Wren's bargain guide, week beginning April 16th:

A very important piece at Fooducate this week, about the FDA's rule that food additives don't have to be regulated, or even tested, if they're “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS).  In 1958, when this ruling was passed, there were only 800 chemicals used as additives.  Today there are more than ten thousand – and manufacturers can on their own decide, with no testing whatsoever, whether an additive falls under the GRAS umbrella.  “Stearoxysorbylate sodium anagraxanathicthon?  Don't worry, it's Generally Recognized As Safe!”

An interesting debunking of the common “It only takes 21 days to form a new habit!” meme, along with a look at how long it really takes, what it involves, and how to go about it.  A metareview (covering 26 studies and a thousand people) indicates a strong association between eating legumes – one serving of beans, peas, or lentils a day -- and a reduction in LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.  Yoni Freedhoff at Weighty Matters is doing a series of short videos on “The Myths of Modern Day Dieting”:  so far he's covered willpower, the notion that scales measure health, and that dieting has to involve suffering, with more to come in the next several days.  Check them out.

Recipes!  Chow.com has thirty Easter recipes.  Seven involve lamb.  Also how to choose a ham (with categories, flavor analysis, and a “ham-snob score”), and an Easter picnic entirely in jars.  Simply Recipes has how to do a glazed baked ham, and a nice ham-asparagus bake to help you handle the excess.  Smitten Kitchen has baked eggs with spinach and mushrooms, and Snack Girl does her level best to transform Rice Krispies Treats into something healthy.  Bless her heart.

Easter is this Sunday, enjoy.  Tomorrow is National Cheeseball Day, the 19th is National Garlic Day.  And Sunday, the 20th, is also National Lima Bean Respect Day in honor of which I present this 1940 recipe for “Thrifty Lima Loaf”, an classic example of why lima beans get so little respect. 

April 16th:  Day of the Mushroom, National Eggs Benedict Day
April 17th:  National Cheeseball Day, Healthy Kids Day
April 18th:  National Animal Crackers Day ("Barnum's Animals" first marketed this date in 1902)
April 19th:  National Garlic Day, National Amaretto Day
April 20th:  Lima Bean Respect day, National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day
April 21st:  Chocolate Covered Cashew Truffle Day
April 22nd:  Earth Day, National Jelly Bean Day
April 23rd:  National Cherry Cheesecake Day, National Picnic Day (quick, before the heat sets in!)


Albertson's:

    Beef tenderloin, whole in bag, $10.99/lb
    Beef ribeye steak or roast, bone in, family pack, $5.97/lb
    Beef London broil or top sirloin steaks, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round roasts, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, buy 1 get 1 free
    93/7 ground beef, $3.79/lb
    Pork loin roast, boneless, whole in bag, $2.99/lb
    Hormel Cure 81 spiral-sliced ham, bone in, $1.57/lb
    Hormel Cure 81 unsliced ham, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Cook's ham, shank portions, bone in, $1.39/lb
    American Chef boneless ham, 4 lbs, $19.99, buy 1 get 1 free
    Leg of lamb, bone in, $6.99/lb
    Sanderson Farms chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, jumbo pack, $1.49/lb
    Jennie-O turkeys, 12-14 lbs, $1.69/lb
    Honeysuckle White turkey breast, bone in, $1.77/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    Rockfish fillets, wild caught, $3.99/lb
    Tilapia or swai fillets, farm raised, $3.99/lb
    Cod portions, 5 oz, wild caught, $1.99
    Ahi tuna OR mahi mahi portions, 5 oz, wild caught, $2.99
    Swordfish OR sockeye salmon portions, 5 oz, wild caught, $3.99
    Challenge butter, $1.99
    Kraft cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.98
    Tillamook cheeses, 2 lb loaf, $7.99
    Oroweat breads, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $2.49
    Del Monte veggies, 11-15 oz cans, 69¢
    Pam cooking spray, 5-6 oz cans, 2/$4 (must buy 2)
    Bumble Bee chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 99¢
    Snow's clams, 6 oz cans, 2/$3
    PictSweet classic veggies (14-16 oz frozen bags) or “Steamables” (10 oz), 88¢
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, 75¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Gala apples, $1.69/lb
    Red seedless grapes, $2.99/lb
    Cut up watermelon/strawberries/pineapple/cantaloupe, 24-32 oz bowls, $3.99
    Sweet corn, 4 pk, $2.99
    Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Green Giant green beans, 12 oz bags, 2/$5
    Earthbound Farms organic box salads, 5-7 oz, 2/$5


Bashas':

