This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have new sales starting today at our Boulder Sprouts and Whole Foods stores, while the new one that started earlier this week at Vitamin Cottage runs all the way through September 28th (click for prior report).  Here's what's looking good to me now.

Sprouts' new sale runs through August 21st, and the big feature looks to be the Frozen Frenzy sale, with everything frozen you can fit in the special sale bag 20% off.  There are a few frozen items like edamame I might stock up on, but I'm far more interested in fresh local produce right now.  In meat, boneless London broil is very low at $2.99 a pound, and although my prior experience was that the cut can be rather tough when done as a steak, it might do cut up for stew beef.  Baby back ribs are also $2.99 a pound, boneless center-cut pork loin chops are continuing the $2.99 theme, and three types of chicken sausage round it out, also at $2.99 a pound. Whole, split or cut-up chickens are $1.59 a pound and Rosie's Organic chicken drumsticks are $1.99 a pound.  In fish, previously frozen cod is $7.99 a pound, and we're back to a farm-raised salmon special, with fillets $8.99 a pound.

In organic produce, on-the-vine tomatoes are fantastic at $1.48 a pound, one pound bags of baby carrots remain great at $1.49 each, bulk spinach or spring mix is $3.99 a pound, yellow peaches or nectarines are both $1.99 a pound, red or green grapes are excellent at $1.98 a pound, and one pound clamshells of strawberries are $2.99 each.  Elsewhere in the store, Cascadian Farm organic cereals or bars are excellent at $2.50 each this week, although they're a penny cheaper at Vitamin Cottage all the way through September 28th.

Some Whole Foods sales do more for me than others, and the new one running through August 27th is tempting me all over the place.  For starters, brining is such a hot technique right now, and I'd rather not get into doing it myself (at least on the first try), so I'm very tempted by the four brined meat specials where Whole Foods' excellent meat department will take care of the brining for me.  The brined meats are boneless pork chop griller, split chicken, and boneless turkey or chicken breast, all with varying but reasonable sale prices (too hard to go back and forth on the screen to get them all, sorry).  In fish, halibut steaks are definitely calling me at $15.99 a pound, lobster tails are $8 each, and in the past those have always come from Maine, and poblano pepper jack salmon burgers are $7.99 a pound.  Some veggies are looking fine too, with Hatch chiles 99 cents a pound, my favorite organic figs $3.99 a pound (try them wrapped in pancetta on the grill), and organic heirloom tomatoes also $3.99 a pound, while organic chard is okay at $2 a bunch.

Elsewhere in the store at Whole Foods, I'm liking Stonyfield yogurts at three for $2, Hatch chile chicken salad wraps at $5.99 each, and their own sourdough boules at $2.99 each.  Lundberg Farms rice chips are $2.50 a bag, but they're $1.99 at Vitamin Cottage through September 28th.  Finally, the thing I probably should but won't resist at Whole Foods is their Market Made buttermilk brined fried chicken $2 off at $5.99 a pound.  Whole Foods, you're really getting to me with this sale.

And all this isn't even taking into account that the new Lucky's store in Longmont opens today.  Fortunately, there wasn't a flyer for it in my newspaper today, as I simply don't have time to write any more!