King Salmon Price Differential

As previously mentioned as a plan, I did a rare detour to our Boulder King Soopers this morning to get some of their fresh wild king salmon that they have for a spectacular $11.99 a pound with card through Tuesday.  Yes, I wound up with previously cut individual pieces packaged on those nasty foam trays, but I was also there quite early, and they were just starting to fill the fish case.  I'm pretty sure that if I'd arrived later, or simply bugged the staff this morning, I also could have gotten a whole fillet instead.  I did the rest of my shopping at the Pearl Street Whole Foods, and swung by the fish case for comparison.  Fresh wild king salmon fillets there are $27.99 today, so my detour to King Soopers seems definitely worth it.

Herbal Kitchen Class At Alfalfa's

Alfalfa's has an interesting sounding class coming up, but the question is, what day is it really on?  Their info says twice that it's on September 7th, which is a Saturday, but the graphic is topped by "Wellness Wednesday."  Here's what they say:

Herbal Kitchen with Erin Smith

September 7th, Alfalfa's Community Room, 6:30 to 8:00pm
Not only is food the best medicine, it's the best way to take your medicine! Join Erin for this fun and delicious class and learn about the five top herbs to start incorporating into your diet. These are tonic and nutritive herbs that help to ease stress, boost the immune system, and are packed full of important nutrients and are safe for all. Their mild and/or delicious taste makes them easy and fun to use in the kitchen. You'll learn how to make Erin's famous herbal treats that will have even your most discriminating eater asking for more! Click HERE to register for this free class.

Weekend Dinner Plans

We'll not really, since I've hardly had time to flesh them out, but maybe the focus on sales might be helpful.  And I'll throw in Labor Day, since we're thankfully facing a long weekend.

Tonight, I'm planning on checking out the fresh tilapia fillets Sprouts has for just $3.99 a pound.  If from the USA, that can supposedly be quite eco-friendly.  I've used a recipe from that was published years ago in Bon Appetit from Passionfish, a fave restaurant in Pacific Grove, CA, but without time to go fishing for the link, the basic idea is sauté tilapia in a bit of olive oil, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and serve.  Who needs more?

We'll hit the grill tomorrow for some fresh wild king salmon, and King Soopers wins that one this week at $11.99 a pound with card.  Sprouts is a runner-up at $14.99 a pound.

For Sunday, we'll turn to a seasonal chowder, again enjoying corn and green chile chowder from the Food Network.  Whole Foods has roasted fresh Hatch green chiles plus a weekend special on corn at half price, but I still might head out to Munson's Farm for the corn, fresh picked that day.

Since Monday's Labor Day, obviously something's got to go out on the grill.  And since we've already been fairly reasonable for the weekend, with fish twice, followed by a nearly vegetarian chowder. we'll hit the steaks.  I'm thinking one of two steaks the new Lucky's in Longmont is offering, both grass-fed Teton Waters Ranch ones, the sirloin steak at $4.99 a pound, or the New York strip at $5.99 a pound.  The NY strip will undoubtedly win out, as I more often use sirloin as something more to cut up for stir-fries, although it is also decent on its own.

So, happy long weekend!

More Good Deals At Lucky's Market

So I've confirmed that Lucky's Market, at least for the time being, is doing two separate sets of sales for its two stores, the one in north Boulder that I've always loved but could rarely get to, and the new one that just opened in Longmont, and is in a frequent travel path for me.  There are some similarities between the sales, but the Longmont store is clearly still in grand opening mode, sometimes offering better deals than the Boulder store on items listed in common.  Not getting to the north Boulder store, I'm concentrating on the Longmont one for this.

In the Longmont Lucky's new sale that runs through September 4th, a very hot item is Hass avocados (those would be conventional, but you peel them anyway), for a fabulous 25 cents each.  (Avocado aficionado Ms. A., may I shuttle some to you?)  By contrast, the Boulder Lucky's has organic ones instead on sale this week at 50 cents each, also very good, particularly for organic.  Quickly running through more Longmont specials, two Teton Waters Ranch beef specials look very good for Labor Day grilling:  grass-fed sirloin steak for $4.99 a pound and grass-fed New York strip at $5.99 a pound (bones not specified, but with Lucky's "never ever" high standards, those are good prices whether boneless or bone-in, and bone-in supposedly adds flavor).  Another grilling favorite, bone-in chicken breast, is $1.79 a pound, grass-fed super lean (95% - maybe even too lean) burger is $3.99 a pound, and organic pork spare ribs are stunning at $2.99 a pound.  I don't really know anything yet about their seafood, so I want to check out country of origin of the previously frozen four ounce lobster tails for $5.99, and since the cod and red trout fillets at $7.99 don't say anything about fresh/frozen, does that mean they're fresh?

The Longmont Lucky's not surprisingly also has some great specials in organic produce, including red, green and lacinato kale (all locally grown) for 99 cents a bunch, red or green leaf lettuce 99 cents a head, russet, red or yellow potatoes all 99 cents a pound, jewel or garnet yams also 99 cents a pound, and red, green and black seedless grapes all $1.50 a pound.  Satsuma fans will like that their brief season is arriving, with organic ones at $2 a pound.

Elsewhere in the Longmont Lucky's, I'm definitely liking Chobani Greek yogurts for $1 each, Evol burritos (a local company and also very, very good) actually BOGO, and Norseland Jarlsberg cheese for $6.99 a pound.  The Jarlsberg is another example of the differences in the sales between Lucky's Longmont and Boulder stores, as in Boulder, the sale for it this week is $8.99 a pound.

Feast Of Fermentation Tonight

Sorry for the short notice, but I've just learned there's an interesting and worthy-sounding event tonight, A Feast of Fermentation, which is also a benefit for Boulder Food Rescue.  This will be a "feast of all things fermented," (think of those possibilities!), and you can read the details here.

Grilled Baby Backs At Sprouts

I don't know if the other local Sprouts stores will be doing this (I think the one on Arapahoe usually participates as well), but I picked up a flyer at the Baseline Sprouts that says they'll be grilling full racks of baby back ribs over mesquite onsite tomorrow and Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm for $12.99 each.  Possibly a nice way to kick back at the start of your Labor Day weekend instead of doing all the work yourself.

