Wren's bargain guide, week beginning August 20th:

Very occasional explanation and disclaimer:  I'm Wren, and every week I go through the newspaper grocery flyers and type up what I consider to be the best bargains on foods that can be considered healthy, minimally processed, low-PointsPlus, or otherwise healthful.  I preface this collation with an assortment of information and trivia, add commentary, and print it out for you all as well as making it available here at the blog.  This is, I cannot make too clear, not in any way to be considered an official Weight Watchers Thing. 

Darya Rose at Summer Tomato is on about mindful eating, as usual, and this time about how to work it with portion reduction.  Also an extraordinarily pretty thing to do with carrots that will improve your salads.  At Grist the forage-your-dinner project goes on, now with fruit leather (“like a Fruit Roll-Up, only with fruit in it!”), pesto, and blackberry sauce.  Mark's Daily Apple does mushrooms.  And Weighty Matters has a whole series of good quotes from a 1929 weight-loss textbook.

Over the past five years, Subway restaurants have reduced their usage of sodium by 27%.

Not much in the way of news this week – maybe things will pick up when the heat breaks? – but recipes I've got.  (From everywhere but Simple Nourished Living, where Martha is still juicing the living … pulp, out of everything she sees.)  At Chow.com I find sautéed zucchini (the key is high heat and plenty of room in the pan), a Japanese-inspired and umami-laden topping for sweet corn, and green-curry chicken kebabs.  Smitten Kitchen has an eggplant dip that is not babaganoush although apparently she has long thought it was.  Elise at Simply Recipes turns her eggplant into Parmesan, and serves up as well a fresh-corn chowder with roasted poblanos.  And Snack Girl has a light sauceless pizza on lavash, and some 2-PointsPlus-each gluten-free peanut butter and jam cookies.

Today's National Lemonade Day, refreshing.  Friday is Eat A Peach Day;  do so, but save some for Sunday, which is National Peach Pie Day.  And one week from today is National Banana Day.

August 20th:  National Lemonade Day, National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day
August 21st:  National Spumoni Day
August 22nd:  National Pecan Torte Day
August 23rd:  National Spongecake Day
August 24th:  National Waffle Day, National Peach Pie Day
August 25th:  National Waffle Day (yeah, I know), National Banana Split Day
August 26th:  National Cherry Popsicle Day
August 27th:  National Banana Lovers' Day, National Pots de Crème Day


Albertson's:

    Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York steaks, bone in, $8.99/lb
    Beef roasts: chuck, crossrib, eye/bottom round, sirloin tip, boneless, $8.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef top sirloin steak or trimmed tri tip roast, boneless, $5.99/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $2.99/lb
    Pork sirloin chops, boneless, family pack, $2.49/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless or bone in, buy 1 get 1 free
    Chicken breasts/drums/thighs/leg quarters, bone in, jumbo pack, 99¢/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Whole salmon, wild caught, $2.88/lb
    Tilapia or swai fillets, farm raised, $3.99/lb
    Trout fillet, farm raised, 5 oz portions, $3.99 ea
    Catfish fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Rockfish or Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.88
    Essential Everyday butter, 2/$5
    Albertson's cottage cheese, 24 oz tubs, 2/$4
    Essential Everyday cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.97
    Deli:    Dietz & Watson grilled honey chicken breast, $4.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson turkey, ham, chicken, $7.99/lb
        Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        Charlie's Pride Italian roast beef, corned beef, beef pastrami, $7.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson cheeses, $7.99/lb
        Stella Swiss/Provolone/Muenster cheeses, $7.99/lb
    Oroweat breads, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $2.49
    Essential Everyday veg or tomatoes, 14-15 oz cans, 50¢
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, $1
    Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, $1
    Bertolli pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, 2/$5
    Pam cooking spray, 5-6 oz cans, 2/$6
    Bumble Bee chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, $1
    PictSweet frozen veggies, 6-10 oz, $1
    Essential Everyday frozen veggies, 14-16 oz bags, 10/$10
    Healthy Choice frozen entrees, 4/$10
    Blueberries, 6 oz boxes, 97¢
    Yellow peaches OR black plums, $1.99/lb
    Honeydew melon, 49¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, $1/lb
    Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Grape tomatoes, 12 oz boxes, $1
    Sweet corn, 50¢ ea
    Cucumbers OR green bell peppers, 75¢ ea
    Earthbound Farms organic box salads, 5 oz, $3
    Organic white or brown mushrooms, 8 oz boxes, $2.49


Bashas':

