Lucky's Gougeres: Delicious But Misspelled

I've often noted how I wish I might be in the neighborhood of north Boulder more often, to enjoy all that Lucky's Market's burgeoning empire up there might offer me.  A friend recently mentioned that the gougeres at their Bakehouse are particularly good, so when I found myself in that area recently, I picked one up.  Wow, was she right.  Quite a large one, not like the small bites I've had in the Burgundy area, and rich enough that it wound up unexpectedly being lunch.  But the sign Lucky's puts out for these temptations reads "Gourgeres."  I mentioned the extra "r" to the kind staff person, who said that several people had pointed that out, but that their checking into it had confirmed their spelling.  I can't imagine what source they checked that would confirm that spelling, and would love to hear from anyone who thinks these puffy addictions should be spelled with that extra "r."  (And of course, purists might note that I'm missing an accent over that first "e," but I have no time to figure out if there's any possibility of putting that in.)

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have new sales starting today at both Sprouts and Whole Foods in Boulder (Longmont also for Sprouts), while I hear Vitamin Cottage is on big sale hiatus until February 3rd, which is almost upon us.  Here's what's looking good to me in the new sales, IMHO, as always.

At Sprouts through February 6th, value packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts are notable at $1.88 a pound, grass-fed organic ground beef is $4.88 a pound, and baby back ribs are $2.88 a pound.  Sounds like a Super Bowl lineup to me.  All chicken sausage (pork also) is $2.99 a pound, boneless country style ribs are very good at $1.99 a pound, and boneless ribeye steaks are $9.99 a pound.  In fish, previously frozen wild Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets are $10.99 a pound (and always watch how things are weighed up - last week they weighed my $4.99 farmed salmon as the wild at twice the price), and fresh wild mahi fillets are $6.99 a pound.  I can see avocado fans dancing in the streets, with conventional Hass ones returning to three for $1.  In organic produce, we have some ongoing stellar specials, with one pound bags of baby carrots $1.25 each, russet potatoes $1.99 a five pound bag, and bulk spring salad mix or spinach $3.99 a pound.  Organic grape tomatoes are great at $1.99 a pint, yams are okay at $1.29 a pound, and there are also several good deals on organic apples and pears.  Elsewhere in the store, the big news for me is that the entire bulk department is 25% off, which should include my favorite everyday coffee.  It's no secret that I love the Sprouts Blend Fair Trade certified organic variety in both regular and decaf that is available at the Sprouts store on Baseline, but it is a mystery to me why Sprouts' own brand would not be found at either the Arapahoe or Longmont stores.  Elsewhere in the store, Muir Glen organic pasta sauces are notable at $2.50 a jar, but I've already stocked up at a prior sale, and while I'm not a snack buyer, I'm inclined to note that select "smarter snacks for the big game" are 25% off.

At Whole Foods through February 12th, satsuma's brief season has arrived, and while I can't compare this with other stores, Whole Foods will have them for $1.99 a pound.  Their fine New York strip steaks are $11.99 a pound (bones not specified, and with such a low price for them, I'd predict bone-in).  Their own lovely sourdough boule is $2.50, and their own in-house-made guacamole is $6.99 a pound, if you don't want to mess with making your own for game day.  Beware the Muir Glen pasta sauce sale at $3, as you'll find it cheaper at Sprouts above, and I wonder about the MSC certified halibut on sale for $17.99 a pound.  The ad says nothing about fresh versus frozen; I'd definitely pay that much for fresh, but I don't think this is the season for that.

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Tomorrow

If you're not cooking from scratch or calling out for your Super Bowl munchies, Whole Foods has a sale for you for tomorrow only, the 30th.  Here are the details from them:

One Day Sale
Tomorrow only! Wednesday, January 30th!

Amy's Pizza - 12-15oz.
All Varieties
2 for $10
(save up to $3.99/ea)

Two More Pearl Street Events

The Pearl Street Whole Foods is a busy place these days, and will keep the event ball rolling both tomorrow and Thursday.  Tomorrow will be a Value Tour with Steph from 5 to 6 pm, about which they say:

Think you have to break the bank in order to live a healthy lifestyle? Think again! Our Healthy Eating Specialist Steph will lead participants on a tour of our store and provide lots of tips and tricks for saving money and eating well. Space is limited, so please email boulderevents@wholefoods.com to RSVP.

Thursday's fun will be a Plant-Pushers' Meet Up from noon to 1 pm, and their details mention free (free?) lunch:

Plant-Pushers Meet Up
Thursday, January 31st


12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Whole Foods Market Pearl Street, FREE

Join our Healthy Eating Specialist Steph for a free luncheon and chat about all things green! Space is limited, so please email boulderevents@wholefoods.com to RSVP.

Reminder Re John Mackey

Just a reminder that today's the day Whole Foods co-founder John Mackey will be at the Pearl Street Whole Foods (11:30 to 1:00 per the store's website), signing his book, Conscious Capitalism.

Weekday Dinner Ideas

Busy Sunday, with lots to do while we still have spring-like weather.  The plan for tomorrow is chicken and mushrooms in garlic white wine sauce from Cooking Light.  It could be done with the chicken tenders that Sprouts has for just $1.77 a pound, or the breasts that are $2.99 a pound right now.