Long Weekend Sale At Whole Foods

Presumably in honor of Labor Day, Whole Foods will offer us a special sale starting tomorrow that will run four days, instead of the customary three.  Here's what they say:

AUG 30-SEP 2 (FRI-MON)

Regionally Grown Sweet Corn: 50% OFF
Sale Price: 4 for $1.00

Cold Teas By Guayaki^®: 4 for $5
16 oz Ready-to-Drink Bottles

Wild Salmon Burgers: $3 OFF/lb
Sale Price: $6.99/lb

Market Made Buffalo Burgers: $5 OFF/lb
Cheddar, Green Chile, Sassy Blue Cheese
Sale Price: $5.99/lb

Brioche Hamburger Buns: 2 for $5

Seaweed Snacks by Sea Tangle^®: 40% OFF
    

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have new sales starting today at our Boulder Sprouts and Whole Foods sales, while the current one continues at Vitamin Cottage through September 28th (click for prior report).  There also should be a new sale starting today at Lucky's, so my quandary continues as to whether to try to write more when I don't have the time, and if the new Longmont store keeps specials separate from the original Boulder store, does it even make sense to cover Longmont just because I can sometimes get there, when this blog is supposed to be about Boulder?  In any case, here's what's looking good to me from what I'm looking at now.

Sprouts' new sale runs through September 4th, and I definitely want to check out the country of origin of their fresh tilapia fillets, which are stunningly low at $3.99 a pound.  I read several years ago that domestically farm-raised tilapia is one of the most eco-friendly fish around.  Value packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts are okay at $2.49 a pound, bone-in New York steak is $5.99 a pound, Rosie's Organic chicken drumsticks are $1.99 a pound, boneless pork country style ribs (good on the grill) are $2.49 a pound, pork baby back ribs are $2.99 a pound, and all types of chicken sausage (pork also) are $2.99 a pound.  Gourmet stuffed clams, crab or scallops are spectacularly low at 99 cents each and make great appetizers for a party, but with our temperatures in the mid to high 90s right now, I'm not inclined to crank up the oven quite yet.  Finally, fresh wild king salmon fillets are good at $14.99 a pound (I've seen them nearly twice that elsewhere), but this week it might be worth a detour to King Soopers, where fresh wild king fillets are just $11.99 a pound with card.

In organic produce at Sprouts, on-the-vine tomatoes are $1.98 a pound, celery is just 98 cents a bunch, baby carrots are $1.50 for a one pound bag, gala apples or yellow peaches are both $1.98 a pound, and strawberries are $2.98 for a one pound clamshell.  Elsewhere in the store, I'm liking eight ounce cups of Galbani fresh mozzarella at $2.99 each (I'm sensing a caprese salad coming up), Chobani Greek yogurts at $1 each, select DeLallo whole wheat pasta (my new fave) at $2 a one pound bag, some MaraNatha peanut butter $4.99 for a 16 ounce jar, and Spectrum Essentials chia seeds $8.99 for a 12 ounce bag (I've really gotten into chia or flax seeds on salads).

Whole Foods' sale that ended yesterday had so many enticing items to me, it's hard to work up similar enthusiasm for their more normal new sale that runs through September 17th.  Their excellent air-chilled chickens do look good at $1.99 a pound (the ad says whole, but I've always known the meat guys to be ready to cut them up if desired).  Atlantic salmon steaks are $9.99 a pound, but Atlantic would mean farmed, so I'll stick with the fresh wild king options mentioned above.  Also, coho salmon fillets are $16.99 a pound, so ditto re the king above.  I do love Whole Foods' prepared salmon burgers for a quick and easy meal, and this time it's the citrus bbq burgers that are on sale for $7.99 a pound.  In organic produce, gala apples are $1.99 a pound, effectively matching Sprouts' sale, Bartlett pears are also $1.99 a pound, and variety cherry tomatoes look pretty good at $3.99 a pound.  Elsewhere in the store, I'm liking my favorite breads, Ezekial 4:9 at $3.99 a loaf, and Whole Foods' own yummy seeduction bread at $3 a loaf.  Barber's cheddar is $5 off at $8.99 a pound, and for a mini celebration, little four inch cakes from Rubicon Bakery are $3.99 each.

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Today

Our local Whole Foods stores are offering us a duo of special sales for today only, the 28th.  Here's what they say:

AUG 28 (WED ONLY!

Regionally Grown Watermelons: $2 OFF
Sale Price: $3.99 each

Brats by Continental Sausage^®: 50% OFF
Smoked Buffalo & Southwestern Buffalo Varieties
Sale Price: 2 for $7

Labor Day Quickly Approaching

Hard to believe that next weekend is already Labor Day weekend.  It's a holiday more associated with a last frenzy of summertime activities than culinary aspirations, but grilling obviously has to be a part of it.  If you're looking to do more than throw hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, here's a link to the grilling guides I put out for its grilling holiday predecessor, Memorial Day.

Last Call For Current Whole Foods Deals

I don't know if the current sale at Whole Foods is a local response to counter Lucky's grand opening, or if it just happened to be one that pushed all the right buttons for me, but this is a heads up that you only have through Tuesday, the 27th, to continue to enjoy it.  There are four in-house brined meats on sale; the split brined chicken that we put on the grill was the best ever, so we're going for the brined pork chop tomorrow.  I haven't even gotten a chance to enjoy the split lobster tails at $8 each, and Whole Foods' have always been excellent ones from Maine in the past.  Then there's also the halibut steaks for a reasonable $15.99 a pound on a usually unreasonably expensive fish, and the ones we had last weekend were fabulous.  My favorite organic figs are just $3.99 a pound, and Hatch green chiles are just 99 cents a pound.  Last but definitely not least of the sales that call to me is the temptation of Market Made buttermilk brined fried chicken for $5.99 a pound.  One day last week when I was on my own for lunch, I did indeed cave and indulge in a piece.

Weekday Dinner Ideas

With such enticing sales this week at Whole Foods (through Tuesday) and the new Lucky's Market (through Wednesday), it's hard to know where to begin in choosing what to make this week.  But being late August, I think those organic on-the-vine cluster tomatoes at 99 cents a pound and local sweet corn ten ears for $1 at the new Lucky's will have to play a major role.

Whole Foods has four in-house brined meats in their current sale, and the brined chicken we put on the grill last weekend was truly the best ever.  That means that for tomorrow, we'll have to try the brined pork chop griller at $4.99 a pound before the sale goes away ($2 more per pound after).  Interesting that the sale flyer specifically says boneless, while the ones I saw in the case a couple of days ago were bone-in.  We'll see.  If we wanted to go cheaper, the grass-fed ground beef at Lucky's with its "never ever" high quality standards for just $1.99 a pound in the current sale would make a terrific burger.  And with the sweet corn and organic tomato specials mentioned above at the new Lucky's, plus organic butter lettuce just 99 cents a head, that just screams to do tomato and corn salad with marjoram from Bon Appetit.  Since I dislike feta, fresh mozzarella does well, and skipping the cheese altogether also works.