    Beef NY strip steak, boneless, value pack, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef crossrib or bottom round roast, $5.99/lb
    Ground beef chuck, fat content not listed, value pack, $4.49/lb
    Center cut pork chops, bone in, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Assorted pork chops, bone in, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Sanderson Farms whole frying chickens OR Bashas' chicken leg quarters, 88¢/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Swordfish OR mahi mahi, 5 oz portions, $3 ea
    Tilapia fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    Bashas' milk, gallons, $1.88
    Food Club cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/cubelets, 2/$5
    Knudsen cottage cheese OR sour cream, 16 oz tubs, 2/$5
    Del Monte pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, 88¢
    S&W tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 88¢
    Chicken of the Sea chunk white or light tuna, 5 oz cans, 88¢
    Flav-R-Pac veggies, 12-16 oz frozen bags, 88¢
    PictSweet veggies, 8-10 oz bags, 3/$5
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, $1.88
    Yellow peaches, 77¢/lb
    Red seedless grapes, 77¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes or seedless watermelons, 25¢/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 77¢/lb
    Organic grape tomatoes, dry pint, buy 1 get 1 free
    Hatch green chiles, hot, medium, mild, 77¢/lb
    OrganicGirl box salads, 5-8 oz, buy 1 get 1 free


Fry's:

    Beef t-bone steaks, $9.99/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Pork sirloin chops, boneless, family pack, $2.99/lb
    Pork ribs:  loin back OR St Louis stye, buy 1 get 2 free
    Heritage Farm chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, bone in, family pack, 97¢/lb
    Kroger 85/15 ground turkey, 1-3 lb, $2.99/lb
    Simple Truth 93/7 ground turkey, 1 lb pkg, $4.99
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
    Fry's milk, gallons, $1.97
    Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.97
    Ragu pasta sauces, 16-24 oz jars, 3/$5
    Bush's baked or “Grillin'” beans, 21-28 oz cans, 3/$5
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, $1.97
    Gala apples, 88¢/lb
    Minneola tangelos, 88¢/lb
    Blueberries, 6 oz boxes, 88¢ ea
    Cantaloupes, $1.99
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 99¢/lb
    Organic green or red seedless grapes, $1.99
    Whole seedless watermelonss, $4.99 ea
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Sweet corn, 2/88¢
    Hass avocados, 4/$5 (organic 2/$3)
    Broccoli, 99¢/lb
    Organic zucchini, $1.29/lb


Safeway:

    Beef London broil, boneless, $2.79/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib roast, boneless, $5.49/lb
    Beef t-bone steaks, $9.99/lb
    Assorted pork loin chops, bone in, $1.69/lb
    Pork sirloin country style ribs, boneless, 4.49/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, $2.99/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb
    Tilapia fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $8.99/lb
    Open Nature “cage free” eggs, AA large, 18 ct, $5
    Knudsen cottage cheese, 16 oz tubs, 2/$5
    Safeway Kitchens bread, 22 oz sandwich loaves, $1.99
    Open Nature breads, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $2.49
    Classico pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, 2/$4
    Bush's baked or “Grillin'” beans, 21-28 oz cans, 4/$7
    S&W variety (non-baked) beans, 15 oz cans, $1
    Green seedless grapes, 99¢/lb
    Navel oranges, 49¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Mangos, 10/$10
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Sweet corn, 6/$2
    Hass avocados, 10/$10
    Safeway Kitchens bag salads or kits, 4-13 oz, 2/$5
    Hatch chiles, hot or mild, 99¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Heirloom tomatoes, $3.99/lb
    Green or red bell peppers, 10/$10


Sprouts:

    Beef sirloin top roast or steak, $5.49/lb
    Beef New York steak, boneless, $11.99/lb
    “Grass fed organic” ground beef, fat content not listed, $4.99 ea
    Assorted pork chops, bone in, $1.99/lb
    Pork tenderloin OR baby back ribs, $4.99/lb
    Chicken leg quarters or drumsticks, bone in, value pack, 99¢/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon steaks, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon portions OR stuffed salmon, 6 oz, farm raised, $4.99 ea
    Sprouts butter, $2.99
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, 3/$5
    Blackberries/raspberries/blueberries, 5-6 oz boxes, 3/$5
    Yellow peaches, 98¢/lb
    Apples:  Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious, 98¢/lb
    Whole pineapples, $1.98 ea
    Navel oranges (from Australia), 2 lbs/$3
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$3
    Green or red seedless grapes, 2/$3
    Grape tomatoes, dry pint, 98¢
    Heirloom tomatoes, $1.98/lb
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 98¢ ea