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

At Fooducate, I find a short but helpful guide to proteins, exactly what a “complete protein” is, and whether you need to worry about it.  (Short answer:  if you live in North America and eat a reasonably varied diet you're good.)  Also, for National Blueberry Month (or, as I have also found it called, July Belongs To Blueberries Month) some facts about blueberries and the simplest blueberry recipe (“Ingredients:  1 package of blueberries.  Instructions:  1. Rinse thoroughly.  2. Eat.”).  Also, is “organic” produce really better for you?  (Yes … but make eating produce in the first place the top priority.  If your $10 can buy you two pounds of organic produce, or six pounds of conventionally grown … you know what to do!)

Marion Nestle looks into a recent metastudy which strongly suggests that increased consumption of fruits and veggies “has no discernible effect on weight loss”.  Turns out this project was funded by Kellogg's, Kraft, Coca-Cola, Mars (the candy company), Red Bull, PepsiCo, the American Beverage Association, and the World Sugar Research Organization.  Among others.   Can you say “conflict of interest”, boys and girls? 

Grapes are good for your heart.  Peaches and watermelon are good for all sorts of things.  And they're all delicious.  And PointPlus-free.

Recipes!  Chow.com has an interesting tomato-watermelon-kalamata olive salad, a dessert of herbed strawberries and grilled apricots on angel food cake, slushy cocktails, and seven homemade pickles.  Smitten Kitchen adds an eighth.  From Simply Recipes we have grilled Japanese eggplant with tahini sauce – I imagine it would work equally well with conventional eggplant, if you chose a young tender fresh one – and from Simple Nourished Living a pair of slow-cooker cakes (!!), a slow-cooker chicken Alfredo with broccoli, and hydration tips useful in an Arizona summer.

Today's National Fresh Spinach Day – have a salad.  Rather inexplicable, both today and this Monday are listed as National Ice-Cream Day:  in fact it's quite complex because the 16th is National Ice-Cream Day, the 17th is National Peach Ice-Cream Day, the 20th is National Ice-Cream Soda Day, the 21st is National Ice-Cream Day again, and the 23rd is National Vanilla Ice-Cream Day.  And then the 25th is National Hot Fudge Sundae Day.  I do not necessarily recommend that you celebrate all of these with equal enthusiasm.  But then, they're your bonus PointsPlus to spend.  And the 21st is also National Junk Food Day, which let us honor in the breach rather than the observance. 


July 16th:  National Corn Fritters Day, National Fresh Spinach Day, National Ice-Cream Day, National Ice-Cream Sundae Day
July 17th:  National Peach Ice-Cream Day
July 18th:  National Caviar Day
July 19th:  National Daiquiri Day
July 20th:  National Lollipop Day, National Ice-Cream Soda Day, National Fortune Cookie Day
July 21st:  National Ice-Cream Day again, National Junk Food Day, National Creme Brulee Day
July 22nd:  National Maple Syrup Day, National Penuche Fudge Day
July 23rd:  National Hot Dog Day, National Vanilla Ice-Cream Day


Albertson's:

    Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York steaks, bone in, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef petite sirloin steaks, $10.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round roast or family pack steaks, $7.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef London broil, boneless, $3.49/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $2.49/lb (3 lb pkg)
    Center cut pork chops, bone in, family pack, $2.77/lb
    Pork sirloin chops, boneless, family pack, $2.29/lb
    Sanderson Farms chicken breasts/thighs/drums/leg quarters, bone in, jumbo pack, 99¢/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Albertson's eggs, AA large, dozens, 99¢
    Kraft cheeses, 7-8 oz chunk or shreds, OR Cracker Barrel 8 oz chunk, 2/$6
    Deli:    Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        Healthy Ones honey or oven roasted turkey, chicken breast, honey ham, $6.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson Santa Fe/Oven Classic/Black Forest turkey breast, $8.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson sharp or baby-Swiss cheeses, $8.99/lb
    Bertolli olive oil, 25 oz bottles, $7.99/lb
    Hunt's pasta sauce, 24 oz cans, 10/$10
    Hunt's tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 10/$10
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10/$10
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, $1.88
    Seedless grapes, green or red, 97¢/lb
    Black plums, 99¢/lb
    White peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Yellow peaches, $1.99/lb
    Red cherries, $2.99/lb
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Red bell peppers, 2/$1
    Grape tomatoes, 12 oz boxes, 99¢
    Organic vine tomatoes, $2.99/lb
    Fresh Express bag salads, buy 1 get 1 free
    Red or white onions, 99¢/lb
    Organic kale, $1.49/bunch


Bashas':

    Beef round steak, boneless, OR ground beef round, value packs, $2.78/lb
    Beef sirloin tip roast or value pack steaks, $4.99/lb
    Pork picnic, $1.59/lb
    Chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, 88¢/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Food Club cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $7.99
    Food Club cheeses, 6-8 oz shingle pack, 2/$5
    Kraft Cracker Barrel cheeses, 8 oz chunk, $3.99
    Tillamook cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or slices, $3.99
    Bashas' cottage cheese, 24 oz tubs, $2.39
    Chicken of the Sea solid white tuna, 5 oz cans, 99¢
    Bumble Bee chunk white tuna, 5 oz cans, 2/$3
    Food Club pasta, 13-16 oz boxes, 88¢/lb
    Bertolli pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, 2/$5
    Food Club variety (non-baked) beans, 15 oz cans, 4/$3
    Blueberries, 6 oz boxes, 88¢
    Yellow peaches, nectarines, red or black plums, 88¢/lb
    Red seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
    Organic cantaloupe OR honeydew melons, 2 lbs/$1
    Organic yellow peaches, $1.99/lb
    Organic mini seedless watermelons, 2 lbs/$1
Fry's:

    Beef NY strip steak, bone in, $7.99/lb
    Beef tri-tip roast, boneless, $4.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $2.99/lb (2 lb chub)
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $2.99/lb
    Pork shoulder butt steaks OR country style ribs, bone in, family pack, $2.99/lb
    Foster Farms boneless skinless chicken breast/thighs/tenders, buy 1 get 2 free
    Jennie-O 85/15 ground turkey, $1.99/lb (3 lb chub)
    Fry's milk, gallons, 2/$5
    Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/shingle, $1.97
    Healthy Choice “Cafe Steamers”, $1.88
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 99¢/lb
    Red cherries, $2.49/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
    Mangos, 99¢ ea
    Dole bag salads or kits, 5-12 oz, 99¢
    Summer squashes, zucchini/yellow/grey, 99¢/lb
    Bell peppers, red/yellow/orange, 99¢ ea
    Organic kale, 99¢/bunch