Tuesday will be our reheat of something big made over the weekend, which this week is tonight's bay scallop riff on corn and cod chowder from Food and Wine magazine, using the sale scallops at the new Lucky's instead of cod.

We'll want pasta by Wednesday, so I'm thinking of one I'd wanted to do earlier in the season, but something came up and plans were pushed aside.  So it will be pasta with corn, zucchini and tomatoes from the New York Times.  As Bittman notes, you can do really anything you want with this flexible summer recipe.  I like using lots of fresh basil ribbons from my flourishing plants, or putting a southwestern spin on it with cilantro and a bit of chili powder.

Once again, I haven't figured out Thursday, perhaps because we'll have new sales by then, and the current batch is so enticing, I can't wait to see what's next.  Although at some point, the brouhaha over Lucky's grand opening will have to die down to a more mundane sale pace.

More Beer And Cheese!

My, tomorrow is a busy day for Janet Fletcher as she promotes her new book on cheese and beer.  In addition to the Whole Foods tasting described in the post just below, she'll be at Upslope for a class on slow food and beer and cheese pairing, as described below by our friends at that wonderful one-of-a-kind shop, Cured.  Note purchased tickets are required.  Here's what they say:

Beer and Cheese Tasting at Upslope Brewery. When we first decided to open Cured, while still living in Spain, we would spend hour upon hour scouring the appropriately slow Spanish Internet reading about the world of artisanal cheese. Time and time again 

we found ourselves devouring articles by one woman, Janet Fletcher, who had the ability to describe cheeses in such a way that you were practically transported through time to taste with her, learning and discovering along the way. We still turn to her latest writings when we’re seeking inspiration for the shop. She has just published a new book on Beer and Cheese, two subjects that are rather close to our heart. She will be in Boulder over the weekend, signing books, holding tastings, and guiding a very cool class with Slow Food on Beer and Cheese Pairing. This Saturday (the 24^th) from 5-7, join Slow Food and Janet Fletcher at Upslope Brewery’s Tap Room in Flatirons Park for a 2 hour guided Beer and Cheese Tasting. You will get to enjoy an array of Uplsope's delicious brews all carefully paired with cheeses from yours truly. If you love beer and cheese, it’s an event not to be missed. For more info and to purchase tickets, click here.

Beer And Cheese Celebration Tomorrow

The Wine & Spirits store next to the Pearl Street Whole Foods will host a book signing tomorrow, along with tastings to match the theme of the book, beer and cheese.  Here's what they say:

Local Craft Beer & Cheese Event with Janet Fletcher             

   

Saturday, August 24th

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Whole Foods Wine & Spirits , Free
              

Meet Janet Fletcher, author of Cheese & Beer. Janet will be signing copies of her book, which will be available for purchase, and discussing the perfect cheese and beer pairings.  Try some cheese, and cheers to perfect entertaining ideas! We'll be offering cheese pairings hosted by locally-owned Avalanche & Haystack Cheese.

Quick Weekend Dinner Ideas

With summer quickly drawing to a close, there's no time to cook, and certainly no time to write.  Tonight in fact will be cook's night off!  With today's one-day sale on roast chickens for $5 each at Whole Foods (see post below), who could resist?  Plus, I've noticed that the new Lucky's in Longmont (possibly the original store, too), has them every day for the still very decent price of $6.99 each.  I haven't notice what Whole Foods' everyday price is, but it's likely higher.

For tomorrow, I'm so extremely tempted to put some of those boneless country style pork ribs that are just $1.49 this week at Sprouts into the smoker, but think we'll stay better behaved with wild coho salmon on the grill instead.  Both Sprouts and the new Longmont Lucky's have it for $8.99 a pound this week.

I'll sacrifice by doing a bit of cooking on Sunday, since we'll still want something big to also make an easy midweek reheat.  With bay scallops $5.99 a pound at the new Lucky's grand opening sale, I'll improvise to make corn and bay scallop corn chowder, based on the recipe for corn and cod chowder from Food and Wine magazine.  Usually I'd assume that the corn would be my favorite, picked-that-day ones from Munson's Farm at 50 cents apiece, but I must say the 10 cents an ear sale the new Lucky's has on locally grown corn does have me thinking...

And that's it!

Weekend Sale At Whole Foods

In addition to the one-day sale on roast chicken tomorrow mentioned in a post below, our local Whole Foods stores will also offer us a trio of special sales for the entire weekend.  Here's what they say about those:

AUG 23-25 (FRI-SUN)

Big Summer Flower Bunch: $3 OFF
Sale Price: $9.99 Each

King Salmon Fillet: $9 OFF/lb
Sale Price: $18.99/lb

Organic Valley Stringles^®: 50% OFF
Sale Price: 2 for $6

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Tomorrow

Our local Whole Foods stores will have roasted chickens for just $5 for tomorrow only, the 23rd.  I might just take the night off from cooking.  Here's part of what they say:

Date of sale:   Friday, August 23, 2013
What’s on sale:  Whole roasted chicken
Price:    $5 each

What to know about these whole roasted chickens:

Enjoy chicken that not only tastes great, but is antibiotic free -- meaning no toxins.

The birds are humanely raised, coming from farms certified by the Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating standards.

Farm To Table Dinner Sunday

The Whole Foods store in Superior will host a very cool-sounding local farm to table dinner on Sunday, featuring that wonderful nearby Isabelle Farm.  It's inexpensive, sounds like fun, and is even a benefit for the Sister Carmen Center!  Here's what they say (and I'm assuming that by "Fram" they mean Farm):

Local Fram to Table Dinner

Sunday, August 25th

5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Superior Whole Foods Market Patio, 10.00 per person

Join us for our last Local Event of the season! Isabelle Farm and Superior Whole Foods Market are teaming up for a seasonal spread of Local sides and salads plus Local sausage and beer. Event will include a “Chopped” style cooking competition, music and fun! Proceeds will benefit Sister Carmen Center. Please reserve your spot today by signing up at our Customer Service Counter or email rm.sup.events@wholefoods.com

More Good Deals For Lucky's Grand Opening

Now into its second week for the grand opening of the Lucky's Market in Longmont, the new sale there brings more excellent prices, although not so jaw-dropping as those of opening week.  Since the flyer I'm looking at says "Longmont's independent grocery store," I'd assume these sales refer only to there, and not to the Boulder store.  I wouldn't be surprised though if after the grand opening buzz wears off, they'd issue one sale for both stores.  In any case, having been to Longmont today, here's what's looking good to me there.

