Weekend Sales At Whole Foods

Our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a whole bunch of sales for the weekend, including a flash sale on smoked salmon that runs from 3 to 7 pm tomorrow only.  The three-day sale on Diestel turkeys at half price is a fantastic deal, but I'd go for it only if you want to push your Thanksgiving ahead by a few weeks, or cook turkey twice in the month.  I wouldn't leave a fresh turkey sitting around in the fridge for long at all.  Here's what they say:

NOV 1 (FRI  FLASH  SALE)<<3-7pm Only>>
Eagle Smoked Salmon: $2.50 OFF
Sale Price: $6.49 Each

NOV 1-3 (FRI-SUN)Fresh Turkeys by Diestel: 50% OFFNo Antibiotics Ever
Sale Price: $1.99/lb

Comice Pears: 50% OFFFrom Bear Creek Orchards
Sale Price: 99¢/lb
Isigny Ste Mère Holiday Brie: $3.00 OFFMilk from grass-fed cows
Sale Price: $5.99 Each (350 g) 

Happy Halloween!

If you're still looking to spook up your table for this evening, here's a reminder of some menu and recipe guides I posted a while back.  Happy trick or treating!

Heads Up Re Vitamin Cottage Sale

Happy Halloween!  Just a reminder that the current sale at Vitamin Cottage (aka Natural Grocers) will end this Saturday, the 2nd.  Summary of what I liked can be found here.  Unlike most of their sales, this one really didn't do a lot for me, and I'm hoping that they're saving their ammunition for a biggie as we approach Thanksgiving.  They have a history of doing the best prices in town on Imagine organic broths and cooking stock around that time.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

Good morning, Boulder, waking up to a bit of snow, at least at my house.  We have new sales starting today at our Boulder Sprouts and Whole Foods, while the current one continues through Saturday at Vitamin Cottage.  Here's what's appealing to me now.

At Sprouts through November 6th, there's a Ground Meat Super Sale, with in-store ground meats, including chicken, chicken breast, pork, lamb, turkey breast, and grass-fed organic beef all 40% off their regular price.  Chicken tenders, breast or thighs are $2.99 a pound, although you can catch the breasts still for $1.99 today on double ad Wednesday, the last day of last week's sale.  Rosie organic fresh whole chickens are $2.99 a pound, three types of chicken sausage are $2.99 a pound, boneless pork loin chops are $2.99 a pound, and fresh (farmed) Atlantic salmon fillets are $8.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, $1.49 is the theme, with organic Italian squash (think zucchini), Bosc or Bartlett pears, and gala apples all $1.49 a pound, and baby carrots $1.49 a one pound bag.  Organic cucumbers are 98 cents each, and for those intrepid enough to tackle a pomegranate, four-packs of them are $4.99.  Elsewhere in the store, I'm liking half gallons of Horizon organic milk at $3 each (although Whole Foods' everyday price on its own organic brand is even lower, but only at the Pearl Street store), half pounds of Kerrygold Irish butter $2.50 each, and I can't wait to see where the price lands on my favorite Imagine organic broth, since it's 30% off regular retail (although I'm also hoping for a good sale on it when Vitamin Cottage rolls out its next sale soon).

At Whole Foods' new sale through November 12th, I'm very much liking their fine air-chilled whole chickens for $1.69 a pound (close to half off) and Stonyfield Farm Greek yogurts at $1 each.  Country Natural Beef London broil is $4.99 a pound, $3 off.  Organic Fuji apples are $1.99 a pound (as are Bartlett pears, but they're 50 cents cheaper at Sprouts), and organic kale is $2 a bunch.  If you're starting to think about holiday baking, walnut halves and pieces are $6.99 a pound in bulk ($2 off), and pecan halves are $8.99 a pound, $4 off.

Once again, I can't resist mentioning a few items in the new sale at Lucky's Market's new store in Longmont through the 6th, and unfortunately don't have time to dig into their Boulder store's specials to compare.  In Longmont, check out organic Hass avocados for 49 cents each, and I can't believe this isn't a typo, one pound bags of organic baby carrots also 49 cents each ($1 less than Sprouts' already good sale price).  Boneless pork loin chops (with Lucky's "never ever" meat standards) are $2.99 a pound, and Alaskan wild true cod (I'd think probably previously frozen) and fresh steelhead fillets are both $7.99 a pound.

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Today

Our local Whole Foods stores are offering us an incredible one-day sale for today only, 50% off fabulous Creminelli Finocchio salami.  Make up a salumi platter for Halloween tomorrow, or check the expiration dates (I believe it keeps quite well) and stock up for Thanksgiving.  Here's what they say:

OCT 30 (WED  ONLY)

Creminelli Finocchio Salami: 50% OFF
Sale Price: $6.99 Each

No Word Yet Re One-Day Sale

Whole Foods typically does a special one-day sale on Wednesdays, but so far, I haven't seen any news about what this week's will be.  Sometimes they've posted that basically at bedtime.  Meanwhile, I've just seen something from the Boulder Humane Society saying that today is National Cat Day!  Give your furry friend an extra rub under the chin.

