Written by Sylvia Geiger MS, RD, CD, Price Chopper Community Nutritionist

I’ll be the first to admit it— I love my sweets and there is rarely a day when I don’t treat myself to some type of yummy dessert. Long ago, I stopped beating myself up about indulging my “sweet tooth.” Rather than fighting it and seeing it as a breach of willpower, I’ve learned to accept my cravings. In fact, research that shows that feeling satiated and satisfied with the food you eat is key to successful weight-loss and maintenance.  So rather than depriving myself, I’ve learned to work with my “sweet tooth” in a way that’s satisfying without breaking the calorie-bank.  Even when you are trying to lose weight, including and planning for a small treat will help you stay on track with your overall goal.

5 Ideas for Satisfying Your Sweet Tooth  

  1. Plan ahead. If you know that you crave a treat at 2 in the afternoon, have something that satisfies you on hand. Individual items such as a low-calorie Popsicle, a 100-calorie snack pack or a piece of fruit are better choices than candy or cookies where it’s hard to limit yourself to just one or two.
  2. Try Greek style yogurt to satisfy the yearning for the creamy mouth feel of high-fat ice cream or puddings.  Price Chopper carries several brands of low-fat Greek yogurts that have a rich & creamy mouth feel and most are less than 150 calories for a 6 oz. serving.
  3. Satisfy at least one of your daily sweet cravings with fruit—whatever is in season and whatever fruit you like best.   Give it a try; you’ll be surprised at how sweet fruit actually is.
  4. The power of small has big payoffs when it comes to eating sweets during weight loss or maintenance.  Rather than eating the whole thing, serve yourself a bite-size portion (1 ½ by 1 ½ inch) of a cake or bar dessert.  Or stock your freezer with small serving or 100 calories individually wrapped frozen novelties.
  5. Remember, we eat with our eyes first.   Individual portions served in stemware glasses or the “good china” usually reserved for holidays, adds to the mystique of the sweet indulgence and makes it feel special.

Simple Lower Calorie Desserts Made with this week’s sale items

Grilled Peaches with Berries

Cherries with Ricotta and Toasted Almonds

Sweet Snackin’ Pita Chips

Watermelon-Yougurt Ice

Frozen Yogurt Pops

Apple Slices with Yogurt Dip

Guest blog written by Lauren Greutman

Hello Chopper Shoppers! My name is Lauren Greutman, I am the wife of Mark and proud mommy of 3 adorable kids as well as the writer/editor behind the website www.iamthatlady.com.  I started my website after years of teaching couponing seminars as a way to help out a greater number of people. After moving back to Central New York from the South, Price Chopper has been the store that I shopped at the most.  It took me a few months to understand the ins and outs of how to save the most amount of money, and I have developed and learned many great couponing tips that I would love to share with you on how to get the most groceries for the least amount of money.

The first step is to know the Price Chopper Coupon policy.   Since it has recently changed, it has evened out the field, making it much easier for me as a blogger to report the good deals (however I do realize that many people have been upset by the change).  Price Chopper stores now double coupons up to 99¢ with your AdvantEdge card every day at EVERY Price Chopper Store.  This simply means that if you have a 75¢ off coupon, it will automatically scan and deduct $1.50 off that item.  There are 3 exclusions to this rule:

  1. When the item is less than the amount deducted, it will only deduct the amount of that item. They will not give you the overage.
  2. If the coupon says “Do Not Double” on the top of the coupon, the coupon will not be doubled.
  3. If you have reached the 50% rule, the coupon will not double. The 50% rule is highlighted in the Price Chopper coupon policy.  Basically it states that you cannot save over 50% off your bill with doubled coupons.

The first thing that I do every week when I get my sales flyer in my newspaper is look at the sales.   In my head I am trying to think if those items on sale have coupons that match up with them.  I then take a look at the produce and meat sales, trying to pair those with items I already have in my pantry.   I also make sure that I print off the Sunday Price Chopper Store coupons that are on their Facebook Page as well as their Thursday Store Coupons that are available on pricechopper.com every Thursday – Saturday. On my website www.iamthatlady.com, I do the coupon matchups every week for you.  I go through the ad, match up the items on sale with corresponding coupons, and even allow you to print off a customized shopping list right from my site.

