A gorgeous Sunday already, but time to get the rest of the week's dinner plans in order. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, which looks like a rare combo of fun, easy, healthy, seasonal, sophisticated, and delicious, with an Asian theme to boot. I'm going to try the teriyaki tipalia burgers that are on sale at Whole Foods for $6.99 a pound, pairing them with soba with pea shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and leeks from Gourmet magazine, and also sauteing some organic bok choy in a bit of sesame oil on the side. It's our brief season to enjoy pea shoots, which they had yesterday at the Cure Organic Farm store, where I picked up the organic bok choy as well.
On to more mundane midweek thinking for Tuesday, we always have something big made over the weekend that serves as an easy midweek reheat, and this week it will be last night's big casserole, baked rigatoni with ricotta and collard greens, made specially seasonal by using Cure's wonderful organic braising mix and spinach instead of the collards. My timing for baking a hot casserole was right on target for yesterday, as today we'll be back in the 90s.
For Wednesday, with more of that great organic spinach from Cure on hand (and also Boulder Farmer's Market day), we'll try stir-fried rice noodles with beef and spinach, a new recipe from Cooking Light. I like to shortcut by using pre-cut stew meat, which is $3.99 a pound at Sprouts through Wednesday.
We'll go completely simple and quick for Thursday, grabbing some chicken breasts during Sunflower's chicken sale through Wednesday and sauteing them, maybe dressed up with seasoned panko breadcrumbs. A microwaved "baked" potato (Alfalfa's routinely has a great everyday price on organic russets) will go on the side, along with something fresh and green from the Farmer's Market or the Cure store.
And that gets us through to Friday's planning.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Boulder Farmers' Market Today
If it fits with your plans, today looks like a lovely day for the Boulder Farmers' Market. I'm so glad they publish a quite detailed list of fresh veggies and herbs to expect at today's market. No more need for me to walk around scribbling down what's available. Besides, I might just skip the ever more insufferable crowds and head on out to the peace of the Cure Organic Farm store instead.
Weekend Sale At Whole Foods
Our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a duo of specials sales for today and tomorrow. A 12 ounce bag of Whole Catch mahi mahi is $6.99, $2 off the regular price. Also, organic cluster tomatoes are $1.99 a pound, $3 off their usual price (but don't forget you can also get organic on-the-vine tomatoes for that same sale price at Alfalfa's through the 14th).
Friday, June 3, 2011
Weekend Dinner Ideas
Ever since seeing the Copper River salmon for $15.99 a pound at Alfalfa's on Wednesday, there's been no doubt in my mind what will be for dinner tonight - Copper River will be going on the grill. On the side will be grilled yam spears (organic yams are 99 cents a pound at Sunflower) and some of the fresh corn on the cob that's been appearing around town, although we have a long wait to go before it's local. Since we're in spring pea shoot season, I'll also accompany the salmon with the relish that goes with a new recipe from Cooking Light, seared scallops with lemony sweet pea relish.
For tomorrow, with temperatures remaining relatively cool as 90s threaten around us, I'll take advantage by doing one last casserole hot out of the oven, baked rigatoni with ricotta and collard greens from MyRecipes.com. We'll give it a seasonal spin by using a mixture of beautiful spring greens, like braising mix and spinach from the Farmer's Market or from the Cure Organic Farm store, instead of the collards.
Still thinking of those greens for Sunday, we'll do smoky shrimp and grits from Food and Wine magazine. For the shrimp, I'll check out the gulf shrimp that are on sale at Sunflower for $5.99 a pound, pleased that they're domestic and curious about they're being "broken." Grits (call them polenta if you want to class it up) are convenient from the bulk aisle of Whole Foods, and probably other places.
And that will get us through the weekend, more to come.
For tomorrow, with temperatures remaining relatively cool as 90s threaten around us, I'll take advantage by doing one last casserole hot out of the oven, baked rigatoni with ricotta and collard greens from MyRecipes.com. We'll give it a seasonal spin by using a mixture of beautiful spring greens, like braising mix and spinach from the Farmer's Market or from the Cure Organic Farm store, instead of the collards.
Still thinking of those greens for Sunday, we'll do smoky shrimp and grits from Food and Wine magazine. For the shrimp, I'll check out the gulf shrimp that are on sale at Sunflower for $5.99 a pound, pleased that they're domestic and curious about they're being "broken." Grits (call them polenta if you want to class it up) are convenient from the bulk aisle of Whole Foods, and probably other places.