Lucky's new sale in Longmont runs through August 28th, and I'm glad to see they maintain the double ad Wednesday tradition.  In the new sale, the standout to me is something I need to investigate further, locally grown bi-color sweet corn for just 10 cents an ear.  I'm a Munson Farm loyalist, but when we talk ten for $1 instead of two for $1, I have to take notice.  And who knows, if it's locally grown, could it even be my faves?

In meat, Teton Waters Ranch grass-fed 85% lean ground beef leads the specials at $1.99 a pound.  Sprouts is offering organic grass-fed ground beef at $4.99 a pound this week, which is an impressive price for organic, but that price differential would send me to the Lucky's natural version, with its promise of no antibiotics, hormones, etc., despite not having the organic certificate.  All house-made chicken sausages are $2.99 a pound, and in fish, I'm interested in Alaskan coho salmon at $8.99 a pound (same at Sprouts), and also bay scallops for $5.99 a pound.

In produce, in addition to the corn mentioned above, the stunner is organic on-the-vine tomatoes for just 99 cents a pound.  I should plan on tomatoes throughout the week.  To go with them, red or green organic butter lettuce are both 99 cents each, while local organic red, green or rainbow chards are all $2 a bunch.  There are also a bunch of non-organic locally grown specials.

Elsewhere in the store, half quarts of Horizon organic milk are splendid at $2.50 each, some Brown Cow yogurts ate 50 cents each, and Garden of Eatin' tortilla chips, my fave Blue Diamond Nut-Thins, and Annie's Chun's seaweed snacks are all BOGO.  Plus, they have specials at their wine and spirits shop directly connected within the store.  Hmmm, lots to think about.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have a new sale starting today at our local Sprouts stores, while the current one continues at Whole Foods through the 27th, and the current one at Vitamin Cottage runs all the way through September 28th (click for prior reports).  There also should be a new one starting today at Lucky's Market, which puts me in a quandary.  I previously didn't cover them because I rarely could get to their wonderful store in north Boulder.  But now that their second store has opened in Longmont this past week, I can see myself getting to that one pretty easily.  But how can I spend more time writing when I really need to cut back, if anything?  We'll see.  If the sales for the second week of the Longmont Lucky's are anywhere approaching the stunning level of their grand opening week that runs through today, I'll just have to find the time.  In any case, here's what's looking good to me in the new sale at Sprouts that I have in hand.

At Sprouts' new sale running through August 28th, boneless country style ribs or pork shoulder roast are stunningly low at $1.49 a pound.  Those ribs, certainly not the leanest meat choice in the world, come out fabulously in a smoker or even just a regular grill.  100% grass-fed organic ground beef is quite good at $4.99 a pound, and chicken breast tenders are okay at $2.49 a pound (but speaking of chicken, I wouldn't consider this week's $3.99 a pound for boneless skinless chicken breasts to be a sale).  Fresh ground chicken, pork, or chicken breast are all $2.99 a pound, and in fish, fresh wild coho salmon fillets are $8.99 a pound, and very big previously frozen wild raw shrimp are also $8.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, on-the-vine tomatoes are excellent at $1.50 a pound, five pound bags of red, russet or Yukon potatoes are just $2.99 each, one pound bags of baby carrots remain great at $1.50 each, red or green grapes are fantastic at $1.69 a pound, yellow nectarines and yellow or white peaches are all $1.99 a pound, and one pound clamshells of strawberries or six ounces of blueberries are both $2.99 each.  In conventional produce, I should mention that Olathe sweet corn is good at five for $1, but I'll stick with my picked that morning, pesticide-free Munson's at 50 cents each.  Elsewhere in the store, bulk coffee is $7.99 a pound, and there are a lot of back to school specials that don't personally do anything for me, although 50% off select Annie's meals and snacks might include some things an adult would appreciate, too.

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Tomorrow

In addition to the previously mentioned big one-day sale on supplements tomorrow at Whole Foods, they're also throwing in a sale on something from Tillamook.  Here's what they say:

AUG 21 (WED ONLY!)

All Supplements: 25% OFF*Come Early for the Best Offerings!

Tillamook Tilla-Moos^®: 50% OFF
Sale Price: 2 for $6

Busy Wednesday For Whole Foods

In addition to doing 25% off all supplements in a one-day sale this Wednesday, the 21st (see the post just below this), the Pearl Street and Superior stores will each be hosting a different event with good stuff.  Here's what they say:

At the Pearl Street store:

Healthy Eating Lunch & Learn with Steph        
 

Wednesday, August 21st

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Store, Free

Join Steph for this 30 minute Lunch & Learn to find out how to pack quick and easy lunches for going back to school or work. Light lunch and recipes included. Email boulderevents@wholefoods.com to register.

At the Superior store:

Breakfast for Back to School            

Wednesday, August 21st

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Superior Cafe, Free

Breakfast is the most important meal, especially for young minds heading off to school for the day. Join certified nutrition therapists, Jen Marshall, for an educational tour on how to choose quick, tasty and nutritionally dense breakfast items to fuel your kids and yourself. Attendees will receive a reusable bag with product and a $5.00 gift Card. Please reserve your spot today by signing up at our Customer Service Counter or email rm.sup.events@wholefoods.com

Big Supplement Sale At Whole Foods Wednesday

Whole Foods is doing a whopper of a one-day sale this Wednesday, the 21st, with all supplements in their Whole Body department 25% off.  Although after getting my car scrunched in the parking lot at the Pearl Street store Friday, my focus is more on whole auto body shop (post a bit below).  Here's part of what Whole Foods says:

This is big. For the first time ever, ALL SUPPLEMENTS* in ALL STORES are 25% off** on August 21. Get ready! Start making your list now.

Sale applies to all supplements, *excluding nutrition and protein bars, while supplies last. **Discount applied to the current price on the day of the sale. Availability and limits may vary by store, contact your store for details. Most of our stores do not provide rain checks for sales like this.

Remember: all supplements at Whole Foods Market® are free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives or additives. A great reason to stock up!

Weekday Dinner Plans

Very quick rundown on plans not even fully formed yet.

For tomorrow, I've caught some of those boneless skinless chicken breasts for just $1.87 a pound at the Longmont Lucky's Market grand opening sale through Wednesday.  With fresh corn in season from Munson's Farm and freshly roasted Hatch chiles already available at Whole Foods, that just screams to do chicken burritos with poblano chiles and corn from Bon Appetit, using roasted chiles instead of the raw in the recipe.

Tuesday will be our reheat night, this week being tonight's bacon corn chowder with shrimp from Cooking Light, this one being driven by more of those great grand opening sales at Lucky's (on their nitrate-free house-cured bacon and also on Gulf shrimp), plus Munson's corn, of course.