Safeway:

    Beef chuck or crossrib roast, boneless, $2.49/lb
    Beef NY strip steak, bone in, $6.99/lb
    Open Nature beef chuck roast, boneless, $4.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Pork top loin chops, boneless, $5.99/lb
    Pork shoulder blade country style ribs, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.88
    Kraft cheeses, 6-8 oz shreds, OR Cracker Barrel 8 oz chunk, $2.99
    Philadelphia cream cheese, 7-8 oz block or tub, $1.99
    Nature's Own bread, 20 oz loaves, 2/$5
    Libby's veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 79¢
    Bush's variety beans, 14-15 oz cans, 99¢
    Alpine Valley organic bread, 18 oz loaves, $3.49
    Peaches/nectarines/plums, $1.99/lb
    Red cherries, $2.99/lb
    Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons, $3.99 ea
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Rainier cherries, $4.99/lb
    Bartlett pears, $1.49/lb
    Gala or Fuji apples, $1.99/lb
    Sweet corn, 5/$1
    Vine or slicing tomatoes, $1.99/lb



Sprouts:

    Beef NY steak, bone in, $7.99/lb
    Beef chuck roast or steaks, boneless, $5.49/lb
    Pork sirloin chops or roast OR spare ribs, $2.99/lb
    Chicken breast tenders, $2.99/lb
    Whole, split, or cut up chickens, $1.59/lb
    Ahi tuna OR swordfish steaks, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Sea of Cortez halibut fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $10.99/lb
    Sprouts butter, $2.99
    Blueberries, 18 oz boxes, $1.98
    Whole cantaloupes, 4/$5
    Bartlett pears, 48¢/lb
    Navel oranges, 48¢/lb
    Red cherries, $1.98/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.98/lb (organic, 2 lbs/$5)
    Organic black plums, 98¢/lb
    Whole seedless watermelons, $3.98 ea
    Vine tomatoes, 2 lbs/$3
    Organic grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$5
    Red or yellow bell peppers, 48¢ ea

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning July 9th:

We have it direct from the mouth (or specifically the Twitter account) of Neil deGrasse Tyson, folks:   “Wanna lose 1200 Calories a month? Drink a liter of ice water a day. You burn the energy just raising the water to body temp.”  That's only forty calories a day, but it's a start!

Fooducate has a useful quiz that will help you to figure out, on a purely scientific basis, exactly how many servings of fruits and vegetables you should eat per day.  (Question:  Have you ever said to yourself, “I shouldn't be eating this!”  If the answer is Yes, add 1 fruit serving to your score.  If the answer is No … really?)

Two good pieces at Summer Tomato:  a list of tips for being less sedentary at work (“Sitting is becoming the new smoking”, one commentor says dryly), and a guide for knowing when you've eaten enough – being able to “eat when you're hungry and stop when you're satisfied,” as we say in WW, rather than going on eating until you're overloaded.  And at Mark's Daily Apple, a set of seven tips for making walking more exciting.

Recipes, lots this week!  At Chow.com I find salmon burgers, things to put on them, a whole raft of strawberry recipes, another of peach recipes, things to do on the grill with beef, and French recipes for a Bastille Day picnic.  (Ça ira!)  Nutrition Diva has a chilled cucumber-and-yogurt soup;  Simply Recipes has cucumbers too, as a salad with mint and quinoa.  Martha at Simple Nourished Living reaches into her slow cooker and pulls out summer veggie soup, a warm three-bean salad, and honey-bbq drumsticks – these last 2 PointsPlus each.  And Snack Girl has watermelon recipes, crunchy alternatives to chips, and a lighter version of Sangria!

Tomorrow is National Pick Blueberries Day.  If you can find a place in central Arizona to do that, more power to you.  If not, tomorrow's also National Piña Colada Day, followed by National Mojito Day – then it's the weekend, and Monday besides being Bastille Day is National Grand Marnier Day, so there's no real reason to sober up until next Tuesday!  (Unless of course you have trivial nagging little concerns like a job, or a family, or a life … ) 

July 9th:  National Sugar Cookie Day
July 10th:  Pick Blueberries Day, National Piña Colada Day
July 11th:  Vegetarian Food Day, National Blueberry Muffin Day, National Mojito Day
July 12th:  National Pecan Day
July 13th:  National French Fries Day
July 14th:  National Macaroni Day, National Grand Marnier Day;  1789, storming of the Bastille
July 15th:  National Gummy Worms Day, National Tapioca Pudding Day
July 16th:  National Corn Fritters Day, Fresh Spinach Day, National Ice-Cream Day, Ice-Cream Sundae Day

  Stay cool!


Albertson's:

    Beef NY strip steak, bone in, family pack, $4.99/lb
    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $10.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef ribeye or t-bone steaks, bone in, family pack, $7.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steak OR tri tip roast, boneless, $5.49/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round roast or steaks, boneless, family pack, $4.79/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $2.99/lb (3 lbs or more)
    93/7 ground beef, $3.99/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut bone in, $1.99/lb
    Pork sirloin chops, boneless, family pack, $2.29/lb
    Assorted pork chops, bone in, family pack, $1.69/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.67/lb (3 lbs or more)
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Albertson's milk, gallons, 2/$5
    Essential Everyday cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.98
    Tillamook cheeses, 1 lb chunk OR 12 oz slices, $4.99
    Deli:    Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson turkey or ham, $8.99/lb
        Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson sharp Cheddar or baby Swiss, $8.99/lb
    Bumble Bee chunk light tuna, 2.5 oz pouches, 10/$10
    Essential Everyday tomatoes, veggies, variety (non-baked) beans, 14-15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Hunt's tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 10/$10
    Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, 10/$10
    S&W variety beans, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 10/$10
    Bertolli pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, $2.99
    Essential Everyday olive oil, 17 oz bottles, 2/$7
    Flav-R-Pac frozen veggies, 1 lb bags, 4/$5
    Red cherries, $2.99/lb
    Rainier cherries, $4.99/lb
    “Great White” peaches, $2.49/lb
    Yellow nectarines, $2.49/lb
    Mangos, 99¢ ea
    Sweet corn, 4 pk, $2.99
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 4/$5


