Wren's bargain guide, week beginning October 15th:

Fooducate points to an alternative for those of us who are considering having a violent reaction if we see one more damned “pumpkin spice” flavored product:  pumpkin seeds.  Buy them in bulk, and get the shelled ones (green).  Also Bulgarian yogurt, and PepsiCo's newest soft-drink options:  “Pepsi True” (green cans, sweetened with stevia extract as well as sugar), and “Caleb's Kola”, named for the inventor of Pepsi-Cola and not marketed as a PepsiCo product.

At the Washington Post, lessons from the farmer's market, and an article about milk labeling – specifically about whole milk, which hardly contains the “rivers of cream” we often suspect it of harboring (it's only 3.5% fat).  Grist (h/t Bloomberg) forecasts – due to a drought in Brazil – the worst coffee harvest in decades, which means prices will skyrocket.  Cocoa futures are already up due to Côte d'Ivoire's closing of its border with Guinea and Liberia, and that's all on that subject as I'm sure you're all as tired of hearing or reading about Ebola as I am.

Recipes!  Chow.com has noodle breakfasts, homemade Halloween candy (including DIY candy corn), eleven things you can make from a pumpkin, and a list frankly headed “5 One-Dish Thanksgivings You Don't Have The Guts To Make”.  I assure you I have not the slightest intention of attempting a turkey layer cake frosted with mashed potatoes and topped with sweet potatoes and marshmallows.  Not Eating Out In New York has black beans with two homemade salsas and a poached egg.  At Simply Recipes I find butternut-squash-and-apple soup, honey mustard chicken and homemade applesauce.  From Smitten Kitchen, an autumnal fattoush salad involving delicata squash and Brussels sprouts.  Simple Nourished Living has buffalo chicken bites in phyllo shells, and turkey breast from the slow cooker.  And Snack Girl has pumpkin gingerbread, a non-shredded carrot salad (Sprouts has “rainbow carrots” on sale this week), and a really quite extraordinarily purple PB&J protein smoothie. 

Tomorrow is National Oatmeal Day.  EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE it is cool enough for oatmeal. 

October 15th:  National Roast Pheasant Day, National Chicken Cacciatore Day
October 16th:  World Food Day, National Liqueur Day, National Oatmeal Day
October 17th:  National Pasta Day, Four Prunes Day (I'm not going to pretend I have the vaguest idea what that's about)
October 18th:  National Chocolate Cupcake Day
October 19th:  National Seafood Bisque Day
October 20th:  National Brandied Fruit Day
October 21st:  National Candied Apple Day, National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day
October 22nd:  National Nut Day


Albertson's:

    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, family pack, $4.77/lb
    Beef chuck, crossrib, eye/bottom round, sirloin tip roasts, boneless, buy 1 get 1
    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef ribeye/t-bone/NY strip steaks, bone in, family pack, $8.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $2.79/lb (3 lbs or more)
    Assorted pork chops, bone in, family pack, $2.49/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $3.49/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb
    Sanderson Farms whole roasting chickens, $1.49/lb
    Keta salmon fillets, wild caught, $4.99/lb
    Mahi mahi fillets, wild caught, $11.99/lb
    Cod or ahi tuna, wild caught, 5 oz portions, $2.99
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.97
    Albertson's eggs, AA large, 18 ct, $1.97
    Essential Everyday cheeses, 1 lb chunk or shreds, $4.99/lb
    Deli:    Dietz & Watson black pepper or homestyle turkey OR maple honey ham, $8.99/lb
        Dietz & Watson cheddar or lacy Swiss, $7.99/lb
        Healthy Ones oven roasted or honey turkey, chicken breast, honey ham, $5.99/lb
    Hunt's tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 10/$10
    Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, 10/$10
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 10/$10
    Bertolli pasta sauces, 14-24 oz jars, 2/$5
    Essential Everyday fruit, 15 oz cans, 4/$5
    Bumble Bee chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 10/$10
    Apples, Gala/Fuji/Granny Smith/Red Delicious, 77¢/lb
    Organic HoneyCrisp apples, $4.99/lb
    Seedless grapes, green or red, $1.99/lb (organic $1/lb higher)
    Kiwifruit, 2/$1
    Clementines, 2 lb bag, $4.99
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$5
    Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Kale, 99¢/bunch
    Earthbound Farms organic box salads, 1 lb, $5


Bashas':

