pork loin chops, 2 center and 2 end per pack, $1.99/lb
Pork shoulder roast OR country style ribs, bone in, $2.99/lb
Boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $2.49/lb
Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
Cod fillets OR swordfish steaks, wild caught, $7.99/lb
Red cherries, 98¢/lb
Green seedless grapes, 98¢/lb
White or yellow peaches or nectarines, $1.48/lb
Navel oranges, 98¢/lb
Whole cantaloupes, 3/$5 (organic, 88¢/lb)
Organic white peaches, $1.98/lb
Red or yellow mangos, 48¢ ea
Roma tomatoes, 48¢/lb
Vine tomatoes, $1.48/lb (organic, 50¢/lb higher)
Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 4/$5
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