Tuesday is our usual reheat of something big made over the weekend, which this week is the smoky shrimp and halibut stew from Bon Appetit.  A side salad, and it's dinner.

Sprouts' sales through Wednesday on 41/50 count shrimp for $2.99 a pound and organic butternut squash for 99 cents a pound have me thinking about butternut squash risotto with shrimp from Bon Appetit for that day.  I like to add a couple of handfuls of organic baby spinach, and it's fine without the addition of whipping cream.  Anything with pancetta is already rich enough for me.

We'll have had enough of dealing with recipes by Thursday, so by Wednesday, I'll catch some of the chicken sausage that are very low at $1.99 a pound at Sprouts through that day for a simple improv of sauteed sausages with polenta on the side.  The sausages can be done with onion, bell pepper, and good jarred pasta sauce (of which I have an abundance, thanks to the Longmont Sprouts opening sale a couple of weeks ago, when they were practically giving away Muir Glen organic sauce).  If I'm not in the mood for polenta, which rarely happens, a tempting spin is to put the sausage mixture into a baguette from Whole Foods, a pretty good approximation of a classic New England grinder.

Which will get us to Friday's planning, and let's see if the snow will materialize this week.

Super Bowl Planning Guides

We're a little more than a week away from the Super Bowl, so it's time to start thinking about food for the celebration.  I'm not into the game itself, but the ads are sometimes good, and it's my annual excuse for eating Buffalo wings.  (Whole Foods usually does a special on some really good wings, so I'll be on the watch for that.)  If you'd like a little inspiration with food ideas, here are some guides to help you out:  Super Bowl Party Central from Epicurious, Bon Appetit's Super Bowl menu guide (that mac 'n cheese photo looks wicked), Super Bowl Blowout from Food and Wine magazine, and 5 Super Bowl Food Makeovers from Cooking Light.

Weekend Dinner Ideas

The current sales have me thinking very fish-centric, but without much time, this will be quick.  And tonight will be exceptionally quick, consisting merely of the fresh (therefore farmed, but it's that time of year) salmon that Sprouts has for $4.99 a pound this week, accompanied by microwaved "baked" potatoes from Sprouts' five pound bag of organic russets that's just $1.99 a bag.  Some organic veggie will go on the side, but that will be at the whim of what appeals.

I'm intrigued by the Laughing Bird fresh wild bay scallops that Sprouts has for $7.99 a pound, which is reminding me of linguine with bay scallops, fennel and tomatoes from Bon Appetit for tomorrow.  My experience has been that it's just fine without taking the trouble of the addition of Pernod.  For the side salad, organic bulk spring mix remains $3.99 a pound at Sprouts, and Whole Foods has organic green or red leaf lettuce at $1.50 a bunch through Tuesday.

The fish theme continues through Sunday, where for our big item that will also serve as a midweek reheat, I'm thinking smoky shrimp and halibut stew, a favorite from Bon Appetit.  Sprouts has a smallish but decent cooking-sized shrimp, 41/50 count, for just $2.99 a pound, and I've previously said I think halibut is a stellar fish that should be reserved for adulation on its own, so the Atlantic cod Whole Foods has for $7.99 a pound through Tuesday is to me an excellent substitution.  Same comments as above regarding the side salad.

Ta dah, we're done.

Whole Foods Founder In Town For Book Signing

John Mackey is coming to town, doing a signing of his book, Conscious Capitalism, at the Pearl Street Whole Foods on Monday.  Little known fact:  Mackey had a co-founder (whom I've had the pleasure of meeting), and you can read a bit of the history of the founding, including the necessity of bathing in an industrial-sized dishwasher, and the tale of the epic flood that nearly wiped the store out less than a year after opening, on Whole Foods' website here.  I'm forever indebted to that co-founder for turning me on to lovage, and I hope my attempt at a perennial herb garden featuring it will prosper this spring.  As for the current book signing, here are the details from Whole Foods:

Conscious Capitalism Book Signing with John Mackey

Monday, January 28th

11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Whole Foods Market Pearl Street, FREE

Join us for this very specail event where our co-CEO John Mackey will be on site signing copies of his new book and answering your questions. Make sure to visit our facebook page for special offers in the days leading up to the signing: https://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsBoulder.

Soup Class At Whole Foods

With more soup recipes than I can use already this winter, I won't be needing this one, but here are the details about a soup class at the Pearl Street Whole Foods on Saturday:

Superb Soups with Healthy Eating and Cooking Department

Saturday, January 26th
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Whole Foods Market Pearl Street, FREE

Our Healthy Eating Specialist Steph and our Cooking Coach Dana will provide samples, recipes and instructions for creating four delicious soups! Space is limited, so please email boulderevents@wholefoods.com to RSVP.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have a new sale starting today at our local Sprouts stores, while the current one continues through the 29th at Whole Foods, and Vitamin Cottage is reportedly taking a break on the big sales until February 3rd.  Here's what's looking good to me in the new sale, and hallelujah, a Sprouts flyer actually came in my Daily Camera today.

