Bargain guide, week beginning February 29th

Chow.com has a set of recipes for, I swear I didn't make this up, making your own Girl Scout Cookies.

Darya, at Summer Tomato, has a great article on things to think about before buying a juicer. (They use up huge quantities of produce, for one thing, so you'd better have a big garden or live near a farmer's market. For another, as she points out, juice – even vegetable juice – is “an incredibly efficient way to take in calories”, and more efficient caloric intake is hardly the first thing most of us need.)

Marion Nestle has started a column, “Nutritionist's Notebook”, at Washington Square News, and it's worth reading. Her first column, published a week ago today, is about portion sizes – “Large portions make you eat more”, she says bluntly – and how to deal with them.

HuffPo has a preview of Tracie McMillan's new book, The American Way of Eating. Item: America does not grow enough fruits and vegetables to give every American a balanced diet; to do that, the US acreage devoted to fruit and vegetable crops would have to be doubled. Item: if farm wages were raised by 40%, the average household grocery bill would only go up $16/year. Item: making Hamburger Helper from scratch saves you 69% and only takes one minute longer.

Welcome to March: National Flour Month, National Noodle Month, National Nutrition Month, National Peanut Month, Maple Sugar Month, and National Frozen Food Month. The only ones of these I can explain logically are the last two: this is the time of year for tapping maple trees, and it's also the time of year frozen-food companies want to unload last year's pack to make room for this year's. So frozen foods will likely be seriously marked down all month, even if maple sugar is not. It's also Great American Meat-Out Month, and YumSugar has a collection of phenomenal vegetarian recipes.

Tomorrow is Peanut Butter Lovers' Day (Hi Debi!) and National Fruit Compote Day. These may be combinable: as a non-peanut-butter-lover I have never tried. The 4th is National Pound Cake Day, one of the few foodstuffs to come with a warning label in its name, and the 378th anniversary of the opening of the first tavern in the New England colonies. And the 5th is National Cheese-Doodles Day, which always reminds me of a prank “warning” sticker I once saw: “FUN FOOD – For recreational consumption ONLY. This edible substance contains absolutely no nutritional value.”

EXERCISING MAKES YOU SMARTER.

February 29th: Surf and Turf Day
March 1st: National Peanut Butter Lovers' Day
March 2nd: National Banana Cream Pie Day; 1904, birthday of Dr. Seuss (Theodore Seuss Geisel), author of Green Eggs & Ham and other culinary titles
March 3rd: National Mulled Wine Day, National Cold Cuts Day
March 4th: National Pound Cake Day; 1634, Samuel Cole opens the first tavern in Boston
March 5th: National Absinthe Day, National Cheese-Doodle Day; 1910, Momofuku Ando born, inventor of Instant Ramen noodles
March 6th: National Frozen Foods Day, National White Chocolate Cheesecake Day; 1912, debut of the Oreo cookie; 1930, first retail marketing of frozen foods
March 7th: Crown Roast of Pork Day, National Cereal Day; 1897, John Harvey Kellogg serves corn flakes for the first time, to patients in his sanatorium in Battle Creek, Michigan



Albertson's:

Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $8.49/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round roasts, boneless, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free (mix and match)
Beef bottom round steak, family pack, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
Beef chuck or crossrib steak, boneless, family pack, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
85/15 ground beef, $2.79/lb
Pork sirloin chops, boneless, $1.99/lb
All Sanderson Farms tray pack chicken, various prices, buy 1 get 1 free (same item only)
Boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.49/lb
Alaskan cod, wild caught, $6.49/lb
Mahi mahi fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
Tilapia or swai fillets OR catfish nuggets OR cooked clams, $2.99/lb
Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.57
Albertson's butter, $2.99
Albertson's cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $6.99
Deli: Deli Fresh Provolone/pepperjack/Muenster/mild Cheddar, $5.99/lb
USA Gold Virginia ham, $5.99/lb
All Dietz & Watson turkey and cheese, $6.99/lb
Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
Barilla pasta, 12-16 oz boxes, 4/$5
Progresso Light soups with PointsPlus on the front, 2/$3
Chicken of the Sea seafood, 4-10 oz cans, 25% off
Yasso frozen-Greek-yogurt-on-a-stick, 4 ct, $3.99
Strawberries, 3 lb flat, $3.99
Raspberries/blackberries/blueberries, 6 oz boxes, $2.99
Green or red seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
Fuji or Pink Lady apples, 3 lb bag, 2/$5
Navel oranges, 99¢/lb
Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 99¢ ea
Fresh Express bag salads, “Premium Romaine” or “Green & Crisp”, or spinach, 2/$4
Earthbound Farms organic box salads, 1 lb, $4.99
Summer squashes: yellow, grey, Italian, 99¢/lb


Bashas':

