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With the holidays come many get togethers with our friends. It seems like we are always going somewhere for an open house or dinner. We like to arrive with something in hand so we often bring a bottle of wine as a hostess gift. I stock up a few times a year on wine to make sure we have enough in the house for such occasions. The great thing about this time of year is Safeway's wine sale - 30% off bottles that are $20 or more (excludes champagne and sparkling wine). And, if you buy 6 or more bottles (at any price) you get another 10% off - that's a 40% discount on some great wines! What I love about this is it gives me the chance to buy & give wines that are typically outside of my price range. I love great deals like that! 
For those in a grocery delivery service area, Safeway.com has a fabulous offer this Thanksgiving. Place a $200 or higher order on our website and receive free delivery and a free turkey. Simply order your groceries, include a Safeway turkey (value up to $7), and enter two promotion codes at checkout (“SMART” and “FREEBIRD”) to take advantage of this offer.
See the website for offer details. http://shop.safeway.com/superstore/default.asp?bra
I try not to use too many convenience foods but there is one that I just have to shout about – Del Real Chile Verde. I love traditional Mexican food but some dishes take too much time for me to prepare so I was thrilled when I found this product. You can find it in the refrigerated meat section and it’s simply pork in a green tomatillo sauce. The pork is very tender and the sauce tastes fresh and has just enough kick – delicious! Not only does it taste authentic but it is also simple to prepare – just heat and eat. We serve it over brown rice with a side of black beans and if I have some grilled vegetables on hand I’ll add that to our plates as well. For the girls, we top with shredded cheese and sour cream to cut the heat a bit. Give it a try!
I am constantly on the look out for ways to eat healthier. Sometimes this takes the shape of eliminating certain foods from our meals, but frankly, that only lasts so long until we just can’t stand it any longer and “give in”. I’ve found it much easier to find healthier options of the things we love and establish that as “regular” early on, then the girls have the healthier product as their reference point for how it should taste. Turkey bacon is our most recent example win. The girls have probably eaten bacon on a half dozen occasions over their short lifetime. We were craving pancakes one day so I decided to complete the meal with some turkey bacon. It was good and the girls loved it! And only 40 calories and 1 gram of fat per slice (0g saturated fat). This one just might become a “regular” on my weekly shopping list!
Have you seen this new item in the Bakery yet? They are delicious! I’ve been adding chocolate chips to my pumpkin bread for years, something about the warm spices and the chocolate just works for the fall. And honestly, what doesn’t taste better with a little chocolate! This cookie is soft, kind of muffin like, with plenty of chocolate chips. Baked fresh right in the store, they will be available through December. Give them a try and let me know what you think!
With fall comes the return to meals with those wonderfully warm comfort foods – like hearty soups. And just in time for fall, Safeway’s Signature Cafe brand (found in the deli/prepared meal section) has introduced an organic line with three items – Chicken Noodle, Creamy Garden Tomato, and Southwestern Style Bean. We picked up the Organic Southwestern Style Bean variety and gave it a try. I added a 14oz can of reduced sodium chicken broth to the soup to stretch it for five, and served it with cheese quesadillas for the girls and a side salad for Max and me. The flavor was really fresh and there’s an authentic spicy kick too. The girls enjoyed it as well, although it was a little spicy for the twins so I added some cheese and a dollop of light sour cream to cut the heat a bit. Give them a try and let me know what you think!
Folks around the office have been talking about these pizzas so I had to give them a try. They are found in the frozen section and they come in two flavors; Four Cheese and Spinach & Cheese. I’m a huge fan of spinach on pizza, actually, spinach in or on anything usually draws me into a dish so that was the one I tried. It was good! The stone baked crust came out crispy and there was plenty of cheese and spinach on the pizza. They are small, made for one, but Max and I split one and added a salad on the side for a complete meal. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
We’ve been going through fresh fruit faster than usual these days – the quality and prices have been great so I’ve found myself going back to the store “mid-week” to replenish to get us through to my next shopping trip. Given that extra trip I wanted to take advantage of great deals with a “second round” of Super Coupons on the items we use regularly as well – but where to find another set of coupons? I took a look around my store and found that they stock extra ads on the customer service desk. Look around and ask; the location will likely vary depending on the store. So now, I regularly pick up a second ad and clip out the Super Coupons that I think are really great deals. And, I’ve noticed there are free newsletters at the desk as well – Tony Tantillo’s Fresh Ideas Magazine was the one that caught my eye. Published monthly, it’s packed with recipes using seasonal produce – you should check it out!
Hard to believe that summer is almost over! And with that comes the preparation for school – supplies, clothes, shoes, new routines, and some trepidation on how the school year will unfold given our state’s budget issues and the resulting increase in class size that will be put in place this school year. I’ve been a dedicated “Box Tops for Education” clipper and have my mom and sisters saving box tops for me as well (thank you!). And now, we’ll be able to support our school even more with the Safeway 10% Goes Back to Schools promotion. August 12th through September 15th Safeway will donate 10% of the sales from participating items (look for the yellow shelf tag with the school bus) to the school of your choice when you purchase them with your Club Card. And, the top 200 earning schools will also get a $1,000 bonus! Look for details on the bottom of your receipt or find additional details on our website http://www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/BackToSchool200
We love blueberries (and the prices lately have been great!); they immediately get rinsed and put in a bowl or wire basket on our counter for easy all day access. We’ll snack on them throughout the weekend, toss them into oatmeal or cereal, add them to salads and yogurt, and pack whatever is left (usually not much) for our weekday lunches. A good source of fiber and antioxidants, early studies (with lab animals) indicate that blueberries may help to slow the effects of aging, particularly memory loss and motor skills. And, they may also positively affect the genes related to fat-burning and storage. Better memory and less belly fat? More blueberries please!
Believe it or not I have never tried a Rainier cherry until this past weekend. I’m not sure why, habit I guess, I grew up with Bings and that’s what I seem to see the most of in the store. All I can say is WOW – they are fabulous. Sweeter than Bings, and somewhat bigger, meatier, and juicier too. I broke my “one trip a week” rule to go back for more when they were on sale – we went through nearly three pounds in one day! What are the summer fruits that you would “break the rules” for?
Greenpeace released a report last week rating the top 20 supermarket chains on the sustainability of their seafood operations. I was pleasantly surprised (and proud) to see that Safeway ranked #5, achieving a pass and getting credit for making “large strides toward a more sustainable seafood regime”. And, while Greenpeace notes that we still have considerable work ahead of us, they commented that “Safeway has made commendable progress on this issue, especially through the elimination of key red list species” (red list species are defined by Greenpeace as having a very high risk of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries or farms). Small steps eventually lead to big change – way to go Safeway Seafood Team! In the spirit of full disclosure I’ve attached a link to the report - take a look.
Nothing beats grilled meat in my opinion, simple to prepare, and tastes amazing without a lot of fuss (my kind of cooking!). One of our quick fix recipes is BBQ chicken – just “marinate” chicken in a bowl with some BBQ sauce, 30 minutes or so before grilling, grill and you’re done. One thing I’ve learned, BBQ sauce is one condiment that people are passionate about, us included. We’ve stuck with pretty much one brand for years and prefer a sauce that has some sweetness to it. With grilling season right around the corner (we grill year ‘round but in the summer I will do whatever I can to avoid turning the oven on!) and my quest to find ways to save some money on groceries I thought it might be time to give the Safeway brand a try. I wasn’t disappointed! It wasn’t quite as thick as our regular brand but the flavor was definitely there and was retained after grilling – this one’s a keeper! Have you tried any great store brands recently?