Bashas':

    Beef bottom round steak or roast, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef London broil, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Beef top round steak, $3.99/lb
    Beef top round roast, $4.99/lb
    Ground beef round, fat content not listed, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Pork chops, center cut boneless, value pack, $4.99/lb
    Pork roast, center cut boneless, $3.99/lb
    Pork loin country style, bone in, $1.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb
    True cod fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Ahi tuna OR swordfish fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Bashas' milk, gallons, $2.59
    Bashas' eggs, AA large, dozens, 2/$3
    Food Club butter, $2.99
    Food Club cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/cubelets, $1.99
    Hunt's tomatoes (14 oz cans) or pasta sauces (24 oz cans), 10/$10
    Chicken of the Sea chunk white tuna, 5 oz cans, 10/$10
    Ragu pasta sauces, 16-24 oz jars, 2/$3
    Bashas' “Homestyle” bread, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $2.49
    Healthy Choice frozen entrees, 5/$10
    Whole cantaloupes, 25¢/lb
    Whole seedless watermelons, 25¢/lb
    Whole pineapples, 88¢ ea
    Yellow peaches OR nectarines, 88¢/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, $2.49/lb
    Vine tomatoes, conventional or organic, 99¢/lb
    Dole bag salads, 9 oz “Classic Romaine” or 12 oz “Greener Selection”, buy 1 get 1 free
    Zucchini, 99¢/lb
    Small Hass avocados, 2/$1


Fry's:

    Beef chuck or crossrib roast or steaks, boneless, family pack, $2.99/lb
    Beef bottom sirloin flap meat (Gad, what an unappetizing name), boneless,family pack, $6.99/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Foster Farms chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone in, OR whole chickens, 89¢/lb
    Kroger boneless skinless chicken breast, 3 lb IQF pkg, $6.99
    Kroger 85/15 ground turkey, 1 lb pkg, $2.99
    Atlantic salmon/tilapia/corvina fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    Fry's milk, gallons, $1.88
    Kroger butter, $2.99/lb
    Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/shingle, $1.99
    Del Monte fruit, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 69¢
    Kroger veggies, 1 lb frozen bag, 10/$10
    Red cherries, 97¢/lb
    Rainier cherries, $3.99/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 99¢/lb
    Red or black plums, $1.88/lb
    Apples:  Gala, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious, 99¢/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Red onions, 99¢/lb
    Organic vine tomatoes, AZ grown, $1.99/lb
    Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 99¢ ea
    Broccoli, 99¢/lb


Safeway:

    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Beef chuck roast, boneless, $2.99/lb
    Beef loin NY strip steak, bone in, value pack, $9.99/lb
    Open Nature beef London broil, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Pork sirloin country style ribs, boneless, $4.49/lb
    Assorted pork loin chops, bone in, $3.49/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb “weather permitting”
    True cod fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Lucerne cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $8.49
    Lucerne cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $2.69
    Lucerne sour cream, 16 oz tubs, $1.79
    Yoplait yogurts, 10/$5
    Del Monte veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 99¢
    Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 85¢
    Bush's variety beans, 15 oz cans, 99¢
    Safeway Select pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, $1.99
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, $1.99
    Yellow peaches, nectarines, plums, $1.99/lb
    Red cherries, $2.99/lb
    Rainier cherries, $4.99/bl
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$6
    Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons, $2.99 ea
    Organic vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    O Organics box salads, 5-7 oz, 2/$5
    Organic heirloom tomatoes, $3.99/lb
    Sweet corn, 2/$1


Sprouts:

    Beef rump roast, stew meat, or carne asada, $5.49/lb
    85/15 ground beef, value pack, $3.49/lb
    Pork loin chops or roast, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken thighs, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Blueberries, 6 oz boxes, 98¢
    Red cherries, $1.98/lb
    Honey mangos, 3/$1
    Apples:  Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, 98¢/lb
    Yellow nectarines, 98¢/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.98/lb
    Maradol papayas, 98¢/lb
    Navel oranges, 98¢/lb
    Organic D'Anjou pears, 2 lbs/$3
    Vine tomatoes, 2 lbs/$3
    Organic leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 98¢ ea
    Eggplant, 98¢ ea
    Red bell peppers, 98¢ ea
    Organic Hass avocados, 98¢ ea

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning July 2nd:

Fooducate's backing Consumer's Union in their effort to get the word “natural” banned from food packaging.  (3 out of 5 people would prefer to buy a product labeled “natural”, on the grounds that it must be healthier – this despite the fact that the word “natural” is meaningless and can be slapped on absolutely anything.)

Michael Ruhlman has an interesting piece on the phenomenon he calls “carb confusion”.  Should we eat carbohydrates, or avoid them?  The key, he suggests – and this makes sense to me – is to stay away from the “stripped” carbs:  corn syrup, polished rice, white flour, all the things that metabolize quickly and basically drop a dose of sugar into your bloodstream.  Marion Nestle has more about the current protein craze, and about the new “Cheerios Protein” cereal from Kellogg's.  (It apparently contains an ingredient called “cluster”.)  And a new study from Finland suggests that eating oily fish three or four times a week positively changes the level of HDL, or “good” cholesterol, in your blood.  So grill some salmon this Fourth.  Or have sardines on whole-grain toast for lunch.  Or pickled herring.  And speaking of the Fourth, as I just was, Summer Tomato provides a terrifically helpful list of “9 Tips for Enjoying a Long Holiday Weekend (With Minimal Damage)”.

Recipes!  Chow.com has chilled soups, watermelon recipes both sweet and savory, and an interesting shandy concocted from beer and liquefied watermelon.  (Actually it's watermelon juice.  Which means this recipe DOES NOT COUNT AS A FILLING FOOD nor as a fruit serving.)  Also a very helpful guide to how long it's safe to leave the potato salad out.

101 Cookbooks has a stack of suitably picnicky salads.  Simply Recipes has angel hair pasta with clams, cherry tomatoes, and basil.  (I have the latter two in my garden.  Sadly the pasta crop has not come in yet.)  Simple Nourished Living has slow-cooker sweet corn, slow-cooker sausage and veg, slow-cooker German potato salad, and not from the slow-cooker, watermelon smoothies.  And Snack Girl makes her own popsicles!

