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