    Beef NY steak, bone in, value pack, $4.97/lb
    Beef top sirloin steaks, value pack, $4.99/lb
    Beef crossrib roast, $5.49/lb
    Ground beef chuck, fat content not listed, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Assorted pork chops, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Center cut pork chops, value pack, $3.49/lb
    Chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, bone in, 98¢/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
    True cod fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Food Club butter, $3.79
    Yoplait conventional yogurts incl. Light, 10/$10
    Food Club cheeses, 10-16 oz chunk/shreds/sticks, $4.49
    Del Monte fruit, 14-15 oz cans, 99¢
    Del Monte tomato sauce, 8 oz cans, 2/$1
    Del Monte pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, 99¢
    Prego pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, 2/$4
    Food Club pasta, 13-16 oz pkg, 10/$10
    Chicken of the Sea solid white tuna, 5 oz cans, $1.49
    Chiquita bananas, 39¢/lb
    Strawberries, 1 lb box, $1.77
    Gala/Fuji/Red Delicious apples OR Bartlett pears, 77¢/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, regular or organic, $1.99/lb
    Winter squashes, acorn/butternut/spaghetti, 88¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 2 lbs/$3
    Sweet onions, 99¢/lb


Fry's:

    Beef roasts:  chuck, shoulder, top/eye/bottom round, sirloin tip, boneless, 50% off
    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $5.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, $3.49/lb (3 lb chub, $10.47)
    Foster Farms chicken drums or thighs, bone in, OR whole chickens, 88¢/lb
    Keta salmon fillets, wild caught, $4.99/lb
    Fry's milk, gallons, $1.97
    Fry's eggs, AA large, dozens, 2/$3
    Kroger cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk/shreds/shingle, $2.29
    Del Monte fruit, 14-15 oz cans, 4/$5
    Kroger pasta, 12-16 oz pkg, 87¢
    Classico pasta sauces, 8-24 oz jars, $1.79
    Fuji apples, 75¢/lb
    Gala, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious, 99¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.49/lb
    Green bell peppers OR cucumbers, 2/$1
    Hass avocados, 99¢
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, OR iceberg, 99¢
    Broccoli or broccoli crowns, 99¢/lb   
    Vine or slicing tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Red or yellow bell peppers, 4/$5


Safeway:

    Beef chuck roast, boneless, $5.49/lb
    Beef London broil, boneless, $6.49/lb
    Open Nature beef NY steak, boneless, $9.99/lb
    80/20 ground beef, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Assorted pork chops, bone in, $1.99/lb
    Pork loin chops, bone in, $2.29/lb
    Pork shoulder roast, bone in, whole in bag, $2.49/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Alaskan pollock fillets, wild caught, $3.99/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb
    Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.97
    Lean Cuisine “Simple Favorites”, 5/$10
    Peaches, $1.99/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $2.99/lb
    Bartlett or D'Anjou pears, 99¢/lb
    “Fall Glo” tangerines, $1.99/lb
    Honeycrisp apples, $2.99/lb
    Organic Gala apples, $1.99
    Vine tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Winter squashes, acorn/butternut/spaghetti, 99¢/lb


Sprouts:

    Beef sirloin tip roast or steak, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Beef ribeye steak, boneless, $12.99/lb
    85/15 ground beef, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Assorted pork chops (“2 center and 2 end”), bone in, $2.99/lb
    Pork or chicken sausage, sweet or hot, bulk or link, $3.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken thighs, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders, $3.99/lb
    Pacific salmon fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb
    Tilapia fillets, “wild species”, $6.99/lb
    Sprouts cheeses, 8 oz shreds, 2/$6
    Sprouts canned pumpkin, 15 oz cans, 99¢
    Sprouts pumpkin spice salsa, 16 oz jars, 2/$5
    Sprouts pumpkin pasta sauce, 24 oz jars, $2.99
    Sprouts pumpkin spice instant oatmeal, 8 pk, $2.99
    Sprouts pumpkin soup, 17 oz … I can't tell what the hell kind of container this is, 2/$5
    Sprouts frozen veggies, 1 lb bags, 2/$3
    HoneyCrisp apples, 99¢/lb
    Strawberries, 1 lb boxes, 3/$5
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, 2/$3
    Bartlett or Bosc pears, 99¢/lb
    Organic D'Anjou pears, 2 lbs/$3
    Organic Gala or Red Delicious apples, 99¢/lb
    Organic grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$5
    Large tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Winter squashes, acorn/butternut/spaghetti/kabocha, 88¢/lb
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, 99¢ ea
    Organic heirloom rainbow carrots, 2 lb bag, 2/$3

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning October 8th:

From NPR I learn that a new study from the University of Minnesota suggests that “comfort foods” may not be all that comforting.  Students were shown sad movies and then divided into groups:  some were given foods they'd specifically identified as their own comfort foods, some were given foods they liked but didn't think of in that way, some were given nothing at all – and all started to cheer up after about the same amount of time!  (This is of course a very limited study.  Others have given other results, such as one that showed eating chicken soup might make one feel less lonely.  Either way, they're your PointsPlus to spend.)