Turkey Prices At Vitamin Cottage

Hard to believe we're already getting close to Thanksgiving, but it's time to start looking at prices for natural and organic turkeys.  I'll check out some of the others while in the stores, but Vitamin Cottage (aka Natural Grocers) has already announced theirs in print, so here they are:

Mary's free range turkeys - $2.39 a pound

Mary's organic free range turkeys - $3.69 a pound

Mary's free range heritage turkeys - $6.99 a pound

Shelton's free range turkeys - $3.39 a pound

Quantities are limited, and you'll put down a $5 deposit with your reservation.  Time to start planning!

Weekday Dinner Ideas

Just a quick summary.  Salmon done a grill pan looks to be in our future for tomorrow, since the new Lucky's Market in Longmont has farmed Atlantic salmon for $8.99 a pound, and our local Sprouts stores have previously frozen wild sockeye fillets for $12.99 a pound.

Then we'll hit the usual easy reheat, which this week is tonight's chicken paprikash from Cooking Light.

Still thinking about that great deal at the Longmont Lucky's on boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.77 a pound through Wednesday, that day will be crystallized-ginger chicken, which is basically a one pot meal.  My copy was cut out from the Daily Camera years ago, but the recipe appears to have been picked up by a Cooking Light forum here.  The Longmont Lucky's also has organic yams for 77 cents a pound through Wednesday.  As I've been saying, the chicken sale at the Longmont Lucky's is remarkable, given their "never ever" high meat standards.  Sprouts is also offering boneless skinless chicken breasts in value packs for $1.99 a pound through Wednesday.

Thursday will be a super quickie, baked stuffed potatoes, which is just sort of an improv thing.  I'm primarily looking to use up the remainder of some fresh herbs in pots that have been hanging around in the house since the cold nighttime temperatures hit, but will be headed out for planting in our perennial herb garden this weekend.  So simple to do, microwaving organic russets of an appropriate size, scooping out the flesh, and mashing it with whatever appeals, like Strauss nonfat plain yogurt, a bit of cheese, and a bunch of fresh herbs.

Which does it for the week.

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

Good morning, Boulder.  The sun's up and the temperature will head to around 60 today.  Couldn't have a better fall day for visiting the Boulder Farmers' Market downtown, running from 8 to 2.  See how inventive you can be with hard squash!

Weekend Dinner Ideas

Quick rundown, no time.

The $1.77 a pound sale at the Longmont Lucky's on boneless skinless chicken breasts (see post just below) is driving my thinking, so we'll start with a simple chicken breast sauté for tonight, dressed up with the quick mushroom sauce from Cooking Light that's been a great success in the past (hit the search box on this page to find it).

I have leftover organic butternut squash from last week, plus it's in abundance everywhere right now (88 cents at Sprouts), so for tomorrow, it will be butternut squash risotto with shrimp from Bon Appetit.

We'll be back to those fine chicken breasts from Lucky's for Sunday, doing a big pot of chicken paprikash from Cooking Light.  I'll make enough to do as a mid-week easy reheat as well.  If you want to avoid all the cholesterol that egg noodles pack, Whole Foods has some excellent yolk-free wide noodles in their Kosher department, at least in the Pearl Street store.

Which quickly gets us through the weekend.

Longmont Lucky's Still In Grand Opening Mode

Apologies to readers who never need to head outside Boulder's city limits, but the new Lucky's Market in Longmont is still producing a few fabulous specials that warrant mentioning.  (At some point I'd assume they'll moderate towards more customary sale prices, which in fact seems to be happening for many items, but I'll go for the blockbusters while they're still available.)  The biggie this week (through October 30th) to me is boneless skinless chicken breasts for just $1.77 a pound.  Lucky's meats have their "never ever" high standards, and as they say, "We go one step further by testing all of our meats to ensure they are antibiotic free."  To indicate to you how good this sale price is at the Longmont store, the Boulder Lucky's also has boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale this week, and there, they are $5.99 a pound.  You'll also find value packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts $1.99 a pound this week at Sprouts, but not with those antibiotic promises.

The chicken alone is enough to get me to the Longmont Lucky's, but the other truly extraordinary sale is organic red seedless grapes for just 77 cents a pound ($1.50 a pound sale at the Boulder store, again a contrast, but also pretty darned good).  Organic garnet and jewel yams or red crimson or Bartlett pears are all also notable at 77 cents a pound as well.  Lots of other specials, but no time to review them, and most do look to be drifting toward more expected types of sale prices.

Whole Foods Sales Starting Tomorrow

Our local Whole Foods stores will offer us both a flash sale on shrimp trios for tomorrow only, just from 3 to 7 pm, and several sales extending from tomorrow through Sunday.  Here's what they say:

OCT 25 (FRI FLASH SALE)
 <<3-7pm Only>>
Shrimp Trio Tray: 35% OFF
Sale Price: $12.99 Each


OCT 25-27 (FRI-SUN)

Medium Carving Pumpkins: 3 for $10

Silverbright Wild Salmon Fillet: 33% OFF
Sale Price: $9.99/lb

1/2 Pumpkin Pie: 2 for $10
1/2 Pecan Pie: 2 for $10
Mix & Match!

200+ Non-GMO Project Verified Items
ON SALE this weekend!

