Bargain guide, week beginning February 15th

Sorry I wasn't able to make this week's meeting: I had a phenomenal migraine all afternoon and evening. Here, anyway, the week's information:

Fooducate this week offer a quick rundown on coconut water (better than Gatorade, not as good as tap water), suggest a method of portion control for homemade cookies, caution that the Jack-in-the-Box 1080-calorie “Bacon Shake” contains absolutely zero bacon, and analyze a new product with the extraordinary name “Nature's Path Love Crunch Premium Organic Granola”. Shorter NPLCPOG: it's “scrumptious”, has a great ingredients list, and every purchase benefits the Bite4Bite food bank program, but eat it as a snack: the nutrition information on the package is not based on the standard 55-gram serving for cereals, but on a 30-gram (just over a quarter-cup) serving.

Chow.com has an extraordinarily mixed batch of recipes for “Making a Healthy Snack”. The “Parmesan-Dill Popcorn” doesn't sound bad, and nor does a Banana Pudding made of yogurt, fresh banana, and honey. I can muster less enthusiasm for “Minted Lentils” (cooked green lentils tossed with olive oil, topped with Greek yogurt and fresh mint) or for the idea of spreading sourdough toast with a mixture of mashed sweet potato and Parmesan cheese. Summer Tomato offers tips on meal-planning without shopping lists (lists are handy, she admits, but not always of use at the farmer's market where you can't be sure what you'll find)

Did you know that 9 out of 10 Americans eat too much salt? Biggest culprit, to my surprise, is bread. And hog farms all over the Midwest are blowing up. It has to do with a foam that builds up atop manure pits – possibly a product of a newly evolved species of bacteria! – and traps methane gas.

February 18th is Drink Wine Day! It's also National Crab-Stuffed Flounder Day, a dish to which I will gladly drink any day of the year. (Mmmmm, flounder and crab.) The day after is National Chocolate Mint Day, to which even the non-aficionadi of seafood will subscribe. And the 16th is the anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, in 1933.

And by 2013, all of Mars Company's candy bars are to be downsized to bring them under 250 calories. The current “king-size” bars will be replaced with bags of two or four smaller bars, which will make “sharing or saving a portion for later” easier. (The current Snickers bar is 280 calories; the “king-size” is a truly kingly 510.)

February 15th: International Gumdrop Day
February 16th: National Almond Day; 1933, Prohibition repealed
February 17th: National Cafe au Lait Day, National Indian Pudding Day; Fornacalia (Roman feast of bread ovens); 1876, canned sardines sold in US for the first time
February 18th: Drink Wine Day, National Crab Stuffed Flounder Day; 1478, George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV, drowns in a butt of Malmsey which may be why this is Drink Wine Day
February 19th: National Chocolate Mint Day; 1847, survivors of the Donner party rescued; 1906, Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company founded by Will Keith Kellogg; 1913, Cracker Jack starts putting a prize in each box
February 20th: National Cherry Pie Day
February 21st: National Sticky Bun Day; 1931, Alka-Seltzer introduced
February 22nd: National Margarita Day



Albertson's:

Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round roasts, boneless, whole in bag, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $8.49/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round steaks, boneless, family pack, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
85/15 ground beef, $2.99/lb
Pork loin roast, boneless, whole in bag, $1.88/lb
Boneless skinless chicken breast, $4.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
Rockfish or Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.57
Albertson's butter, $2.99
Voskos Greek yogurt, 10/$10
Shamrock Farms cottage cheese incl. Light, 16 oz tub, 2/$5
Tillamook cheeses, 9 oz block/shreds/slices, 2/$6
Deli: Jennie-O oven roasted turkey breast, $4.99/lb
USA Gold Virginia ham, $4.99/lb
Healthy Choice steaming entrees (shelf-stable? frozen? it doesn't say), 5/$10
Birds Eye “Steamfresh” frozen veggies, 10-12 oz pkg, 2/$3
C&W frozen veggies, 12-16 oz pkg, 2/$3
Blue Bunny ice-cream novelties incl. “Sweet Freedom”, 6-20 ct, 2/$7
Red seedless grapes, 77¢/lb
Navel oranges, 99¢/lb
Strawberries, 1 lb box, $2.99
Raspberries/blueberries/blackberries, 6 oz box, $2.99
Fuji or Granny Smith apples, $1.29/lb
Whole pineapples, 99¢/lb
Clementine tangerines, 3 lb bag, $4.99
Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
Iceberg, 88¢ ea
Hass avocados, 99¢ ea
Collards/mustard greens/turnip greens/kale, 88¢/bunch
Earthbound Farms organic box salads, 1 lb, $4.99
Green or white asparagus, $2.99/lb


Bashas':

Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, value pack, $2.97/lb
Beef Black Angus t-bone steaks, $8.99/lb
Beef bottom round/chuck/crossrib roasts, boneless, buy 1 get 1 free
Beef top sirloin, $3.97/lb
Center cut pork chops, boneless, value pack, $2.97/lb
Assorted pork chops, “1/5 loin” whatever that means, $2.49/lb
Sanderson Farms whole chickens, 67¢/lb
Tilapia fillets, farm raised, $2.99/lb
Catfish fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
Mahi mahi fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
Bashas' eggs, AA large, dozens, 88¢
Challenge butter, $2.88
Sargento cheeses, 5-8 oz shreds, 2/$5
Nature's Own bread, 20 oz loaves, $2.19
Food Club instant oatmeal, 11-15 oz boxes, $1.99
Food Club tomato/vegetable/tomato-clam juices, 32-45 oz bottles, $1.99
Bertolli olive oil, 25 oz bottles, $5.99
Newman's Own pasta sauces, 24 oz jars, 2/$4
Food Club pasta, 13-16 oz boxes, 99¢
Weight Watchers ice-cream novelties, $3.99
Navel oranges, 97¢/lb
Green or red seedless grapes, from Chile, $2.47/lb
Organic Gala apples, $1.69/lb
Vine OR Roma OR slicing tomatoes, 97¢/lb
Asparagus, 97¢/lb
Green bell peppers, 2/$1
Dole or Taylor Farms bag salads, 2/$5


Food City:

Beef chuck steaks, bone in, value pack, $2.28/lb (roasts 1¢ higher … ??)
Beef stew meat, boneless, value pack, $2.49/lb
Chicken breast, bone in, 88¢/lb
Flounder fillets, $2.99/lb
Bosc pears, 2 lbs/98¢
Roma tomatoes, 4 lbs/96¢
Iceberg, 2/99¢
Italian squash, 2 lbs/98¢


Fry's:

Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, family pack, $4.88/lb
Beef top sirloin OR flat iron steak, boneless, $5.99/lb
Pork half loin, boneless, $1.97/lb, sliced free
Kroger Value chicken leg quarters, 88¢/lb
Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, $1.98
Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/slices, $1.77
Land O Lakes butter, $3.29
Oroweat wide-pan bread, 24 oz loaves, $2.99
American Beauty pasta, 1 lb pkg, 4/$5
Red seedless grapes, 88¢/lb
Apples: Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious, 77¢/lb
Cuties clementines, 3 lb bag, $3.79
Honey tangerines, AZ grown, 2 lbs/99¢
Vine tomatoes, AZ grown, 99¢ ea
Broccoli OR cauliflower, AZ grown, 99¢/lb
Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine/butter, AZ grown, 99¢ ea
Green cabbage, AZ grown, 2 lbs/99¢/lb


Safeway:

Rancher's Reserve beef t-bone steaks, value pack, $5.99/lb
93/7 ground beef, value pack, $2.99/lb
Rancher's Reserve beef London broil, boneless, value pack, $2.49/lb
Rancher's Reserve thin cut beef crossrib OR bottom round steaks, boneless, value pack, $3.99/lb
Rancher's Reserve beef ribeye steak, bone in, value pack, $7.99/lb
Ranchers Reserve beef New York strip steak, bone in, value pack, $5.99/lb
Assorted pork loin chops, bone in, value pack, $1.49/lb
Chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, value pack, 99¢/lb
Ahi tuna steaks, wild caught, $9.99/lb
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.57
Open Nature wide-pan breads, 2/$5
General Mills Fiber One cereals, 11-17 oz boxes, 4/$10
Kellogg's Special K cereals, 12-13 oz boxes, 4/$10
Special K crackers, 4-8 oz boxes, $2.49
Healthy Choice frozen entrees, 4/$10
Gorton's “Grilled Fillets”, $2.99
Red seedless grapes, 88¢/lb
Apples: Fuji, Braeburn, Red Delicious, 99¢/lb
Organic blueberries, 6 oz box, $2.99
Kiwifruit, 3/$1
Navel oranges, 99¢/lb
Bananas, 57¢/lb
D'Anjou pears, 99¢/lb
Broccoli OR cauliflower, AZ grown, 88¢/lb
O Organics box salads, 2/$5
Organic Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
Radishes OR cilantro OR green onions, 2 bunches/$1


Smart & Final:

Beef tri tip roast, trimmed, $3.99/lb
Pork tenderloin, $3.69/lb
First Street chicken leg quarters, value pack, 79¢/lb
First Street ground turkey, 3 lb pkg, $5.97 ($1.99/lb)
First Street eggs, AA large, dozens, 99¢
Nature's Own wide pan bread, 24 oz loaves, 2/$5
First Street frozen veggies, 2-2.5 lb bags, $2.99
Mandarins, 3 lb bag, $2.99
Mini seedless watermelons, $2.99 ea
Salad tomatoes, 39¢/lb


Sprouts:

Boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $1.97/lb
Sprouts organic OR cage free OR Omega-3 eggs, 30% off
Strawberries, 1 lb box, 4/$5
Blackberries OR blueberries, 6 oz boxes, 4/$5
Navel oranges, 49¢/lb
Apples, Braeburn/Fuji/Cameo, 88¢/lb
Red seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
Organic Valencia oranges, 4 lb bag, 2/$5
Organic Cameo apples, 99¢/lb
Organic D'Anjou pears, 99¢/lb
Organic Pink Lady apples, 3 lb bag, $2.99
Organic Bosc pears, 3 lb bag, $1.99
Grape tomatoes, dry pint, 4/$5
Sweet corn, 49¢ ea
Eggplant, 88¢ ea
Asparagus, $1.99/lb
Green bell peppers, 49¢ ea
Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 88¢ ea