From Fooducate I get the top fifteen new products from the Baltimore Natural Foods Expo, torula yeast (what is it and what is it doing in your veggie burger?), and whether “fortified” products might contain too much of some nutrients.  At The Atlantic there's an interesting piece on how color affects perception of food.  Clear Ivory liquid soap sold well, so why didn't Crystal Pepsi?  Why are the Japanese so eager to buy Burger King's new KURO burger, with its black bun, black sauce, and black cheese?  Why do Americans think the same beverage is sweet if it's red and tart if it's green?  Two good articles at the Well, one on exactly how exercise can help to protect against depression (the point is, it can!), one on the physical logistics of exercising – specifically running – when you're endowed with two bits of anatomy that keep moving for some time after you've stopped.  And at The Atlantic, a fascinating (well, I thought so, but I'm a history buff) piece on how Americans were persuaded during World War II to eat unfamiliar meats.  And from Summer Tomato, the heartbreaking phenomenon we're all familiar with:  the “joyless splurge”.  (That entire box of fat-free Snackwell's cookies that you're not even enjoying.)

Recipes!  Fooducate has chicken-and-chickpea meatballs that actually look tasty.  Chow.com has chicken fajitas, a salad of broccoli and cauliflower, butternut-squash-and-red-pepper soup from the slow cooker, and kale chips.  (They never give up with the damn kale chips.)  At Simply Recipes the kale is in a quesadilla.  Martha at Simple Nourished Living goes chicken twice – once with Caribbean jerk chicken from the slow cooker, once with mini chicken pot pies.  And Snack Girl offers spiced butternut squash muffins, zucchini lasagna, and healthy Halloween snacks for school parties!

Today's National Fluffernutter Day.  Tomorrow is National Moldy Cheese Day, so enjoy some Roquefort!  And this second week in October is National Food Bank Week.


October 8th:  National Fluffernutter Day
October 9th:  National Moldy Cheese Day, National Dessert Day, National Submarine/Grinder/Hero/Hoagie/whatever they call it in your state Day
October 10th:  National Angel Food Cake Day
October 11th:  National Sausage Pizza Day
October 12th:  National Gumbo Day
October 13th:  National Yorkshire Pudding Day
October 14th:  National Chocolate Covered Insects Day
October 15th:  National Roast Pheasant Day, National Chicken Cacciatore Day



Albertson's:

    Beef ribeye or NY strip steaks, bone in, $6.97/lb
    Beef top sirloin steak OR trimmed tri tip roast, boneless, $5.99/lb
    Beef petite sirloin steaks, $10.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef London broil, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round roast or family pack steaks, boneless, $4.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $3.79/lb
    Pork sirloin chops, boneless, family pack, $1.88/lb
    Pork butt roast, $2.79/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $3.49/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb (3 lbs or more)
    Coho salmon fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    Fresh cod fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Deli:    Dietz & Watson homestyle turkey OR maple honey ham, $8.99/lb
        Dietz  Watson lacy Swiss or “Steak House Cheddar”, $7.99/lb
        Signature buffalo chicken breast, $6.99/lb
        Stella Muenster/mozzarella/Provolone, $6.99/lb
        Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
    Nature Valley OR Fiber One granola bars, 5-6 ct, $1.99
    S&W variety (non-baked) beans, 15 oz cans, 88¢
    Essential Everyday fruit or pumpkin, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
    American Beauty pasta, 12-16 oz pkg, 88¢
    PictSweet frozen veggies, 28-32 oz bags, 2/$5
    Green or red seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
    Pomegranates, 2/$5
    HoneyCrisp apples, $2.99/lb
    Gala/Fuji/Red Delicious/Granny Smith apples, “Just Right Size”, 2/$1
    Dole bananas, 39¢/lb
    Cut up watermelon/cantaloupe/pineapple bowls, 24 oz, 3/$10 ($3.99 ea)
    Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 99¢ ea
    English cucumbers, 2/$3
    Winter squashes, 11 different varieties (!!), 99¢/lb
    Mini pumpkins, orange/white/ “Tiger Baby”, 4/$5
    Yams or sweet potatoes, $1.49/lb


