Starting on This Week's Dinners

So much to think about - beautiful weather, the Boulder Farmers Market now open on Saturdays, some good sales, including organic fennel for $1.99/lb at Sunflower. With freshly ground turkey breast on sale at Sprouts, think I'll start with spicy turkey burgers from Bon Appetit (seems like half of my favorite recipes start with the word "spicy"). Will incorporate some fennel into the menu by improvising a fennel and avocado salad on the side. This isn't the best week for avocado sales, but Sprouts has them for 88 cents, and organic ones are 99 cents at Sunflower.

Next, with the return of spectacular weather, we have to get grilling, maybe with some fish. I'll take a look at the swordfish Sunflower has for $7.99/lb, and Whole Foods has sockeye at $10.99/lb. Will take advantage of running the oven before the weather gets too warm, doing a fennel and leek gratin from Julee Rosso's Great Good Food cookbook on the side. Think that's enough fennel for the week, unless some gets tossed into more side salads.

Thinking again of using the oven before it gets too warm, there's a favorite dish I haven't yet made across the entire winter, so I'd better fit it in now, baked rigatoni with ricotta and collard greens. You can lighten it up with lowfat milk and cheeses. Sprouts has mozzarella (including part skim) for $2.99/lb this week, and last week, I noticed they had some very good looking organic collard greens at a good price. If going with conventional collards, Sunflower has them this week for 88 cents a bunch. Since the recipe notes that spinach can be substituted, think I'll toss in some nice fresh spinach from the Farmers Market when the collards are just about cooked.

With this wonderful weather, a Harris Ranch T-bone steak from Sunflower at $4.97/lb would be great tossed on the grill, but is anybody else thinking about cholesterol with the big 9 Health Fair slated to start in another week? Think I'll consider some other options, more to come.