Shine Restaurant Intrigues Me

Writing a blog about food in Boulder, I am contacted fairly often by people looking for a mention on my site, and I almost universally ignore those requests, but one received recently really caught my eye.  It was regarding Shine restaurant and brewery, at 2027 13th Street, near the Boulderado, owned by the triplets (and all J's) Jennifer, Jessica and Jill Emich.  Not only is the restaurant women-owned, it features more Boulder-centric attributes (let's start with gluten free, largely organic and locally sourced, community-oriented, and even paleo-focused) than I could begin to describe, so I'll let the email I received speak for itself:

With an emphasis on building community through food, talk, and dance, Shine has become more than just a restaurant – it’s a movement.

“We are evolving into exactly what we had in mind when we launched Shine,” said sister Jill. “We wanted to create a space that embodies Boulder and all that we are as sisters. Our paleo-focused menu is meant to enhance health and nutrition. We also brew our own beer, make our own potions, serve nearly all organic and locally sourced food, and have a fantastic event area.

Little-known facts about Shine:

• The only paleo-focused restaurant in the state.
• 100% Gluten Free kitchen including all breads made onsite.
• Every menu item, except beer, is gluten-free (but they do have their own house brewed gluten free Liberation Ale on tap!).
• The only female-owned and operated brewery in the state.
• Up to 95% of all food is locally sourced from organic farmers.
• Only restaurant in the world where magical potions are brewed and bottled ON SITE of their own recipes.
• The only gluten-free beer on tap in the state.
• Colorado’s only place for herbal beer.
• Hosts a dance party, RADIATE Unified Dance Party, every Saturday night.
• Keeps prices affordable and accessible by not doing typical restaurant markup.
• Shine and the sisters are big contributors in supporting local economy through supporting farmers, their teas, coffees, sodas, many of their liquors, the artwork and more.  They host many fundraisers and small business launches including 5+ flood benefits in the past few weeks.   They have built a place where the community can share their gifts, and SHINE from the heart through music, movement, networking, workshops and more.

Eileen back again - As you can imagine, since this blog is focused on cooking at home with natural foods bought locally, I don't exactly get out much to restaurants, but I've definitely put this one on my radar.  Their website is available here, and I love how much fun the triplet owners are having in their photo.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have a new sale starting today at our Boulder Sprouts stores (also at Lucky's, but no time to get into that now), while current sales continue at Vitamin Cottage and Whole Foods.  Here's what's appealing to me now.

At Sprouts' new sale through the 31st (happy Halloween!), the big news is the return of a Vitamin & Body Care Extravaganza, with everything in the department 25% off.  Excellent chance to stock up on those products you love that otherwise never go on sale.  In meat and fish, value packs of voneless skinless chicken breasts are $1.99 a pound, bone-in country style ribs (also pork sholder steak or roast) are very low at $1.49 a pound, stuffed chicken breasts are $2.99 a pound, and previously frozen wild Alaskan sockeye salmon fillets are $12.99 a pound.  They also have flash-frozen swordfish for just $6.99 a pound, but I like that to come from the USA, and it rarely does.

In produce, avocado fans will celebrate Hass avocados at 48 cents each (they're conventional, but you're going to peel them anyway).  In organic produce, you can get those avocados for 98 cents each, butternut squash is 88 cents a pound, jewel or garnet yams are $1.29 a pound, one pound bags of baby carrots are $1.49 each, five pound bags of red, russet or Yukon potatoes are $3.99 each, and gala, red delicious, or Granny Smith apples are all $1.49 a pound.

Elsewhere in the store, I'm liking select Alexia potatoes BOGO, Seapoint Farms edamame $2 a bag (always good to have in the freezer for the fastest side for an Asian dish), and Voskos Greek yogurts $1 each.

Go Red Sox!

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Today

Our local Whole Foods stores are offering us a duo of special sales for today only, the 23rd.  Lucky trick or treaters if you're handing out Justin's peanut butter cups.  Even luckier you if you have some left over for yourself.

OCT 23 (WED ONLY)

Justin's Peanut Butter Cups: 50% OFF*10 Cups per bag - Perfect for Halloween
Need to stock up? Get them by the case!Sale Price: 2 for $7

Organic Fuji Apples: 50% OFF
Sale Price: $1.49/lb

Food Day Coming Up Thursday

Food Day, created by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and partnering with all sorts of prominent chefs and organizations, "is a nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food," and this year's celebration is this Thursday, the 24th.  You can enter your zip code on the events page on their website to see what's happening near you.  Looks like CU has quite a few, and I hear from our friends at Mile High on the Cheap that the Denver Botanic Gardens is going to be celebrating big time, with food sampling, classes and demos, plus admission to the gardens, all free.

Halloween Tricks And Treats

Goodness, Halloween is almost upon us.  It's not a big deal in this house, but if you're looking for some ways to spook up what's on your table, here are a few guides to help you out:  Halloween Recipes and Party Ideas from Epicurious, Scary-Good Halloween Recipes from Cooking Light, and Halloween Recipes from Food and Wine magazine.

Sprouts Wellness Webinar

Sprouts will be offering a wellness webinar, Healing with Homeopathic, this Tuesday evening, the 22nd.  You can register for the event here. 