At Sprouts through January 30th, I'm liking chicken breast tenders at just $1.77 a pound, 41/50 count ez-peel raw shrimp (pretty small, but still useful as a cooking, rather than cocktail size) for $2.99 a pound, grass-fed organic New York steaks at $12.99 a pound, and chicken (or pork) sausage a dollar lower than usual at just $1.99 a pound.  In fish, fresh farmed Atlantic salmon fillets are $4.99 a pound, fresh wild bay scallops intrigue me at $7.99 a pound, while previously frozen haddock is $5.99 a pound and Atlantic sole $6.99 a pound.  In organic produce, one pound bags of baby carrots remain $1.25 each (yay!), butternut squash is 99 cents a pound, garnet or jewel yams are $1.29 a pound, bulk spring mix (but the spinach is no longer mentioned) is still great at $3.99 a pound, Valencia oranges are $2.50 for a four pound bag, and there are a whole bunch of organic apple specials, including red delicious for 99 cents a pound.  There are two Greek yogurt options at $1 each:  Chobani and Oikos, and select Marukan rice vinegars are $2.50 a 12 ounce bottle.

I've often mentioned that I rarely get as far north in Boulder to get to Lucky's Market, but they're advertising today that all their wellness products are 25% off through the 30th.

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Tomorrow

Our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a duo of special sales for tomorrow only, the 23rd.  Being a fan of potstickers, I wonder which ones are on sale tomorrow.  Here are the details from Whole Foods:

One Day Sale
Tomorrow only! Wednesday, January 23rd!

Bell & Evans
Chicken Tenders
Regular & Gluten Free
2 lbs for $8
(save up to $2.99/lb)

Potstickers
Chicken, Veggie & Pork
$2.50/dozen
(save $2.49/dozen)

P.M. Update.  Like I have time for this, Whole Foods has issued a correction regarding the chicken.  Here's what they now say.

Correction:

We goofed on our email from earlier today. We will have Bell & Evans Chicken Tenders as part of our One Day Sale tomorrow, but we're selling them by the package and not by the pound. Here is the correct information for your shopping needs:

Bell & Evans - 12 oz. Package
Chicken Tenders
Regular & Gluten Free
2 Packages for $8
(save $2.99/package)

Sweet Treats Cooking Class Friday

The Pearl Street Whole Foods will host a Something Sweet Cooking Class this Friday afternoon.  Here are the details from them:

Foodie Friday Something Sweet Cooking Class

Friday, January 25th
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Whole Foods Market Pearl Street, FREE

Our Healthy Eating Specialist Steph and our Cooking Coach Dana have paired up to share some wonderful, sweet treats your waistline will love! Space is limited, so please email boulderevents@wholefoods.com to RSVP.

Lunch And Learn Coming Up

The Pearl Street Whole Foods will host a Lunch and Learn this Thursday, and preregistration is requested.  Here are the details from them:

Lunch and Learn with Steph

Thursday, January 24th
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

Whole Foods Market Pearl Street, FREE

Join our Healthy Eating Specialist Steph for a fun and informative Lunch and Learn in our bulk department. Space is limited, so please email boulderevents@wholefoods.com to RSVP.

Healthy Eating/Value Tour In Superior

And it comes with a couple of good deal kickers.  The Superior Whole Foods will host a Healthy Eating/Value Tour tomorrow evening that includes a $10 gift card to start your shopping and a chance to win a $100 pantry makeover.  Here are the details from them:

Healthy Eating Series: Healthy Eating/Value Tour

Tuesday, January 22nd
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Superior Cafe, Free

Join Healthy Eating enthusiast, Rene on this tour that will take you through the store, highlighting options to support a healthier wallet and a healthier you in the new year. Tour includes a reusable bags, recipes, a chance to WIN a pantry makeover worth $100.00 and a 10.00 Gift Card to start your shop.

Wishing You A Great Day

What an auspicious day, with the inauguration on Martin Luther King, Jr. day.  And it looks like it will be a beautiful day in Boulder, too!

Vitamin Cottage On Sale Hiatus

So I finally got to Vitamin Cottage, and with no sale flyers in evidence, was told by customer service folks that the next sale is expected to start on February 3rd, just in time for the Super Bowl.

Weekday Dinner Ideas

What a lazy Sunday morning, but it's time to start thinking about food for the rest of the week.  With temperatures expected to be in the mid-60's by Wednesday, this is a reminder that I need to continue to work of the stockpile of pesto I laid in the freezer from last summer's bumper crop of basil before it's time to plant some more.  So tomorrow will be a simple pasta with pesto, possibly with a little chicken sausage sauteed for it.  Sprouts continues to have organic bulk spring mix or spinach on sale for just $3.99 a pound for the side salad, and Whole Foods has organic lettuce at a good price too (see below).

Tuesday is our usual reheat of something big made over the weekend, which this week is tonight's cod, potato, and fennel casserole from Gourmet magazine.

