Fred’s Grocery List

It’s fourth of July weekend. Shoot. I can’t even believe it’s already July. The weather has certainly felt very summer-like, especially last weekend. I guess it’s perfect that Jamba Juice is running a buy 1 get 1 free promotion… See link here for the coupon: http://www.summerblissisback.com/eb3/sbbg.html

Speaking of Buy 1 Get 1 Frees, Safeway is running that same promotion on Organic 1lb Strawberries ($4.79 for 2lbs). Oh, and they have those silly buy 2 get 3 free soda things for this fourth of July weekend. Who needs that much soda??!? Other than that, nothing interesting…

Oh wait. Raleys/Nob Hill definitely has Safeway beat. They have buy 2 get 4 free on 12-pack Coke. Okay. That is clearly insane. “Save $23.96″. They also have Triscuit @ $1.69 and Florida’s Natural OJ/Grapefruit Juice @ $2.49. Great prices. That, and Organic Nectarines @ $1.99/lb. By the way, the Organic Plums from Safeway last week were horrible: tasteless, pulpy, and bland. I threw them out. Pork Spareribs for $1.99/lb too. White corn @ $0.33/ea.

Mollie Stone’s is doing a lot of good stuff as always. White Corn @ $0.30. Organic Red Raven Plums @ $1.99/lb (hopefully these are better than Safeway’s). Organic Heirloom tomatoes @ $3.99/lb.
Triscuit @ $2/ea.

But yeah! What a fun week…

Going to keep it short because I am running late on my sleep time.

NYtimes has an interesting article about how food companies make food especially appealing to our senses — and talk about “perceptual shifts” that allow us to retrain the mind. They cite an interesting perceptual shifts where former meat-eaters become vegetarians and learn to view meat with disgust. During my one year vegetarian experience, I got to the point where I was highly sensitized to the taste and smell of cooked animal flesh. I wouldn’t say I was disgusted by it, but I do know that being vegetarian helped me become more accepting of vegetables (duh).

It’s stone fruit season so I hope you’re eating those peaches, nectarines, plums, and cherries. Organic please — stone fruit are highly pesticided and I don’t know many (except for a weird ex) who peels the skin off of them before consuming. This week I’d probably go with those organic plums at safeway.

Safeway:
*********Organic Raven Plums @ $1.49/lb (these are really good when you get them perfectly ripe)
******White or yellow Corn @ $0.25/ea
***Pork Spareribs @ $1.97/lb
**Lean Cuisine @ $1.99/ea (selected varieties)

Raleys / Nob Hill:
****Personal Watermelon @ $2.47/ea
***Pork Tenderloin @ $2.97/lb
***18 Ct Eggs @ $1.49/ ea
**Gold Kiwifruit @ $1.99/lb (try these. i love them)

Mollie Stone’s:
****Organic Leaf Lettuce @ $1.49/ea
****Kellogg’s Cereal @ buy 3 Get 3
**Organic Heirloom Tomatoes @ $3.99/lb

So… not so exciting week for grocery store ads this week. The only thing that caught my eye was Safeway’s $2.50 /lb organic strawberries … but if I had a Mollie Stone’s close by, I’d definitely be there — they’ve got some good ones:
Organic White Peaches @ $1.99/lb
Organic Grapes @ $1.99/lb
Organic Valencia Oranges @ $0.99/lb
Fly Zapper @$9.99 (maybe Obama’s Daughters can get him one for Father’s day…)

On the other hand, Raley’s / Nob Hill has their Nature’s Path Cereals @ $2.50 / ea. I’m a huge fan of the Heritage Flakes. Don’t get the Heritage O’s — they’re hard enough to cut your gums…

Oh! And exciting news for Jamba Juice this week: Food Launches.
They invited some bloggers to visit too. Check out the cool photos of the food + test kitchen:
http://www.blogfastfood.com/jamba-juice-new-items-and-test-kitchen-bonanza/

I plan on trying a wrap or sandwich tomorrow for lunch, so I’ll probably follow up with my own review of an item every couple of days…

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/the-seafood-eaters-latest-conundrum/

I have always wondered about whether my seafood habits were sustainable or not. My distillation from this article is
1) Eat small fish at the bottom of the food chain
2) Avoid large fish like the plague, or eat from only well managed fisheries (like Wild Alaskan Salmon)
3) Eat Mussels, Clams, and other Bivalves

Sorry for the long pause between the last update and this one. I had to take the time to re-orient myself and start a new job, so life has been somewhat busy. But hey! I’m back…to the ads.

Safeway:
*******Organic Strawberries 1lb @ $4.79 - buy 1 get 1
*****Sweet White Corn @ $0.33/ea
****Chicken Leg Quarters @ 0.77/lb
****Jumbo Raw Shrimp (Frozen/thawed) 21-25 ct @ $5.99/lb (2 lb bag)
***Red Seedless Grapes (CA grown, finally!) @$1.49/lb
***Cantaloupe @ $3.99 buy 1 get 1 ($2 ea)
Safeway has recently been highlighting their “locally grown” produce in their stores and ads. I think it’s fascinating that they’ve been jumping on this bandwagon … a few months too late. Better late than never, you say? Well… how about the “locally grown” Washington apples down in Southern California Vons? (About 1000 miles - local?!) I also love the fact that in this week’s ad, Safeway is showcasing Driscoll’s Farms (the largest strawberry grower in the US), with an anonymous-looking guy (if you can see his face — about 1/4″ large) photoshopped into a field. Love it. At least Raley’s has the decency to give the farmer a name and a face.

Raleys:
*******Nature’s Path Cereal @ $2.50/ea
*****Numi Tea @ $4.99/ea
****Large Eggs 1 dozen  @ $1.29
****Pork Spareribs @ $1.67/lb
***Newman’s Own Pasta Sauce @ $2.49 / ea
***Honest Tea @ $0.99
***Ready Pac or Fresh Express Complete Salad Kit @ $2.50/ea
**Organic Personal Watermelon @ $0.99/lb
**Organic Cantaloupe @ $0.79/lb
*local peaches and nectarines @ $0.97/lb (from San Joaquin Valley - Smittcamp family)

Mollie Stone’s:
******Organic Grapes @ $1.99/lb
*****Organic Heirloom Tomatoes @ $3.99/lb
****Organic Nectarines @ $1.99/lb
****Organic Brown Eggs @ $3.50/dz