Harvest Fair Today At Longmont Lucky's

When I was picking up my groceries at the new Longmont Lucky's Market, I noticed a board outside announcing that they'll host a Harvest Fair today from noon to 3 pm.  Various fun things on the agenda, including vendors sampling wares, live music, a hay bale maze, and pumpkin painting for kids.  Hope their timing is good, with chillier, wetter weather supposed to move in later this afternoon.

Weekday Dinner Ideas

Simplicity reigns for weekdays, and this week is no exception.  With very big Gulf shrimp $8.99 a pound at both Sprouts and the Longmont Lucky's Market ($9.99 a pound at the Boulder Lucky's), and bulk organic baby spinach generally cheap at both stores, tomorrow will be shrimp Florentine pasta from Cooking Light.  The Longmont Lucky's has organic cluster tomatoes for a fabulous 99 cents a pound for the side salad, and at that price, some might find their way into the pasta dish as well.

Tuesday will be our usual reheat of something big made over the weekend, which this week is tonight's comfort Sunday suppa, roast chicken with roasted organic winter veggies, plus some roasted asparagus as well.  I picked up my chicken at the Longmont Lucky's (with Lucky's fine "never ever" standards), where they are just $1.69 a pound this week.  They are $2.49 a pound at the Boulder Lucky's, and $1.59 a pound at Sprouts.  Sprouts also has asparagus (conventional, but so often is) for a mere $1.68 a pound through Wednesday.  Tonight looks to be a great night for that Sunday suppa, with rain then possibly snow expected to move in around mid-afternoon.

For Wednesday, we'll take advantage of more of that asparagus from Sprouts to fit a rice dish into the week, which will be asparagus and leek risotto with prosciutto from Bon Appetit.  I've been doing asparagus as a side veggie practically all week, thanks to that Sprouts sale, so for this one, I'll need to choose something else (maybe some of those spectacularly cheap organic cluster tomatoes from the Longmont Lucky's, sautéed with a bit of garlic or onion).

Thursdays around here are increasingly unscripted and easy, often turning to the yummy salmon burgers at Whole Foods, where one rotating variety is almost always on sale for $7.99 a pound, and their regular price (I think $9.99 a pound) isn't bad either.

Stay warm today and settle in for a cozy late afternoon/evening with the expected rain and a bit of snow.  I've already stocked up on dvds from the library and am looking forward to that Sunday suppa.

Weekend Dinner Ideas

Quick rundown, especially easy since only one recipe is involved.  The very big Gulf shrimp on sale now for $8.99 a pound at both Sprouts and the Longmont Lucky's Market ($9.99 at the Boulder Lucky's) have me thinking Low Country foods, like shrimp and grits for tonight.  My favorite is the lightened approach of smoky shrimp and grits from Food and Wine magazine, cutting out the traditional butter, cutting down on the cheese, and adding fresh spinach, yum.  Haven't checked this week, but both Sprouts and Lucky's have had very good prices on organic baby spinach in bulk recently.

I'm definitely getting to Whole Foods today for some of that fine (albeit farmed) Norwegian salmon that's a very good $8.99 a pound today only ($7 off their usual price) so that it can go on the grill tomorrow.  If the family griller tires of grilling in the dark at this time of year, it can always go on the grill pan inside, but with weather looking beautiful for the weekend after our recent chills, grilling looks tempting.  I'll be stocking up on the asparagus that Sprouts has for an astonishing $1.68 a pound to go on the side.

We'll still need something big on the weekend that will serve as an easy midweek reheat, and all sales, plus the change of seasons, seem to be pointing to a simple roast chicken.  At Sprouts this week they're $1.59 a pound, at Lucky's with their "never ever" high standards $1.69 a pound in Longmont, but $2.49 for the Boulder Lucky's, and $2.39 a pound at Vitamin Cottage.  So glad I have access to Longmont, for as long as these grand opening-style specials hold out there.  Winter squashes and the like are simple to roast on the side, notably local organic acorn, butternut, or spaghetti squash for 99 cents a pound at either the Boulder or Longmont Lucky's.  So nice to have both local and organic at under $1 a pound.  And more of that asparagus from the incredible Sprouts sale will also do well in the oven.

Which quickly wraps it up.

Special Sales At Whole Foods Starting Tomorrow

Our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a plethora of special sales starting tomorrow, including a great-looking sale on Norwegian salmon all day tomorrow, a flash sale on chip trays tomorrow (not really my thing), a duo of sales from tomorrow through Sunday (those organic truffles are really, really good), and yet another sale running from tomorrow through Monday.  Here's what they say:

OCT 18 (FRI ONLY)
Norwegian Salmon: $7 OFF/lb
Sale Price: $8.99/lb

OCT 18 (FRI FLASH SALE)
Chip Trays: $7.99 Each
<<3-7pm Only>>

OCT 18-20 (FRI-SUN)
Pre-packaged Soups: 40-50% OFF
Sale Price: $3.99 Each

365 Chocolate Truffles: 50% OFFCertified OrganicSale Price: $3.00 Each
OCT 18-21 (FRI-MON)
Upside-Down Cake: 28% OFFSeasonal Flavor: Caramel Apple
Sale Price: 2 for $10

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have new sales starting today at our Boulder Sprouts and Whole Foods, while the current one continues at Vitamin Cottage through November 2nd (this week, look to the post just below for that).  Lucky's Market also has a new sale, and my conflict continues regarding whether to take the time to write about what's going on at the Longmont store, since I can get there, unlike the north Boulder store.  Here's what's looking good to me now.