I've been on a roll for a couple of years with the Thai (and possibly Lao) dish that is variously called laab, larb, or laap, after discovering it at a Thai restaurant in Louisville.  At the time, I could only find one or two recipes for it, probably because they get published under all sorts of other names, so I've been collecting these variants ever since.  The new one I want to try is spicy Thai basil chicken from the current issue of Cooking Light, so that will be on deck for Wednesday.  Sprouts has ground chicken, pork or chicken breast all $2.99 a pound through that day, and Whole Foods has organic red or green lettuce at $1.50 a bunch to wrap it up.  Looks like the reviewers are raving about this recipe, so that bodes well.

We'll make it simple for Thursday, grabbing some of those boneless center'cut pork loin chops that Sprouts has for $2.99 a pound for a quick pork chop saute.  Sprouts also has five pound bags of organic russets at just $1.99 each through Wednesday, and they microwave so easily for a quick "baked" potato.

So enjoy our emergence from that lengthy deep freeze!

Sprouts' 72-Hour Sale

So I've already expressed my frustration about not receiving the Sprouts flyer in my Wednesday Daily Camera and therefore having to work from the online version for Wednesday's report.  Now I see that we're partway into a 72-hour sale Sprouts is holding from yesterday through tomorrow that didn't appear in the online version.  There are ten items in the sale, most notable to me being 11 ounce Earthbound Farm salads at $2.50 each (limit two), 26/30 count raw shrimp for $4.99 a pound, bulk Monterey jack cheese at $2.99 a pound, and whole pineapples (although they won't carry the pedigree of a Whole Foods one) for just $1 each.

Learn About Buying From Bulk Tomorrow

Whole Foods' bulk department is my go-to place for so many things, especially those I want to buy in a very small quantity, the antithesis of the bulk ethic (but so useful when you only need a tablespoon of something you wouldn't otherwise stock).  Here are their details about a tour tomorrow:

Bulk Department Tour with Dana

Sunday, January 20th
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Whole Foods Market Pearl Street, FREE

Have you always wanted to shop the bulk department, but weren't really sure where to start? Well, here's your chance! Our Cooking Coach Dana will be leading participants on a tour of our expanded bulk department and revealing secret tips and tricks for using bulk items in your home cooking. Space is limited, please email boulderevents@wholefoods.com to RSVP.

Weekend Dinner Ideas

So it's Friday already, time to be thinking about food for the weekend.  Although Friday's sort of the start of it, a Friday dinner still has to be pretty simple in my book, so for tonight, we're going to try out the prepared cod cakes that Whole Foods has on sale for $7.99 a pound.  To dress it up a bit, I'll do a fun side I haven't made in a while, Swiss chard gratin, also inspired by Whole Foods, since the recipe comes from their website.  Comte has to be one of the best cheeses in the world.

We'll go carnivorous for tomorrow with some sort of meat focus.  I haven't decided if it will be another roast chicken, with the good specials being offered by both Whole Foods and Sprouts.  It seems like we did roast chicken within the past couple of weeks, so the bone-in ribeyes on sale at Sprouts for just $4.99 a pound are also under consideration.  Now that we're out of our deep freeze, maybe we could even get the grill out under a flashlight.

We'll still need to do something big for our midweek reheat, so for Sunday, we'll turn to the cod fillets that Whole Foods has for $7.99 a pound to do cod, potato and fennel casserole from Gourmet magazine.  As for the potatoes, Sprouts currently has a great sale on five pound bags of organic russets, just $1.99 a bag.

Which will get us through the weekend.

Wine Down Friday At Whole Foods

I believe they do this every Friday, but without much else to report, I'll mention that tomorrow will be the customary Wine Down Friday at Whole Foods' wine and spirits store right next to the Pearl Street grocery.  Here are the details from them:

Wine Down Fridays

Friday, January 18th
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Whole Foods Wine and Spirits, FREE

Hectic week? Stop by our Wine and Spirits store and we'll help you wine-down for the weekend.

Coupon Night In Superior

Sorry I'm a little late on this, but tonight is coupon night at the Whole Foods in Superior.  Here are their details:

Coupon Night

Wednesday, January 16th
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Superior Cafe, Free

Join us at the Superior Whole Foods Market in our Café for Coupon Night! Bring your coupons and be ready to swap with others. We will also go on a store tour and show you how to shop with Value in mind. Join us for the fun! Bring a new friend and you each will receive a $5.00 Gift Card to start your shop! Please sign up at our Customer Service Counter to reserve your spot today.

B Vitamins Tour Coming Up

The Pearl Street Whole Foods will hold a store tour featuring B vitamin sources tomorrow, and they request preregistration.  Here are their details, and I presume they meant "your" instead of "you":

Get you B Vitamins Store Tour

Thursday, January 17th
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Whole Foods Market Pearl Street, FREE

Join our Healthy Eating Specialist Steph for an informational tour through the store where you'll discover new sources of B vitamins to incorporate in your everyday diet. Space is limited, so please email boulderevents@wholefoods.com to RSVP.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals

We have new sales starting today at our local Sprouts (now including Longmont) and Whole Foods stores.  Unfortunately, once again, there's no flyer from Sprouts in my Daily Camera, and reviewing from the store's website is downright inconvenient from the screen, so will be abbreviated.  I'm also pretty sure there's something going on at Vitamin Cottage, but when I passed by the Boulder store a couple of days ago, the parking around the store was such a zoo, I opted to keep on moving.  Here's what's appealing to me in the sales I'm looking at now.