July:  National Watermelon Month, National Baked Bean Month, National Grilling Month.  Also, and I find it necessary to put this in quotes, “National July Belongs To Blueberries Month”.  This first week in July is National Canned Luncheon Meat Month (lovely Spam! wonderful Spam!)  Tomorrow is Eat Beans Day;  the 4th is National Barbecued Spareribs Day, the anniversary of the invention of Caesar salad, and Sidewalk Egg Frying Day, and I fully expect that any year now it will also be declared Dashboard Chocolate Chip Cookies Day. 

July 2nd:  National Anisette Day
July 3rd:  Eat Beans Day, National Chocolate Wafer Day
July 4th:  National Barbecued Spareribs Day, Sidewalk Egg Frying Day;  Caesar salad invented, Cardini's Restaurant (San Diego), 1924
July 5th:  Graham Cracker Day, National Apple Turnover Day
July 6th:  National Fried Chicken Day
July 7th:  National Strawberry Sundae Day, National Chocolate Day, Macaroni Day, National Ice-Cream Cone Day
July 8th:  National Milk Chocolate with Almonds Day
July 9th:  National Sugar Cookie Day


Be careful, and have a wonderful Fourth!


Albertson's:

Prices good only through Friday the 4th:

    Beef ribeye or New York steaks, bone in, family pack, $5.77/lb
    Pork loin back ribs, buy 1 get 3 free
    Large (31-40 ct) raw shrimp, no heads, $5.99/lb
    Whole seedless watermelons, $1.88 ea

Prices good through next Tuesday:

    Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, $7.99/lb
    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $10.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef NY strip steaks, bone in, $6.99/lb (boneless, $1/lb higher)
    Beef t-bone steaks, bone in, $7.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, family pack, $5.99/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round roast or family pack steaks, boneless, $4.79/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $2.99/lb (3 lbs or more)
    Pork assorted chops or country style ribs, bone in, family pack, $1.99/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut bone in, family pack, $2.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb
    Keta salmon fillets, wild caught, $3.99/lb
    Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.99
    Albertson's eggs, AA large, dozens, $1.27
    Daisy sour cream incl. Light, 16 oz tubs, $1.99
    Tillamook cheeses, 8 oz chunk/shreds/shingle, 2/$5
    Deli:    Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        Charlie's Pride Italian roast beef, corned beef, beef pastrami, $7.99/lb
        Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
        Stella Swiss/Provolone/Muenster cheeses, $7.99/lb
    Nature's Own “100% Whole Wheat” bread, 20 oz loaves, $1.88
    Bush's variety (non-baked) beans, 15-16 oz cans, 10/$10
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, $1.88
    Whole cantaloupes, 87¢ ea
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
    Red cherries, $2.99/lb
    Rainier cherries, $4.99/lb
    Peaches, $1.99/lb
    “Plumogranate”, $3.99/lb – new, reportedly a red-fleshed pluot cultivar high in antioxidants
    Fruit tray, 60 oz, $14.99
    Veggie tray, 46 oz, $9.99
    Slicing tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Sweet corn, 4 pk, $2.99


Bashas':

    Beef t-bone steaks OR tri tip roast, $4.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steaks, 12 oz portions, $5.88
    Beef rib eye steaks, 12 oz portions, $8.88
    Beef New York steaks, 12 oz portions, $8.88
    Beef bottom round steak or roast, $3.99/lb
    Beef NY strip steaks, bone in, value pack, $6.99/lb
    Ground beef round, fat content not listed, $2.88/lb
    Pork loin country style, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Boneless pork roast, center cut, $3.99/lb
    Split chicken breast, bone in, buy 1 get 1 free
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    Yoplait yogurts, 49¢ ea
    Bashas' cottage cheese incl. Light, 16 oz tubs, $1.89
    Bush's baked beans, 22-28 oz cans, 2/$3
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, 88¢
    Blueberries, 6 oz box, 88¢
    Red cherries, $1.99/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, red or black plums, $1.99/lb
    Whole seedless watermelons, 39¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, regular or organic, 2 lbs/$3


Fry's:

    Beef ribeye, bone in, whole damned thing in a bag, $4.97/lb, “sliced & wrapped free” or you could just fling the thing onto the grill and pray
    Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, $5.97/lb, a less daunting prospect
    Pork ribs, loin, back, St Louis-style, buy 1 get 2 free (like item only)
    Pork loin chops, center cut bone-in, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Jennie-O 93/7 ground turkey, 1.25 oz pkg, $3.99
    “Silverbrite” salmon fillets, wild caught, $3.88/lb
    True cod fillets, $7.99/lb
    Kroger cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or shreds, $2.99
    Bush's baked beans, 21-28 oz cans, 3/$5
    Simple Truth organic variety beans, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Red cherries, $2.99/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 99¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, AZ grown, 2/$5
    Sweet corn, 5/$2
    Vine tomatoes, $1.79/lb
    Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 99¢ ea


Safeway:

    Beef ribeye or NY strip steaks, bone in, $5.99/lb (boneless, $2/lb higher)
    Open Nature beef top round/London broil, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Beef chuck roast, boneless, $4.99/lb
    90/10 ground beef, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Pork shoulder blade country style ribs, bone in, $3.49/lb
    Pork spareribs, $2.49/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $12.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.99
    Lucerne cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $8.49
    Sargento cheeses, 6-8 oz shingle pack, 2/$6
    Lucerne cheeses, 6-8 oz shreds, $2.69
    Bush's baked beans, 21-28 oz cans, 3/$5
    Ragu pasta sauces, 16-24 oz jars, 2/$3
    Progresso Light soups (with the WW logo), 3/$5
    Safeway Kitchens veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 79¢
    StarKist solid white tuna, 5 oz cans, $1.69
    Red cherries, $1.99/lb
    Organic strawberries, 1 lb box, 2/$5
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.99/lb
    Rainier cherries, $4.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$6
    Gala apples, $1.79/lb
    Organic plums, $2.49/lb
    Whole seedless watermelons, $5.99/lb
    Fresh Express bag salads, 4-12 oz, 2/$5
    Sweet corn, 6/$1
    Organic vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb


Sprouts:

    Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, $8.99/lb
    Beef sirloin tip roast or steaks, $5.49/lb
    Pork loin chops, 2 center and 2 end per pack, $1.99/lb
    Pork shoulder roast OR country style ribs, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $2.49/lb
    Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Cod fillets OR swordfish steaks, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Red cherries, 98¢/lb
    Green seedless grapes, 98¢/lb
    White or yellow peaches or nectarines, $1.48/lb
    Navel oranges, 98¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 3/$5 (organic, 88¢/lb)
    Organic white peaches, $1.98/lb
    Red or yellow mangos, 48¢ ea
    Roma tomatoes, 48¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, $1.48/lb (organic, 50¢/lb higher)
    Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 4/$5

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning June 25th:

Kraft Foods is recalling Velveeta sold at Wal-mart stores in 12 states, ours not one of them:  pass the news on if you have friends or family in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, or Wisconsin. 

