Wren's bargain guide, week beginning September 10th:

Sorry about missing tonight's meeting, I'm in the throes of an appalling cold.  Yes, it's barely September and I've got a cold.  Yes, I'm planning to get the flu jab this year.  At Fooducate this week:  General Mills, which bought the brand Kashi a few years ago, has now bought Annie's.  Also MSG, sodium benzoate, and the sex life of the common fig.  (Costco has fresh figs, or did when I was there last.) 

Per Medline, a new study in the journal Nutrition and Diabetes suggests that it's possible to train your brain to actually like healthy foods better than unhealthy ones. Conversely, after two weeks on a junk-food diet, even rats lose their appetite for novel foods – but can get it back. And another study reinforced what we've all known for years:  if you put it on your plate, it's going in your mouth.  Adults just don't want to leave food uneaten!  Those who took part in in the study at the Cornell Food and Brand Lab ate, on average, 92% of what they put on their plates when they served themselves.  So there's another incentive to use portion control.  And at Summer Tomato, a list of seven reasons why dieting (which Weight Watchers is not) actually makes it harder, not easier, to lose weight!

Recipes!  Chow.com has a garden breakfast taco, a rather unlikely smoked-ramen-and-soft-boiled-egg soup, roasted spaghetti squash, and veggie risotto.  Simply Recipes has chicken Parmesan and chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce that does not have the word “Campbell's” associated with it.  Simple Nourished Living has a 3-PointsPlus-per-serving citrus couscous salad and an easy chilled cucumber soup.  And Snack Girl offers a good nut-laden portable breakfast and a chia-spiked chocolate pudding!

Today's National TV Dinner Day, although I can't remember whether I've ever seen anything actually labeled as a “TV Dinner”.  Pickles are PointsPlus-free, which almost compensates for the fact that the 13th is tagged with the unfortunate monicker “Snack A Pickle Time”.  And the 16th is National Guacamole Day – spread it (the real kind made from avocados, not the less-than-2%-avocado “guacamole flavored” concoction from a plastic tub) on your sandwiches in place of butter or mayo!

September 10th:  National TV Dinner Day
September 11th:  National Hot Cross Bun Day
September 12th:  National Chocolate Milkshake Day
September 13th:  National Peanut Day, Snack A Pickle Time
September 14th:  Eat A Hoagie Day, National Cream Filled Doughnut Day
September 15th:  National Linguine Day, National Creme de Menthe Day
September 16th:  National Guacamole Day
September 17th:  National Apple Dumpling Day


Albertson's:

    Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York steaks, bone in, family pack, $8.99/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round/sirloin tip roasts, boneless, family pack, $4.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $2.49/lb (3 lbs or more)
    Center cut pork chops, boneless, $7.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Assorted pork chops, bone in, family pack, $1.99/lb
    Pork loin back ribs, $8.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Sanderson Farms boneless skinless chicken breast/thighs/tenders, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Unbranded (store) boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.79/lb
    Whole damn pink salmon, wild caught, $2.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Ahi tuna or mahi mahi, 5 oz portions, $3.99
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.97
    Albertson's sour cream, 16 oz tubs, $1
    Knudsen cottage cheese, 16 oz tubs, 2/$5
    Deli:    Dietz & Watson chicken or turkey breast, $8.99/lb
        Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
        Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson medium Cheddar or baby Swiss cheeses, $7.99/lb
    Nature Valley granola, 11-12 oz pouches, $3.99
    Oroweat bread, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $2.99
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, $1
    Hunt's tomatoes, 14-15 oz cans, $1
    Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, $1
    Essential Everyday olive oil, 17 oz bottles, $3.49
    Pam coconut oil cooking spray, 5 oz cans, $3.49
    Bumble Bee albacore or chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, $1
    Flav-R-Pac stir-fry veggies, 1 lb frozen bag, $1
    HoneyCrisp apples, $3.99/lb
    Bananas, 39¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Apple pears, 99¢ ea
    Green or red seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
    Navel oranges, $1.69/lb
    Slicing tomatoes, $1.49/lb
    Summer squashes, zucchini/yellow/grey, 99¢/lb


Bashas':

