Wren's bargain guide, week beginning September 17th:

Interesting piece at The Atlantic, just as this year's harvest of HoneyCrisp apples hits the market, about apples and specifically about the history, popularity, and relentless reign of the Red Delicious, “the most produced and arguably least popular apple in the United States.”

Coconut oil:  good for you or bad?  Fooducate looks into this (also into why white cauliflower is white and yellow cauliflower is normal).  Monica Reinagel analyzes the currently (faddishly?) popular “80/10/10” diet:  get 80% of your caloric intake from raw plant-based carbs, 10% from raw plant-based fats, 10% from raw plant-based protein.  (She's highly skeptical.)  And there's an app that calculates your “nutritional grade-point average”!  And Mark's Daily Apple looks at “Rajio Taiso”, the notion – popular in many Asian countries – of starting every day with a gentle morning workout, no more than ten minutes long.  It's making Mark feel better, and he's in shape!

Recipes!  Chow.com has butternut squash recipes, an apple-and-pear crisp with oatmeal streusel, and party mix out of the slow cooker.  (Looks good if you can be around to give it a stir every half hour.)  Smitten Kitchen has a tomato-and-roasted-garlic tart – there's got to be some way of making it more PointsPlus-friendly than by baking it in puff pastry! – and a cauliflower slaw.  Simple Nourished Living has steak fajitas, slow-cooker ratatouille, cherry date nut balls, and baked s'mores at 80 calories and 2 PointsPlus each – as compared to ordinary s'mores at 270 calories and 7 PointsPlus.  Simply Recipes has ultra-simple baked chicken as well as fresh green beans in an orange-soy-sriracha sauce.  And Snack Girl presents a combination that I can genuinely attest would never have occurred to me:  cream of spinach and broccoli soup, made with coconut milk.  Today is National Apple Dumpling Day, and Saturday is National Rum Punch Day.  And did I ever publicly thank Connie for the ream of paper?  Thank you, Connie?

September 17th:  National Apple Dumpling Day
September 18th:  National Cheeseburger Day
September 19th:  National Butterscotch Pudding Day
September 20th:  National Rum Punch Day
September 21st:  National Pecan Cookie Day
September 22nd:  National White Chocolate Day
September 23rd:  National Chocolate Day
September 24th:  National Cherries Jubilee Day



Albertson's:

    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round/sirloin tip/London broil, $8.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York strip steaks, bone in, $8.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steak OR trimmed tri tip, boneless, $5.99/lb
    Beef cube steaks or stew meat, boneless, family pack, $4.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $3.49/lb
    Assorted pork chops, bone in, family pack, $2.49lb
    Pork sirloin chops, boneless, family pack, $2.79/lb
    Cook's ham steak, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb
    Honeysuckle White frozen turkey breast, bone in, $1.79/lb
    Jennie-O 93/7 ground turkey, 20 oz pkg, $3.99
    Sanderson Farms boneless skilness chicken breast/thighs/tenders, buy 1 get 1 free
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Coho salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Rockfish OR Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Cod, wild caught, 5 oz portions, 2/$3
    Ahi tuna, wild caught, 5 oz portions, $2.99
    Swordfish OR mahi mahi, wild caught, 5 oz portions, $3.99
    Sockeye salmon, wild caught, 5 oz portions, $4.99
    Atlantic salmon, farm raised, 5 oz portions, $3.99
    Sea scallops (31-40 ct), farm raised, $9.99/lb
    Albertson's eggs, AA large, 18 ct, $1.99
    Sargento cheeses, 6-8 oz shingle pack, 2/$6
    Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, 10/$10
    Libby's veggies, 11-15 oz cans, 88¢
    Essential Everyday chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 89¢
    Whole cantaloupes, 87¢/lb
    Apples:  Gala, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious, $1.49/lb
    Gattie yellow peaches, $1.99/lb
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    English cucumbers, 99¢ ea


Bashas':

    Beef top round roast or steak, $4.99/lb
    Beef London broil, $5.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steaks, value pack, $5.99/lb
    Ground beef round, fat content not listed, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Assorted pork chops, bone in, value pack, $1.77/lb
    Center cut pork chops, bone in, value pack, $3.49/lb
    Chicken split breasts or leg quarters, bone in, 97¢/lb
    King salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Catfish fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Swai fillets, wild caught, $2.99/lb
    Bashas' milk, gallons, 2/$5
    Food Club cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.99
    Food Club cheeses, 6-8 oz shingle pack, 2/$5
    Bashas' Homestyle bread, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, 2/$5
    Bumble Bee chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 88¢
    Prego pasta sauces, 14-24 oz jars, 2/$4
    American Beauty pasta, 1 lb pkg, 2/$3
    Flav-R-Pac veggies, 11-16 oz frozen pkg, 3/$5
    Green or red seedless grapes, 87¢/lb
    Gala apples, 77¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 77¢/lb
    Navel oranges, 77¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 39¢/lb
    Yellow peaches, $1.77/lb
    Slicing tomatoes, 88¢/lb
    Green bell peppers, 2/$1
    Onions:  red, white, sweet yellow, 88¢/lb





Fry's:

