Bargain guide, week beginning August 1st:

For some reason that utterly escapes me, this is August.

In a convenient follow-up to last week’s stack of main-dish salads, Chow.com is this week offering a list of side salad recipes:  two with couscous, one with quinoa, one with tomatoes and sweet corn, one of grilled radicchio with Portobello mushrooms, and a fauxtato salad made of kohlrabi of all things, among many others.  They’ve also got a handy collection of things to do with bonelessskinlesschickenbreast when you’re completely burned out on Weight Watchers and never again in your life want to SEE another bonelessskinlesschickenbreast, and a video on making your own “easy quick pickles” out of the current bounty of summer veg.  And at Summer Tomato, there’s a startlingly good (I’ve tried it) recipe for seasoned roasted cauliflower.  Worth noting for when the season changes and we’re all willing to look at our ovens again.

Jane Mountain, at Grist, takes on what she bluntly calls “fake health foods”:  vitamin waters, granola (“loaded with sugar and fat”), anything labeled “enriched”, the phrase “made with whole grains”, or weasel-wording such as “Helps Maintain _____” or “May Help _____”.  Snack Girl reviews gluten-free chips (saddled with such unfortunate names as “Plentils”), and teaches how to make your own baba ganoush with peanut butter instead of tahini if it so please you.

August.  Today’s Lammas Day, the year’s first harvest festival on the old calendar.  Besides being (at least here in Arizona) a month to be endured, August is National Peach Month, National Sandwich Month, National Panin Month (some overlap there, I think) and National Watermelon Month.  Fitly, the 3rd – the day after tomorrow – is National Watermelon Day.  It is also Grab Some Nuts Day upon which I shall forbear to comment.  And the 8th, one week from today – I note this to give you time to prepare – is Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night.  If you have ever grown zucchini you understand this perfectly:

August 1st:  National Raspberry Cream Pie Day
August 2nd:  National Ice-Cream Sandwich Day
August 3rd:  National Watermelon Day, Grab Some Nuts Day
August 4th:  National Lasagne Day, National Champagne Day, National Chocolate Chip Day
August 5th:  National Waffle Day, National Oyster Day
August 6th:  National Root Beer Float Day
August 7th:  National Raspberries In Cream Day
August 8th:  National Frozen Custard Day, Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night


Albertson’s:

    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $8.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Beef ribeye or t-bone steaks, bone in, $6.99/lb
    Beef tip sirloin steak OR tri tip roast, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Beef crossrib or bottom round steak or roast, family pack, $2.99/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $2.99/lb (3 lbs or more)
    Pork loin chops, boneless, $2.77/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, $1.67/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, $6.99/lb
    Albertson’s milk, gallons, 2/$3
    Yoplait yogurts, 20/$10
    Deli:    Charlie’s Pride roast beef/Italian beef/corned beef/beef pastrami, $5.99/lb
        Stella Swiss, Provolone, or Muenster cheeses, $5.99/lb
        Rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        Jennie-O “Honey Smoked” or “Oven Brown” turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        USA Gold honey or baked ham, $5.99/lb
    Crystal Light, 5 qt, $1.99
    Botticelli olive oil, half litre bottles, $3.99
    Kellogg’s Special K meal bars, 6 pk, $4.99
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Navel oranges, 99¢/lb
    Red cherries, $2.99/lb
    Peaches OR nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Black seedless grapes, 99¢/lb
    Kiwifruit, 2/$1
    Honeydew melons, 49¢/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, $2.49/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Sweet corn, 2/$1
    Zucchini OR yellow squash, 99¢/lb


Bashas’:

    Beef t-bone steaks, value pack, $4.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, $7.99/lb
    Beef porterhouse steaks, value pack, $5.99/lb
    Ground beef sirloin, fat content not listed, buy 1 package get 1 free
    Pork chops, “assorted”, $2.49/lb
    Pork chops or roast, center cut, $3.49/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.59/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    Orange roughy fillets, wild caught, $10.99/lb
    Bashas’ milk, gallons, $1.57
    Bashas’ cottage cheese, 24 oz tubs, $1.99
    Food Club cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $6.99/lb
    Quaker “Chewy Granola” bars, 2/$4
    PictSweet frozen veg, 10-12 oz pkg, 2/$3
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrées, 5/$10
    Yellow peaches OR nectarines, 79¢/lb
    White peaches or nectarines, $1.97/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, $1.97/lb
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, 2/$5
    Sweet corn, 15¢ ea
    Green bell peppers, 2/$1
    Dole bag salads, 2/$5



Food City:

    Beef chuck steak or roast, bone in, value pack, $1.99
    Sirloin cut pork chops, bone in, value pack, $1.79/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $1.69/lb
    Swai fillets, $2.99/lb
    Cantaloupe, 5 lbs/$1
    Iceberg, 3/99¢
    Italian squash, 3 lbs/99¢
    Tomatillos, 2 lbs/98¢
    Green bell peppers, 4/99¢


Fry’s:

    Buy $50 in frozen food, get 10% off your frozen-food purchase
    Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, 50% off
    Beef tri tip steak or roast, boneless, $4.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $2.69/lb (2 lb chub)
    Half pork loin, boneless, whole in bag, $3.49
    All Foster Farms chicken, buy 1 get 1 free
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Kroger sour cream OR cottage cheese, 16 oz tubs, 4/$5
    Kroger cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or shreds, $2.99
    Simply Potatoes, 20 oz bags, 2/$4
    Bush's baked beans, 21-28 oz cans, $1.79
    Kellogg's Nutri-Grain bars, 8 ct, $2.79
    Birds Eye frozen veg, 10-12 oz pkg, $1.99
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrées, 6/$12
    Red seedless grapes, 59¢/lb
    Cantaloupe OR honeydew melons, AZ grown, $1.88 ea
    Blueberries, dry pint, $1.88
    Yellow or white peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Red cherries, $2.99/lb
    Mangos, 99¢ ea
    Sweet corn, 2/88¢
    Hot house cucumbers, 99¢ ea
    Zucchini OR yellow squash, 99¢/lb
    Dole Fresh Selections bag salads, 2/$5


Safeway:

    Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, value pack, $4.99/lb
    Beef bottom round roast, boneless, $2.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Beef chuck steak, boneless thin cut, $3.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, value pack, $2.49/lb
    Pork loin chops, bone in, $3.49/lb
    Pork tenderloin, boneless, whole in bag, $4.79/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $2.29/lb
    Safeway chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, $1.19/lb
    Safeway ground turkey, 20 oz pkg, $3.99
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.67
    Sargento cheeses, 5-8 oz shreds, 2/$5
    Tillamook cheeses, 1 lb chunk, $4.99
    Oroweat breads, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, OR sandwich thins, buy 1 get 1 free
    Filippo Berio olive oil, 25 oz bottles, buy 1 get 1 free
    Del Monte fruit cups, 4 pk, 2/$4
    Bush's Best variety (non-baked) beans, 15-16 oz cans, 10/$10
    Bertolli pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, 2/$5
    Smart Ones frozen entrées, 5/$10
    Healthy Choice frozen entrées, 4/$10
    Kashi frozen entres, 2/$7
    Morningstar Farms veggie burgers, 2/$7
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, 88¢
    Red seedless watermelons, $2.98 ea
    Organic seedless grapes, green or red, $1.99/lb
    Whole pineapples, $2.48 ea
    Mangos, 99¢ ea
    Green or red seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
    Blueberries, dry pint, $2.99
    Strawberry papayas, $2.99
    Peaches, nectarines, red or black plums, $1.99/lb
    Kiwifruit, 3/$1
    English cucumbers, 10/$10
    Bell peppers, green/red/yellow/orange, 10/$10
    Safeway Farms OR Fresh Express bag salads, 2/$5


Smart & Final:

    Beef top sirloin steaks, $3.99/lb
    Quarter pork loin chops, bone in, $2.99/lb
    First Street whole chickens, twin pack, 79¢/lb
    First Street cheeses, 2 lb shreds, $4.99
    First Street breads, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $1.69
    Kellogg's Special K (25 ct) or Fiber Plus (20 ct) bars, $9.49
    Green seedless grapes, 2 lb pkg, $1.99
    Valencia oranges, 5 lb bag, $1.99
    Beefsteak tomatoes, 4 ct, $1.99
    Iceberg, 2 ct, $1.49


Sprouts:

    93/7 ground beef sirloin, $4.99/lb
    Beef rump roast OR stew meat, $4.49/lb
    Pork sirloin chops or roast, boneless, OR ground pork, $2.99/lb
    All pork or chicken sausage, bulk or links, $2.99/lb
    Marinated chicken kebabs, $3.99/lb
    Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Center cut swordfish steaks, bone in, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    PopChips, 3 oz bags, 2/$4
    Muir Glen tomatoes, 14-15 oz cans, 4/$5
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 49¢/lb
    Red cherries, $1.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 4/$5
    Whole seedless watermelons, 3 lbs/$1
    Strawberries, 1 lb box,2/$4
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, 2 lbs/$3
    Organic red or black plums, $1.29/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 88¢/lb
    Asparagus, $1.99/lb
    Sweet corn, 3/$1
    Red bell peppers, 3/$1
    Eggplant, 99¢ ea
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 99¢ ea
    Cauliflower, 88¢/lb