At Sprouts through January 23rd, the big news for me is the return of their Gluten Free Jubilee, with 25% off thousands of gluten-free products.  I'm not even gluten-intolerant, but this is always a great opportunity to pick up staples like Lundberg rice at a great price.  Some of Pamela's great cookies and a whole lot of other things will be going in the basket too.  In meat, bone-in ribeye steaks or roasts are quite notable at $4.99 a pound ($7.99 for the boneless steaks), whole, split or cut-up chickens are $1.49 a pound (see below also for a good price on a fine whole air-chilled chicken at Whole Foods), ground chicken, pork, and chicken breast are all $2.99 a pound, and boneless pork loin chops are also $2.99 a pound.  Fans of Pacific Dungeness crab might like fresh whole cooked ones at $5.99 a pound, while flash-frozen Alaskan sockeye fillets are $8.99 a pound.  There are lots of organic produce specials, but it's too hard to go back and forth to the screen for each price.  Suffice it to say I'm liking one pound bags of baby carrots, bunched beets, russet potato bags, Valencia orange bags, bulk spring mix or spinach (still $3.99 a pound, yay!), and lots of organic apples.  Elsewhere in the store, I'm liking select Applegate deli meats at 25% off, Wallaby Greek yogurts $1 each, and of course just a ton of gluten-free products all 25% off.

Whole Foods through January 29th is tantalizing me with more specials than usual.  Whole Foods' seafood is always appealing, and when their sustainability practices meet up with competitive prices, I really take notice.  The new sale includes Atlantic cod fillet (not specified, but I'd guess previously frozen) at a very reasonable $7.99 a pound, something I'd jump on, since it's $5 off their usual price.  Prepared fish is enticing too, with both cod cakes and teriyaki salmon cakes also at $7.99 a pound.  Their air-chilled chicken is also excellent, so I'm considering their whole bagged chickens at $1.99 a pound (the ad actually says "fyers," but since a chicken is pictured, I'm assuming it's a fryer).  In organic produce, organic red and green leaf lettuce, and green kale are all very good at $1.50 each.  I'm intrigued by something I haven't noticed before, Market Made pho soup kits (in both chicken or beef) for $5.99, which is $3 off.  I'll never replicate the pho I had in Vietnam a few years ago (or at Saigon Xpress in Longmont), but anything that makes it easy to try at home is worth a shot.

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Tomorrow

Coffee drinkers may be interested in tomorrow's one-day sale at our local Whole Foods stores, although the size of the coffee isn't mentioned.  Here are the details from Whole Foods:

One Day Sale

Tomorrow only! Wednesday, January 16th!

Illy Caffe
Cans
$9.99/ea
(save up to $6/ea)

Upcoming Talk At Sprouts

This coming Saturday, January 19th, our Baseline Sprouts will host Greg Winters of Superior Nutrition Services talking about Burn the Belly Fat and Tone the Tummy.  The talk is from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, and they ask you to sign up in advance at the vitamin counter.  Topics include "how to increase your fat-burning hormones; learn why consuming less fat may not help you lose belly fat; and discover new ways to supplement your diet and exercise program to help build more muscle."

I Just Got The Last $6 Maine Lobster Tails

At least at the Pearl Street Whole Foods (sorry about that, but I'm glad I was able to get some).  If you're interested in pursuing them while the sale is on through tomorrow, I'd suggest calling ahead to the other stores.  Also, I hadn't mentioned the ProBar sale in the current flyer since we've never tried them (this is primarily a Clif bar household), but I went looking for them today since the advertised sale was so good, and found that the big featured sale for them in the flyer is a whopping typo.  The flyer advertises two ounce ProBars at "5 for $5," which means $1 each, which the flyer says is $1.99 off for each.  I found the reality is that the product is a three ounce one, and is on sale at two for $4, which means $2 each.  Kind staff on the floor went to considerable trouble to check with a manager, at which point I was told it was a typo, and no adjustment was offered.  Heck, that's not just one typo, it's three: the product size, the sale price, and the savings per item.  Guess we'll stick with our Clif bars.

Two Day Heads Up Re Whole Foods Sale

Just a heads up that you only have through tomorrow to enjoy the current sale at Whole Foods, which includes those marvelous lobster tails from Maine at $6 each.  They'll be on my dinner table this week, plus a few will also get stashed in the freezer, provided they have some that are still frozen.  Just don't beat me to it and wipe out the remaining stock.

Weekday Dinner Ideas

Sorry, just a few ill-formed plans here, with no time.  For tomorrow, I'm interested in those really big sea scallops Sprouts has on sale for $9.99 a pound, so something will happen with them.  A favorite and very quick option is grilled scallops with tomatoes and olive vinaigrette from Gourmet magazine.  No grill required in winter, just a grill pan.

Tuesday is our usual reheat of something big made over the weekend, which this week is potato and root vegetable chowder with bacon from Bon Appetit.  So glad Sprouts is continuing to have bulk organic salad mix at just $3.99 a pound for the side salad.