    Beef bottom round roast OR London broil, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Beef strip steak, bone in, $8.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $2.99/lb (3 lb chub)
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Heritage Farm boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, family pack, $1.77/lb
    King salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Fry's milk, gallons, $1.97
    Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz shreds or shingle, $1.97/lb
    Bush's variety (non-baked) beans, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 10/$10
    Del Monte veggies, 11-15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Hunt's tomatoes or sauce, 14-15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Kroger frozen veggies, 10-12 oz bags, 10/$10
    HoneyCrisp apples, $1.47/lb (organic, $2.99/lb)
    Navel oranges OR Minneola tangelos, 88¢/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.49/lb
    Apples:  Gala, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious, 99¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Hass avocados, 99¢ ea
    Sweet yellow onions, 99¢/lb


Safeway:

    Beef round tip roast, boneless, $5.49/lb
    Beef chuck 7-bone roast, $4.49/lb
    Beef chuck roast, boneless, $5.49/lb
    Beef top sirloin steak, boneless, $8.99/lb
    Beef loin NY strip steak, bone in, $10.99/lb
    Open Nature beef chuck roast, boneless, $4.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Half pork loin, boneless, whole in bag, $3.99/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Jennie-O 93/7 ground turkey, 20 oz pkg, $5
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $8.99/lb
    Tilapia fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Alaskan pollock fillets, wild caught, $3.99/lb
    Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.97
    Safeway Kitchens variety bread, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $1.99
    Bush's baked beans, 28 oz cans, $1.88
    Safeway Kitchens variety beans, 15 oz cans, 99¢
    Del Monte fruit, 14-15 oz cans, 2/$3
    StarKist chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 79¢
    Healthy Choice frozen entrees, 4/$10
    Eating Right “Healthy Living” or “Calorie Counting” entrees, $1.77
    Green seedless grapes, 99¢/lb
    Navel oranges, 68¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Yellow peaches, $1.99/lb
    Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons, $3.99 ea
    Bartlett or Anjou pears, 99¢/lb
    HoneyCrisp apples, $2.99/lb
    Vine tomatoes, $2.99/lb
    Heirloom tomatoes, $3.99/lb
    Green or red bell peppers, 10/$10
    Sweet corn, 6/$2
    Hass avocados, 4/$5
    Organic winter squashes, butternut/acorn/spaghetti, 99¢/lb


Sprouts:

    Beef sirloin tip roast or steak, boneless, $5.79/lb
    Chicken drumsticks or leg quarters, value pack, 99¢/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $4.99/lb
    Halibut, wild caught, 6 oz portions, $8.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $9.99/lb   
    Mahi mahi fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Black seedless grapes, 69¢/lb
    Gala or Granny Smith apples, 99¢/lb
    HoneyCrisp apples, 2/$5
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Valencia oranges, 49¢/lb
    Yellow or white nectarines OR black plums, 2 lbs/$3
    Italian Empress prune plums, 77¢/lb
    Beefsteak tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Organic grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$5
    Eggplant, 99¢ ea
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, OR fresh spinach, 99¢/bunch
    Italian squash, 99¢/lb
    Organic rainbow carrots, 2 lb bag, 2/$5
    Herbs in 4” pots, 4/$12

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

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning September 3rd:

So Labor Day has passed, which means Summer is Officially Over HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  As I type these words it is 104°F out.

Lots at Fooducate this week.  Is breakfast really “the most important meal of the day”?  (If breakfast doesn't work for you, at least keep a healthy snack at hand so you won't be raiding vending machines at 10:00 a.m. – or ravenous enough to devour an entire Quik Trip by lunchtime.)  Important information about trans fats.  And a couple of guest articles on the newest iteration of Low-Fat Vs. Low-Carb:  Yoni Freedhoff points out that the study didn't last long enough, and the diets used weren't really low-fat or low-carbohydrate;  and David Katz points out, with brutal honesty, that “You cannot get a good answer to a lousy question”:  “{I}t is long known and well established that dietary fats run the gamut from good to bad to ugly.  No good diet should willfully exclude the monounsaturated fats and omega-3s in nuts and seeds and avocados;  I’m pretty sure everybody not stuck under a boulder knows that.  [ ... ]  The concept of low-carb is also terribly outdated, and was silly when it was first spawned.  Everything from lentils to lollipops is carbohydrate;  why on earth would anyone want to treat such a vast expanse of the food supply as if it were just one thing?”

Nutrition Diva looks into nutrition absorption from foods (that banana has 422 milligrams of potassium – allegedly – but are you getting all 422?), and what can affect it.  And Marion Nestle informs, or inflicts, about the latest in State Fair Food :  the Twink.  A Twix bar stuffed into a Twinkie, wrapped in bacon, batter-dipped, deep-fried, and sprinkled with sugar.  Because, as she points out, “deep-fried Oreos and deep-fried butter are so last year.”

Recipes!  Sheknows.com has a list of healthy packable-lunch ideas – they're called “school lunches”, but a lot of them would be great for workplace lunches as well.  Chow.com has potato salad without mayo, coleslaw ditto but with kale and apples, slow-cooker chicken mole, and soft-boiled eggs.  At Simply Recipes the eggs are poached this week, triggering a lengthy (very lengthy:  the thread is five years old) discussion of the best way.  Also grilled shrimp tacos.  TheKitchn.com has fruit-preparation shortcuts, and how to cook a boneless skinless chicken breast so it's moist and tender every time:  a terrific thing for us in Weight Watchers, who groan at the mere thought of having to eat one more damn boneless skinless chicken breast.  Simple Nourished Living wraps up JuiceFest, and Snack Girl has a stack of apple snacks including a 1 PointsPlus-per-serving “Naked Apple Pie”.

