This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have new sales starting today at our local Sprouts stores and Whole Foods, while the current one continues at Vitamin Cottage through June 1st (click for prior report).  Here's what's looking good to me in the new sales.

The big deal at Sprouts this week is actually a two-weeker, a Big Brand sale running through May 29th, with a whole bunch of bestselling brands at 20% to 35% off regular retail.  Here's a sampling of what looks good to me:  all Annie's 25% off, Muir Glen Organic 35%, Applegate all-natural 20%, Coleman Natural pork and poultry 25%, Barbara's 25%, Spice Hunter 25%, and Eat Well hummus 20%.  Those are taken from a special insert on the sale that specifies through through the 29th, so it gets a little confusing how long the Big Brand sale items listed in the regular flyer will be on sale for, since the regular sale only goes through the 22nd.  My guess is that these will also be good through the 29th, but don't blame me if they aren't: all Kashi 33% off, Back to Nature 25%, Kikkoman 35%, select Ling Ling potstickers 30%, and Spectrum Essentials 25% off, plus lots more.

In the regular sale at Sprouts through the 22nd, meat is in that percentage off mode with a fresh boneless chicken sale, with five boneless cuts (breasts, thighs, tenders, scallopini, and stir fry) all 50% off.  Their very good stuffed chicken breasts are $3.99 a pound, three styles of chicken sausage are $2.99 a pound, New York steaks are $7.99 a pound for bone-in and $9.99 for boneless, and fresh farmed steelhead fillets are $7.99 a pound.  In organic produce, on-the-vine tomatoes remain great at $1.99 a pound (far better than Whole Foods' sale of $3.99 a pound), green or red leaf or romaine lettuce are all 99 cents a head, broccoli is $1.79 a pound, five pound bags of red potatoes are great at $2.50 each, green onions are just 69 cents a bunch, garnet or sweet yams are $1.29 a pound, one pound clamshells of strawberries are $2.99 each (yup, we're still talking organic here), and red delicious apples, cantaloupes or honeydew melons are all 99 cents a pound.  Elsewhere in the store, I'm really enthused about coffee beans at $7.99 a pound (need I say yet again that the Baseline store will have organic Fair Trade coffee, including decaf at this price, although the other stores don't seem to carry it?).

I'm going to miss those $6 lobster tails from Maine that Whole Foods was just doing, but their new sale through May 28th has a very big temptation as well:  fresh halibut steaks (always with that fine Whole Foods pedigree) for $14.99 a pound, plus their 365 brand real hardwood charcoal is $1 off at $4.99 a bag for putting that lovely fish out on the grill.  Garden fresh salmon burgers are also looking good at $7.99 a pound, and there are a bunch of other grilling-themed specials for Memorial Day that look like good deals but just aren't my thing, like 8-packs of hamburger and hot dog buns nearly half off, bacon wrapped shrimp skewers half off, and pork brats $3.99 a pound.  Organic sweet onions look great at $1 a pound, red, green or rainbow chard is good at $1.67 a bunch, and organic zucchini is okay at $1.99 a pound.  Organic cluster tomatoes are on sale for $3.99 a pound, so I'd look elsewhere for those, like Sprouts at $1.99 a pound or Vitamin Cottage, where they're $2.49 a pound.  Market Made five cheese take and bake pizzas are $8.99 each (that should be a large size), and they're good on their own, or even better dressed up with some Yves veggie pepperoni and some mushrooms.  Finally, my favorite Stonyfield Farm frozen yogurt is excellent at $2.50 for a 16 ounce container.  It's absolutely delicious, and you'll be amazed if you compare its calorie count to a similar tasting, full fatted ice cream.  It's a summer staple in this house.