If you've been following the news at all this past week, you've heard about the Senate subcommittee that's all but commanded Mehmet Oz to stop making wildly overstated claims about weight-loss supplements.  At my blog I've got links to two excellent pieces about this, one from The Atlantic, one (decidedly NSFW) from John Oliver.

Monica Reinagel has a nutritional overview of shellfish:  are they as good for you as finned fish?  (Many are.)  Consumer Reports has started a campaign to get the “misleading, confusing, and deceptive” word natural banned from food labels.  And Darya Rose at Summer Tomato (for some reason I printed this as “Weighty Matters” in the handout -- how embarrassing!) wonders about a hitherto undiscovered human subspecies, Homo nutritiocus or “Nutricons”.  These are the mythical beings that “eat for one reason and one reason alone:  optimal health and nutrition.”  These are the people who eat three balanced meals every single day, whose favorite foods are “green leafy vegetables and lean protein”, who always carry food scales although they can flawlessly estimate portion sizes, who on the vanishingly rare occasions they do become overweight simply (and effortlessly) eat-less-and-exercise-more.  The only problem with Nutricons is that they aren't real, and certainly aren't us.  “So why,” she wonders, “is virtually all health and diet advice directed at Nutricons and not real humans?  Why are we treated as if we are even capable of eating solely for fuel or optimal health, when getting dinner on the table at all is a challenge for most of us?”

Recipes!  Fooducate has okra in tomato sauce, a healthier alternative to breaded-and-deep-fried, if you're into okra, and the Well suggests interesting things to do with broccoli stems.  Darya Rose has a dish of cabbage and eggs, which might be worth trying if you can very quickly scroll past the illustration which is to say the least not the most appetizing she's ever used.  Chow.com has veggie tacos and a lovely and ultra-simple heirloom tomato salad recipe;  Simply Recipes has a watermelon gazpacho, salmon lettuce wraps, and a chicken rice casserole from the slow cooker.  Also from the slow cooker, Simple Nourished Living has a 4-PointsPlus Italianate chicken, and Snack Girl has slow-cooker vegetarian baked beans.  Lovely thing, the slow cooker, especially in summer.

June 25th:  National Catfish Day, National Strawberry Parfait Day
June 26th:  National Chocolate Pudding Day
June 27th:  National Indian Pudding Day, National Orange Blossom Day
June 28th:  National Ceviche Day, National Tapioca Day
June 29th:  National Almond Buttercrunch Day
June 30th:  National Ice-Cream Soda Day
July 1st:  Creative Ice-Cream Flavor Day, National Gingersnap Day
July 2nd:  National Anisette Day


Albertson's:

    Beef petite sirloin steaks, $10.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York steaks, bone in, family pack, $7.99/lb
    Beef roasts:  chuck, crossrib, eye/bottom round, sirloin tip, London broil, boneless, $3.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $2.49/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut bone in, $6.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Pork sirloin chops, boneless, family pack, $2.49/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb
    Essential Everyday butter, 2/$5
    Essential Everyday cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/shingle, 2/$6
    Deli:    Dietz & Watson turkey and ham, $8.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson sharp Cheddar or baby Swiss, $7.99/lb
    Essential Everyday veggies or tomatoes, 14-15 oz cans, 69¢
    Essential Everyday pasta, 12-16 oz boxes, 75¢
    Pam cooking spray, 5-6 oz cans, $3.49
    Green Giant “Steamers” frozen veggies, 12 oz pkg, $1.99
    Red seedless grapes, 77¢/lb
    Red cherries, $3.99/lb
    Yellow nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Honeydew melon, 99¢/lb
    Casaba/canary/Crenshaw melons, 89¢/lb
    Sweet corn, 4 pk, 2/$5
    Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Earthbound Farms organic box salads, 5 oz, $3 ea
    Summer squashes, zucchini/yellow/grey, 99¢/lb


Bashas':

    Beef New York/ribeye/top sirloin steaks, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef sirloin tip roast or value pack steaks, $3.99/lb
    Beef breakfast steaks, $4.99/lb
    Ground beef sirloin, fat content not listed, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Center cut pork chops, boneless, value pack, $3.49/lb
    Chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, bone in, 88¢/lb
    Jennie-O 93/7 ground turkey, 20 oz pkg, $3.99
    Cod fillets, wild caught, $3.99/lb
    Catfish fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Food Club butter, $2.99
    Food Club cheeses, 8 oz chunk/shreds/shingle, $1.99
    Starkist chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 99¢
    Chicken of the Sea chunk white tuna, 5 oz cans, 99¢
    Del Monte pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, 10/$10
    Food Club pasta, 13-16 oz boxes, 88¢
    Flav-R-Pac frozen veggies, 12-16 oz bags, 3/$3
    Healthy Choice frozen entrees, 5/$11
    Red cherries, $1.27/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 87¢/lb
    Apricots OR red or black plums, 99¢/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Green cabbage, 49¢/lb
    Yellow onions, 49¢/lb
    OrganicGirl box salads, 5-8 oz, buy 1 get 1 free'






Fry's:

    Beef NY strip steak, bone in, $8.99/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, $1.77/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
    Fry's milk, gallons, $1.88
    Kroger cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or shreds, $2.99
    Kroger veggies (except peas), 14-15 oz cans, 3/$2
    Bush's baked or “Grillin'” beans, 21-28 oz cans, 3/$5
    Smart Ones frozen entrees, $1.88
    Green seedless grapes, 75¢/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 99¢/lb
    Apples:  Gala, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious, 99¢/lb
    Cantaloupes OR mini seedless watermelons, 2/$5
    Mangos, 99¢ ea
    Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 99¢ ea
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, OR iceberg, 99¢ ea
    Sweet corn, 2/99¢
    Mini sweet peppers, 1 lb bag, $1.99


Safeway:

    Beef London broil, boneless, $2.99/lb
    Open Nature beef chuck steak, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Beef tri tip roast, boneless, $7.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $2.99/lb
    Pork sirloin chops, boneless, $4.49/lb
    Assorted pork loin chops, bone in, $3.99/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Safeway Farm chicken drumsticks, value pack, 99¢/lb
    Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $12.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Ahi tuna steaks, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Rockfish fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Lucerne butter, $3.49
    Lucerne cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $8.49
    Tillamook cheeses, 1 lb chunk, $4.99
    American Beauty pasta, 1 lb pkg, $1
    Del Monte tomatoes or veggies, 14-15 oz cans, $1
    Bumble Bee chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, $1
    Pam cooking spray, 5-6 oz cans, $3
    Safeway Select pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, $2
    Smart Ones frozen entrees, $1.99 ea
    Red seedless grapes, 99¢/lb
    Yellow peaches, $1.99/lb
    Red cherries, $3.99/lb
    Nectarines OR red or black plums, $1.99/lb
    Envy apples, $2.99/lb
    Whole seedless watermelons, $5.99 ea
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$6
    Organic green or red seedless grapes, $2.99/lb
    Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Organic heirloom tomatoes, $3.99/lb
    Sweet corn, 6/$2
    Fresh green beans, $1.99/lb


Sprouts:

    Beef top sirloin steaks, $6.99/lb
    Beef rump roast/stew meat/carne asada, $5.49/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $4.99/lb
    Pork loin chops or roast, boneless, $2.98/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders, $2.99/lb
    Chicken drums OR leg quarters, value pack, 99¢/lb
    Halibut, wild caught, 6 oz portions, $7.99 ea
    Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $11.99/lb
    Muir Glen organic pasta sauce, 25 oz jars, $3.49
    California Olive Ranch olive oil, half litre bottles, $7.99
    Blueberries, 6 oz boxes, 88¢
    Red cherries, $1.88/lb
    Mangos, 2/$1
    Yellow nectarines, 88¢/lb
    Apples, Granny Smith/Jonagold/Red Delicious, 98¢/lb
    Whole seedless watermelons, $3.98
    Navel oranges, 88¢/lb
    Organic cantaloupes, 2 lbs/$1
    “Dapple” pluots, $2.98/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 88¢/lb
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 88¢ ea
    Eggplant, 98¢ ea

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning June 18th:

This is interesting!  A new study out of Cornell University looks at whether, and why, exercise is related to weight loss.  One group of overweight people were told to take 30 minutes' walking as exercise, with a strong “YOU MUST” subtext, and to monitor their effort;  another group were told to have an enjoyable half-hour walk, listening to music.  They expended the same number of calories – but the first group, the people for whom exercise had been framed as something of an ordeal to be endured, not only came away “more fatigued and grumpy” than the second group, they consumed more soda and dessert at lunch than the group for whom the walk had been presented as something to enjoy. 

At Alternet, a set of tricks – I prefer the word “practices” – for conquering emotional eating.  Summer Tomato has seven reasons keeping a food journal – or as we call it here, tracking – is more useful than “counting calories”.  James Clear has an interesting piece on changing habits by changing who you are.  And Grist decries the “all natural” label on foods as being “pretty much meaningless” when you can buy all-natural Cheetos, all-natural “butter flavor granules”, and, God help us, “Ac'cent Flavor Enhancer ALL NATURAL FOOD SERVICE PRODUCT”.

Food and recipes:  If you're grilling tender meats, Lifehacker says, the best marinade is a salt-based one such as soy sauce or teriyaki, rather than an acidic one.  Chow.com has seventeen ways with grilled chicken, chai milkshakes, and seven summer smoothies.  I don't do smoothies but if you do there they are.  Simply Recipes has, appropriately, a wonderfully simple tuna-tomato pasta with olives.  Simple Nourished Living – I'd shorten that to SNL but that abbreviation is already taken – has a 5-PointsPlus-per-serving sweet-and-sour kielbasa from the slow cooker.  And Snack Girl has the annual question of whether it's possible to do a healthy July Fourth (she gives a series of tips that can tilt things towards Yes), plus eeny little crunchy ONE-POINTSPLUS ice-cream sandwiches. 


June 18th:  National Cherry Tart Day, National Sushi Day, International Picnic Day
June 19th:  National Dry Martini Day
June 20th:  National Vanilla Milkshake Day
June 21st:  National Peaches and Cream Day
June 22nd:  National Onion Rings Day, National Chocolate Eclair Day
June 23rd:  National Pecan Sandy Day
June 24th:  National Creamy Pralines Day
June 25th:  National Catfish Day, National Strawberry Parfait Day


Albertson's:

    Beef petite sirloin steaks, $10.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York steaks, bone in, family pack, $7.99/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round roast or family pack steaks, boneless, $4.79/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $2.99/lb
    Assorted pork chops, bone in, family pack, $1.59/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut bone-in or boneless, buy 1 get 1 free
    Cook's ham steaks, bone in, $3.49/lb
    Sanderson Farms boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Unbranded (store) boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Sanderson Farms chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, bone in, jumbo pack, $1.28/lb
    Tilapia fillets, 1 lb IQF bag, $9.99, buy 1 get 3 free
    Keta salmon fillets, wild caught, $3.99
    Cod, wild caught, 5 oz portions, $1.99
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.87
    Essential Everyday butter, 2/$5
    Knudsen cottage cheese OR sour cream, 16 oz tubs, $1.99
    Daisy sour cream, 8 oz tubs, 10/$10
    Yoplait yogurts, 20/$10
    Essential Everyday cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.98
    Deli:    Dietz & Watson turkey & ham varieties, $8.99/lb
        Unbranded (store) picante-Provolone and lacy-Swiss cheeses, $7.99/lb
        Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 10/$10
    Wild Harvest organic variety (non-baked) beans, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Essential Everyday pasta, 12-16 oz pkg, 10/$10
    Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, 10/$10
    Hunt's tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 10/$10
    Hunt's tomato sauce, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Libby's veggies, 15 oz cans, 88¢
    Colavita olive oil, 17 oz bottles, $9.99/lb
    Red cherries, $2.47/lb
    Peaches, $2.99/lb
    Black plums, $2.49/lb
    White peaches or nectarines, $3.49/lb
    “Midnight Beauty” black seedless grapes, $2.99/lb
    Blueberries, 11 oz boxes, $3.99
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Hass avocados, 5 ct bag, $2.98
    Sweet corn, 4 pk, 2/$5
    Red bell peppers, 4/$5