Apples:  September is National Apple Month.  This will be heard again.  Also National Potato Month, National Chicken Month, National Mushroom Month – these three might combine into a tasty celebration – and National Honey Month.  And tomorrow is Eat An Extra Dessert Day – hey, they're your PointsPlus to spend


September 3rd:  National Welsh Rarebit Day
September 4th:  National Macadamia Nut Day, Eat an Extra Dessert Day
September 5th:  National Cheese Pizza Day
September 6th:  National Coffee Ice-Cream Day
September 7th:  National Napoleon Day, National Acorn Squash Day
September 8th:  National Date-Nut Bread Day
September 9th:  Weinerschnitzel Day, National Steak au Poivre Day
September 10th:  TV Dinner Day



Albertson's:

    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, family pack, $3.97/lb
    Beef ribeye/t-bone/NY strip steaks, bone in, family pack, $7.99/lb
    Beef tri tip OR London broil roast, boneless, untrimmed, $4.99/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round/sirloin tip roast or steaks, family pack, $5.49/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $3.49/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless or bone in, buy 1 get 1 free
    Pork sirloin chops, boneless, $2.49/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb
    Sanderson Farms whole frying chickens, $1.19/lb
    Whole entire damn pink salmon, wild caught, $1.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Rockfish or Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.97
    Deli:    Jennie-O smoked or oven roasted turkey breast, $3.99/lb
        Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        Healthy Ones oven roasted or honey turkey, chicken breast, honey ham, $6.99/lb
        Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
    Prego pasta sauces, 14-24 oz jars, 2/$3
    Bertolli pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, 2/$5
    Herdez salsa, 16 oz jars, $1.99
    Libby's veggies, 11-15 oz cans, 79¢
    Crystal Light powder, 5 qt, OR Crystal Light “Enhancer”, eeny little drop bottle, $1.99
    Swanson chunk white chicken, 9 oz cans, $2.99
    Green Giant “Steamers” veggies, 12 oz frozen bag, 2/$4
    Green seedless grapes, 75¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Yellow peaches OR nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Bartlett pears, $1.99/lb
    Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Cucumbers OR green bell peppers, 69¢ ea


Bashas':

    Beef top sirloin steak, boneless, value pack, $4.77/lb (regular pack, $1/lb higher)
    Beef ribeye OR New York steak, $7.99/lb
    Beef crossrib roast, $4.99/lb
    Beef or chicken kebabs, $4.99/lb
    Farmland pork loin, boneless, whole in bag, $1.99/lb (half, $1/lb higher)
    Farmland center cut pork chops, boneless, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb
    Atlantic salmon, 5 oz portions, $3
    King salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Catfish fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Bashas' cottage cheese incl. Light, 24 oz tubs, $2.49
    Kellogg's cereals, 12 ct Pop-Tarts, Nutri-Grain or Fiber Plus bars, 2/$5
        Buy any 4, get a gallon of Bashas' milk free
    Libby's veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 4/$3
    Chicken of the Sea solid white tuna, 5 oz cans, $1.39
    Bumble Bee chunk light tuna, 79¢
    S&W beans, 15 oz cans, 89¢
    Kashi cereals, 6-14 oz boxes, $2.99
    Weight Watchers ice-cream novelties, 33% off
    Morningstar Farms frozen entrees, 2/$7
    Gala or Red Delicious apples, 88¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 88¢/lb
    Navel oranges, 88¢/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, 88¢/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines OR red or black plums, $1.88/lb
    Whole seedless watermelons, 39¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Dole bag salads, 2/$3


Fry's:

    Beef chuck roast, boneless, $2.99/lb
    Beef flat iron steaks, boneless, $6.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $3.29/lb (2 lb chub)
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Kroger 93/7 ground turkey, $3.49/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Fry's milk, gallons, $1.97
    Kroger cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or shreds, $3.79
    Kroger veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 3/$2
    Black seedless grapes, 75¢/lb
    Red or black plums OR pluots, $1.99/lb
    SweeTango apples, $1.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes OR pineapples, $1.99 ea
    Navel oranges OR Minneola tangelos, $1.49/lb
    Bartlett pears, $1.49/lb
    Organic seedless grapes, green or red, $1.99/lb
    Organic bananas, 79¢/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, OR iceberg OR spinach, 99¢/bunch
    Organic kale, 99¢/bunch
    Simple Truth organic spring mix OR baby spinach, 1 lb box, $4.99


Safeway:

    Beef chuck crossrib roast, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Beef chuck steak or country style ribs, boneless, $4.49/lb
    Beef top round London broil, boneless, $6.49/lb
    Beef NY strip steak, bone in, value pack, $10.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, value pack, $3.69/lb
    Pork shoulder blade country style ribs, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Pork tenderloin, boneless, whole in bag, $5.99/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, value pack, $2.49/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Alaskan pollock fillets, wild caught, $3.99/lb
    Ahi tuna steaks, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $8.99/lb
    Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.97
    Primo Taglio medium cheddar, 8 oz chunk, $6.49
    O Organics cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk, $3.99
    Del Monte veggies or tomatoes, 14-15 oz cans, 99¢
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 99¢
    Dave's “Killer” “Good Seed” bread, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, $3.99
    Lean Cuisine “Simple Favorites” entrees, 5/$10
    Gala apples, 59¢/lb
    Green seedless grapes, 99¢/lb
    Navel oranges, $1.79
    Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons, $3.99
    Yellow peaches or nectarines OR pluots, $1.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Bartlett pears, $1.49/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Organic heirloom tomatoes, $2.99/lb
    Organic leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, $1.99


