Wren's bargain guide, week beginning November 6th:

Fooducate has an article analyzing smoothies – not just particular smoothies, but the entire concept.  Are they really good for you?  The upside:  lots of fresh fruit and veggies.  The downside:  that's a lot of calories to be taking onboard in a very short time.  How long would it take, and how much more satified would you feel, if you ate those fruits and veg rather than drinking them?

Kraft's specialty macaroni-and-cheese dinners – not all, only those in novelty shapes marketed to kids – will as of next year carry more whole grain and be artificial-dye-free, colored with paprika and turmeric rather than Yellow 5 and Yellow 6.  Grist has a brief rundown on exactly what “natural flavor” means on an ingredients list, and a new ice-cream that glows in the dark when you lick it.  No mention of the taste.  As I like to say, they're your PointsPlus to spend.  Your £140 (US$225)/scoop, as well.

Recipes!  Chow.com has twenty-two different ways with Thanksgiving turkey and gravy, from bourbon to butterflying, roasting the breast while making confit of the legs, and God help us a turkey cake.  Honest.  Two layers of basically turkey meatloaf, baked in cake pans, one of stuffing.  Frost the layers and sides with mashed potato, top with sweet potatoes and marshmallows.  “This dish is not recommended for people who require an inch of space between food groups.”  Also ginger sweet potatoes, a salad of mustard greens with an anchovy dressing, and a pile of stew recipes to tide you over until Thanksgiving.

More recipes!  Summer Tomato has an egg-and-avocado scramble for breakfast and roasted delicata squash for supper.  Simply Recipes has a sopa seca de fideo with tomatillos, and Smitten Kitchen some truly delicious-looking spinach egg minipizzas.  And Snack Girl has Asian chicken-noodle soup, vegan snacks, and God help us a broccoli bouquet.

The annual inundation of This Is The Best Place To Buy Your Turkey promotions has begun.

The 9th is National Scrapple Day.  Also National Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day,.  Next Tuesday is National Pizza With Everything (Except Anchovies) Day.  And Sunday, the 10th, is the first day of National Split-Pea Soup Week. 

November 6th:  National Nachos Day, American Heart Association National Healthy Eating Day
November 7th:  Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day, National Men Make Dinner Day
November 8th:  National Harvey Wallbanger Day
November 9th:  National Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day, National Scrapple Day (I do not recommend leaving the scrapple out on the counter until it is bold and pungent, but some people consider food poisoning an adventure)
November 10th:  National Vanilla Cupcake Day
November 11th:  National Sundae Day
November 12th:  National Pizza With Everything (Except Anchovies) Day
November 13th:  National Indian Pudding Day;  feast of St. Diego Alcala, patron of cooks


Albertson's:

    Honeysuckle White frozen turkeys:  match price at Fry's, Safeway, Bashas'
    Spend $100 in a trip, get a free Honeysuckle White turkey (under 16 lbs)
    Spend $150 in a trip, get a free Honeysuckle White turkey (up to 24 lbs)
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round roast or steaks, boneless, $7.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef petite sirloin steaks, $8.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef t-bone or New York steaks, bone in, $8.99/lb
    Pork loin back ribs, $8.99/lb, buy 1 get 3 free
    Assorted pork chops OR country-style ribs, $3.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Hormel Cure 81 spiral cut hams, bone in, $1.99/lb
    American chef boneless hams, 4 lb, $19.99, buy 1 get 1 free
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb
    Sanderson Farms whole roasting chickens, $1.49/lb
    Butterball frozen turkeys, $1.49/lb
    Honeysuckle frozen turkey breast, $1.79/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    Rockfish OR Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.87
    Sargento cheeses, 5-8 oz shreds, 2/$5
    Deli:    Jennie-O oven roasted turkey breast, $3.99/lb
        Signature Virginia smoked ham, $3.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson turkey, ham, chicken breast, $7.99/lb
        Charlie's Pride Italian beef/corned beef/beef pastrami, $6.99/lb
        Stella Swiss/Provolone/Muenster cheeses, $6.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson cheeses, $7.99/lb
    Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, $1
    Hunt's tomatoes, 14 oz cans, $1
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, $1
    Del Monte veggies, 11-15 oz cans, $1
    Del Monte fruit, 14-15 oz cans, 2/$3
    Essential Everyday tomatoes or variety (non-baked) beans, 14-15 oz cans, 69¢
    Essential Everyday olive oil, 25 oz bottles, $4.99
    Wild Harvest olive oil, 17 oz bottles, $4.99
    Dole pineapple, 20 oz cans, $1
    Apples, Fuji/Granny Smith/Red Delicious, 77¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Navel oranges, 3 lb bag, $3.99
    Slicing tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Kale, 99¢/bunch
    Red bell peppers, 2/$3
    White or yellow onions, 3 lb bag, $1.98


Bashas':