At Sprouts through October 23rd, the big news is asparagus for $1.68 a pound.  It's conventional, but asparagus most often is.  Since I'm still resisting heading into autumn foods like butternut squash, maybe I'll do a 180 degree turn back into spring dishes this week.  In meat and seafood, previously frozen really huge raw Gulf shrimp look tempting at $8.99 a pound, whole or cut-up chickens are $1.59 a pound (but see below also for a special at Lucky's), ground chicken is good at $2.99 a pound, boneless country style ribs are $2.49 a pound, fresh Atlantic salmon fillets (that means farmed, looks like we've finally moved out of wild season) are $7.99 a pound, and I'm curious about flash-frozen swordfish steaks at $6.99 a pound, as I once caught domestic ones on sale at Sprouts, although they more usually come from southeast Asia.  Also, in an Oktoberfest Sausage Bonanza, all fresh sausage is $2.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, one pound bags of baby carrots are $1.50 each, jewel or garnet yams are $1.29 a pound, Italian squash (think zucchini) is $1.49 a pound, butternut squash is 89 cents a pound, five pound bags of russet, red or Yukon potatoes are $3.99 each, three pound bags of yellow onions are $2.99 each, Bartlett pears are $1.49 a pound, and gala apples are $1.25 a pound.  Elsewhere in the store, the big emphasis is a sale on Sprouts' own brand, with many options featured.

Whole Foods has a new sale lasting through October 29th, but as of this writing, they haven't put up the full sale flyer online (it's still the one for the sale that ended yesterday).  But they do have a few featured sales posted, from which I'm liking their own autumn couscous at $6.99 a pound, $3 off, and Goodbelly probiotic juice at $3 each.  The sale on organic gala apples for $1.99 a pound doesn't do much for me when organic galas are $1.25 a pound at Sprouts this week.

For at least one more week, I'll mention something about the sale starting today at the new Lucky's Market in Longmont, but very quickly, as I've run out of time to write.  The total stunner is organic honeycrisp apples at just 99 cents a pound.  Honeycrisps have something of a cult status in Boulder, and are usually closer to $3 a pound.  New York strip steaks (doesn't specify bone) are $6.99 a pound, whole frying chickens (with Lucky's "never ever" standards promising no antibiotics) are fabulous at $1.69 a pound, house-made Korean pork or beef short ribs are $3.69 a pound, and 16 to 20 count wild Gulf shrimp (fresh/frozen not specified) are $8.99 a pound.  Organic cluster tomatoes are just as stunning as those honeycrisp apples at just 99 cents a pound, and there's a slew of other organic produce also at 99 cents (either per pound or each, as appropriate): local acorn, butternut or spaghetti squash, one pound bags of baby carrots (fantastic), green, red or lacinato kale bunches, romaine lettuce bunches, yellow onions, red pears, and curly or Italian parsley or cilantro, wow.

Current Sale At Vitamin Cottage

It took me long enough to get to Vitamin Cottage that I really can't call this a "new" sale, but it does run through November 2nd.  Probably just as well that I didn't rush, as this one seems to have fewer items calling me than usual.  I can only hope that means they are gearing up for a super one to cover the next time period, which should take us all the way through Thanksgiving.  I'll especially be on the lookout for Vitamin Cottage's usually great sale on Imagine organic broths and cooking stocks at that time.

Back to the present, in the sale lasting through November 2nd, I'm liking their fine whole fryer chickens at $2.39 a pound, as they are free range, air chilled, and raised without antibiotics (although check out my next post for an even better price at the Longmont Lucky's, just for this week).  Two pound bags of Lundberg organic brown rice in either short or long grain are excellent at $2.69 each.  The large 28 ounce size of Muir Glen organic canned tomatoes is super at $1.89 each (stock up as we move out of using local fresh ones), and 15 ounce cans of Westbrae organic beans are $1.59 each.  Plus, being Vitamin Cottage, there are tons of specials on supplements.

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Tomorrow

Our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a duo of special sales for tomorrow only, the 16th.  Here's what they say:

OCT 16 (WED ONLY)

London Broil: 50% OFF
Responsibly Raised
Sale Price: $3.99/lb

Bell Peppers: Up to 60% OFF
*Red, Yellow & Orange
Whole Trade Guaranteed Peppers
Sale Price: 10 for $10

Alfalfa's Pie Contest This Weekend

All you pie bakers out there (me certainly not so talented), enter your best at Alfalfa's pie contest, this Saturday.  Details from them below.

Autumn Pie Contest at Alfalfa's

Saturday, October 19th at 3pm

Alfalfa's Cafe

Come one, come all with your best pie recipes! We invite anyone in our Front Range Community to bake a pie (or pies) in the following categories: Apple, Pumpkin, Gluten Free, or Miscellaneous. Winning recipes from each category will be published in the Winter edition of Edible Front Range. For details, and to register, click HERE.