Tuesday will also mark the end of the current sale at Whole Foods, and I definitely want to get more of those $6 Maine lobster tails by the end of the sale, some of which will be on the table Wednesday, possibly back in that pasta dish that was so successful for New Year's Eve (I'm just too short on time to backtrack for that link).  Sprouts also has lobster tails on sale through Wednesday, and I need to check out where they come from.

Thursday will be ultra simple.  Sprouts' sale through Wednesday on a stock up opportunity, BOGO Near East rice pilafs (also the couscous) has reminded me of an old, easy improv.  Just cook the pilaf, saute some diced chicken breast separately, and combine it all when done.  Easy or what?

So much to do, so little time.

Lucky's Market Has Really Big Plans

I've previously mentioned that fave Lucky's Market in north Boulder will be opening a second location, this time in Longmont, fairly shortly.  Now there's news that they're planning to go way bigger than that, with a whole chain of stores "in the Heartland," which potentially includes states from Wyoming to Missouri and Michigan.  The Daily Camera has the whole scoop, and I sure wish Lucky's well, but it sounds like a very big leap.  I'm just looking forward to the Longmont store.

Weekend Dinner Ideas

We don't usually do much along the burger lines, but with today's one-day sale at Whole Foods on ground beef, plus Sprouts' weeklong sale (look for posts below for details), it's sort of on the brain.  One fave around here is baked potatoes with spiced beef chili from Bon Appetit, so that will be on deck tonight.  Plus Sprouts has five pound bags of organic russet potatoes for the ridiculously low price of $1.99 a bag.

I'm not overwhelmed by the meat offerings on sale this week, so we'll turn to fish tomorrow.  Sprouts has farmed salmon for $6.99 a pound this week, which I'll either cook naked with a squeeze of lemon, or dress up a bit as pan-roasted salmon with ginger and curry from Gourmet magazine.  Ginger and curry somehow sound like a good idea at this time of year, with all the flu that's going around.

Needing something big to serve also as a midweek reheat, we'll head to a nearly vegetarian option for Sunday, which will be potato and root vegetable chowder with bacon from Bon Appetit.  Nice and seasonal, and warming, with our frigid weekend temperatures.  And it will again tap that five pound bag of russets so cheap at Sprouts.

Stay warm out there!

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Tomorrow

In addition to yesterday's one-day sale, we also get another one at Whole Foods for tomorrow only, the 11th.  Something to consider is that Sprouts has ground beef with the same fat content on sale all the way through next Wednesday in value packs for considerably less, $1.99 a pound.  However, I don't think Sprouts can boast the pedigree Whole Foods lists below under "What to know about this beef."  Decisions, decisions.

Date of sale: Friday, January 11, 2013

What’s on sale: Lean ground beef (grain-fed, 85/15)

Price: $3.49/lb (average savings of 40%)*

What to know about this beef:

All the beef sold in Whole Foods Market’s Meat department comes from steers raised without antibiotics or added hormones. Plus, every farm or ranch that supplies our stores has been certified to Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating program, so shoppers know the animals were raised with respect. Learn more on our Whole Story blog.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have a new sale starting today at our Boulder (and also now Longmont) Sprouts, while with their usual double ad Wednesdays, today is also the last day to catch their particularly good sale from last week, in celebration of the opening of the Longmont store.  The current sale continues at Whole Foods through January 15th (I definitely recommend the Maine lobster tails at $6 each), and I believe there's also a new sale at Vitamin Cottage following a hiatus there, so I want to check on that when I get a chance (time is just so short these days).

At Sprouts through January 16th, although I'm not much of a burger eater, 85% lean ground beef is notable at $1.99 a pound in the value pack.  The other meat specials aren't particularly enthusing me either, as they're trending towards dark meat chicken and pork sirloin, neither of which get much play in my house.  In fish, fresh (farmed) Atlantic salmon is $6.99 a pound, and previously frozen wild Alaskan cod fillets are also $6.99 a pound.  "Colossal" sea scallops (previously frozen but from off George's bank in the Atlantic) are $9.99 a pound, and though I don't know what to do with them, king crab legs from the Bering Sea (of course also previously frozen) look interesting, also at $9.99 a pound. 

In organic produce, butternut squash is great at 79 cents a pound, garnet yams are 99 cents a pound (but the jewel yams aren't advertised, so watch that), baby carrots remain great at $1.25 a bag, five pound bags of russet potatoes are ridiculously low at $1.99 each, Italian squash (think zucchini) is good at $1.29 a pound, bulk spring mix or spinach salads remain great at $3.99 a pound (you'll find it nearly double that elsewhere), and there are a whole bunch of organic apples looking good.  Elsewhere in the store, I'm liking Seapoint Farms frozen edamame at $1.99 a bag, select Cascadian Farms frozen organic veggies at just $1.50 a one pound bag, Near East side dishes (couscous and pilafs) are BOGO, the big 28 ounce size of Muir Glen organic tomatoes is at the nearly unheard of price of $1.50, and select Celestial Seasonings herbal teas are BOGO as well.

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Tomorrow

For tomorrow only, the 9th, our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a delicious cheese at quite a discount.  Here are the details from them:

One Day Sale
Tomorrow only! Wednesday, January 9th!