Sprouts:

    Buffalo Stampede, “all varieties on sale” but they give no specifics
    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, $7.99/lb
    Beef stew meat OR carne asada OR boneless short ribs, $4.99/lb
    Beef rump roast, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Pork sirloin chops or roast OR ground pork, $5.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised,$8.99/lb
    Muir Glen tomatoes or pasta sauce, 25-28 oz jars (sauce) or cans (tomatoes), buy 1 get 1 free
    Yellow peaches or nectarines OR Dapple pluots, 77¢/lb
    Gala or Fuji apples, 88¢/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, 2 lbs/$3
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$3
    Organic Gala apples or Bartlett pears, 2 lbs/$3
    Organic Minneola tangelos, 2 lbs/$3
    Vine tomatoes, 88¢/lb
    Earthbound Farms organic box salads, buy 1 get 1 free
    Organic Roma tomatoes, 98¢/lb
    Red or yellow bell peppers, 88¢ ea
    Grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$3

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning August 27th:

Lots at Fooducate this week:  the hazards of hotel and motel breakfasts (some of us could wish they'd published this at the beginning of summer, rather than the very end!), fresh pineapple, the health content – if one wants to call it that – of “natural” ketchup, Vitamin D, and Maraschino cherries. 

From Fooducate and Food Politics both, I hear that the FDA and Consumer Reports disagree on which tuna to eat, how much, and whether pregnant women should eat it at all.  Not my department, but I'd suggest it might at least be a good idea to go to the less mercury-laden – and less expensive! – light tuna rather than white.

The newest slow-down-your-eating tip:  count the number of bites you eat!  Try for 100 in a day, it says here (the average woman's bite is 11 calories, the average man's 17).  Someone's already working on a gadget to count them;  this will go with the fork that flashes and buzzes if your mouthfuls are less than 10 seconds apart, and the talking plate that measures how fast you're emptying it.  And at Grist, I find what seems to be a well-deserved poke at Blue Apron's raw-meal-delivery service.  Sign up and they send you, every day, for the trivial sum of $9.99 per person per meal, the components for your meals … all separately packed (“I mean, we are talking about individually bagged celery stalks here”).

Recipes!  I'm afraid you'll have to assemble your own ingredients, though.  Chow.com has a kale-feta-mint salad, a dukkah-encrusted salmon (and, since you're right now blinking and mentally going “Dukkah?  What the hell is dukkah?” a recipe for dukkah – it's a mixture of ground nuts and spices), vegetarian chili, and DIY granola.  David Lebovitz has a soup of sweet corn;  Sprouted Kitchen turn their corn into a salad with nectarines and peanuts.  Simply Recipes also has a nectarine fruit salad, this one with strawberries, and a nice-looking Spanish rice.  Simple Nourished Living is still in If You See It Juice It mode.  And Snack Girl has a super-low-PointsPlus taco filling, gazpacho soup, sources for WW-friendly recipes, and a set of “grab-and-go” healthy breakfasts for those mornings when you find yourself calling out to a child as he runs for the school bus, “Come back here!  You forgot your pants!”

Labor Day is in the offing, and with it the close of Grilling Season (the weight-loss year has only two seasons, the other being Chocolate Season), so big promotions this week on meat and sweet corn.  Also the opening of Oyster Season, which does not perceptibly affect us in Arizona, and Wine Season, which may.  Friday is More Herbs Less Salt Day, also National Lemon Juice Day which is another healthy alternative to salt.  The 31st, this Sunday, is both National Trail Mix Day and Eat Outside Day – except here, where we are looking at  107° that day.

August 27th:  Banana Lovers' Day, National Pots du Creme Day
August 28th:  National Cherry Turnover Day
August 29th:  National Whisk(e)y Sour Day, More Herbs Less Salt Day, National Lemon Juice Day, National Chop Suey Day
August 30th:  National Marshmallow Toasting Day
August 31st:  Eat Outside Day, National Trail Mix Day
September 1st:  National Cherry Popover Day
September 2nd:  National Blueberry Popsicle Day;  the Saturday before Labor Day, and thus International Bacon Day
September 3rd:  National Welsh Rarebit Day





Albertson's:

    Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York steaks, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, $5.99/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round/sirloin tip roasts or steaks, family pack, $5.49/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $2.49/lb (3 lbs or more)
    93/7 ground beef, $4.79/lb
    Pork loin back ribs, buy 1 get 3 free
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless or bone in, buy 1 get 1 free
    “Assorted” pork chops OR country style ribs, bone in, $2.49/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Sanderson Farms boneless skinless chicken breast/thighs/tenders, buy 1 get 1 free
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Great American tilapia or cod fillets, 1 lb IQF bag, $9.99, buy 1 get 3 free
    Daisy sour cream incl. Light, 16 oz tubs, 2/$4
    Albertson's cottage cheese, 24 oz tubs, 2/$5
    Kraft Cracker Barrel cheeses, 8 oz chunk, 2/$6
    Deli:    Signature rotisserie turkey breast, $5.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson selected turkey and chicken breast, it's confusing, buy $8.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson medium Cheddar or baby-Swiss cheeses, $7.99/lb
        Charlie's Pride Italian roast beef, corned beef, beef pastrami, $7.99/lb
        Stella Swiss, Provolone, Muenster, $7.99/lb
        Stella hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
    Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 10/$10
    Essential Everyday pasta, 12-16 oz boxes, 10/$10
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 10/$10
    Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, 10/$10
    Bush's baked or “Grillin'” beans, 21-28 oz cans, 3/$5
    Healthy Choice frozen entrees, $1.99
    Gala apples, $1.49/lb
    Peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    “Sweet Emerald Beaut” plumcots, $1.99/lb
    Sweet corn, 8/$1
    Large tomatoes, $1.49/lb
    Organic vine tomatoes, $2.99/lb
    Earthbound Farms organic box salads, 1 lb, $5
    Organic kale, $1.49/lb


