Bargain guide, week beginning October 19th

MSNBC reports, as if fully expecting us to be astonished at this information, that grocery prices are rising. Beef prices are up 10% over the past year, pork prices 7.5%. As if to compensate, they offer an article with tips on less-expensive protein sources, including beans-and-rice (a more complete protein than beans alone), eggs, dairy, quinoa, and just eating less meat.

At Chow.com there’s a collection of pumpkin recipes, including a roasted-pumpkin soup that looks quite tasty and has a PointsPlus count of 5 per serving. (Chow.com is also reaching a bit, featuring a recipe for homemade Pixy Stix in such traditional flavors as “black sesame”, “chile tamarind”, and “spruce tip”.)

I also found an interesting piece at Alternet (yeah, I know, but give me a chance) exploring the question, why do we eat – or why are we so commonly persuaded that we should eat – three meals a day? (For much of Western history, “breakfast” was a snack – perhaps bread and beer or watered wine – to literally break one's fast and tide the eater over until dinner, the big midday meal.) The article comes to no real conclusion, just recommending that you go with whichever system – two meals, three meals, three-meals-three-snacks – works for you, while remembering that the food industry makes its profits by persuading you that you’re hungry whether you are or not.

At Summer Tomato, Darya Pino offers “10 Simple Ways to Eat Less Without Noticing”.

Tomorrow, October 20th, is National Brandied Fruit Day – unfortunately it is far too late to start in time, because brandied fruit takes at least a month, but you can still start it for next year. The 23rd is National Canning Day and the birthday of Nicholas Appert, who invented the canning process; the 25th is National Greasy Foods Day, to be honored in the breach rather than the observance. The 25th also commemorates the introduction, in 1955, of the first microwave oven for home use. It was from Tappan and cost $1,295, which would be $10,424.05 today. One hardly imagines it was an instant success.

October 19th: National Seafood Bisque Day; birthday (1962) of Evander Holyfield, whose ear was to serve Mike Tyson as an hors d'oeurve in 1997; anniversary of the first (1917) making of Salvation Army doughnuts
October 20th: National Brandied Fruit Day
October 21st: Caramel Apple Day, National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day
October 22nd: National Nut Day (not to be confused with Grab Some Nuts Day, on August 3rd); birthday (1896) of Charles Glen King, discoverer of Vitamin C
October 23rd: National Boston Cream Pie Day, National Canning Day; birthday of Nicholas Appert (in 1749, 1750, or 1752)
October 24th: National Bologna Day, Feast of Good & Plenty
October 25th: World Pasta Day, National Greasy Foods Day
October 26th: National Pumpkin Day, National Pretzel Day, National Mince Meat Pie Day; birthday (1854) of C. W. Post, inventor of Postum, Grape-Nuts, and Post Toasties



Albertson’s:

Beef ribeye (bone in) or top sirloin (boneless) steaks, family pack, $4.77/lb
Beef tri tip roast, boneless, $6.99/lb
93/7 ground beef, $2.99/lb
Pork sirloin chops, boneless, $2.49/lb
Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.67/lb
Whole frying chickens, 67¢/lb
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $4.88/lb
Rockfish or Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
Sea scallops, farm raised, 10-20 ct, $7.99/lb (2 lb bag)
Yoplait yogurts incl Light, 10/$5
Land O Lakes butter, $3.49
Albertson’s eggs, AA large, dozens, $1 or free with 10 Yoplait yogurts
Deli: Shannon’s roast beef/corned beef/beef pastrami/Italian beef, $6.99/lb
Stella Provolone or Muenster cheeses, $5.99/lb
Jennie-O “Honey Smoked” or “Oven Browned” turkey breast, $5.99/lb
Rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
Margherita salami or pepperoni, $5.99/lb
Hunt’s pasta sauces, 26 oz cans, $1
Albertson’s pasta, 12-16 oz boxes, 4/$5
Dole pineapple, 20 oz cans, 4/$5
Chicken of the Sea chunk white tuna, $1
Lean Cuisine frozen entrées, 5/$10
Strawberries, 1 lb box, 2/$5
Blackberries OR raspberries, 6 oz boxes, 2/$5
Pears: Bartlett, Bosc, red, 99¢/lb
Gala apples, 3 lb bag, $2.99
Dole bananas, 39¢/lb
Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
Broccoli crowns OR cauliflower, 99¢/lb
Cut up veggies, 20 oz bags, $2.99


Bashas’: I love you, Eddie, but I wish you’d start listing the fat content of ground beef again, and consistently revealing whether beef cuts are bone-in or boneless.