For Wednesday, the last day of Lucky's grand opening sale in Longmont, we'll use more of those Gulf shrimp for shrimp Florentine pasta from Cooking Light.  The Lucky's sale also has some really good deals on dried pasta, including Luigi Vitelli whole wheat ones, which I haven't seen since Sprouts bought out Sunflower.

Thursday?  I just don't know yet.  Maybe an easy one with the pepper jack salmon burgers on sale at Whole Foods for $7.99 a pound, although I'm loath to reenter the parking lot of the store on Pearl Street after having the side of my car badly scraped by an SUV while parked there last Friday.

Stay cool in our mid-90s today!

Many Food Options Today

What a great day of choices for the Boulder-area foodie.  We have the Boulder Farmers' Market going on as usual, and I believe Arapahoe leading to it will finally be open following the summer's construction, yay.  Then there's the annual peach festival happing in Lafayette (see a few posts below for details).  Then further, there's Lucky's Market's grand opening in Longmont celebration happening today and tomorrow (again, look a few posts below for details).  Fun times!

My Car Got Creamed In The Whole Foods Parking Lot Today

It was bound to happen sometime, with those incredibly tight parking spaces at the Pearl Street store.  My poor little Nissan took scratches and dents over three feet long from a BMW SUV.  Fortunately, I was hit by an honest person who left her name and phone on my windshield, and says she'll take care of the damage.  I went to the auto body place she recommended this afternoon (in looking over body shops in Boulder, it did indeed appear to be the best choice) and was told they get a lot of business from the Whole Foods parking lot.

Weekend Dinner Plans

Exceptionally short on time, so here goes.

I haven't quite finished revamping my plans for the week based on the extraordinary grand opening sales I encountered at Lucky's in Longmont Wednesday (see a bit below for that post).  For tonight and tomorrow, hot nights, I'm thinking of sticking with my plan to put Whole Foods' new specials out on the grill.  Tonight will be the halibut steaks for $15.99 a pound, and tomorrow I'm looking forward to trying one of their brined meat specials, probably either the split chicken or the pork chop.

Sunday has definitely shifted because of the Lucky's sale in Longmont.  To do a big pot of something seasonal for a reheat later in the week also, I dropped my plan of cod and corn chowder (cod on sale at Sprouts) in favor of bacon corn chowder with shrimp from Cooking Light.  Lucky's has really big jumbo Gulf shrimp for $7.99 a pound, and I'm really looking forward to trying their nitrate-free house-cured bacon, especially since its sale price of $5.99 a pound is considerably lower than Whole Foods, where I've always gotten my bacon before.  The corn, of course, will come from Munson's Farm, where it will have been freshly picked that day.  Lucky's also has great deals on organic lettuce and green bell peppers for the side salad (see the post below).

And that's all the time she has!

Lucky's Market Opens In Longmont With Great Deals

The new Lucky's Market opened yesterday in Longmont, and do they ever know how to through a grand opening sale.  It runs through August 21st, and since the sale flyer says "Longmont's independent grocery store," I'd assume they are only applicable there, and not at the north Boulder store.

The most stupendous of the deals to me is boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.87 a pound.  This would be a stunning sale anywhere I shop, but the thing that makes it jaw-dropping is that Lucky's has a "never, ever" policy for their meats, so unlike another natural store I can think of, we're assured that these super low-priced chicken breasts are antibiotic free and humanely processed, in addition to having no preservatives.  Nitrate-free house-cured bacon is $5.99 a pound, pork shoulder is $1.99 a pound, and top sirloin steak is $5.99 a pound, again with those high standards.  They also have beef London broil and pork baby back ribs both at $2.99 a pound, same price as Sprouts this week.  Their fish section struck me as a little small for the size of the store, but maybe that's a function of having scoped out their clientele.  The special there that really struck me is wild harvested jumbo shrimp (16-20 count) for $7.99 a pound, and the sign when I was there yesterday said these are Gulf shrimp. They also have crab cakes for $2 each.  I'd already outlined my menus for next week based on what I'd seen from Whole Foods and Sprouts yesterday morning, but these specials have me red-lining out many of those plans.

Being Lucky's, organic produce is particularly strong.  Green bell peppers (part of the "dirty dozen" that I prefer only in organic) are spectacularly low at 25 cents each (update - my goof, they are local but not organic), collard greens are 88 cents a bunch, and those are both local!  It doesn't say local, but organic bunched broccoli is also great at 99 cents a pound.  Other organic produce includes bananas just 50 cents a pound, avocados 77 cents each, and red and green leaf lettuce 88 cents a head (they do have organic local for a great $1.19 also, but I couldn't find signage to distinguish what the pile in front of me was - understandably a few bugs still to work out),

Elsewhere in the store, there are also tremendous bargains.  My favorite Cascade Fresh yogurts are three for $1, when I hope to find them for 79 cents and have had to pay as much as 99 cents each.  Select half quarts of Organic Valley milk are $2.50, and 16 ounce Cascade Fresh sour cream is just 99 cents each.  In frozen, Amy's burritos are practically being given away at $1.25 each. Cheese is also getting into the knockout punch act, with Italian parmigiano reggiano (the real stuff that usually runs more like $17) just $9.99 a pound, and BelGioioso fresh mozzarella is good at $2.50 for a half pound cup.

Other specials really catching my eye include at least eight types of organic bulk coffee at $6.99 a pound, Clif bars as low as I've ever seen them at 79 cents each, six ounce boxes of Annie's mac and cheese for 89 cents (I haven't seen those anywhere near under a dollar for years), five ounce bags of Boulder Canyon potato chips $1 each, and a line drive on Lucky's own line of vitamins and supplements, all at 30% off.  Also, some Udi's local artisan breads are just $2 a 14 ounce loaf, and in their prepared foods (very tempting!), they have a rotisserie chicken that will be $6.99 each everyday!

So I'd highly recommend checking out this place if it's at all within range for you.  It was already quite crowded and festive on its opening day, with freshly prepared sushi and several types of cheese being sampled, and the grand opening celebration actually isn't until this weekend!