Bashas':

    Beef t-bone or boneless New York steaks, value pack, $5.77/lb (regular pack, $1/lb higher)
    Beef tri tip roast, $6.77/lb
    Pork loin back ribs, buy 1 get 2 free
    Pork country style ribs, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Sanderson Farms split chicken breast, bone in, buy 1 get 1 free
    Bashas' boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    True cod fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb
    Hebrew National, Nathan's, Ball Park, Oscar Mayer hot dogs, 11-16 oz, 50% off
    Sargento cheese, 5-8 oz shreds or shingle, 2/$5
    Daisy OR Shamrock Farms sour cream or cottage cheese, 12-16 oz tubs, $1.99
    Pompeian olive oil, 16 oz bottles, $3.99
    American Beauty pasta, 1 lb pkg, 99¢
    Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, 99¢
    Pace salsa or picante sauce, 16 oz jars, $1.99
    Bush's baked or “Grillin'” beans, 22-28 oz cans, $1.69
    C&W or Birds Eye frozen veggies, 11-16 oz, 5/$10
    Peaches, nectarines, red or black plums, 98¢/lb
    Cantaloupes OR whole seedless watermelons, 19¢/lb


Fry's:

    Beef strip steak OR tri tip roast, bone in, $5.97/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $3.49/lb (3 lb chub, total price $10.47)
    Pork loin back ribs OR St Louis style ribs, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Foster Farms boneless skinless chicken breast/thighs/tenders, buy 1 get 2 free
    All Shamrock Farms dairy, 40% off
    Challenge or Land O Lake butter, 2/$7
    Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.97
    American Beauty pasta, 16 oz pkg, 99¢/lb
    S&W tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 99¢
    Ragu pasta sauces, 16-24 oz jar, 3/$5
    StarKist chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans OR 2.5 oz pouches, 79¢
    Smart Ones frozen entrees, 5/$10
    Raspberries, 6 oz box, 87¢
    Mini seedless watermelons, 2/$3
    Yellow peaches, 99¢/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes or pineapples, $1.99 ea
    Sweet corn, 2/99¢
    Broccoli, 99¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Sweet yellow onions, 99¢/lb


Safeway:

    Beef NY strip steak, bone in, $5.99/lb (boneless $2/lb higher)
    Beef round tip steak, $6.49/lb
    Open Nature “grass fed” beef ribeye steak, $9.99/lb
    Open Nature “grass fed” beef London broil, $4.99/lb
    Beef back ribs, bone in, $2.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $3.29/lb
    Pork loin back ribs, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Pork top loin chops, boneless, $5.99/lb
    Chicken thigh or drumsticks, bone in, value pack, $1.69/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, $2.99/lb
    King salmon fillets, wild caught, $12.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Pacific rockfish fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Yellowfin tuna steaks, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Lucerne butter, $3.99
    Lucerne cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $8.49
    Sargento cheeses, 6-8 oz shreds or shingle, $2.99
    Bush's baked or “Grillin'” beans, 21-28 oz cans, 4/$7
    StarKist solid white tuna, 5 oz cans, 4/$5
    Bertolli olive oil, 25 oz bottles, buy 1 get 1 free
    Dole pineapple, 8 oz flat cans, buy 1 get 1 free
    Mini seedless watermelons, $1.99 ea
    Red seedless grapes, 99¢/lb
    Jazz apples, 79¢/lb
    Envy/Gala/Fuji apples, $1.99/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Whole pineapples, $2.99
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Whole seedless watermelons, $5.99
    Sweet corn, 5/$1
    Tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Organic kale, 2/$3
    O Organic grape tomatoes, dry pint, $2.99


Sprouts:

    Beef New York steak, bone in, $7.99/lb
    Beef carne asada, $4.99/lb
    85/15 ground beef, value pack, $4.99/lb
    Pork baby back ribs, $2.99/lb
    Pork shoulder roast
    Boneless skinless chicken thighs, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Swordfish or ahi tuna steaks, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Chilean sea bass filets, wild caught, $19.99/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, 88¢/lb
    Whole seedless watermelons, $1.88 ea
    Yellow peaches OR Italian prune plums, 88¢/lb
    Gala or Granny Smith apples, 98¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 98¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 98¢ ea
    Roma or beefsteak tomatoes, 88¢/lb
    Cauliflower, 98¢/lb
    Fresh spinach, 98¢/bunch
    Organic vine tomatoes, $1.98/lb

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

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning August 13th:

At Fooducate I find information about radishes (did you know that radishes are crucifers, related to broccoli and cabbage?), percent-daily-value for protein, and an analysis of a snack product labeled “Shrimp Chips”.  Heartbreakingly, these are not “thinly sliced pieces of shrimp, deep fried in oil and lightly salted”.