Bashas':

    Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, value pack, $3.97/lb (regular pack $1/lb higher)
    Beef crossrib OR bottom round roasts or steaks, buy 1 get 1 free
    Ground beef chuck, fat content not listed, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Pork loin end chops, value pack, $2.49/lb
    Pork country style ribs, bone in, value pack, $1.87/lb (boneless 50¢/lb higher)
    Chicken split breasts or leg quarters, bone in, 87¢/lb
    Steelhead fillets, farm raised, $8.99/lb
    Swai fillets, $2.99/lb
    Bashas' milk, gallons, $1.97/lb
    Food Club cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $7.99/lb
    Land O Lakes butter, $3.59/lb
    Bashas' cottage cheese incl. Light, 24 oz tubs, $2.49
    Bashas' sour cream incl. Light, 24 oz tubs, $1.69
    Pompeian olive oil, 24 oz bottles, $4.99/lb
    Hunt's diced tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 10/$10
    Apples:  Gala, Fuji, Red/Golden Delicious, 99¢/lb
    Whole pineapples, 99¢/lb
    Green or black seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
    Organic Fuji or Gala apples OR Bartlett pears, $1.49/lb
    Organic winter squashes, acorn/butternut/spaghetti, 99¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 2 lbs/$3
    Eat Smart bagged veggies, 10-12 oz, 2/$4
    Halloween pumpkins, medium or large, 3 lbs/99¢

Fry's:

    Beef chuck roast or steak, boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Beef crossrib roast, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Larua's 92/8 ground beef, 1 lb pkg, $4.99
    Assorted pork loin chops, bone in, family pack, $1.88/lb
    Pork loin center cut chops, bone in, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Foster Farms boneless skinless chicken breast/thighs/tenders, buy 1 get 2 free
    93/7 ground turkey, 1 lb pkg, $3.49/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
    Kroger cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or shreds, $2.99
    Sargento cheeses, 5-8 oz shreds, 2/$5
    Simple Truth organic variety beans, 15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Lean Cuisine “Culinary Collection”, 5/$10
    HoneyCrisp apples, $1.99/lb
    Yellow peaches OR red or black plums, 77¢/lb
    Apples:  Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious, 99¢/lb
    Gala apples, 5 lb bags, $3.99
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Pomegranates, 2/$5
    Whole cantaloupes, 97¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 59¢/lb
    Broccoli OR broccoli crowns, 99¢/lb
    Red or yellow bell peppers, 88¢ ea
    Winter squashes, acorn/butternut/spaghetti, 99¢/lb
    Asparagus, $2.99/lb
    Organic kale, 99¢/bunch
    White mushrooms, whole or sliced, 8 oz boxes, $1.79
    Jack-o-lantern pumpkins, $4.99 ea


Safeway:

    Beef top round London broil OR bottom round roast, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Beef chuck roast, boneless, $5.49/lb
    Beef back ribs, $2.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Pork shoulder country style ribs, bone in, $1.99/lb
    Pork sirloin chops, boneless, value pack, $4.49/lb
    Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Jennie-O OR Open Nature ground turkey breast, 16-20 oz pkg, $5.99
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb
    Sockeye salmon fillets, wild caught, $11.99/lb
    Sargento cheeses, 8 oz shreds, 2/$6
    Land O Lakes butter, $4.99/lb
    Challenge cream cheese, 8 oz brick or tub, $1.99
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 10/$10
    Mezzetta pasta sauces, 24-25 oz jars, buy 1 get 1 free
    Bertolli olive oil, 25 oz bottles, buy 1 get 1 free
    S&W variety beans, 15 oz cans, 5/$5
    Herdez salsa, 24 oz jars, buy 1 get 1 free
    Safeway Kitches pickles, 16-24 oz jars, 2/$4
    Healthy Choice “Steamers”, 4/$10
    Fuji or Granny Smith apples, 88¢/lb
    Navel oranges, $1.99/lb
    Yellow peaches, $1.99/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, $2.99/lb
    Organic Gala apples, $1.99/lb
    Bartlett or D'Anjou pears, 99¢/lb
    Green asparagus, $2.99/lb
    Organic heirloom tomatoes, $3.99/lb
    Organic winter squashes, acorn/butternut/spaghetti, 99¢/lb
    Green or red bell peppers, 10/$10
    Large pumpkins, $7.99 ea