Beef top sirloin steaks, value pack, $2.99/lb
Beef crossrib roast, $3.99/lb
Sirloin cut pork chops, boneless, value pack, $2.99/lb
Farmland pork shoulder roast, $2.99/lb
Sanderson Farms boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb
Sanderson Farms whole frying chickens, 99¢/lb
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $4.99/lb
Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb
Bashas’ eggs, AA large, dozen, 99¢
Kraft cheeses, 7-8 oz chunk/shreds/slices, $2.99
Campbell’s “Select Harvest” soups, $1.39
Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 69¢
Pompeian olive oil, 24 oz bottles, $5.99
Pictsweet frozen veg, 10-12 oz bags, 2/$3
Smart Ones frozen entrées, 2/$5
Large HoneyCrisp apples, $1.88/lb
Red seedless or Red Globe (seedy) grapes, 88¢/lb
Gala/Red Delicious/Granny Smith apples, snack size, 88¢/lb
Bartlett pears, 88¢/lb
Whole cantaloupes, AZ grown, $1.88
Roma tomatoes, 88¢/lb
Cucumbers, 2/88¢
Food City:

Beef chuck steak or roast, bone in, value pack, $1.99/lb
Beef skirt steak, value pack, $3.99/lb
Country style pork ribs, bone in, value pack, $1.99/lb
Chicken leg quarters, 59¢/lb (10 lb bag)
Tilapia fillets, $2.49/lb
Gala apples, 77¢/lb
Pomegranates, 2/99¢
Avocados, 4/99¢
Italian squash, 2 lbs/98¢
Jalapeño peppers, 2 lbs/98¢


Fry’s:

Beef New York strip steak, bone in, family pack, $4.77/lb
Beef chuck roast, boneless, $2.49
Marinated pork tenderloin, boneless, whole in bag, $6.49/lb
Foster Farms chicken, buy 1 get 1 free (same item)
Jennie-O frozen turkeys, 10-20 lb, 59¢/lb
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
Fry’s milk, gallons, $1.57
Kroger butter, $2.47
Kraft or Sargento cheeses, 5-8 oz chunk/shreds/slices, 2/$5
Libby’s veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 2/$1
Kroger tomatoes OR tomato sauce, 14-15 oz cans, 2/$1
Quaker instant oatmeal, 2/$5
Green Giant “ValleyFresh Steamers”, 11-12 oz bags, buy 1 get 1 free
Jumbo HoneyCrisp or Ambrosia apples, $1/lb (!!)
Navel oranges, $1/lb
Pomegranates, $1 ea
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.88/lb
Whole pineapples, $2.99 ea
Raspberries, 6 oz box, $1.88
Dole bag salads, $1 ea
Cucumbers OR green bell peppers, 59¢ ea


Safeway:

Beef London broil steak, boneless, value pack, $2.29/lb
Beef New York strip steak, bone in, value pack, $5.47/lb
Beef petite sirloin steaks, value pack, $3.99/lb
Beef t-bone steaks, value pack, $7.99/lb
80/20 ground beef, value pack, $2.79/lb
93/7 ground beef, value pack, $3.99/lb
Assorted pork loin chops, bone in, value pack, $2.49/lb
Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $2.29/lb
Sanderson Farms chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone in, $1.69/lb
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
Dairy Glen or Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.57
Green Giant canned veggies, 4 pk of 14-15 oz cans, $3.99
Healthy Choice frozen entrées, 5/$10
Gorton’s “Grilled Fillets”, 2/$6, still only 2 Points per fillet
Navel oranges, 77¢/lb
Gala/Fuji/Granny Smith apples, $1.49/lb
Bartlett/Comice/red/Bosc pears, 99¢/lb
Apple pears, 10/$10
Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
Grape tomatoes, 10 oz box, 2/$5
Every imaginable color of bell peppers, 10/$10


Smart & Final:

Beef flap meat, boneless, $3.97/lb
Farmer John pork tenderloin, boneless, whole in bag, $3.99/lb
First Street whole chickens, twin pack, 79¢/lb
Jennie-O turkey franks, 3 lb pkg, $3.99
First Street cheeses, 2 lb chunk, $5.49
First Street pasta, 2 lb pkg, $1.69
Braeburn apples, 69¢/lb
Pumpkins, $2.99 ea (carving or cooking? It doesn’t say)
Broccoli florets, 2 lb bag, $2.99


Sprouts:

Beef tri tip/skirt/top sirloin, boneless, $4.99/lb
Beef sirloin tip roast or steak, boneless, $3.99/lb
Haddock fillets, wild caught, $4.99/lb
Apples: Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Jonathan, Delicious, 88¢/lb
Bartlett or Bosc pears, 88¢/lb
Whole cantaloupes, 4/$5
Honeydew melons, 49¢/lb
Green or red seedless grapes, 2 lbs/$3
Ruby Red grapefruit, 49¢ ea
Roma tomatoes, 88¢/lb
Winter squashes, 88¢/lb
Jewel or Garnet yams, 88¢/lb
Broccoli, 88¢/lb