Bashas':

    Beef London broil, $2.99/lb
    Beef top round roast, $3.99/lb
    Beef crossrib roast, $4.99/lb
    Ground beef round, fat content not listed, $2.99/lb
    Assorted pork chops, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Chicken breast OR leg quarters, bone in, 99¢/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
    True cod fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Sargento cheeses, 6-8 oz shingle pack, $2.88
    Challenge butter, $2.99
    Silk beverages, 64 oz cartons, $2.99
    Bertolli pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, 2/$5
    Bumble Bee chunk white tuna, 5 oz cans, 2/$3
    Flav-R-Pac frozen veg, 11-16 oz bags, 3/$5
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, $1.88
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, 2/$3
    Blueberries, dry pint, 2/$3
    Yellow peaches/nectarines OR apricots OR red/black plums, $1.99/lb
    Large mangos, 77¢ ea
    Vine tomatoes, 2/$3
    Summer squashes, zucchini/yellow/grey, 99¢/lb
    Baby heirloom tomatoes, 8 oz bag, 2/$4
Fry's:

    Beef chuck roast or steaks, boneless, family pack, $2.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $2.69 (3 lb chub)
    Pork shoulder butt steak, bone in, family pack, $2.99/lb
    Pork shoulder butt roast, bone in, whole in bag, $1.99/lb
    Pork sirloin roasts, boneless, whole in bag, $1.79/lb (single roasts, 70¢/lb higher)
    Foster Farms whole chickens, 99¢/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Orange roughy, $7.99/lb
    Fry's eggs, AA large, dozens, $1.27
    Yoplait or Dannon conventional yogurts incl. Light, 2/88¢
    Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.99
    Kroger tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 59¢
    Kroger variety beans, 15 oz cans, 59¢
    Herdez salsa, 16 oz jars, $1.89
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 10/$10
    Birds Eye frozen veggies, 8-16 oz bags, 10/$10
    Kroger frozen veggies, 10-12 oz bags, 10/$10
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, $1.77
    Red cherries, $1.77/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 99¢/lb
    Apples:  Gala, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious, 99¢/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 77¢/lb
    Jalapeño peppers, 77¢/lb
    Sweet corn, AZ grown, 2/99¢
    Simple Truth organic mini carrots, 1 lb bag, 2/$3
    Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 99¢ ea


Safeway:

    Beef chuck crossrib roast, boneless, $2.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steak, boneless, $7.99/lb
    Open Nature “grass fed” beef NY strip steak, boneless, $13.99/lb
    Pork loin back ribs, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Pork top loin chops, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Pork shoulder for pozole, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Safeway Farms chicken leg quarters, bone in, $1.29/lb
    Alaskan salmon fillets, wild caught, $12.99/lb
    Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.99
    S&W variety beans, 15 oz cans, 4/$4
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, $1.99
    Safeway Kitchen frozen fruit, 3 lb bags, $11.99
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Whole seedless watermelons, $5.99
    Mangos, $1 ea
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.99/lb
    Organic vine tomatoes, AZ grown, $1.99/lb
    Red or yellow bell peppers, 2/$3
    Sweet corn, 6/$2


Sprouts:

    Beef sirloin tip roast or steaks, $3.99/lb
    “Grass-fed organic” ground beef, fat content not listed, $4.99/lb
    Pork sirloin chops or roast, $1.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $2.49/lb
    Chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, bone in, value pack, $1.49/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $12.99/lb
    Sea of Cortez halibut fillets, wild caught, $10.99/lb
    Sprouts butter, $2.99
    Sprouts cheeses, 8 oz shreds or shingle, 2/$6
    Sprouts olive oil, 1 litre bottles, 25% off
    Sprouts variety beans, 15 oz cans, 89¢
    Sprouts frozen fruit, 10 oz bags, $2.99
    Apricots, 48¢/lb
    Red cherries, $1.98/lb
    Honey mangos, 48¢ ea
    Apples, Fuji/Red Delicious/Granny Smith, 98¢/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines OR black plums, $1.48/lb
    Whole cantaloupes OR honeydew melons, 2/$5
    Organic Bartlett pears, 2/$3
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.48/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 2 lbs/$3
    Sweet mini peppers, 1 lb bag, 2/$5
    Sprouts box salads, 5 oz, 2/$5
    Italian or yellow squash, 98¢/lb

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning June 11th:

Explainder for our newer members:  I'm Wren.  Every week I go through the newspaper grocery flyers and type up the healthier-looking, less-processed, and more PointsPlus-friendly bargains, add health and nutrition news and my own commentary, and post it here.  A paper printout is available at the Wednesday night meeting at Santa Fe Square, and let me make clear that this is not in any way, shape, form, or fashion an Official Weight Watchers Thing.  Just me.

Good piece at Fooducate today about protein, how much you need, and how to go about consuming it.  Most Americans get much more protein than they need:  unless you're an endurance athlete or a bodybuilder, you need about 0.8 grams per kilo of body weight, or a bit over a gram for every three pounds.  The key, since protein helps us to feel satiated, is to distribute your protein throughout the day – have a yogurt (10-12 grams, 14-18 if it's Greek) with breakfast rather than just coffee-and-a-smoothie, a cheese stick (6 grams) for snack, an egg (6 grams) or two ounces of chicken breast (12 grams) with your lunch salad – rather than consuming it all at supper.

Huffington Post has a couple of articles worth reading, one list of vegan habits to adopt even if you're not vegan (I particularly like the suggestion of using mashed avocado in place of mayo), and another of ways to make your eating more mindful (chew more;  turn off the TV;  don't let yourself get ravenously hungry;  sit down to eat for heaven's sake).  And from Summer Tomato, since summer is travel season a set of “Away Court Habits” – tips for eating healthy on the road, or in the airport.

Recipes!  Chow.com has a “Basic Greek Salad”, another of jicama and oranges, a basic roasted chicken, fish tacos, and sixteen things to do with sweet corn.  Simply Recipes has grilled chicken marinated in lime juice, with a black bean sauce.  Martha at Simple Nourished Living is still on her slow-cooker binge (honestly I don't want to turn the stove on either, do you?), with slow-cooker Bananas Foster, a six-PointsPlus teriyaki chicken, and a classic Italian sausage-and-peppers.  And Snack Girl has strawberry yogurt cookies and her own 6-PointsPlus take on Taco Bell's waffle taco!