Beef t-bone steaks OR boneless top sirloin, value pack, $4.67/lb
Beef porterhouse steaks, $5.97/lb
Beef sirloin tip steak or roast, $3.99/lb
Pork shoulder roast, $2.49/lb (steaks 50¢/lb higher)
Sanderson Farms boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.67/lb
Steelhead fillets, farm raised, $4.88/lb
Rockfish fillets, $5.99/lb “weather permitting”
Fresh mussels or clams, 2 lb bag, $4
Food Club pasta, 13-16 oz boxes, 10/$10
Food Club fruit, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
Crystal Light, 7-10 ct, $2.99
Mio, $2.99
Weight Watchers ice-cream novelties, $3.99
Morningstar Farms frozen entrees, 2/$7
Green or red seedless grapes, 87¢/lb
Navel oranges, 97¢/lb
Asparagus, 87¢/lb
Broccoli OR cauliflower, 97¢/lb
Large or Roma tomatoes, 97¢/lb
Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 97¢ ea
Eggplant, 87¢ ea
Organic vine tomatoes, $2.99/lb
Italian or yellow squash, 87¢/lb


Food City:

Beef chuck roast, bone in, value pack, $2.28/lb (steaks 1¢ higher … I don't write it)
Sirloin cut pork chops, bone in, value pack, $1.69/lb
Chicken breast, bone in, 88¢/lb
Tilapia fillets, $1.99/lb
Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 67¢
Bosc pears, 2 lbs/98¢
Kiwifruit, 6/99¢
Roma tomatoes, 4 lbs/96¢
Cucumbers, 10/99¢


Fry's:

Beef chuck steak or roast, boneless, buy 1 get 1 free
Foster Farms whole frying chickens, 77¢/lb
Steelhead fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
Kroger Value tilapia fillets, 2.5 lb IQF bag, $9.99
Kroger butter, $2.29
Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.77
Simply Potatoes, 20 oz bags, 2/$4
Muir Glen organic soups,14 oz cans, 2/$4
Healthy Choice frozen entrees, $1.97
Weight Watchers ice-cream novelties, 6-12 ct, $3.99
Green Giant frozen veggies,7-10 oz boxes, 3/$4
Quorn meatless entrees, $3.49
Strawberries, 1 lb box, 4/$5
Navel oranges OR Minneola tangelos, 49¢/lb
Green or red seedless grapes, $1.88/lb
Apples: Braeburn, Cameo, Granny Smith, 99¢/lb
Red plums, $1.98/lb
Whole or cored pineapples, $2.99
Cucumbers OR green bell peppers, 2/99¢


Safeway:

90/10 ground beef, value pack, $2.99/lb
Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, value pack, $5.99/lb
Beef London broil, boneless, 4.99/lb
Beef t-bone steaks, $7.99/lb
Pork sirloin chops, boneless, value pack, $1.69/lb
Pork shoulder blade roast, bone in, whole in bag, $1.87/lb
Pork loin chops, center cut, bone in, value pack, $3.49/lb
Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.88/lb
Sanderson Farms chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone in, $1.69/lb
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
Swai fillets, farm raised, $3.99/lb
Arrowtooth flounder fillets, $5.99/lb “weather permitting”
Ahi tuna steaks, $9.99/lb
Tilapia fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.57
Lucerne butter, $2.49
Oroweat wide-pan variety breads, 24 oz loaves, $2.99
Ragu OR Francesco Rinaldi pasta sauces, 16-24 oz jars, $1.25
Bumble Bee solid or chunk WHITE tuna, 4/$5
Mezzata pasta sauces, 24-25 oz jars, buy 1 get 1 free
Quaker “Quakes” rice snacks, 3 oz bags, 10/$10
Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, 4/$10
Trident salmon burgers, 11-oz frozen box, $4.99
New! Smart Ones English-muffin-and-Canadian-bacon breakfast sandwich, 6 pk, $7.99
Kashi “Steam Meals”, $2.99
Organic apples: Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, $1.49/lb
Organic pears: D'Anjou or Bosc, $1.29/lb
Navel oranges, 99¢/lb
Lemon or black plums, $2.49/lb
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.49/lb
Organic heirloom tomatoes, $3.99/lb, plant the seeds
Roma or hothouse slicing tomatoes, 88¢/lb
Asparagus, 99¢/lb
Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 99¢ ea


Smart & Final:

Beef New York steak, boneless, $4.99/lb
First Street chicken breast/thighs/drumsticks, bone in, 99¢/lb
Seedless red grapes, 2 lb box, $2.49


Sprouts:

Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, $5.99/lb
Barramundi fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
Sprouts olive oil, half-liter (16.9 oz) bottles, $5.99
Apples: Ambrosia, Braeburn, Fuji, 88¢/lb
Organic Cameo apples, 99¢/lb
D'Anjou or Bosc pears, 88¢/lb
Red mangos, 4/$5
Grapefruit OR navel oranges, 49¢/lb
Whole pineapples, 97¢ ea
Roma tomatoes, 67¢/lb
Asparagus, $1.49/lb
Summer squashes: Italian, yellow, Mexican, 88¢/lb
Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, OR fresh spinach, 88¢/bunch
Green or red bell peppers, 3/$1
Organic grape tomatoes, dry pint, $1.99