Uniekaas
Parrano
$9.99/lb
(save $6/lb)

Two Day Heads Up Re Sprouts Sale

Just a reminder that you only have through tomorrow to catch this week's particularly good bargains at our Boulder and Longmont Sprouts, in celebration of the Longmont store's opening last week.  The sale includes some particularly good stock up opportunities, like Annie's mac 'n cheese $1 a box, Imagine organic broth (or soup) $2 a box, Muir Glen organic pasta sauce $2 a jar, and 25% off all vitamins and body care.  You'll also find fresh whole chickens at $1 at pound.

Two Healthy Lunch Events

The Pearl Street Whole Foods will host two Healthy Lunch Time events, one tomorrow and one on Wednesday.  Here are the details from them:

Healthy Lunch Time Store Tour with Steph

Tuesday, January 8th
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

Whole Foods Market Pearl Street, FREE

Join our Healthy Eating Specialist Steph on a tour of our store for some fun, creative, delicious and, most importantly, healthy lunch ideas. Space is limited, so please email boulderevents@wholefoods.com to reserve your spot.

On the Go Lunch and Learn

Wednesday, January 9th
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Whole Foods Market Pearl Street, FREE

A quick lunch doesn't have to mean a trip to the drive-thru! Join our Healthy Eating Specialist Steph for an informative class on convenient, healthy lunches! Space is limited, so please email boulderevents@wholefoods.com to reserve your spot.

Vitamix Sale In Superior

I almost missed this one.  Today's the last day of a three day Vitamix sale at the Superior Whole Foods.  Here are the details from them (but somebody should learn how to spell warranty):

Vitamix Sale

Friday, January 4th
6:30 PM - 5:30 AM

Superior Produce Dept, $449 and $499.00

Back by Popular demand! Vitamix Sale here at the Superior Whole Foods Market! Stop by our Produce Dept. Friday, Jan.4- Sunday Jan.6. Two selections available -$449.00 and $499.99 with an 8 yr. warrenty which is double the regular warrenty. Includes a cookbook/DVD and Spatula.

Weekday Dinner Ideas

Here's a quick rundown.  Am too busy prepping my day for the start of Downton Abbey, season three tonight, woohoo!

Tomorrow will be a version of brown rice penne with eggplant from Cooking Light, using regular whole wheat penne instead.  I saw organic eggplant at the new Longmont Sprouts for $1.99 a pound, a very good price, which I hope I also find at the Boulder stores.

Tuesday is our reheat of something big made over the weekend, which will be tonight's black bean chili with butternut squash and Swiss chard from Bon Appetit.  In retrospect, I should have looked up vintage foods instead to celebrate Downton Abbey.

The organic butternut squash I got at Sprouts was a great price, but the smallest squash they had was still huge, so I'm looking for a way to finish it off.  Wednesday will therefore be winter squash and pork stir-fry from the New York Times.  Sprouts also has a decent price on pork for this, with several possible cuts all $2.97 a pound through Wednesday.

I'll simplify my life by taking my own advice for Thursday, making a quick riff on old fashioned tuna casserole by making a package of Annie's mac 'n cheese according to its directions, then stirring in a can of tuna, plus I like to add maybe a cup of defrosted peas.  Total comfort food, totally quick, and with the Annie's just $1 a package at Sprouts through Wednesday, also totally cheap.  I've already laid in several packages in the cupboard.

New Longmont Sprouts Looking Fine

So the new Sprouts in Longmont (on the west side of Hover Road just a bit north of the Diagonal) opened this past Wednesday, and I've already had a couple of chances to check it out.  I'm liking the layout, which seems considerably larger than our Boulder Sprouts on Baseline, and probably also larger than the former Sunflower, although that one's trickier to assess because of its two-tier floorplan.  Offerings seem pretty similar to what we see in Boulder, with some exceptions.  Organic produce has always varied in Boulder, with the former Sunflower having more organic produce power (IMHO) than the original Baseline Sprouts.  While it's still not Whole Foods for breadth of options, I think the new Longmont Sprouts possibly edges out our former Sunflower, and definitely wallops our original Sprouts.  The Longmont location also offers a very active fresh sushi counter, with sushi staff concocting samples as quickly as shoppers could scarf them up.  But our original Baseline Sprouts reigns supreme on at least one front:  it has the certified Fair Trade organic coffee (including decaf) under the Sprouts name that neither our former Sunflower nor the new Longmont store carries.  I mentioned it to the coffee guy in Longmont, who seemed very interested in adding it.

I visited the Longmont store on opening day and also yesterday.  While it was pretty much a zoo on both days, the staff was doing a remarkable job of keeping everything together, from stocking to cashiering.  Samples were liberally distributed around the store, although I'd expect that to end once the opening fever has passed.  They were also giving away reusable bags to pack all your purchases in, including yesterday, when I was expecting one free bag for opening day only.  One of the bags I was given yesterday had a hole in it, but that's also happened to me at Whole Foods.  I guess the moral of that story is to keep collecting those bags, as some of them will barely make it through their first trip home.