Do you can?  I've considered it, but am reluctant to put a pot of water on the stove and keep it boiling for hours in an Arizona summer:  Monica Reinagel reviews the new “FreshTECH” home canning system.  Pros:  easy to use, easy to clean, and it doesn't heat up the kitchen nearly as much.  Cons:  it only handles small batches, it's not a pressure canner so not suited for canning meat or poultry, you're sternly instructed to use only their proprietary recipes, and the damn thing costs three hundred dollars.

Marion Nestle tells me that sales of packaged and processed foods are down, and explores why.  Grist foraged for lunch in a city park in Seattle!  (Helpful Hint:  “If it's called a 'corpseberry', it's probably not a good idea to eat it.”)  And Summer Tomato looks into habits, how to make them, and why doing the same thing over and over again doesn't make it a habit.  If it calls for willpower, it's not a habit.

Recipes!  Chow.com has a set of potato salad variations beyond “mayo” and “vinegar-and-bacon”, a raft of watermelon recipes (not all sweet), salmon-and-asparagus kebabs, a “Basic Greek Salad”, and a sun-dried-tomato salt for sweet corn or nearly anything else.  Simply Recipes has homemade basil pesto, a pasta-spinach-avocado dish to put it in, and another dish of pasta with eggplant.  Simple Nourished Living is still juicing the living schnitt out of everything, but also supplies a salad of corn and tomatoes and some 3-PointsPlus-per-serving crispy baked zucchini fries.  And Snack Girl offers DIY strawberry frozen yogurt, a vegan key-lime pudding from the blender, and a bit of advice:  genes are going to play a not insignificant role in the final results of your weight-loss journey.  “Genetics has dictated that my eyes are blue, my hair brown, and my hips as wide as the St. Lawrence. If I wanted to change how I look, I could get contacts and dye my hair but what about my hips?  At some point in your life, take a good hard look at your parents and know that you are going to look like them.”

Today's National Filet Mignon Day, very lean if you don't wrap it in bacon.  Tomorrow is National Creamsicle Day which does not need to be wrapped in bacon either.  And next Tuesday is both National Potato Day and National Hot & Spicy Foods Day, so spice up some potatoes! 

August 13th:  National Filet Mignon Day
August 14th:  National Creamsicle Day
August 15th:  Lemon Meringue Pie Day;  Julia Child born, 1912
August 16th:  National Bratwurst Day, National Rum Day
August 17th:  National Vanilla Custard Day
August 18th:  National Soft Ice-Cream Day
August 19th:  National Potato Day, National Hot & Spicy Foods Day
August 20th:  National Lemonade Day, National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day


Albertson's:

    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, buy 1 get 2 free
    Beef London broil, boneless, $3.79/lb
    Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York steaks, bone in, $8.99/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round/sirloin tip roast, boneless, family pack, $4.99/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $3.49/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $3.79/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless OR bone in, buy 1 get 1 free
    Assorted pork chops or country style ribs, bone in, $2.49/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb
    Cod or sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.88
    Daisy sour cream, 8 oz tubs, $1
    Deli:    Dietz & Watson turkey, chicken, ham, $7.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson slicing cheeses, $7.99/lb
        Signature Virginia ham, $4.99/lb
        Signature Provolone cheese, $6.99/lb
        Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
    Hunt's tomatoes or tomato sauce, 14-15 oz cans, $1
    Chicken of the Sea chunk white tuna, 5 oz cans, $1
    Essential Everyday frozen veg, 14-16 oz bags, $1
    Raspberries, 6 oz boxes, 87¢
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Blackberries or blueberries, 6-11 oz boxes, $2.99
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Honeydew melon, 49¢/lb
    Cut up watermelon/cantaloupe/pineapple, 24 oz bowls, $3.99 or 3/$10
    Slicing tomatoes, $1/lb
    Organic grape tomatoes, 10 oz boxes, $2.99
    Sweet corn, 4 pk, $2.99
    Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, $1 ea


Bashas':

    Beef top sirloin steaks, value pack, $4.77/lb (regular pack, $1/lb higher)
    Beef crossrib or bottom round roast, $4.99/lb
    Ground beef sirloin, value pack, $3.97/lb
    Pork sirloin chops, bone in, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Pork loin country style ribs, bone in, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, bone in, 88¢/lb
    Coho salmon fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Catfish fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    Bashas' millk, gallons, 2/$5
    Bashas' cottage cheese, 16 oz tubs, $1.89
    Tillamook cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or slices, $4.44
    Food Club cheeses, 6-8 oz shingle pack, 2/$5
    Bashas' Homestyle bread, 24 oz wide-pan loaves, 2/$5
    Whole cantaloupes OR seedless watermelons, 25¢/lb
    Strawberries, 1 lb boxes, 97¢
    Blueberries, 6 oz boxes, 97¢
    Green or red seedless grapes, conventional or organic, $1.99/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, red or black plums, $1.99/lb
    Cantaloupes OR mini seedless watermelons, organic, 69¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, conventional or organic, 2 lbs/$3
    Large Hass avocados, 2/$3
    Hatch chiles, 88¢/lb

Fry's:

    Beef chuck or shoulder roast, boneless, family pack, $2.99/lb
    Beef t-bone steaks, $8.99/lb
    85/15 Angus ground beef, $4.49/lb (2 lb chub, $9.98)
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, $1.77/lb
    Simple Truth “natural” boneless skinless chicken breast, $4.99/lb
    Kroger pasta sauces, 24 oz jars, 4/$5
    Red seedless grapes, 88¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 88¢/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 99¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes OR pineapples, $1.99
    Sweet corn, 2/99¢
    Broccoli, 99¢/lb
    Hass avocados, 4/$5
    Simple Truth organic box salads, 5-7 oz, 2/$6