    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, $3.88/lb
    Beef tenderloin, whole in bag, $6.99/lb, “cut & wrapped free”
    Beef London broil, $4.99/lb
    Ground beef chuck, fat content not listed, $2.89/lb
    Cook's ham, unsliced, shank portion, 89¢/lb
    Cook's ham, spiral cut, $1.89/lb
    Farmland whole ham, boneless, $2.39/lb
    Hormel Cure 81 ham: “whole or half small, quarter brown sugar or sliced” (??), $4.49/lb
    Pork tenderloin, twin pack, $4.49/lb
    Pork loin country style, bone in, value pack, $2.49/lb
    Leg of lamb, whole or half, $7.99/lb
    Norbest turkeys, 10-22 lb, $1.79/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.77/lb
    Mahi mahi fillets, wild caught, $4.99/lb
    Sargento cheeses, 5-8 oz chunk/shreds/shingle, 2/$5
    Bashas' eggs, AA large, dozens, $1.99
    Challenge butter, $2.99
    Nature's Own breads, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $2.49
    Libby's veg, 14-15 oz cans, 69¢
    Bruce's yams OR Princess sweet potatoes, 29 oz cans, $1.99
    Bumble Bee chunk white tuna, 5 oz cans, 99¢
    Star olive oil, 17 oz bottles, $3.99
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, 87¢
    Whole seedless watermelons, 33¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 2 lbs/$3
    Fresh green beans, 87¢/lb
    Green cabbage, 39¢/lb
    Celery OR iceberg, 99¢ ea


Fry's:

    Beef ribeye roast, bone in, whole in bag, $4.88/lb, “sliced & wrapped free”
    Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, family pack, $5.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $2.99/lb (3 lb chub)
    Pork loin, boneless, whole in bag, $2.99/lb
    Cook's ham, bone in, shank portion, 89¢/lb
    Kroger spiral-sliced ham, bone in, $1.67/lb
    Private Selection spiral-sliced ham, bone in, $2.69/lb
    Kroger boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.49/lb
    Jennie-O fresh turkeys, $1.49/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Kroger butter, 2/$5
    Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/shingle, $1.99
    Kroger veg, 14-15 oz cans, 5/$3
    Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 79¢
    Kroger frozen veggies, 10-12 oz bags, 10/$10
    Smart Ones frozen entrees, 5/$10
    Strawberries, 1 lb boxes, 97¢
    Whole seedless watermelons, $3.99 ea
    “Mini peeled” carrots, 1 lb bags, 4/$5
    Yams OR sweet potatoes, 99¢/lb
    Asparagus, $2.99/lb
    Organic kale, 99¢/bunch
    Broccoli OR cauliflower, 99¢/lb


Safeway:

    Beef ribeye roast, bone in, $5.99/lb (steaks $1/lb higher)
    Beef chuck roast, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, value pack, $4.99/lb
    Safeway spiral-sliced half ham, bone in, $1.59/lb
    Open Nature uncured spiral-sliced half ham, bone in, $4.99/lb
    Open Nature leg of lamb, “semi boneless”, $4.99/lb
    Smithfield Premium spiral-sliced half ham, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Safeway frozen turkeys, 8-24 lb, 99¢/lb
    Safeway Select fresh turkeys, 8-24 lb, $1.69/lb
    Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Pacific snapper fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Lucerne cheeses, 2 lb chunk, $7.49
    Lucerne cream cheese, 8 oz brick, 4/$5
    Lucerne butter, 2/$6
    Nature's Own bread, 20 oz long loaves, 2/$4
    Bush's baked or “Grillin'” beans, 21-28 oz cans, 2/$4
    Dole fruit, 11-15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Libby's veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 79¢
    Safeway Select pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, 3/$5
    Strawberries, 2 lb boxes, $3.99
    Whole pineapples, 99¢ ea
    Gala apples, $1.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Whole watermelons, $5.99 ea
    Fresh green beans, 99¢/lb
    Red bell peppers, $1.49 ea
    Broccoli, 99¢/lb


Sprouts:

    Beef standing rib roast, $7.99/lb
    Beef sirloin tip roast or steaks, $5.49/lb
    Pork loin chops or roast, boneless, $2.99/lb
    Leg of lamb, boneless, $5.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken thighs, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Sprouts fresh turkeys, $1.99/lb
    Ground turkey or chicken breast, $3.99/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Sea of Cortez corvina fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb, “last of the season”
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, 98¢
    Apples:  Gala, Granny Smith, Jonagold, 98¢/lb
    Apple pears, 3/$1
    Navel or Cara Cara oranges, 88¢/lb
    Organic Bartlett pears, 2 lbs/$3
    Organic Cameo apples, 2 lbs/$3
    Vine tomatoes, 98¢/lb
    Fresh green beans, 98¢/lb
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 88¢ ea
    Whole seedless watermelons, 10¢/lb