Sprouts:

    Beef chuck roast or steak, boneless, $3.99/lb
    “100% grass-fed” ground beef, fat content not listed, $4.99/lb
    Pork tenderloin, $4.99/lb
    Pork loin roast or chops, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast tenders, $2.99/lb
    Coho salmon filets, wild caught, $6.99/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $7.99/lb
    HoneyCrisp apples, $1.99/lb
    Valencia oranges, 49¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 2/$3
    Organic Gala or Granny Smith apples, $1.49
    Organic Bosc or D'Anjou pears, $1.49/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, $1.88/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 49¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, $1.49/lb
    Organic grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$5
    Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 99¢ ea
    Eggplant, 99¢ ea
    “Baby peeled” carrots, 1 lb bag, 99¢

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning October 1st:

Fooducate has a crash course in honey, another in deciphering maple syrup labels, and a third covering “grass fed beef” and why you want to eat it.  Also whipped peanut butter, and why hotdogs have nitrates and nitrites in them.  (I have the good fortune not to care for hotdogs.)

At Weighty Matters, Yoni Freedhoff points out that takeout from the supermarket is still takeout and not necessarily better for you than restaurant takeout.  Marion Nestle opines at some length about the recent joint pledge by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group to reduce calories Americans consume from their products by 20% by 2025:  “Once again, soda companies are making promises that are likely to be fulfilled anyway, whether the companies take any action or not.  Americans have gotten the word. Sodas in anything but small amounts are not good for health.”  And Grist has sad news for oyster lovers like me:  carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is acidifying the oceans and causing massive die-offs of oyster spat (larvae), so oyster prices may skyrocket.

Recipes!  With Yom Kippur coming up, Chow.com provides a delicious post-holiday spread for after the fast ends.  They've also got a roasted butternut squash soup, DIY naan bread that doesn't involve a tandoor oven, a salad of shaved Brussels sprouts, and eleven different winter squashes.  One is blue.  Most of my other recipe sources are going autumnal and not really WW-friendly (meatloaf, apple cobbler, latke waffles), but Summer Tomato has salmon en papillote;  Martha at Simple Nourished Living offers 7-PointsPlus pork chops, baked pumpkin doughnuts, and an open-face sandwich of pears, prosciutto, and bleu cheese;  and Snack Girl has a buffalo-chicken-wing dip (not something to dip them in, a dip that tastes like them), pumpkin in chili, and pork tenderloin as a substitute for that WW favorite, Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast:  “Pork tenderloin is one of those lean meats that Registered Dieticians say you should eat.  The problem is that it is almost flavorless without a marinade.  I like it better than chicken breast because I find that the texture is less like a hockey puck.”

October is National Chili Month, and this first week of it is National Chili Week.  This is also National Pasta Month, National Pickled Peppers Month (Peter Piper could not have picked a peck of pickled peppers because peppers are pickled after they're picked), National Seafood Month, Eat Country Ham Month, and the second of three consecutive National Apple Months;  and today is World Vegetarian Day.

October 1st:  World Vegetarian Day, Homemade Cookies Day;  Pudding Season begins
October 2nd:  National Fried Scallops Day
October 3rd:  National Caramel Custard Day
October 4th:  National Taco Day
October 5th:  National Apple Betty Day
October 6th:  National Noodle Day
October 7th:  National Frappe Day
October 8th:  National Fluffernutter Day


Albertson's:

    Beef ribeye/t-bone/New York strip steaks, bone in, family pack, $8.99/lb
    Beef top sirloin steak OR trimmed tri tip roast, $5.99/lb
    Beef chuck/crossrib/bottom round/sirloin tip roasts or family pack steaks, boneless, $5.49/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $4.49/lb
    Center cut pork chops, boneless, $7.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Hormel marinated pork filet, 24 oz pkg, $12.99, buy 1 get 2 free
    Sanderson Farms chicken breast/thighs/tenders, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Seasoned chicken leg quarters, bone in, $2.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $8.99/lb
    Catfish fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Cod, wild caught, 5 oz portions, $1.99
    Great American tilapia and swai fillets, 1 lb IQF bag, $9.99, buy 1 get 2 free
    Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.97
    Daisy sour cream incl. Light, 24 oz tubs, $2.99
    Tillamook cheeses, 2 lb wax-wrapped loaf, $7.88
    Essential Everyday cheeses, 8 oz shingle pack, 2/$7
    Deli:    Signature Virginia ham, $5.99/lb
        Signature rotisserie turkey breast, honey turkey, pepper turkey, $5.99/lb
        Stella mozzarella, Muenster, Provolone, $5.99/lb
        Margherita hard or Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
    Essential Everyday veggies, tomatoes, beans, 14-15 oz cans, 69¢
    Valley Fresh chicken breast, 10 oz cans, 2/$5
    Bertolli olive oil, 25 oz bottles, $7.99
    PictSweet veggies, 12 oz frozen bags, 2/$3
    C&W veggies, 1 lb frozen bags, $1.99
    Birds Eye “SteamFresh” veggies, 12 oz frozen pkg, $1.99
    Lean Cuisine frozen entrees, 4/$10
    HoneyCrisp apples, $2.99/lb
    Navel oranges, $1.69/lb
    Pomegranates, 2/$5
    Red Delicious apples OR Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Seedless grapes, green or red, $1.99/lb (organic $1/lb higher)
    Slicing tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    NatureSweet Cherub, Sunburst, or Glory tomatoes, 10 oz boxes, 2/$4
    Zucchini, 79¢/lb
    Eggplant, 99¢/lb


Bashas':

    Beef t-bone or top sirloin steaks, value pack, $5.49/lb
    Beef crossrib or bottom round roasts, buy 1 get 1 free
    Ground beef chuck, fat content not listed, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Pork loin, boneless, whole in bag, $1.88/lb
    Pork loin back ribs, buy 1 get 2 free
    Center cut pork chops, boneless, value pack, $3.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.77/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $4.99/lb
    Swordfish, 5 oz portions, $3
    Rockfish or Dover sole fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb
    Bashas' cottage cheese incl. Light, 16 oz tubs, $1.89
    Food Club cheeses, 6-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.99
    Healthy Choice frozen entrees, 5/$12
    HoneyCrisp apples, $1.99/lb
    Bartlett pears OR Gala apples, 77¢/lb
    Navel oranges, 77¢/lb
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.99/lb
    Asparagus, $1.77/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Small Hass avocados, 2/$1

Fry's:

    Beef strip steak, bone in, family pack, $4.77/lb
    Beef bottom sirloin flap meat OR tri tip roast, boneless, $5.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef, $3.49/lb (2 lb chub)
    Pork loin chops, center cut boneless, family pack, $3.99/lb
    Heritage Farm chicken drums/thighs/leg quarters, 97¢/lb
    Yoplait conventional yogurts incl. Light, 39¢
    Fry's eggs, AA large, dozens, $1.27
    Kroger cheeses, 12-16 oz chunk or shreds, 2/$7
    Sargento cheeses, 5-8 oz shreds, 2/$5
    Kraft cheeses, 5-8 oz chunk, 2/$5
    Pompeian olive oil, 16 oz bottles, $4.99/lb
    Prego pasta sauces, 14-24 oz jars, 3/$5
    Hunt's tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 10/$10
    Kroger variety (non-baked) beans, 15 oz cans, 5/$3
    Kroger veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 5/$3
    HoneyCrisp apples, 97¢/lb
    Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious apples, 99¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Yellow peaches, red or black plums, $1.99/lb
    Red seedless grapes, 75¢/lb
    Navel oranges, 75¢/lb
    Roma tomatoes, 75¢/lb
    Leaf lettuce, green/red/Romaine, OR iceberg, 99¢ ea
    Organic kale, 99¢/bunch
    Hass avocados, 99¢ ea
    Organic winter squashes, acorn/butternut/spaghetti, $1.49/lb
    Broccoli or broccoli crowns, 99¢/lb


Safeway:

    Beef back ribs OR pork spareribs, bone in, $1.99/lb
    Beef chuck crossrib steak OR country style ribs, boneless, $5.99/lb
    Beef NY strip steak, boneless, $12.99/lb
    85/15 grass fed ground beef, $4.99/lb
    Pork shoulder blade country style ribs, bone in, $2.99/lb
    Chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone in, $1.69/lb
    Jennie-O OR Open Nature ground turkey breast, 16-20 oz pkgs, $6.49
    Honeysuckle White frozen turkey breast, bone in, $1.49/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    Pantry Essentials milk, gallons, $1.97
    Lucerne butter, $3.99
    Lucerne cottage cheese incl. Light, 24 oz tubs, $3.49
    Kraft Cheeses, 6-8 oz shreds, $2.49
    Libby's veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 79¢
    Safeway Kitchens tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 79¢
    Star olive oil, 25 oz bottles, buy 1 get 1 free
    Lean Cuisine “Simple Favorites”, 5/$10
    HoneyCrisp apples, $1.47/lb
    Navel oranges, $1.99/lb
    Bartlett or D'Anjou pears, 99¢/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, conventional or organic, $2.99/lb
    Organic Fuji apples, $2.49/lb
    Yellow peaches, $1.99/lb
    Pomegranates, $2.99 ea
    Vine tomatoes, 99¢/lb
    Large Hass avocados, 4/$5
    Winter squashes, acorn/butternut/spaghetti, 99¢/lb