    Norbest frozen turkeys:  matching prices at Fry's, Albertson's, Safeway (w/ $25 purchase)
    Beef top sirloin steak OR tri tip roast OR London broil, $3.47/lb
    Beef sirloin tip roast, $2.87/lb (steaks, $4.49/lb)
    Beef sirloin steaks, boneless, $4.77/lb
    Ground beef sirloin, fat content not listed, $2.87/lb
    Pork loin country style, bone in, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Pork loin roast, boneless, $3.49/lb
    Pork chops, boneless, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, bone in, $1.19/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $4.99/lb
    Thresher shark, wild caught, $4.99/lb
    Mahi mahi fillets, $5.99/lb
    Rainbow trout, dressed, $3.99/lb
    Sea scallops, wild caught, $10.99/lb
    Bashas' milk, gallons, $1.87
    Bashas' cottage cheese, 16 oz tubs, $1.59
    Bashas' sour cream, 16 oz tubs, $1.29
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 99¢/lb
    Food Club fruit, 15 oz cans, 99¢/lb
    S&W variety (non-baked) beans, 15 oz cans, 79¢
    Pictsweet frozen veg, 10-12 oz bags, 2/$3
    Gala or Red Delicious apples, 99¢/lb
    Pears, Bartlett/Anjou/Bosc, 99¢/lb
    Summer squashes, zucchini/yellow/grey, 99¢/lb
    Leaf lettuce, green or red, 99¢ ea


Fry's:

    Kroger frozen turkeys:  match price at Safeway, Bashas', Albertson's
    Beef ribeye or NY strip steak, bone in, 50% off
    85/15 ground beef, $2.99/lb (3 lb chub)
    Pork loin, boneless, whole in bag, $1.99/lb
    Pork loin center chops, boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone in, 99¢/lb
    Kroger frozen turkeys, 16-20 lb, 79¢/lb
    Tyson boneless skinless chicken breast, 2 lb IQF bag, $7.47
    Kroger 85/15 ground turkey, 1 lb pkg, $3.29
    Atlantic salmon fillets, $7.99/lb
    Kroger cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or shreds, $2.99
    Kroger frozen veg, 12-16 oz bags, 10/$10
    Weight Watchers frozen chicken breast or patties, 30-32 oz boxes, $7.99
    Honeycrisp apples, $1.27/lb
    Gala, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious apples, 99¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Navel oranges, 99¢/lb
    Pomegranates, 2/$4
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Zucchini OR yellow squash, 99¢/lb
    “Mini peeled” carrots, 1 lb bag, 99¢
    Organic kale, 2 bunches/$4


Safeway:

    Safeway turkeys:  “Any competitor's advertised price”
    Beef chuck crossrib steak, boneless, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steak OR tri tip roast, boneless, value pack, $4.99/lb
    Beef chuck 7-bone steak, bone in, value pack, $2.79/lb
    80/20 ground beef, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Pork loin assorted chops, bone in, $1.59/lb
    Safeway smoked hams, bone in, shank half, $1.69/lb (rump half, 20¢/lb higher)
    Hormel Cure 81 half ham, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Chicken leg quarters, bone in, value pack, $1.29/lb
    Safeway frozen turkeys, 8-22 lb, 79¢/lb with $25 purchase
    Butterball frozen turkeys, 16-22 lb, 99¢/lb with $50 purchase
    Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Oroweat variety breads, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $2.99
    Birds Eye “Steamfresh” or C&W frozen veg, 10-16 oz bags, buy 2 get 2 free
    Lean Cuisine “Simple Favorites”, 5/$10
    HoneyCrisp apples, $2.99/lb
    Envy apples, $1.49/lb
    Fuji or Gala apples, 99¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Bosc or red pears, $1.49/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.99/lb
    Kiwifruit, 3/$1
    Navel oranges, 99¢/lb
    Vine or slicing tomatoes, AZ grown, $1.49/lb
    Safeway Farms grape tomatoes, 10 oz boxes, $2.99
    Peeled “baby-cut” carrots, 2 lb bag, 2/$5
    Pomegranates, 2/$5


Sprouts:

    Beef rump roast, boneless, “custom-cut to your specifications”, $2.99/lb
    Beef New York steak, bone in, $6.99/lb
    Beef short ribs or stew meat, boneless, $3.99/lb
    85/15 ground beef, value pack, $4.49/lb
    Pork sirloin chops or roast OR spare ribs, $2.99/lb
    Farmland ham steaks, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Stuffed salmon, 6 oz portions, $2.99
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $12.99/lb
    Sprouts canned pumpkin, 15 oz cans, 5/$5
    Sprouts frozen veg, 1 lb bags, 2/$3
    Sprouts olive oil, 1 litre (33 oz) bottles, $6.99
    “Apple-anche”!  Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Red/Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Braeburn, Cameo,
        Ambrosia, Jazz, Cripps Pink, Rome, McIntosh, Granny Smith, ALL 88¢/lb!
    Navel oranges, 88¢/lb
    “Texas Pink” grapefruit, 88¢ ea
    Black seedless grapes, 98¢/lb
    Organic pears:  Bartlett, D'Anjou, Bosc, $1.49/lb
    Kiwifruit, 3/$1
    Bananas, 48¢/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 88¢/lb
    Grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$4
    Leaf lettuce, green or red, 88¢ ea
    Summer squashes, Italian/yellow/grey, 88¢/lb