And that will get us through the weekend, more to come.
Happy National Doughnut Day
Or Donut Day or International Doughnut/Donut Day. Pretty hard to find much redeeming nutritional value in those critters though.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Ice Cream Social At Sunflower
Our Boulder Sunflower is planning an "ice cream social" tomorrow from 4 to 5:30 pm. No further details on their calendar - might be a tasting, or they sometimes do things like these as benefits for very worthy causes.
New Deals At Alfalfa's
Alfalfa's has a new set of specials that started yesterday and runs all the way through June 28th ("runs" should agree with "set," not "specials," right?). Deals that look particularly appealing include Meyer Angus aged sirloin for $7.99 a pound. The sale flyer includes a recipe for steak au poivre using it, which they were sampling yesterday, and it was divine (although the recipe calls for a scary-sounding step involving flaming bourbon). They have Copper River salmon at "market price," which as noted in the post below, was $15.99 a pound yesterday, possibly the best price in town. Organic on-the-vine tomatoes look really good at $1.99 a pound. (Sunflower has organic hothouse ones for the same price this week, but on-the-vine tend to be tastier, IMHO. For the roma shape, Whole Foods is doing even better at $1.49 a pound.) Organic mini carrots are good at $1.50 for a one pound bag, red grapes are $1.99 a pound (same price as green at Whole Foods for the next two weeks), and organic cantaloupe is half price at 99 cents a pound. Their own fresh basil potato salad looks like a tempting side at $3.99 a pound ($3 off). Pre-grated parmesan is a convenient refrigerator staple, and Cello is good at $6.99 a pound. It's also time to stock up on Izze sparkling juice cans for the summer, since they're BOGO.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Copper River Salmon At Alfalfa's
This is by no means a systematic study of lowest costs around, but I was thrilled to see today that Alfalfa's has Copper River sockeye on sale for $15.99 a pound, beating King Soopers by $1. The seafood person reported that they're getting their shipments in every day, and I'd be surprised to see such fine fish at a lower price anywhere right now (although the price should continue to trend downward).
Boulder Farmers' Market This Afternoon
There's less than an hour before today's Wednesday Farmers' Market opens at 4. Today's newsletter from them includes a handy list in the right column of produce to expect to see this week. I wouldn't stake my life on the appearance of each and every item, as things like green garlic have been popping in and out of the market this season, but it's a very handy guide, with seasonality honed right down to the week.
6 pm update - yup, there's organic green garlic today, as well as Egyptian walking onions, pea shoots, glorious greens, radishes, and very handsome turnips. Can't wait to cook my broccoli raab.
6 pm update - yup, there's organic green garlic today, as well as Egyptian walking onions, pea shoots, glorious greens, radishes, and very handsome turnips. Can't wait to cook my broccoli raab.
This Week's Hot New Deals (IMHO)
Hmm, some weeks are better than others for the types of food I like to see on sale, and this isn't striking me as one of the better ones. But there are a few bright spots on the landscape, noted below. And there will be further sales to consider, since Alfalfa's should be starting a new one today, but I have to get there to pick up the flyer, and Vitamin Cottage is expected to have a new sale on the 5th.
In good news, fresh wild salmon is starting to come down from stratospheric prices. King Soopers is advertising Copper River sockeye for $16.99 a pound with card (the Copper River season started a week or two ago, and I saw it at a store that shall go unnamed selling for $34.99 a pound back then). Sunflower is advertising "first of the season" king salmon for $15.99 a pound. Whole Foods is advertising Norwegian salmon steaks for $10.99 a pound, which I'd presume is farmed salmon, but Norwegian is reportedly the good stuff of the farmed.
Sprouts' specials this week (through June 8th) head mostly in directions I don't usually take, like chicken legs, bison, lamb, and ground wild game meats. I do like their stew meat for $3.99 a pound and possibly a mysterious "ground chicken breast" special at $3.99 a pound for "scaloppine or stir fry," which doesn't sound ground. In organic produce, I'm liking broccoli at $1.49 a pound, Braeburn or Cameo apples at 99 cents a pound, and blueberries $2.99 for six ounces. Santa Cruz organic lemonade or limeade is pretty good at $1.50 each, but it was $1.25 for the past three weeks at Whole Foods.
