Free Range Vs Factory Farmed

Those of us who are meat eaters are all in favor of the free range approach versus factory farming, right? Leave it to The Atlantic to challenge that assumption. Check out a thought-provoking article at TheAtlantic.com, and don't miss the comments that follow, too. Perhaps not the best reading over breakfast, though.

Gift Card Deal at Sprouts

Many thanks to my astute shopper friend, Ms. A., for giving me a heads up on the three-day gift card sale that Sprouts will be doing tomorrow through Sunday, when you can buy a $100 gift card for $89.99. Of course it would be a nice gift, but whenever they've done this sale in the past, everybody in the checkout line (moi included) has bought it for themselves, then immediately started to use it to effectively get 10% off their entire purchase. Pretty smart shopping. Thanks, Ms. A.!

A Chocolove Feeding Frenzy

Grab 'em while you can. Fortunately Whole Foods seems to be well stocked (at least at the Pearl Street store) with a wide variety of Chocolove chocolate bars, because the big bars are absolutely flying out the door for just $1 each during today's one-day only sale. That's better than half off the standard price anywhere for this yummy chocolate that's local, to boot. Think stocking stuffers, a little add-on to that Christmas present, and a few treats for yourself, too. Dark chocolate is getting excellent press these days for its nutrient benefits, and the cocoa content is displayed on the front of each package. Consider it health food!

New Deals Are Up

The best (IMHO) of this week's new Boulder natural grocery sales are up on the left, and it's a cholesterol-heavy week. Sprouts is notable for 40% off its entire bulk cheese department, plus BOGO on President brie cheeses. Salmon sales are back, although it's now the previously frozen variety (hey, it's December). Sunflower is doing good things with ground turkey and turkey meatloaf, and Whole Foods continues to have adorable Two Bite cinnamon rolls for just $2.99 a tub. Look to the left for more.

One-Day Sale at Whole Foods Tomorrow

And it's chocolate-lovers' nirvana. Tomorrow only, our local Whole Foods stores will have Chocolove chocolate bars better than half off at $1 each! Also platters of my very favorite two-bite brownies 2 for $10 when they are regularly $8.99 each (doing any entertaining soon?). To wash down all that chocolate, navel oranges will be 49 cents a pound, $1 off.

Tasting Fair At Whole Foods

In their latest email, Whole Foods says the Pearl Street store will hold a Taste of the Holidays this coming Thursday, the 9th, from 4 to 7. Always a chance to get some good ideas, as well as some tasty samples.

The Rest of This Week's Dinner Ideas

Moving on to the midweek dinners, there's always something for a quick reheat, this time the cod with fingerling potatoes. Quick salad and maybe the wonderful fourteener sprouted wheat bread that Whole Foods has for just $2.79 a loaf this week and you're done.

Then on to something both vegetarian and giving us pasta. Last week's chile made from leftover turkey reminded me to work on my wonderful stock of roasted green chiles in the freezer, collected during this fall's Hatch chile roasting season locally. I'm planning on chile 'choke pasta, which unfortunately doesn't have a link, but is basically roasted chiles to your liking sauteed with marinated artichoke hearts, and combined with lowfat sour cream and grated parmesan to mix with the pasta. Wow.

With both Sprouts and Sunflower having easy to cook shrimp on sale, I'm then thinking of a fun dinner of creamy shrimp grits with prosciutto from Bon Appetit. Sprouts also has prosciutto packages as a BOGO, but I haven't checked them out yet.

Finally, for our Thursday planning, I'm thinking baked potatoes with spiced beef chili (again from Bon Appetit) will fit the bill, especially since I sometimes like to do this with stew beef instead of the burger that's called for, and Sprouts and Sunflower are competing this week on stew beef prices. For the baked potatoes, don't forget that Vitamin Cottage has 5 lb bags of organic russets for an astonishing $1.50 each right now.

And that gets us through the week, whew!

The Quest For The Perfect Pepper Grinder

I know it's out there somewhere, a pepper grinder to use for cooking, one that can crack nice chunks of pepper when you want it to go big. I used to have one. It was a cheap plastic thing, a gift from long ago that finally nearly broke in two. I've used Peugeot pepper mills on the table for eons and love them for that purpose, but when I want big cracks of pepper, I haven't been able to get them to go far enough. Seeking the perfect one for cooking, I stopped in at legendary E.Dehillerin, the store frequented by Julia Child, while in Paris last year. When I asked about pepper mills, they told me they only carried Peugeot, an affirmation that I should be content with what I have. Since receiving that advice, it seems my mills are producing bigger pepper cracks, either by psychological effect or result of greater vigor and determination. But I still know there's something out there, maybe even a cheap little something, that can crack like my old plastic grinder. Any suggestions most welcome.

Getting Started on This Week's Dinners

Heading into holiday season, the posts will probably get shorter as demands on time grow larger. So a quick look at the weekend. I have a crazy idea for tonight, when the temperature will be coming down from about 60%. How about bbqing (albeit in the dark) some country style pork ribs since they're only $1.99/lb at Sprouts, and we could use a reminder of the good ol' summer time? They're best smoked, but to be realistic, a basic grilling would be better for December (if you have a spot that's sheltered from the wind).

For Saturday, since cod is on sale at both Sprouts and Sunflower for $6.99/lb, how about cod chowder with fingerling potatoes from Bon Appetit? It's delicious if you don't even bother with the saffron, or make it lighter by eliminating the whipping cream (but what the heck, it's a small amount).

For Sunday, I'm thinking chipotle beef stew from Gourmet magazine. You could do it as written with a roast on sale at Sunflower, or simplify your life by using stew beef on sale at both Sunflower and Sprouts.

So that at least gets us through the weekend (not a piece of turkey in sight!). More planning to come.

New Deals Are Up

New sale prices are up on the left for our Boulder natural grocery stores. Lots of price wars going on this week, including beef roasts, raw shrimp, Hass avocados, and more. Indulge your waistline with Two Bite cinnamon rolls for $2.99 a tub at Whole Foods. Brazilian lobster tails will be $7.99 each all week at Sprouts, but rush to Whole Foods to get ones from Maine at that same price for today only. Check out Sprouts' health, beauty, and vitamins department, where the whole shebang is 25% off, and don't forget a bunch of organic arugula for just 99 cents while at Sunflower.