Weekend Sale At Whole Foods Starts Tomorrow

For tomorrow through Sunday, our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a trio of special deals.  The back to school bouquet sounds pleasant, although I'm not sure about the association of flowers with school.  Hey, why not.  Here's what they say:

AUG 16-18 (FRI-SUN ONLY)Back to School Bouquet: $5 OFFSale Price: $9.99
GoGo SqueeZ Packs: 2 for $5
4-Packs
Peach & Blueberry
Upside Down Cakes: 2 for $10

Lafayette Peach Festival Saturday

Old Town Lafayette will be hopping this Saturday, the 17th, with the Lafayette Peach Festival running from 9 to 4 on Public Road.  They're expecting over 30,000 pounds of certified organic peaches, along with cobblers and pies, bands on two stages, arts and crafts, a farmers' market, and more.  Maybe I should look up peach recipes from Julia Child, since today would be her birthday!

Lucky's Is Open In Longmont

As previously reported, the new Lucky's Market formally opens in Longmont today at 700 Ken Pratt Boulevard.  So nice to see a real local, independent store doing well.  The article in today's Camera contains the additional news that they have a full service liquor store, Lucky's Wine & Spirits, next door.  Longmont is really hopping these days, and that renovated shopping center will be further enhanced in October with the addition of Modmarket, whose Boulder restaurant is really good for a fresh meal, quickly arriving.

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!

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Today

Our local Whole Foods stores are offering us a duo of special sales for today only, the 14th.  The wrap and salad combo at half off is a super deal if you're needing something for lunch.  Here's what they say:

This Week's Sales! AUG 14 (WED ONLY!) Laurie's Buffalo Chips: 3 for $5 5-5.5 oz Packages Wrap & Salad Combos: 50% OFF Sale Price: $2.99 for 1/2 wrap 1/2 salad

New Sale At Vitamin Cottage

The new sale at our local Vitamin Cottage stores runs all the way through September 28th (where is the summer going so quickly?), and here's what's looking especially good to me.  With a bit of picnic season still ahead of us, six ounce packages of Applegate organic sliced turkey look good at $4.99 each.  Red, green, and lacinato organic kale are all $1.50 a bunch, the convenient 15-ish ounce size of Muir Glen Organic canned tomatoes is great at $1.25 each (although I'm primarily using fresh at the moment), the big 25 ounce size of Westbrae organic canned beans is $1.99 each (time to stock up for winter chili?), my fave Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted breads are looking very good at $3.35 a loaf, eight ounce Noosa yoghurts are very low at $1.59 each, Cascadian Farm organic cereals are excellent at $2.49 a box, and addictive Lundberg rice chips are $1.99 a bag.  Overall, there seems to be an understandable emphasis on back to school lunchbox-type items.  Aside from the trio of sales on Maranatha peanut butters and almond butter, sales on things like apple sauce cups, Snackimals, Clif Kids bars and the like don't personally get me too excited.

Reminder Re Local Dinner Thursday

I posted about this quite some time ago, since it sounded so appealing, being local, gluten-free, and inexpensive, to boot.  Don't know if they've maxed out their registration yet, but here's a reminder about the Local Dinner happening at the Pearl Street Whole Foods this Thursday.

LOCAL Dinner with Steph & Dana   

Thursday, August 15th           

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
West Patio , $10 Donation | Register at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7491038899

Join Healthy Eating Specialist Steph and Cooking Coach Dana on the West Patio for a four-course dinner, celebrating our favorite local items. All courses will be made without gluten ingredients. Register at: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7491038899

Last Call For Fruit Tarts

With the current sale at Whole Foods ending tomorrow, this is just a heads up that you only have today and tomorrow if you want to grab one of their large fresh fruit tarts for $17.00.  That may still sound like a lot, but it's $9 off its usual price.  With its crispy crust, custardy bottom, and beautiful fresh fruits swirling around the top, it makes for a festive treat, one I've enjoyed many times.  So if you have something to celebrate, or maybe you just want to celebrate a new day, this tart is a great way to do it.

Local Tour Tomorrow

The Pearl Street Whole Foods will be doing a free tour at noon tomorrow to highlight healthy local foods.  Here are the details from them:

Local & Healthy Tour

 

Tuesday, August 13th

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Store-Wide, Free

Join our Healthy Eating Specialist Steph as she points out her favorite local items on this store tour. All participants will leave with a free local item! Email boulderevents@wholefoods.com

Easy Weekday Dinner Plans

I seem to be in a mood to skip the cooking this week, since my plans for the remainder of it couldn't be easier.  For tomorrow, I'll do an impromptu risotto, using the Galbani fresh mozzarella that's $2.99 for eight ounces at Sprouts through Wednesday, some fresh tomatoes, and a whole bunch of herbs from my garden.  I'll probably fit in some Munson's corn somewhere, too.

Tuesday's the last day of the current sale at Whole Foods, so I'll catch some of those yummy raspberry chipotle salmon burgers at $7.99 a pound for an easy dinner.  More Munson's corn?

Wednesday will be even easier, a reheat of tonight's corn and green chile chowder.  Yup, Munson's corn.

While I'm in this lazy mood, we'll round out the week with pasta with a jarred sauce, but will make it special with a newly discovered local product.  When using my BOGO coupon up to $10 on a local product at the Whole Foods in Superior (you can still get one at clipper.com, good until the 15th, but you have to sign up with an email address to access it), I tried out Spinelli's jarred pasta sauce from Denver.  It's quite pricey (I think around $8 a jar) compared to my usual Muir Glen Organic that I can find on sale for as low as $2.50, but with the BOGO coupon, was worth it.  Their Fra Diavolo that we tried first was fantastic, probably because the roasted garlic was so tasty, I had to reserve the leftovers for a time I wouldn't be in contact with the public.  So Thursday, we'll try the other half of the BOGO, for which I selected their creamy tomato vodka sauce.  Hope this doesn't become a habit at their regular price.

And does that ever make for an easy week.

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

Any Saturday is a good day to visit the Boulder Farmers' Market (open 8 to 2 downtown), but considering this is the end of National Farmers' Markets Week, and that an abundance of fruits and veggies is overflowing the vendors' tables, it gets no better than now.  Just watch out for construction on Arapahoe, if that's the way you'd be approaching by car, and remember that the creek bike path will drop you off within a block of the market, a very pleasant way to get there.

Weekend Dinner Ideas

Actually, I don't really have many.  And since I don't have much time either, maybe that's a good thing.  For tonight, with ominous clouds looming over the mountains, we're giving the family griller a break by having the pre-cooked baby back rib rack, $9.99 from Sprouts' 72 hour sale that started today.  What else goes with ribs but Munson's corn?

Tomorrow we hope to be back out on the grill.  The original plan was the fresh coho salmon that's on sale at Sprouts for $11.99 a pound, but when I saw gorgeous fresh swordfish at Whole Foods for $18.99 a pound, I caved and bought that instead.  Foil packages of diced potatoes will also go on the grill (at least I stuck to cheap there, getting a five pound bag of organic Yukon golds at Sprouts for just $2.99, and red or russet bags are also on sale at that price).  The veggie will be succotash of fresh corn, lima beans, tomatoes and onions from Bon Appetit, the corn coming of course from Munson's.