Sunflower through June 8th is doing an "all natural chicken extravaganza" of 50% off, and we have another intriguing mystery special, $5.99 a pound for "16/25 ct. broken" USA jumbo domestic raw gulf shrimp. That size is really big, and domestic is very good, so I wonder how broken is "broken." Harris Ranch ribeyes are $7.99 a pound for bone-in and $8.99 a pound boneless, while their king salmon special is mentioned above. They have good organic produce specials as usual, with romaine lettuce just 99 cents a head, yams or gala apples 99 cents a pound, hothouse tomatoes $1.99 a pound (but check Whole Foods below for cheaper tomatoes), cucumbers 99 cents each, and good specials on raspberries (six ounces) and strawberries (I think it says one pound) for $2.99 each. I also like Voskos Greek yogurts at $1 each, select 64 ounce Horizon Organic milk for $2.50, Ben & Jerry's ice cream $2.99 a pint (that's dangerous), and Mozzarella Fresca $3.99 each.
Whole Foods' new specials, good through the 14th, are kicking up my enthusiasm a bit more than usual, with organic roma tomatoes for $1.49 a pound and organic green seedless grapes $1.99 a pound. They have organic strawberries for $3.99 a one pound package, but if I'm reading the teeny print right, a pound is $2.99 at Sunflower. Organic cucumbers are $1.49 a pound, hard to compare with Sunflower's 99 cents each. I'm intrigued by their Market Made teriyaki tilapia burger, which sounds like a good deal at $6.99 a pound, given Whole Foods' pedigree for fine fish. Robusto cheese is good at $11.99 a pound ($6 off), but the two specials that have me especially enthused are Stonyfield organic yogurts at 50 cents each and my very favorite WFM two-bite brownies at $3 for a big tub of them.
In good news, fresh wild salmon is starting to come down from stratospheric prices. King Soopers is advertising Copper River sockeye for $16.99 a pound with card (the Copper River season started a week or two ago, and I saw it at a store that shall go unnamed selling for $34.99 a pound back then). Sunflower is advertising "first of the season" king salmon for $15.99 a pound. Whole Foods is advertising Norwegian salmon steaks for $10.99 a pound, which I'd presume is farmed salmon, but Norwegian is reportedly the good stuff of the farmed.
Sprouts' specials this week (through June 8th) head mostly in directions I don't usually take, like chicken legs, bison, lamb, and ground wild game meats. I do like their stew meat for $3.99 a pound and possibly a mysterious "ground chicken breast" special at $3.99 a pound for "scaloppine or stir fry," which doesn't sound ground. In organic produce, I'm liking broccoli at $1.49 a pound, Braeburn or Cameo apples at 99 cents a pound, and blueberries $2.99 for six ounces. Santa Cruz organic lemonade or limeade is pretty good at $1.50 each, but it was $1.25 for the past three weeks at Whole Foods.
Sunflower through June 8th is doing an "all natural chicken extravaganza" of 50% off, and we have another intriguing mystery special, $5.99 a pound for "16/25 ct. broken" USA jumbo domestic raw gulf shrimp. That size is really big, and domestic is very good, so I wonder how broken is "broken." Harris Ranch ribeyes are $7.99 a pound for bone-in and $8.99 a pound boneless, while their king salmon special is mentioned above. They have good organic produce specials as usual, with romaine lettuce just 99 cents a head, yams or gala apples 99 cents a pound, hothouse tomatoes $1.99 a pound (but check Whole Foods below for cheaper tomatoes), cucumbers 99 cents each, and good specials on raspberries (six ounces) and strawberries (I think it says one pound) for $2.99 each. I also like Voskos Greek yogurts at $1 each, select 64 ounce Horizon Organic milk for $2.50, Ben & Jerry's ice cream $2.99 a pint (that's dangerous), and Mozzarella Fresca $3.99 each.
Whole Foods' new specials, good through the 14th, are kicking up my enthusiasm a bit more than usual, with organic roma tomatoes for $1.49 a pound and organic green seedless grapes $1.99 a pound. They have organic strawberries for $3.99 a one pound package, but if I'm reading the teeny print right, a pound is $2.99 at Sunflower. Organic cucumbers are $1.49 a pound, hard to compare with Sunflower's 99 cents each. I'm intrigued by their Market Made teriyaki tilapia burger, which sounds like a good deal at $6.99 a pound, given Whole Foods' pedigree for fine fish. Robusto cheese is good at $11.99 a pound ($6 off), but the two specials that have me especially enthused are Stonyfield organic yogurts at 50 cents each and my very favorite WFM two-bite brownies at $3 for a big tub of them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
