Wren's bargain guide, week beginning June 4th:

Fooducate this week provides a helpful guide to the six commonest types of vinegar – distilled, balsamic, wine, apple cider, malt, and rice – and their various culinary uses.  Also a harsh takedown of the new Cheerios variant, “Cheerios Protein”, which has 7 grams of protein per serving to the 3 grams in Cheerios Classic.  Sounds good, right?  Until you do the basic arithmetic and see that a “single serving” of the new cereal is twice as much by weight, and loaded with sugar!  Original Cheerios:  1 serving == 1 ounce, 3 grams of protein, 1 gram of sugar, 100 calories.  “Cheerios Protein”:  1 serving == 2 ounces, 7 grams of protein, 17 grams of sugar (!!), 210 calories.

Not much else this week in food or health news, at least that I can find, except for Yoni Freedhoff weighing in on Ben & Jerry's new frozen-Greek-yogurt dessert.  After comparing the nutritional profiles of the two, he suggests that you might as well – and in moderation, needless to say – “just eat the damn ice cream”.

Recipes, those I do have!  Salad season is definitely here:  Chow.com's doing Salade Niçoise again, could be good if you disregard their careful specification of “oil-packed tuna”.  Of course this kicks off the endless Debate Niçoise in the comments section:  potatoes or not?  (Theirs has them.)  Simply Recipes has an Asian Noodle Salad -- “with lots of colorful veggies tossed in with the noodles, so it feels more like a 'salad' and not just highly seasoned cold noodles” -- and grilled swordfish steaks in a Greekish marinade.  Smitten Kitchen offers two:   a carrot salad with tahini and a chopped salad that, I'm assured, “tastes exactly like an Italian sub”.  Martha MacKinnon at Simply Nourished Living -- she's an Arizonan herself and far from eager to turn on the oven in June – has a spicy seafood chowder from the slow-cooker as well as a pork-and-peaches recipe that looks ... interesting.  And Snack Girl has a salsa verde beef, also from the slow cooker, and something called a “blueberry slump” that's something like pie with the crust on top but not underneath.  It's 4 PointsPlus per serving and turns your teeth purple.

Today's National Frozen Yogurt Day.  Also National Cheese Day and National Cognac Day – top your frozen yogurt as you please.  And next Tuesday is both National Iced Tea Day and National Herbs and Spices Day. 


June 4th:  National Cheese Day, National Frozen Yogurt Day, National Cognac Day
June 5th:  National Gingerbread Day, World Environment Day
June 6th:  National Applesauce Cake Day;  first Friday in June is National Doughnut Day
June 7th:  National Chocolate Ice-Cream Day
June 8th:  National Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day, World Oceans Day
June 9th:  National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day
June 10th:  National Herbs and Spices Day, National Iced Tea Day, National Black Cow Day
June 11th:  National German Chocolate Cake Day

DIY:  German chocolate cake is not German?  It originated as a recipe on the back of a German's baking chocolate package.


Albertson's:

    Beef sirloin steak OR tri tip roast, boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Beef country style ribs, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $10.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York steaks, bone in, $7.99/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round/sirloin tip/London broil roasts, buy 1 get 1 free
    85/15 ground beef, $3.49/lb
    90/10 ground beef, $3.99/lb
    Pork spare ribs, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Pork loin back ribs, $8.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Boneless pork back ribs, $7.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $12.99/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $8.99/lb
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.99
    Eggland's Best eggs, AA large, dozens, 2/$5
    Land O Lakes butter, $3.49
    Yoplait yogurts, 20/$10
    Chobani OR Dannon Greek yogurts, 10/$10
    Knudsen cottage cheese OR sour cream, 16 oz tubs, $1.99
    Knudsen “Cottage Doubles”, 10/$10
    Essential Everyday cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/shingle, 2/$6
    Essential Everyday cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $8.99
    Deli:    Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        Jennie-O oven roasted turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        Signature Virginia smoked ham, $5.99/lb
        Muenster or Provolone cheeses, $5.99/lb
    Chicken of the Sea chunk white tuna, 5 oz cans, 10/$10
    Libby's veggies, 11-15 oz cans, 88¢
    La Victoria salsa, 16 oz jars, 2/$5
    California Olive Ranch olive oil, 16 oz jars, $9.99
    Blueberries, dry pint, $1.77
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Mangos, 99¢ ea
    Red Delicious apples, 99¢/lb
    Plumcots OR white peaches, $2.99/lb
    Vine tomatoes, $1.9/lb
    Snacking cucumbers, $1.99/lb
    Sweet corn, 4 pk, 2/$5
    Japanese eggplant, 99¢ ea
    Iceberg, 99¢
    Yellow onions, 2 lbs/$1
    Green cabbage, 49¢/lb
    Red potatoes, AZ grown, 79¢/lb