Sunday will be our big item suitable for a midweek reheat as well.  I'd planned to do my favorite pork green chile recipe, since I'd frozen some nice lean center-cut pork chops from Sprouts' sale that ended Wednesday, and Whole Foods already has freshly roasted chiles from Hatch, NM, but then realized I'd loaned out my wonderful cookbook on New Mexico chiles that contains that recipe.  So what else to do but adapt another well-liked recipe, corn and green chile chowder from the Food Network?  I'll use diced lean pork instead of the bacon, potatoes from my big five pound sale bag mentioned above, and corn obviously from Munson's.  I swear I have absolutely no connection to those fine people at Munson's aside from veneration of their corn.

Build A Better Lunchbox Tomorrow

With back to school shockingly nearly upon us, the Pearl Street Whole Foods will help you pack a better lunchbox with a free event tomorrow.  Here are the details from them:

Build a Better Lunchbox 

 

Saturday, August 10th

4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Store, Free

Gear up for the back-to-school season with our Build a Better Lunchbox event! Our teams will demo easy-to-prepare healthy lunchbox ideas, and we will host kids events and prizes

Weekender Sale At Whole Foods

Our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a duo of special weekender sales starting tomorrow, although I'm not familiar with either of them.  Here's what they say:

AUG 9-11 (FRI-SUN ONLY)

Solbites: 10 for $10
A Perfect Snack to Pack
That's It Fruit Bars: 10 for $10
Fruit. That's it.

Heads Up Re Vitamin Cottage Sale

The current, long-running sale at Vitamin Cottage concludes this Saturday, the 10th.  I've particularly been a fan of the Crunchmaster crackers at $2.29 a bag, although they were in short supply when I was there, and I snatched up the three on the shelf then.  That also is often the case at the end of a sale, but I'll certainly give it one last try.  There are plenty of other good deals, as I reported here, and who knows what their new sale might bring.  Just don't beat me to the last of those Crunchmaster crackers.

Good Deals At Lucky's This Week

I usually don't cover Lucky's Market, even though I love the place, because it's too far north for me to get to in Boulder.  But with the Longmont store opening next week (see the post below), I'll have a chance to start shopping there sometimes.  That will put me in a real blog coverage quandary, since I'll want to start including them when I talk about sales, but with less and less time available for writing, I need to cut back the blog if anything, and certainly not expand it.  We'll see.  In any case, since they included a flyer in my Daily Camera today, here's an example of why I get so excited about Lucky's.

Lucky's new sale runs through August 14th, and the local organic produce alone is reason for joy.  They have red or black plums or summer squashes all $1.50 a pound, red or green leaf or romaine lettuce all $1.50 a head, red, green or rainbow chard all $1.50 a bunch, green cabbage or cucumbers both $1.50 a pound, grape tomatoes or three packs of romaine hearts $2.50 each, red, gold or Chioggia beets $2.50 a bunch, and red or Easter egg radishes $1.50 a bunch, and these are all organic and LOCAL.  In non-organic produce, they also have Rocky Ford cantaloupes for 99 cents a pound and Palisade yellow peaches $2.49 a pound.

I love that Lucky's meat department features "Never ever" standards, assuring us that growth hormones and antibiotics are never given, and a vegetarian diet is fed.  Some items I'm liking this week are whole frying chickens at $1.99 a pound, organic spare ribs $2.99 a pound, six ounce house-made salmon burgers $2.99 each (that would be right in line the $7.99 a pound price that Whole Foods frequently uses as a salmon burger sale price), and big 16-20 count jumbo Gulf white shrimp are very appealing at $9.99 a pound.  And the picture of their meat manager Paul is so very familiar, I think dating back to my shopping at Wild Oats or maybe even the original Alfalfa's.

Elsewhere in the store, I'm liking Annie Chun's potstickers at $2.50 each, and parmigiano reggiano (the real stuff, not the domestic or Argentinian product I usually buy) is quite good at $14.99 a pound.

As I've said many times before, lucky to have Lucky's.

Lucky's Opening In Longmont!

I'm so excited that the new Lucky's Market, their second store, will be opening in Longmont at 700 Ken Pratt Boulevard (just west of Main Street) a week from today, August 14th.  Their "Food Fest Celebration" for their grand opening will be the following weekend, the 17th and 18th, from 11 to 3.  I've sometimes threatened to move to north Boulder just to be in range of their Boulder store, but I do get out to Longmont quite frequently.  And I would kiss the feet of whatever employee in the Boulder store recently advised a friend of mine regarding what to bring when coming over to our house for dinner last weekend.  She arrived bearing the most amazing appetizers, including a delicious goat cheese (and I don't even like goat cheese unless it's really, really good) with a to-die-for fig jam, a taleggio cheese, and a fabulous artisan salami.  The quality of the choices was astounding.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have a new sale starting today at our local Sprouts stores, while the current ones continue at Whole Foods through next Tuesday, the 13th, and Vitamin Cottage through the 10th, which is getting very close.  Here's what's looking particularly good to me now.

Sprouts will offer us a special 72 hour sale running this Friday through Sunday, with some extra special deals.  The ones that appeal to me are fully cooked 22 ounce racks of baby back ribs at $9.99 a rack (the family griller might get a break this weekend), whole seedless watermelons at 25 cents a pound, and pork tenderloin at $2.88 a pound.

Sprouts regular new sale that starts today runs through August 14th.  In that one, I'm liking grass-fed organic ribeye or New York steaks at $11.99 a pound (boneless natural New York steaks are $7.99 a pound), three types of chicken sausage $2.99 a pound, and fresh wild coho salmon $11.99 a pound (King Soopers is still advertising sockeye for $12.99 a pound with card).

In organic produce at Sprouts, one pound bags of baby carrots remain great at $1.49 each, five pound bags of red, russet or Yukon potatoes are excellent at $2.99 each, bulk baby spinach and spring mix have dropped even lower to $3.49 a pound (often seen at $6.99 elsewhere), pluots and red or black plums are all $1.49 a pound, and one pound clamshells of organic strawberries are $2.98 each.  Elsewhere in the store, I'm liking Crunchmaster's incredible crackers at $2.50 a bag (they're $2.29 at Vitamin Cottage through Saturday, but there were only three bags on the shelf the last time I was there).  Galbani fresh mozzarella cups are just $2.99 for eight ounces, and the big 100 ounce size of Seventh Generation laundry detergent is quite a good price at $12.99 each, but I've gotten addicted to the convenience of Seventh Gen's new little pouches you just toss in, without any dribbly liquid.  They theoretically cost a bunch more per load, but being pre-measured, I think they're coming out equal since I'm no longer putting in too much.