Non-GMO Supper Club

The Pearl Street Whole Foods will host a non-GMO supper club coming up this Thursday.  Here are the details from them:

Non-GMO Supper Club       

Thursday, October 17th

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Whole Foods Market Pearl Street, $10 per person, plus processing

Join Dana, our Cooking Coach, and Steph, our Healthy Eating Specialist, as they prepare a four course meal for you. This supper club will feature non-GMO ingredients, with a healthy and gourmet twist. Kids and parents welcome! $10 per person donation to the Whole Kids Foundation.

To purchase tickets, please visit: https://nongmosupperclub.eventbrite.com/

Natural Flu Prevention In Superior

The Whole Foods store in Superior will offer a free talk and tour regarding natural flu prevention this Wednesday, with a gift bag and gift card included.  Here are the details from them (including the confusion about whether it lasts until 7:30 or 8:00, whatever):

Natural Flu Prevention

 

Wednesday, October 16th

6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Superior Cafe, Free

Wednesday, October 16^th
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Natural Flu Prevention - Free Nutrition Talk and Tour
Free
Learn natural flu prevention tips with nutritionist Jen Marshall, CNT at this month’s tour. The flu season will start soon so it’s important to get your body ready now and to know what makes you more susceptible to getting sick. The store tour will highlight vitamin supplements, foods and stress management ideas to keep you and your family healthy this winter.
Attendees will receive a gift bag with Whole Foods Market products, special deals and a $5 gift card.

About Jen Marshall, CNT
As the founder of Be Balanced Healing, LLC, Jen sees clients at the Louisville Wellness Center (www.LouisvilleWellCenter.com) and works with digestive problems, allergies, insomnia, hormonal imbalances, sugar cravings, fatigue, and mood swings, among other conditions.  Jen’s background in marketing for the organic food industry helped shape her unique knowledge of the complexity of today’s food politics and how they impact our health.

Halloween Pet Costume Contest

I've clearly not had time to look into these things recently, because this one is today!  The Whole Foods store in Superior is hosting a Halloween pet costume contest this afternoon, including a chance to win a big gift card, plus offering of cheap grilled brats and a drink.  Here are the details from them:

Pet Halloween Costume Contest         

 

Sunday, October 13th

12:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Superior Whole Foods Market, Free

Join us at the Superior Whole Foods Market with your pets for a Pet Halloween Costume Contest! On Sunday, October 13 from 12-3 we will be offering a grilled brats and a drink for $3.00. Customers can take pictures of their pets and families in our pumpkin patch and post to Instagram  for a chance to WIN a $100.00 Gift Card. Our costume contest will begin promtly at 1:00pm. Our pet winner will receive a pet gift bag.

Munson's Still Has Corn!

Yahoo, despite the frost that hit some areas of Boulder last week, Munson Farm's corn was spared.  We had some last night, and savored what was probably our last for the year, as we're certainly headed into chillier night temperatures at this point.  The corn was a bit fin de saison, but what else would you expect in mid-October?  After pulling off some rather whitened husks and lopping off the top of one harboring a happy worm (esteemed proof of no pesticides), it was delicious.  Oh, how I'll miss it until next year, unless I get my hands on more really soon.

Watch Those Meat And Fish Stickers

It always pays to keep an eye on how your meat or fish is tagged at the meat counter (and how your veggies are rung up by the cashier as well).  I bought some of the sale albacore tuna yesterday that was supposed to be the great price of $7.99 a pound at the new Lucky's Market in Longmont, only to get home and find out I'd been charged the full $14.99 a pound.  The tuna's been consumed (very good!), but the price label, register receipt, and ad are headed back to the store at my first opportunity.  Guess I need to keep my reading glasses in hand more often in the store.

Boulder Farmers' Market Today

It's a lovely, crisp day to get out to the Boulder Farmers' Market today, running downtown from 8 to 2.  Today's market will feature an art fair, in addition to all those fine autumn veggies and other foods.  There's also a donation program to support local farmers affected by the flood, for which you get a lovely cup of hot cider in return.  Here are the details from them:

The Boulder County Farmers Market is hosting a Support Your Local 

Farmer Donation Program at both the Longmont and the Boulder Markets. 

 For a small donation of $2 or more you will get a nice hot cup of 

apple cider provided by the Ela Family Farm.  All donations go to the

 Front Range Farm Relief Fund and will go to help the farms and ranches

 that were affected by the flood.  You can find the cider and the donation 

sites at the Information Desk and it will be available until 

the end of the season (Nov 2 - Longmont and Nov 16 - Boulder).  

Thank you for supporting your local farmers! 