    Beef t-bone steaks (value pack) OR tri tip roast, $5.88/lb
    Beef porterhouse steaks, $7.38
    Ground beef chuck, fat content not listed, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Pork loin end chops, $3.49/lb
    “Pork loin country styles” [sic], bone in, value pack, $2.49/lb
    Chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, bone in, 88¢/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    True cod fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Food Club butter, $3.29
    Knudsen cottage cheese OR sour cream, 16 oz tubs, 2/$5
    Kraft cheeses, 7-8 oz chunk or shreds, 2/$5
    Bertolli pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, 2/$5
    Food Club pasta, 13-16 oz bags, 88¢
    Green Giant “Steamers” frozen veggies, 11-12 oz bags, 5/$10
    Healthy Choice frozen entrees, 5/$10
    Gala apples, 77¢/lb
    Navel oranges, 77¢/lb
    Bananas, 39¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 59¢/lb
    Yellow peaches, $1.99/lbG
    Green or red seedless grapes, conventional or organic, $1.99/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 77¢/lb
    Organic grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$3
    Organic heirloom tomatoes, 2 lbs/$3
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 99¢ ea
    OrganicGirl box salads, 5-8 oz, $2.99
    Large Hass avocados, 10/$10


Fry's:

    Beef strip steak, bone in, $5.97
    Beef chuck steak, boneless, $3.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $2.99/lb (3 lb chub)
    Kroger marinated beef or chicken fajitas, asado, or barbacoa, 16-24 oz, $5.99/lb
    Pork shoulder butt roast, whole thing in a bag, bone in,
    Pork shoulder butt steaks OR country style ribs, bone in, family pack, $2.99
    Foster Farms chicken breast/thighs/drumsticks, bone in, 99¢/lb
    Kroger 93/7 ground turkey, 1 lb pkg, $3.99
    Coho salmon fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Fry's eggs, AA large, dozens, 99¢
    Kroger cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or shreds, $2.99
    Kroger variety (non-baked) beans, 14 oz cans, 2/$1
    Kroger tomatoes, 15 oz cans, 2/$1
    Pace picante sauce, 16 oz jars, $1.99
    Kroger frozen veggies, 10-12 oz bags, 10/$10
    Green seedless grapes, 75¢/lb
    HoneyCrisp apples, $2.99/lb
    Gala, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious apples, 99¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, AZ grown, 2/$4
    Yellow peaches, $1.88/lb
    Organic Bartlett pears, $1.29/lb
    Red or yellow bell peppers, 4/$5
    “Mini peeled” carrots, 1 lb bag, 4/$5
    Hass avocados, 99¢ ea
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Jalapeño/Pasilla/Serrano peppers, 99¢/lb


Safeway:

    Beef top round London broil, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Beef chuck roast, boneless, $5.49/lb
    Beef ribeye steak, bone in, $12.99/lb
    Beef NY strip steak, boneless, $12.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Assorted pork loin chops, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Pork loin back ribs, bone in, 3.99/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Safeway Farms chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone in, $1.69/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $8.99/lb
    Lucerne cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $8.99
    Sargento cheeses, 8 oz shreds, $2.99
    Lucerne butter, $3.99
    Bush's variety beans, 15-16 oz cans, 5/$5
    Del Monte veggies, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Safeway Select olive oil, 24 oz jars, buy 1 get 1 free
    Starkist solid white tuna, 5 oz cans, $1.39
    Prego pasta sauces, 14-24 oz jars, 2/$3
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, 5/$10
    Raspberries, 6 oz boxes, 87¢
    Red seedless grapes, 99¢/lb (organic, $1/lb higher)
    Yellow peaches, $1.99/lb
    Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons, $3.99 ea
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Clementines, 3 lb bag, $5.99
    Apples:  Envy, Gala, Fuji, $1.99/lb
    Organic Bartlett pears, $1.79/lb
    Green or red bell peppers, 2/$1
    Vine tomatoes, $2.99/lb
    Cucumbers OR eggplant, $1 ea


Sprouts:

    All “grass-fed organic” beef, 25% off
    85/15 conventional ground beef, value pack, $4.99/lb
    Pork loin chops or roast, boneless, $2.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken tenders, $2.99/lb
    Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Sablefish fillets, wild caught, $12.99/lb (I've no idea what this is)
    Tilapia fillets, $4.99/lb
    Gala or Granny Smith apples, 48¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 98¢ ea
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, 2 lbs/$3
    Navel oranges (from Australia) OR Minneola tangelos, 2 lbs/$3
    Black plums, Italian prune plums, “Dapple” pluots, 2 lbs/$3
    Organic Gala apples, 2 lbs/$3
    Organic Bartlett pears, 2 lbs/$3
    Whole seedless watermelons, $3.98 ea
    Slicing tomatoes, 48¢/lb
    Grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$3
    Cucumbers OR green bell peppers, 48¢ ea
    Hass avocados, 98¢ ea
    Earthbound Farms organic bag salads, 5-7 oz, buy 1 get 1 free