Wren's bargain guide, week beginning September 24th:

It's autumn, that lovely season when EVERYTHING YOU SEE IN THE ENTIRE DAMN SUPERMARKET is now available in a pumpkin or pumpkin-spice flavor.  Fooducate looks at Planters' new pumpkin-spice almonds and likes them very much.  Also fresh produce and the prices thereof, and Brussels sprouts.

A new study indicates (surprise!) that fat-shaming doesn't motivate people to lose weight.  Brian Wansink has a new book out about techniques that can:  Slim by Design:  Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life.  (Chew gum while shopping for groceries!  Shoppers who were given gum at the beginning of a shopping trip bought 7% less junk food.)  I've got my copy and will let you know what I think very soon.

Recipes!  Chow.com has vegetarian chili, spaghetti-squash cakes (like potato pancakes), homemade herbed crackers, tacos vegetarianos, and a grilled-eggplant-parmesan salad.  Simply Recipes has “cheesy quinoa black bean stuffed bell peppers” – I think they'd be good with the amount of cheese cut in half – and baked sesame chicken fingers.  Simple Nourished Living has WW-friendly breakfast ideas, Greek chicken pitas from the slow cooker, and date smoothies;  Smitten Kitchen offers up cucumber lemonade, and Snack Girl has an Asian-influenced three bean salad.

Tomorrow is either Crab Newberg Day or Crab Newburg Day.  The 28th is Drink Beer Day, not to be confused with National Beer Day (in April), International Beer Day (in August), or American Beer Day (in October).  And next Tuesday, the 31st, is the last day of National Apple Month.  The next day, October 1st, is the first day of National Apple Month.  Yeah. 

September 24th:  National Cherries Jubilee Day
September 25th:  National Crab Newb?rg Day
September 26th:  National Pancake Day
September 27th:  National Corned Beef Hash Day, National Chocolate Milk Day
September 28th:  National Strawberry Cream Pie Day
September 29th:  National Mocha Day
September 30th:  National Mulled Cider Day
October 1st:  World Vegetarian Day, Homemade Cookies Day;  Pudding Season begins


Albertson's:

    Beef NY strip steak, bone in, family pack, $5.77/lb
    Beef chuck, crossrib, top/eye/bottom round steaks, thin cut boneless, $9.49/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
    Beef ribeye or t-bone steaks, bone in, family pack, $7.99/lb
    85/15 ground beef, $3.79/lb
    Pork sirloin chops, boneless, family pack, $1.88/lb
    Pork loin chops, center cut, bone in or boneless, buy 1 get 1 free
    Chicken breasts/drums/thighs/leq quarters, bone in, 99¢/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.79/lb
    Tilapia or swai fillets, farm raised, $2.99/lb
    Coho salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    Albertson's eggs, AA large, dozens, 99¢
    Tillamook butter, 2/$7
    Kraft cheeses, 7-8 oz chunk or shreds, $1.99
    Sargento cheeses, 5-8 oz shreds, 2/$5
    Essential Everyday veggies or tomatoes, 14-15 oz cans, 50¢
    Hunt's pasta sauces, 24 oz cans, $1
    Bertolli pasta sauces, 15-24 oz jars, 2/$5
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, $1
    Seedless green grapes, 75¢/lb
    HoneyCrisp apples, $2.99/lb
    Apple pears, 99¢ ea
    Clementines, 2 lb bag, $4.99
    Fuji apples, organic, $2.99/lb
    Cut up watermelon/pineapple/cantaloupe, 24 oz bowls, 3/$10 (must buy 3)
    Large tomatoes, $1/lb
    Organic mini carrots, 1 lb bag, $1.99


Bashas':