Weekend Whole Foods Sales

Our local Whole Foods stores will offer us both a flash sale just for tomorrow from  3 to 7 pm, plus a three-day sale running tomorrow through Sunday.  Here's what they say:

OCT 11 (FRI FLASH SALE!)
Amy's Pizza: 50% OFF
12-15oz Varieties<<3-7pm ONLY>>

OCT 11-13 (FRI-SUN)Holiday Seedless Grapes: 50% OFFSale Price: $1.99/lb
Traditional Medicinals Tea: 2 for $7
Select Non-GMO Project Verified Tea
Pot Pies: 33% OFF
Available in Prepared Foods
Sale Price: $3.99 Each
Ground Organic Flaxseed: 50% OFF
14oz Bags by Spectrum Organics
Sale Price: $3.99 Each

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have a new sale starting today at our Boulder Sprouts, while the current one continues at Whole Foods through October 15th (click for prior report).  And I still haven't made it to Vitamin Cottage to check out the new sale scene there.

At Sprouts through October 16th, fresh wild Pacific salmon fillets are news at $4.99 a pound.  But if you're in the vicinity of the new Lucky's Market in Longmont, it looks like this is the week they're doing British Colombian wild fresh salmon for $3.99 a pound.  Fresh wild salmon wars!  Back to Sprouts, value packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts are $1.99 a pound, and boneless center-cut pork loin chops or stuffed chicken breasts are $2.99 a pound.  Turkey tenders or ground turkey breast also look good aat $3.99 a pound, and they have fresh wild albacore tuna steaks for $9.99 a pound.

In organic produce at Sprouts, jewel or garnet yams are $1.29 a pound, five pound bags of russet, red or Yukon potatoes are $3.99 each, green, red or black grapes are $2.49 a pound, butternut squash is 89 cents a pound, and three types of apples are all $1.49 a pound.  Elsewhere in the store, the Big Brand Sale continues for its final week, with a whole lot of brands running 20 to 35% off regular prices.  Brands that particularly appeal to me include Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen organic tomatoes, Kashi, and Niman Ranch.

As for the new Lucky's in Longmont, it looks like this week is when they're doing the sale they accidently sent out last week, then retracted.  You can read what I said about it last week before they said whoopsie and took it back.

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Tomorrow

For tomorrow, the 9th, our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a duo of special sales.  Actually the olive bar sale isn't really so special, as I've discovered that every Thursday, at least at the Pearl Street store, the olive bar is $6.99 a pound.  And there's so much more than olives to be had on that bar, including fresh pesto (although I have plenty right now from my own basil plants), artichokes, marinated mushrooms, and the like.  Here's what they say:

OCT 9 (WED ONLY!)

Olive Bar: 30% OFF
Sale Price: $6.99/lb
Nita Crisps: 40% OFF
Sale Price: 2 for $6

Boulder Film Festival For Foodies

Now we have it all.  The International Film Series folks, along with a whole lot of others, are putting on Boulder's first ever food film festival, starting tomorrow.  Most of the films are on the CU campus (the $25 pass to all five is worth the free parking in the Euclid garage alone), plus there's a free film at the Boulder Public Library (yay for public libraries!).  You can read all the details here.

A Week Of Dinner Ideas

These are so comfort food oriented and mundane, it's hardly worth even writing.  Plus, I had lots of great ideas for early fall chowders, but the family is in rebellion over too many soups these past few weeks, so my ideas were nixed.  Here's the barest outline, backing up to Friday.

Friday - massive pesto making and freezing, with the first hard frost imminent.  Most pesto went into the freezer, but some went on sautéed steelhead trout from the Longmont Lucky's at $6.99 a pound, plus a bit on some tri-colored pasta shells that Whole Foods has very reasonably in its own line.

Yesterday, the new Longmont Lucky's sale has an extraordinary "wild oregano Greek marinated flattened chicken" on sale for $1.99 a pound this week, and that was very fun.  As I was checking out with it, the cashier commented that he'd just had it, and it was awesome.  Roasted veggies on the side (time to get into fall mode).

Tonight will be a comfort food pizza, since the family is rebelling against any more chowders for the near future.  Pizza alla salsiccia from Cooking Light will be on deck, a longtime favorite for pizza with sausage and fennel.  I always double it, using the multigrain fresh pizza dough from Whole Foods to fill an entire rimmed baking sheet, which makes plenty for another dinner in this house.

Tomorrow we'll continue this comfort Italian theme, trying a new recipe from the current issue of Bon Appetit, a very simple pasta with pancetta.  I'm not finding it with a quick web search, but it has about five ingredients, with the usual suspects like olive oil, garlic, and parmesan, in the current issue.  No more time to look, and the Bon Appetit site likes to lock up my computer for about five minutes while it loads all its add-ons.

Tuesday will be a return to all those lovely pizza leftovers.

Wednesday will be an improvised risotto with pesto, taking one of this weekend's many pesto containers from the freezer.

Then Thursday is usually salmon burgers from Whole Foods, and no more time to write!

Arapahoe Sprouts Giving Back

This actually started yesterday, but I just haven't had time to write.  The Sprouts store on Arapahoe, that was so hard hit during the flood, is doing a wonderful campaign this weekend, through tomorrow.  They say, "Shop at Sprouts on Arapahoe Avenue Oct. 4-6 and we'll take 10% off every shopper's total purchase. Plus, we'll donate 10% of all net proceeds to Foothills United Way."  That's way good enough, but they also have pre-packaged bags of food needed by Community Food Share, so you can do some good yourself, also at that 10% discount.

