This Week's Hot New Deals (IMHO)

We have new sales starting today at our Boulder Sprouts and Sunflower, while the current sale continues through the 27th at Whole Foods (click that link for my prior report). Vitamin Cottage is taking a break on sales until next month, and Alfalfa's is unknown, as they still have their flyer that expired yesterday posted on their website. So here's what looks good to me at Sprouts and Sunflower.

"Good to me" usually means products I'd be inclined to buy, so I'm a little conflicted on mentioning the spiral cut ham that both Sprouts and Sunflower are both offering for $1.99 a pound this week (through the 28th). It's an excellent price, but when I checked at one of the stores a couple of days ago, it does contain nitrites in a list of non-natural-sounding ingredients, and I suspect that's true at the other store, too. As always, it's a matter of weighing your wallet against other considerations. In the best of all possible worlds, I'd only buy my chicken at Whole Foods or Vitamin Cottage, but the reality is I buy the much cheaper variety all the time.

At Sprouts through December 28th, Presidential-cut standing rib roast looks good at $5.99 a pound (although $4.97 a pound at Sunflower), previously frozen sockeye salmon is $9.99 a pound (but Sunflower beats that again at $7.99 a pound), value packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts are great at $1.99 a pound, stew meat is $3.99 a pound (same at Sunflower), and their stuffed chicken breasts that I like are $3.99 a pound. In organic produce, broccoli looks good at $1.49 a pound, dry pints of grape tomatoes are $2.50 each, russet potatoes are $2.99 for a five pound bag, gala apples are $1.29 a pound, butternut squash is just 79 cents a pound (beating Sunflower's 99 cents), garnet yams are 99 cents a pound (matching Sunflower), and D'Anjou pears look great also at 99 cents a pound. If you buy conventional, you can pick up a whole pineapple for just 99 cents each. Select party trays are 25% off, select varieties of their own organic spices are $2.99 a bottle, and I'm enthused about Chobani Greek yogurts at $1 each.

At Sunflower through the 28th, beef standing rib roasts are $4.97 a pound, beating Sprouts, and sockeye salmon (presumably previously frozen) is $7.99 a pound, beating Sprouts again. Beef stew meat is $3.99 a pound, matching Sprouts, bone-in ribeye steaks are $6.99 a pound ($8.99 for boneless), and boneless pork loin chops are $3.99 a pound. Both organic and conventional avocados are 50 cents each for the avocado lovers out there. More organic produce deals look good, as usual, with on-the-vine cluster tomatoes $1.99 a pound, chard $1.50 a bunch, red or yellow onions 99 cents a pound, four types of winter squash 99 cents a pound (although Sprouts is cheaper for the butternut), and yams at 99 cents a pound, matching Sprouts. They're also doing an organic apple & pear-o-rama, with quite a few varieties for $1.77 a pound. Cascade Fresh sour cream looks low at 99 cents for 16 ounces, select variety of my favorite Ling Ling appetizers are $3.50 each, and some of my favorite Ezekiel breads are good at $3 a loaf. I also need some Tribe hummus at $2.99 for eight ounces.