Weekend Dinner Plans

With little time for planning, and even less for writing, here's a quick rundown of some pretty ill-formed plans.  For tonight, I'm thinking about the previously frozen wild sockeye Sprouts has for $7.77 a pound right now.  I'd rather be eating fresh wild salmon, but in the depths of winter, you gotta do what you gotta do.  I've had mixed results on previously frozen fish, some surprisingly good, others not so much.  I have plenty of choices on Lundberg's gourmet rice blends from a prior Vitamin Cottage sale to go on the side.

Tomorrow will be another winter weekend no-brainer - with whole chickens just $1 a pound at Sprouts' big sale (good in Boulder too) celebrating Wednesday's opening of their Longmont store, we'll roast a whole chicken.  Sprouts is also making it easy to roast some organic root veggies on the side, considering they have yams for $1.29 a pound, baby carrots $1.25 a bag, and russet potatoes $2.50 for a five pound bag.  Organic butternut squash at 79 cents a pound will also probably find itself in the mix.

Sunday is kind of tentative.  Wanting something big to also serve as a midweek reheat, and also wanting something clean and veggie-oriented after all the excesses of the holidays, I'm considering black bean chili with butternut squash and Swiss chard from Bon Appetit, a longtime favorite in this house.  Sprouts' current sale is screaming for me to do this, with the aforemention organic butternut 79 cents a pound, plus 15 ounce Westbrae organic beans BOGO, and Imagine broths just $2 a box.  My only hesitation is that we just finished the excellent black-eyed pea soup I mentioned a few days ago, so there might be too much of a legume-based soup theme going on here.

No time to contemplate further, though.

Spa Night Tomorrow

The Pearl Street Whole Foods will host their monthly free spa night tomorrow, including some munchies to go along with the pampering.  Here are their details:

Pearl Street Spa Night

Friday, January 4th
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Whole Foods Market Pearl Street, FREE

Join us in the whole body department for our monthly spa night! We'll have light snacks and drinks, free hand massages, facials and mini makeovers... and it's all free!

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Today

For anyone starting some sort of grapefruit-based New Year's diet, today only, Whole Foods has grapefruit on sale for $1 a pound.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals

The current sale continues at our Boulder Whole Foods through January 15th (get some of those Maine lobster tails at $6 each before it's over), and as previously reported, there was no new sale at Vitamin Cottage when I was there a few days ago (although that could possibly have changed).  Our Boulder, and as of its opening today, and Longmont Sprouts stores have a new sale running through the 9th.  However, I'm totally annoyed with the Daily Camera; about the only reason I continue to take the newspaper in hard copy is for the convenience of having the ads in hand rather than on the screen, but there was no Sprouts flyer in my paper today.  Perhaps that's Sprouts' fault, but especially with a new store opening today, I rather doubt it.

Having to look at the sale online, I'll make an abbreviated report, since it's basically a pain to view it that way.  It appears there's a special flyer covering both Boulder and Longmont, with some really good specials in celebration of the new store (all the more reason I'd like to have the flyer in hand).  Through the 9th, everything in the vitamin and body care department is 25% off, and in bulk, their wonderful roast coffee is $6.99 a pound, two great reasons to get shopping.  In meat, value packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts are just $1.57 a pound, whole chickens are $1 a pound, and stew beef is $3.99 a pound.  Previously frozen wild sockeye salmon is $7.77 a pound, previously frozen swordfish steaks are $6 a pound, and yummy stuffed clams, crab, or scallops are just $1 each.  Boxes of Annie's mac 'n cheese are also just $1 each (great to have around for a quick tuna noodle casserole riff), and my favorite Imagine organic broths are $2 a box.  Select Amy's burritos are practically being given away at $1 each, Muir Glen organic pasta sauce is $2 a jar (stock up!), 15 ounce Westbrae organic beans are BOGO, 13 ounce Newman-Os organic cookies are $1.99, Frontera's yummy sauces are 30% off, and Chobani Greek yogurts are $1 each.  In organic produce, one pound bags of baby carrots are $1.25, butternut squash is 79 cents a pound, Italian squash (think zucchini) or yams are $1.29 a pound, russet potatoes are $2.50 for a five pound bag, and bulk spring salad mix or spinach continue at a very low $3.99 a pound, nearly half what you'll find elsewhere.  I'm sure there's more of interest, but I'm tired of switching screens to try to see this stuff.  And I hope I've been accurate through all that screen-switching.  In any case, it's one heck of a sale.

Craft Food And Beer Thursday

On the first Thursday of every month, the Wine and Spirits store adjoining the Pearl Street Whole Foods hosts a free craft food and beer pairing.  Here are the details from them:

1st Thursday Craft Food and Beer

Thursday, January 3rd
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Whole Foods WIne and Spirits, FREE

Love craft food? Love beer? Join us at our Wine and Spirits store for this monthly event where we pair the best in food with the best in beer.

Best Wishes For 2013

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and productive 2013.  I hope it's auspicious that, among the many gorgeous sunrises we have here in Boulder, this morning's was particularly beautiful.  Last night's creamy lobster pappardelle was delicious, thanks to those Maine lobster tails from Whole Foods, and I hope tonight's black-eyed pea soup will bring good luck for the New Year.