Hard Freeze Likely Tonight

Brrr, it's going to be a cold day today, with rain and snow, and channel 9 is currently predicting a low of 26 degrees in Denver for tonight.  I'm going to be a pesto-making fool today with my basil crop, and I already stocked up yesterday afternoon on what's likely to be my last Munson's corn of the year (sniff).  They told me yesterday that a temperature of 28 degrees is what ends the crop for the season, and it sounds like we'll probably be there tonight.  Meanwhile, our spare room has taken on the role of garden shed, with every pot I could haul inside stored there, since once we get past these next couple of days, it looks like we'll return to some warmth, at least briefly.

Weekend Sale At Whole Foods

Our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a trio of specials for tomorrow through Sunday only.  Here's what they say:

OCT 4-6 (FRI-SUN)
Caramel Apple Lattice Pie: $5 OFF
Sale Price: $9.99
Amazing Meal
By Amazing Grass: 50% OFF
15-Serving Tubs
Sale Price: $19.99

All Hot Soup: 50% OFF
Chef-Inspired | Options Vary By Store

Hold The Phone Re Lucky's Sale

So Lucky's has issued a retraction, apologizing for sending out the wrong sale flyer, at least for Longmont (and this after I'd already planned around it).  The revision looks nothing like what I had worked from.  Considering I have almost no time for any of this anyway and it's almost midnight, this might just be the what puts me over the edge in amending or ending writing all of this.

This Week's Hot Grocery Deals (IMHO)

We have new sales all over the place at our Boulder area natural grocery stores, at Sprouts, Whole Foods, Lucky's, and I believe also at Vitamin Cottage (I need to get there and check that one out).  Here's what's appealing to me this week.

Sprouts' sales generally run for one week, but today, their big news is a two-week sale, through October 16th, a Big Brand Sale, with 20 to 30% off some bestsellers.  Items catching my eye include 35% off all Cascadian Farm organic products, 35% off all Blue Diamond (their Nut Thins are great with hummus), 30% off all Amy's products, 35% off select R.W. Knudsen juice, 20% off select Sabra hummus (for those Nut Thins), 25% off select big cans of Muir Glen organic tomatoes, 30% off select Annie's mac and cheese, 30% off all Cascade Fresh items, and 30% off all Alexia products (time to get some frozen sweet potato fries into the oven), among many other options.  Select gluten-free products are also 25% off.

In Sprouts' regular sale running through October 9th, previously frozen wild Alaskan cod fillets are just $4.99 a pound, boneless skinless chicken breast tenders are $2.49 a pound, all chicken sausage is $2.99 a pound, their very good stuffed chicken breasts are $2.99 a pound, and fresh wild Pacific salmon fillets are $5.99 a pound.  In organic produce, broccoli is $1.49 a pound, jewel or garnet yams are $1.29 a pound, vine-ripe tomatoes are $1.99 a pound, gala apples and four types of pears are all $1.49 a pound.  Elsewhere in the store, bulk coffee is on sale at $7.99 a pound, although that's the everyday price at Lucky's, at least in the Longmont store.

In Whole Foods' new sale through October 15th, if you're moving from fresh wild to farmed salmon, their fine Norwegian salmon is $13.99 a pound (although that's quite a jump from $5.99 above for wild, and also look below at Lucky's).  Teriyaki is the salmon burger du jour at $7.99 a pound, and American Homestead boneless pork shoulder roast is $3.99 a pound.  Organic golden delicious apples are $1.49 a pound, three pound bags of yellow onions are $2.99 each, organic green or red cabbage or russet potatoes are all 99 cents a pound, and organic green bell peppers are $1.99 a pound instead of their usual stratospheric price, and organic black seedless grapes are also $1.99 a pound.  Whole Foods' own sourdough boules are $2.99 each, Fage yogurts are $1.25 each, and there are several pumpkin/Halloween specials.

P.M. Update - Ignore everything below.  Lucky's has issued a retraction, saying they posted the wrong ad, so none of this applies.

Maybe I'm the only person in Boulder who finds the new Lucky's Market in Longmont a convenient place to shop, but there are a few specials there worth mentioning.  (The Longmont and Boulder stores continue to have separate sales, with some overlap.)  Most notable and curious is British Columbian wild harvested fresh salmon at just $3.99 a pound.  Doesn't specify steaks or fillets.  Teton Waters grass-fed London broil is $3.49 a pound, and their house-made chicken sausages are $2.99 a pound.  There's a big Bulk Bonanza at 20% off, meaning their everyday $7.99 for coffee should be even lower this week.  Also, local Hope organic hummus is particularly low at $2.29 each.

One-Day Sale At Whole Foods Tomorrow

Our local Whole Foods stores will offer us a duo a special sales for tomorrow only, the 2nd.  The coconut one won't do much for me, as I have an intense dislike of anything with it.  Here's what they say (and so glad they got the word out earlier than recently, which has been basically past bedtime!):

OCT 2 (WED ONLY)

365 Coconut Water: 10 for $10
17.6 oz Cans
Or get it by the case for $12!

Baby Back Ribs: $3 OFF/lb
Humanely Raised
No Antibiotics Ever!
Sale Price: $4.99/lb