Safeway:

    Beef chuck roast, boneless, $3.49/lb (steaks 50¢/lb higher)
    Beef NY strip steak, boneless, $11.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, value pack, $2.99/lb
    90/10 ground beef, value pack, $4.69/lb
    Pork loin half, boneless, whole in bag, $2.49/lb
    Pork loin chops, boneless, $3.49/lb
    Pork shoulder blade country style ribs, $2.99/lb
    Safeway Select pork loin back ribs, $3.99/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $12.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $8.99/lb
    Tilapia OR swai fillets, farm raised, $4.99/lb
    Ahi tuna steaks, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.88
    C&W frozen veggies, 12-16 oz bags, 2/$5
    Lean Cuisine “Simple Favorites”, 5/$10
    Red or black seedless grapes, 99¢/lb
    Whole seedless watermelons, $3.99
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons, $3.99
    Apples:  Envy, Gala, Fuji, $1.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$4
    Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Organic heirloom tomatoes, $3.99/lb
    Sweet corn, 8/$2
    Fresh Express bag salads, 8-12 oz, 10/$10
    Red or green bell peppers, 10/$10

Sprouts:

    All boneless skinless chicken, 40% off
    All frozen foods, 20% off
    Beef chuck roast or steaks, boneless, $5.49/lb
    Beef sirloin tip roast or steak, boneless, $5.99/lb
    93/7 ground sirloin, $5.99/lb
    Pork sirloin chops or roast, boneless, OR bone-in spare ribs, $2.99/lb
    Coho salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Tilapia fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$1
    Green or red seedless grapes, 98¢/lb
    “Marsh Ruby” grapefruit, 2/$1
    Persian limes, 10/$1
    Gala apples, 98¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 98¢/lb
    Organic red plums, 98¢/lb
    White or yellow peaches, 2 lbs/$3
    Navel oranges (from Australia) OR Minneola tangelos, 2 lbs/$3
    Grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$3
    Cauliflower, 98¢/lb
    Green bell peppers, 2/$1
    Cucumbers, 2/$1

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning August 6th:

Sorry about not making tonight's meeting.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, by way of Consumerist, presents (ta-daa!) “The 9 Most Calorie-Filled Chain Restaurant Meals of 2014”.  Cheesecake Factory appears on this list three separate times, topping the list with a “Bruléed French Toast” that's over 2500 calories and 93 grams of saturated fat if you don't eat the bacon.

I'm … really not very hungry any more.

Fooducate examines Arby's new “Mega Meat Stacks” sandwich line, available through August.  One of them, the “Triple Meat Stack”, weighs in at 13 ounces of “turkey, roast beef, pepper bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo on honey wheat bread”, 900 calories, and 116% of your full DAY's recommended allowance of salt.  Also banana facts and quick healthy breakfasts that aren't a bowl of cereal.  From Marion Nestle I learn that meat and poultry might finally get COOL – Country Of Origin Labeling, labels that would make clear where your food animals were born, raised, and slaughtered.  Summer Tomato offers ways to eat more probiotics.  And from Food Network, a photoillustrated list of 100-calorie foods!  (15 cashew halves, 13 large shrimp, 28 baby carrots, one hundred fresh raspberries.)

Recipes!  Chow.com has a salad of kale, feta, tomatoes, and fresh mint, an interesting combination.  They yet again resurrect the bloody bacon jam to top some pan-charred okra.  A corn-bell pepper-zucchini sauté that looks tasty.  Three fresh salsas in, we're assured and I question, thirty minutes.  (The recipe is for some reason presented in “gallery” format, with a separate page and photo for each step – peel the mangos, chop the mangos, chop the onion, chop the chiles, chop the tomatoes, chop the cilantro – so just reading the damn thing may itself take that long.)  At Simply Recipes I find a summer-vegetable gratin:  eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini topped with cheese and baked.  Martha at Simple Nourished Living is doing “30 Days of Juicing”.  And Snack Girl has refrigerator pickled green beans, light budget snacks, and one-Point cherry cheesecake bites!

This Friday is National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night.  Sunday, the 10th, is National S'mores Day – remember when s'mores were a novel summertime treat?


August 6th:  National Root Beer Float Day
August 7th:  National Raspberries and Cream Day
August 8th:  National Frozen Custard Day, National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night
August 9th:  National Rice Pudding Day
August 10th:  National S'mores Day, National Banana Split Day
August 11th:  National Raspberry Bombe Day
August 12th:  Julienne Fries Day, National Toasted Almond Day
August 13th:  National Filet Mignon Day



Albertson's:

    Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York steaks, bone in, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $10.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round/sirloin tip roast, boneless, $7.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    85/15 ground beef, $3.49/lb
    Pork loin chops, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut bone in, $2.99/lb
    Assorted pork chops or country style ribs, bone in, $2.49/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.88/lb
    Sanderson Farms boneless skinless chicken breast/thighs/tenders, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Honeysuckle White frozen turkey breast, bone in, $1.49/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $5.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Flounder fillets, wild caught, $3.99/lb
    Tilapia or swai fillets, farm raised, $3.99/lb
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.88
    Tillamook butter, 2/$7
    Essential Everyday cheeses, 8 oz shingle pack, 2/$6
    Tillamook cheeses, 2 lb chunk, $7.99
    Sargento “Tastings” cheeses, 3-4 oz, $1.99
    Deli:    Jennie-O smoked or oven roasted turkey breast, $3.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson ham, turkey, chicken breast, $6.75/lb
        Dietz & Watson sliced cheeses, $6.75/lb
    Essential Everyday beans or tomatoes, 14-15 oz cans, 69¢
    Bertolli olive oil, 25 oz bottles, $6.99
    PictSweet veggies, 2 lb bags, 2/$5
    Green seedless grapes, 75¢/lb
    Blackberries/raspberries/blueberries, 6-11 oz boxes, $2.99
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    White peaches OR nectarines, $2.49/lb
    Organic vine tomatoes, $2.99/lb
    Earthbound Farms organic box salads, 5 oz, $3
    “Cherub” tomatoes, 10 oz boxes, buy 1 get 1 free


Bashas':

    Beef London broil, value pack, $2.97/lb
    Beef top round steak, value pack, $3.97/lb
    Beef ribeye or New York steaks, boneless, $9.99/lb
    Beef crossrib OR bottom round roast or steaks, buy 1 get 1 free
    Ground beef round, fat content not listed, value pack, $2.97/lb
    Thin cut pork chops, $4.47/lb
    Chicken breasts or leg quarters, bone in, value pack, 99¢/lb
    Cod, 5 oz portions, wild caught, buy 1 get 3 free!
    Steelhead fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
    Mahi mahi, 5 oz portions, $3 ea
    Bashas' cottage cheese, 24 oz tubs, $2.49
    Food Club cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/cubelets, $1.99
    Del Monte veggies, 13-15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Food Club tomatoes, 28 oz cans, 10/$10
    Ragu pasta sauces, 16-24 oz jars, 2/$3
    Chicken of the Sea solid white tuna, 5 oz cans, $1.29
    Bumble Bee chunk white tuna, 5 oz cans, $1.29
    Healthy Choice frozen entrees, 5/$12
    Apples, Gala or Red Delicious, small, 87¢/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, red or black plums, 87¢/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, 87¢/lb


Fry's:

    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, family pack, buy 1 get 2 free
    Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, $8.99/lb
    Ledbetter bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin filet, 6 oz portion, 2/$7
    80/20 ground beef patties, 10 ct (2.5 lb pkg), $10
    93/7 ground beef, $2.99/lb (2 lb chub)
    Heritage Farm chicken thighs/drumsticks, bone in, family pack, $1.49
    Tyson boneless skinless chicken breast or tenderloins, 3 lb IQF bag, $7.47 ($2.49/lb)
    Coho salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Kroger tuna or mahi mahi fillets, 12 oz IQF bag, $6.99
    Fry's milk, gallons, $1.88
    Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.97
    Silk soymilk/almondmilk/coconutmilk, half gallons, $2.99
    S&W tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 50% off
    Bertolli olive oil, 25 oz bottles, 50% off
    Lean Cuisine “Culinary Collection” frozen entrees, 5/$10
    PictSweet frozen veggies, 8-28 oz, 50% off
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, 97¢
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, 99¢/lb
    Cantaloupes, $1.99 ea
    Whole pineapples, $1.99 ea
    Mini seedless watermelons, 2/$5
    Sweet corn, 5/$2
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Summer squash, zucchini/yellow/grey, 99¢/lb
    Mini sweet peppers, 1 lb bag, $1.99


Safeway:

    Beef t-bone or NY strip steaks, bone in, $5.99/lb
    Beef chuck crossrib roast, boneless, $3.99/lb
    90/10 ground beef, value pack, $4.69/lb
    Assorted pork loin chops, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Pork top loin chops, boneless, $5.99/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, $1.99/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb
    Keta salmon fillets, wild caught, $6.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Tilapia fillets, farm raised, $4.99/lb
    Lucerne cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $8.49
    Sargento cheeses, 6-8 oz shingle pack, 2/$6
    Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 69¢
    Safeway Kitchens frozen veg, 14-16 oz bags, 4/$5
    Weight Watchers ice-cream novelties, 6-12 ct, $3.49
    Seedless grapes, green or black, 99¢/lb
    Yellow peaches or nectarines, $1.99/lb
    Apples:  Envy, Fuji, Gala, $1.99/lb
    Red cherries, $4.99/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons, $399
    Mangos, 2/$1
    Sweet corn, 3/$1
    Vine tomatoes, 99¢/lb (organic, $1/lb higher)
    Organic broccoli, $1.99/lb
    Hatch chiles, hot or mild, 9¢/lb
    O Organics “mini peeled” carrots, 1 lb bag, $2.29


Sprouts:

    Beef ribeye steaks, boneless, $12.99/lb
    Beef rump roast OR carne asada, $5.49/lb
    85/15 ground beef, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Pork loin chops or roast, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $9.99/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, 78¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes OR honeydew melons, 2/$3
    Whole seedless watermelons, $3.98
    Apricots OR Dapple Fire pluots, 98¢/lb
    Raspberries OR blueberries, 6 oz boxes, 2/$3
    Beefsteak tomatoes, 98¢/lb
    Cucumbers OR green bell pppers, 2/$1
    Fresh green beans, 98¢/lb
    Organic vine tomatoes, $1.98/lb
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, OR fresh spinach, 98¢/bunch
    Grape tomatoes, dry pint, 4/$5
    Organic broccoli, 2 lbs/$3
    Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 4/$5
    Broccoli crowns OR cauliflower, 98¢/lb