Friday's my own offical holiday:  National Kitchen Klutzes of America Day.  (Weight Watchers has brought me at last beyond my former status, where every time I stepped foot in the kitchen my friends hurried to make sure they had Poison Control, the fire marshals,  and the Environmental Protection Agency on speed-dial.)  Next Tuesday, the 17th, is Eat All Your Veggies Day.  And one week from today is National Picnic Day – do it in the evening.  Or in the living room.  Or in the pool. 

June 11th:  National German Chocolate Cake Day
June 12th:  National Jerky Day, National Peanut Butter Cookie Day
June 13th:  National Kitchen Klutzes of America Day
June 14th:  National Strawberry Shortcake Day
June 15th:  National Lobster Day, World Gin Day
June 16th:  National Fudge Day
June 17th:  Eat All Your Veggies Day, National Apple Strudel Day
June 18th:  National Cherry Tart Day, National Picnic Day, International Strudel Day


Albertson's:

    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $10.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round/sirloin tip, boneless, $7.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef top sirloin steak OR tri tip roast, $5.99/lb
    Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York steaks, bone in, $7.99/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $2.99/lb
    Pork loin roast, boneless, $2.49/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut bone-in, $6.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free (boneless $1/lb higher)
    Sanderson Farms boneless skinless chicken breast/thighs/tenders, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Unbranded (store) boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Honeysuckle White frozen turkey breast, bone in, $1.77/lb
    Rockfish OR Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Keta salmon fillets, wild caught, $4.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets or bone-in steaks, farm raised, $7.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $10.99/lb
    Shamrock Farms dairy products, 40% off
    Albertson's sour cream, 16 oz tubs, 10/$10
    Deli:    Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
        Muenster or Provolone cheeses, $5.99/lb
    Fiber One OR Nature Valley granola bars, 5-6 ct, $1.88
    Essential Everyday tomatoes, veggies, variety beans, 14 oz cans, 69¢
    Bertolli pasta sauce, 15-24 oz jars, 2/$5
    Da Vinci pasta, 16 oz pkg, 10/$10
    Bertolli olive oil, 25 oz bottles, $8.99
    Raspberries, AZ grown, 6 oz boxes, 87¢
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Seedless grapes, green or red, $1.99/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, $2.99/lb
    Red delicious, 99¢/lb
    Vidalia onions, $1.49/lb
    Green bell peppers, 79¢/lb
    Fresh guacamole, 12 oz tubs, $4.99


Bashas':

    Beef t-bone steaks, value pack, $5.77/lb
    Beef tri tips, $6.99/lb (Bashas' meat labeling has grown remarkably inspecific)
    Beef bottom round roast or steak, $3.99/lb
    Ground beef round, fat content not listed, $2.77/lb
    Pork loin, boneless, whole in bag, $1.98/lb
    Pork chops, center cut boneless, value pack, $3.49/lb
    Bashas' eggs, AA large, dozens, $1.29
    Food Club butter, $2.99
    S&W variety (non-baked) beans, 69¢
    Food Club veggies OR tomatoes, 15 oz cans, 69¢
    Whole seedless watermelons, 19¢/lb
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, 97¢
    Whole cantaloupes, 19¢/lb
    Apricots, $1.99/lb
    Red or black plums, $1.99/lb
    Sweet onions, 99¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 2 lbs/$3





Fry's:

    Ribeye steaks, bone in, family pack, $5.88/lb
    Beef bottom sirloin tri tip roast, boneless, $4.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $4.99/lb (2 lb chub)
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Heritage Farms boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, $1.77/lb
    Tilapia or corvina fillets, $5.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $12.99/lb
    Kroger cheeses, 16 oz chunk or shreds, $3.79
    American Beauty pasta, 12-16 oz bags, 10/$10
    Lean Cuisine “Culinary Collection” frozen entrees, $1.99
    Yellow peaches OR nectarines, 99¢/lb
    Blueberries, dry pint, 97¢
    Whole pineapples, 97¢ ea
    Whole seedless watermelons, $4.99 ea
    Mangos, 99¢ ea
    Sweet corn, 2/99¢
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 99¢ ea
    Mini sweet peppers, 1 lb bag, $1.99
    Broccoli 99¢/lb


Safeway:

    Beef NY strip steak, bone in, $5.99/lb (boneless, $2/lb higher)
    Beef or chicken kebabs, $5.99/lb
    Beef bottom round roast, boneless, $2.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $2.99/lb
    Pork sirloin chops, boneless, $4.49/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Safeway Farms chicken drumsticks, value pack, $1.49/lb
    Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $14.99/lb
    Yellowfin ahi tuna steaks, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Kraft cheeses, 6-8 oz shreds or shingle pack, $2.99
    Open Nature variety breads, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $2.49
    Del Monte tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 99¢
    Lean Cuisine “Simple Favorites”, $1.99
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.99/lb
    Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons or Tuscan cantaloupes (??), AZ grown, $2.99/lb
    Mangos, 10/$10
    Apricots, $2.99/lb
    Sweet corn, 6/$2
    Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Zucchini OR yellow squash, $1.79/lb
    Cucumbers, 69¢ ea


Sprouts:

    Beef NY steak, bone in, $9.99/lb
    Beef chuck roast or steak, boneless, $5.49/lb
    Ground beef sirloin, fat content not listed, $5.49/lb
    Pork loin chops or roast, center cut boneless, $2.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken thighs, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Ahi tuna or swordfish steaks, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Newman's Own Organics olive oil, 25 oz bottles, $9.99
    Silver Palate pasta sauces, 25 oz jars, $2.99
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, 98¢
    Blueberries, 4 oz box, 98¢
    Apricots, 98¢/lb
    Black plums, 98¢/lb
    Honey mangos, 2/$1
    Whole seedless watermelons, $3.98
    Navel oranges, 98¢/lb
    Granny Smith or Red Delicious apples, 98¢/lb
    Asparagus, $1.98/lb
    Cucumbers, 2/$1
    Roma or beefsteak tomatoes, 98¢/lb
    Organic grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$5
    Broccoli crowns, 98¢
    Leaf lettuce, green or red, OR bunch spinach, 98¢
    Italian squash, 98¢/lb
    Organic vine tomatoes, $1.98/lb

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