One-Day Sale Today

Our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a duo of special sales for today only, the 7th.  Here's what they say:

AUG 7 (WED ONLY!)

Organic Raspberries: 2 for $10
12 oz Packages
365 Everyday Value Feta: $3 OFF
Sale Price: $3.99 for 1 Pound Blocks

Prepping For Green Chile

Knowing now that Whole Foods already has freshly roasted Hatch green chiles (it just seems so early this year!), I'm sure there will be a big pot of chile being made in my house this weekend.  That's classically done with pork, and I prefer to lighten it up with a lean, rather than a more typical fattier cut of pork.  The boneless center-cut pork loin chops on sale at Sprouts for a mere $1.99 a pound through tomorrow fit the bill perfectly for me, so some will go in the freezer in anticipation of a chile-fest this weekend.  And as for the spelling of chile/chili when referring to the soup, I most respectfully refer readers to my prior posts about variations in spelling, especially what's proper when making the soup with chiles from New Mexico, as Whole Foods' Hatch chiles are.  But then, I'm probably misspelling things everywhere else.

Weekday Dinner Ideas

Better late than never.  For tonight, Sprouts' sale through tomorrow on boneless center-cut pork chops for a super low $1.99 a pound, plus their sale on organic on-the-vine tomatoes for $1.48 a pound (the lowest I ever recall seeing) is just screaming at me to do garlic pork with tomato and basil from Cooking Light.  It also doesn't hurt that I can use a bunch of fresh basil from my own plants in this.

Tomorrow will be a reheat of something big previously made, which this week is corn and fingerling potato chowder with applewood smoked bacon, also from Cooking Light.  The corn is obviously from Munson Farm, and while it's nice to have fingerlings for the potatoes, others will certainly do.

Thursdays are always quick around here, so I've already grabbed more of those very low $1.99 a pound pork chops at Sprouts before the sale's end tomorrow to do a simple sauté of them.  With the exciting news that Whole Foods already has freshly roasted Hatch green chiles (see a post just below) and our local Munson corn in full swing, the side will be creamy stovetop corn with poblano chiles from the New York Times.  Anyone who would take the time to roast two chiles themselves for this dish would be out of their mind.  I also use Straus plain nonfat yogurt in this instead of the crème fraiche, but it requires care not to boil it, unlike those cream-heavy (but oh so delicious) products.

So that's a quick one for the week, and we'll see if we actually get the lower temperatures and rain possible for tomorrow.  Chowder would be lovely comfort food on a rainy evening.

Lab-Grown Burger Taste-Tested Today

The first lab-grown burger received its first taste test today.  Since this is a natural foods blog, I'll just leave it at letting you read some coverage from TheWorld.org here.  So many cons, and also pros, rise to the mind way too quickly.

Vitamin Deficiencies Talk At Alfalfa's

Wow, this one is coming up quickly.  My fault for not having enough time to look around anymore.  This Wednesday evening, Alfalfa's will host a free class on vitamin deficiencies.  Here's what they have to say, and I hope the registration is still open if you're interested:

Wellness Wednesday: Vitamin Deficiencies August 7th, 6:30 to 8:00pm Alfalfa's Market is proud to host Teresa from the Center for Integrative Botanical Studies in Boulder for this FREE class about vitamin deficiencies. Join us for this informative workshop to better understand what vitamins you should add to your diet to positively affect your overall health. We will discuss how determine the quality of the supplements you are currently taking, and learn about which superfoods you should eat in order to improve health and energy levels. You may be surprised at the amount of money you can save by taking this class! Register here: http://vitamindeficiencies.eventbrite.com

Whole Foods Has Hatch Green Chiles!

At least at the Pearl Street store, where I just saw chiles from Hatch, New Mexico, both in glorious piles of fresh ones, and also some already roasted in the fridge case on the east side of the produce department.  This is a bittersweet moment for me.  Much as I love cooking with roasted green chiles, their arrival has always signaled the close of summer for me.  I'll just keep reminding myself that I don't think I've ever seen them in Boulder so early.  Plenty more summer to go, so we can enjoy the best of it all!

Celebrate National Farmers' Market Week

I just heard on 9 News that this is National Farmers' Market Week.  Makes sense, at the height of the summer produce season, with abundance spilling out everywhere.  Celebrate by supporting our wonderful Boulder Farmers' Market, downtown on Wednesdays from 4 to 8, and Saturdays from 8 to 2!  And they're in Longmont, too, on Saturdays.  Go hug a farmer!

Local Gluten-Free Dinner

Here's an early heads up about a particularly nice sounding (and inexpensive!) local dinner without gluten that the Pearl Street Whole Foods will host on the 15th.  That's also Julia Child's birthday, but I doubt she'd be particularly gluten-free. Here are the details from Whole Foods, and note the registration requirement:

LOCAL Dinner with Steph & Dana         

Thursday, August 15th           

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
West Patio , $10 Donation 

Register at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7491038899

Join Healthy Eating Specialist Steph and Cooking Coach Dana on the West Patio for a four-course dinner, celebrating our favorite local items. All courses will be made without gluten ingredients. Register at: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7491038899

Spa Night At Whole Foods

It's the first Friday of the month, which means it's time for Whole Foods' free spa night at the Pearl Street store.  Here are their details:

Whole Body Spa Night

 

Friday, August 2nd

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Whole Body, Free

Join us in the Whole Body department for our monthly spa night! Come get the ultimate pampered treatment while enjoying free snacks and beverages from our store team.

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Tomorrow

For tomorrow only, our local Whole Foods stores will have their excellent coho salmon on sale (sockeye would be even better, but we seem to have moved past its season already, although Sprouts still has it).  Coho will go on my grill this weekend.  Here's what they say:

AUGUST 2ND (FRI ONLY!)

Wild Coho Salmon Fillet: 50% OFF
Sale Price: $9.99/lb

Craft Food And Beer Tasting

This being the first Thursday of the month (how did we get to August already?), Whole Foods' Wine & Spirits store will be doing their customary craft food and beer tasting this evening.  Here are the details from them:

First Thursday Craft Food & Beer Tasting        

 

Thursday, August 1st

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Whole Foods Wine & Spirits , Free

Join us every first Thursday of the month for a free craft food & beer tasting at our Wine & Spirits store.