Bashas':

    Beef crossrib roast, $2.87/lb
    Beef ribeye/NY/top sirloin steaks, boneless, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef crossrib steak, value pack, $3.87/lb
    Beef tri tip roast, $6.99/lb
    Ground beef chuck, fat content not listed, $2.87/lb
    Pork loin back ribs, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Pork shoulder steak, bone in, $3.49/lb
    Pork shoulder roast, whole in bag, $2.99/lb
    Center cut pork chops, boneless, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.99/lb
    Rockfish OR Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb
    Bashas' milk, gallons, $1.99
    Yoplait yogurts, 49¢
    Land O Lakes butter, $3.29
    Eggland's Best eggs, AA large, dozens, $2.49
    Food Club cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/cubelets, $1.99
    Bumble Bee chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 79¢
    S&W variety beans, 15 oz cans, 89¢
    Smart Ones frozen entrees, 2/$5
    Blueberries, dry pint, $1.77
    Apricots, $1.77/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, $1.77/lb
    Seedless grapes, green or red, $1.99/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 77¢/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Sweet onions, 77¢/lb
    Bell peppers, red or gold, 77¢ ea


Fry's:

    Beef chuck roast or steak, boneless, family pack, $2.99/lb
    Kroger 80/20 ground beef, 3 lb chub, $11.97 (3.79/lb)
    Foster Farms boneless skinless chicken breast, buy 1 get 2 free
    Denmark ground chicken, 1 lb pkg, $3.99
    Jennie-O 85/15 ground turkey, 3 lb pkg, $7.47 ($2.49/lb)
    Kroger cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or shreds, $3.79
    Herdez salsa, 16 oz jars, 2/$4
    Kroger variety beans, 15 oz cans, 59¢
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, $1.99
    Mangos, 3/$1
    Red seedless grapes, 75¢/lb
    Red cherries, $3.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, AZ grown, 2/$4
    Mini seedless watermelons, AZ grown, 2/$3
    Honeydew melons, AZ grown, 2/$4
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 99¢/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Avocados, 4/$5
    Cilantro, 2 bunches/99¢
    Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 99¢ ea
    Broccoli, 99¢/lb
    Mini sweet peppers, 1 lb bag, $1.99


Safeway:

    Beef London broil, boneless, $2.99/lb
    Open Nature grass-fed beef London broil, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Beef chuck 7-bone steak, $4.49/lb
    Beef chuck crossrib steak, boneless, $5.49/lb
    Beef NY strip steak, bone in, $9.99/lb
    Assorted pork loin chops, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.99/lb
    Copper River sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $14.99
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $8.99/lb
    Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.88
    Sargento cheeses, 8 oz shreds, 2/$6
    Del Monte fruit cups incl. no-sugar-added, 4 pk, 2/$5
    Prego pasta sauces, 14-24 oz jars, $2.29
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, $1.99
    Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons, AZ grown, 2/$3
    Yellow nectarines, $1.99/lb
    “Medium red lunch box size” apples – Red Delicious?? – 99¢/lb
    D'Anjou pears, 99¢/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.99/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Sweet corn, 50¢ ea
    Broccoli, 99¢/lb


Sprouts:

    “Buffalo Stampede”:  all bison products, prices from $7.99/lb to $24.99/lb
    Beef rump roast OR London broil, boneless, $5.49/lb
    85/15 ground beef, value pack, $4.49/lb
    Pork sirloin chops or roast OR ground pork, $2.99/lb
    Pork shoulder roast OR country style ribs, bone in, $1.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $2.49/lb
    Tilapia fillets, farm raised, $4.99/lb
    Alaska sole fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Copper River sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $17.99/lbs
    Strawberries, 1 lb boxes, 3/$5
    Blackberries/raspberries/blueberries, 4-6 oz boxes, 3/$5
    Red seedless grapes, 98¢/lb
    Apricots, 98¢/lb
    Apples:  Fuji, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious, 98¢/lb
    Navel oranges, 98¢/lb
    Maradol papayas, 98¢/lb
    Honey mangos, 3/$1
    Whole pineapples, $1.98 ea
    Organic black plums, yellow or white nectarines, $2.98/lb
    Bartlett or D'Anjou pears, 2 lbs/$3
    Mini seedless watermelons, $2.88 ea
    Cantaloupes or honeydew melons, 2/$3
    Vine tomatoes, 98¢/lb
    Red bell peppers, 3/$1