    Beef London broil, boneless, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Beef top round steak or roast, $3.99/lb
    Ground beef round, fat content not listed, value pack, $2.99/lb
    “Pork loin country styles” {sic}, bone in, value pack, $2.99/lb
    Pork loin roast, boneless, $3.99/lb
    Sanderson Farms whole frying chickens, 88¢/lb
    Bashas' chicken leg quarters, 88¢/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
    True cod fillets, wild caught, $5.99/lb “weather permitting”
    Food Club cheeses, 10-16 oz chunk/shreds/string snacks, $4.49
    Bashas' cottage cheese, 24 oz tubs, $2.59
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 99¢
    Ragu pasta sauces, 16-24 oz jars, 2/$3
    Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 79¢
    Red seedless grapes, 75¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 75¢/lb
    Broccoli, 75¢/lb


Fry's:

    Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $4.99/lb
    Pork tenderloin, boneless, whole in bag, $2.99/lb
    Pork half loin, boneless, whole in bag, $1.97/lb
    Foster Farms whole chickens, 99¢/lb
    Kroger 85/15 ground turkey, 1 lb pkg, $2.99/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $7.99/lb
    Kroger olive oil, 34 oz bottles, $7.99/lb
    Del Monte veggies, 11-15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 10/$10
    Hunt's tomatoes, 14-15 oz cans, 10/$10
    Bumble Bee chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 10/$10
    Chicken of the Sea chunk light tuna, 5 oz cans, 2/$1
    Yellow peaches, 77¢/lb
    Vine tomatoes, 77¢/lb
    Healthy Choice frozen entrees, $1.88
    Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.88/lb
    Apples:  Gala, Granny Smith, Red/Golden Delicious, 99¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 99¢/lb
    Pomegranates, 2/$4
    Hass avocados, 99¢ ea
    Red or yellow bell peppers, 4/$5
    “Mini peeled” carrots, 1 lb bag, 4/$5
    English cucumbers, 4/$5


Safeway:

    Beef chuck roast, boneless, $5.49/lb
    Beef top round London broil, boneless, $6.49/lb
    Beef ribeye steaks, boneless, $13.99/lb
    Beef bottom round steak, boneless, $6.49/lb
    Beef t-bone steaks, bone in, $11.99/lb
    90/10 ground beef, value pack, $4.99/lb
    Assorted pork loin chops, bone in, $1.99/lb
    Chicken drumsticks, bone in, value pack, 99¢/lb
    Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, value pack, $8.99/lb
    Swai or tilapia fillets, farm raised, $4.99/lb
    Alaskan cod fillets, wild caught, $4.99/lb
    Lucerne cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $8.99
    Bumble Bee albacore tuna, 5 oz cans, $1.39
    Ro*tel tomatoes, 10 oz cans, 10/$10
    American Beauty pasta, 1 lb pkg, 5/$5
    Yellow peaches, $1.39/lb
    HoneyCrisp apples, $2.99/lb
    Green or red seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
    Navel or Cara Cara oranges, $1.79/lb
    Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons, $3.99 ea
    Vine tomatoes, 77¢/lb
    Large Hass avocados, 77¢ ea
    Organic heirloom tomatoes, $3.99/lb
    Winter squashes, acorn/butternut/spaghetti, 99¢/lb


Sprouts:

    Beef NY steaks, bone in, $6.99/lb
    93/7 ground beef sirloin, $5.99/lb
    Pork sirloin chops or roast OR ground pork, boneless, $2.99/lb
    Boneless skinless chicken thighs, value pack, $1.99/lb
    Alaskan Coho salmon fillets, wild caught, $8.99/lb
    California Olive Ranch olive oil, 1.4 litre bottles, $12.99
    HoneyCrisp apples, 88¢/lb
    Bartlett pears, 88¢/lb
    Valencia oranges, 88¢/lb
    Whole cantaloupes, 88¢ ea
    Maradol papayas, 88¢/lb
    Organic seedless grapes, green/red/black, 2 lbs/$5
    Organic white or yellow peaches OR yellow nectarines, $1.98/lb
    Red or black plums, 2/$3
    Organic pears:  red, Bartlett, Bosc, 2 lbs/$3
    Beefsteak tomatoes, 88¢/lb
    Organic baby heirloom tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$5
    Organic slicing tomatoes, $1.99/lb
    Winter squashes, acorn/butternut/spaghetti/Kabocha, 88¢/lb
    Grape tomatoes, dry pint, 2/$3
    Italian squash, 98¢/lb
    Eggplant OR hothouse cucumbers, 4/$5

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