I tell you each week what items you can get for FREE or cheap and even highlight those items in my weekly ‘Cooking with the FREE & Cheap’ recipe series. I start off my shopping list for the week based on the items that are on my list of free or close to free items, I call it my “FREE or Cheap” list. This list starts off my shopping list and meal plan for the whole week; I then fill in the blanks with the meats and produce on sale and create a menu plan for the week based on those items.   I get many of my coupons from printable coupons sites like coupons.com, smartsource.com, and the new SavingStar Program.  I also have a subscription to my local newspaper and use the coupons inside that paper.   I tend to buy a few extra newspapers every Sunday, because if something goes on sale and I can get it for FREE with a coupon, I don’t want just one of them, I want 4-6 of them. Price Chopper has great meat and dairy discounts early in the mornings at my local store.  When walking around the meat aisle you will see large stickers on select meat packages for $Dollars$ off that package.  Those packages are close to their expiration dates but as long as you use that that day or throw them in the freezer they are totally safe to eat.  We stock up on a lot of our meat that way. I plan out my grocery trip before I even set foot in the store; I have all of my coupons set aside in an envelope along with my shopping list and my menu plan for the week.   I do have my coupon binder with me just in case I see an unadvertised sale that I know I have a coupon for.  My first stop is always the Isave Machine – when you scan your Price Chopper Card it dispenses store and manufacturer coupons.I then stop at the pharmacy counter for possible coupons, many times they have fresh fruit and vegetable Price Chopper Store coupons.

It is not a secret that the prices of groceries are rising, research shows that 20% of what people buy are on the outside aisles of the grocery store, where the healthier items tend to be, the other 80% of their money goes to the things that are in the inner grocery store aisles.  My goal is to save as much money as I can in those inner aisles of the grocery store, so that I have more money to to spend on the healthier options around the outside of the store.  Not as many coupons come out for meat and fresh produce, so by cutting back the money that I spend on the items that I do get coupons for, I free up more money to spend on the fresh items.

When I walk into Price Chopper to do my shopping, it is quick and easy.   I have my grocery list that I printed from my website and my coupons set aside, and as I am going through the store and putting the items into my cart, I check those items off the grocery list. I usually stop at the end of my shopping trip to re-organize my coupons and make sure that everything I needed is in my cart.   I want to make the checkout as easy as possible, so organizing myself before I even get into the line is a must.  I hand them my Price Chopper card first, if I don’t do that first my coupons will not double.  After my items scan I hand over my coupons and my reusable shopping bags. Did you know that Price Chopper will deduct 3¢ off your order per reusable shopping bag that you bring? I save around 40-60% off my grocery bill every month by shopping at Price Chopper using coupons and shopping the sales, and my goal with iamthatlady.com is to help others do the same.

Here are some final tips on saving money at Price Chopper:
  1. Look for reduced produce stickers that can be found on packages of fresh fruits and vegetables – these are store coupons and can be used along with a manufacturer coupon.
  2. Keep your eyes peeled for in-store coupons, you can find them all over the store.  Many times they are stuck to the product itself, or on the shelves.
  3. Find out when your store has free sample carts out, not only do you get to try one of the great sample products in the store, but many times they have coupons for those products you can take along with your sample.
  4. Sign up for FREE Price Chopper Magazines mailed to your home that are full of Price Chopper Store and Manufacturer coupons. Sign up is FREE and easy!
Price Chopper and Planters are teaming up to bring you a “Naturally Remarkable Tour” with Mr. Peanut and his sustainable Nutmobile! Mr. Peanut‘s Nutmobile has been completely revamped! Not only does the peanut mobile have a new look, but also has a new eco-friendly design! The new Nutmobile runs on biodiesel fuel, has solar panels to charge its batteries, and much more! To find out more about Mr. Peanut’s sustainable Nutmobile visit the Clifton Park Shopper’s World and Loudon Price Chopper stores on Thursday, August 4, 2011 for a meet and greet with Mr. Peanut! Mr. Peanut will be at Shopper’s World from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM and Loudon from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. The event will also feature: Come see Mr. Peanut and his new sweet ride! We’re creating our own spontaneous “holiday” this summer in order to celebrate love! Roses are traditionally thought to be a symbol synonymous with romance and love. For one week (7/31/2011-8/6/2011), we are selling a dozen roses for $19.99. But that’s not all! When you purchase a dozen roses, you will also get $0.50 off per gallon of gas! In celebration, share with us a story about a random act of love you have been surprised with! Pick up a dozen roses for someone you truly appreciate. Not only will you benefit in savings, but it will also give you the opportunity to create new happy memories with someone you love! We want to hear your love-filled stories and we’d love to help you create a new one!
Our Floral Department can also help you with decorating any summer event you may be planning! Our floral team can help you with weddings, anniversaries, and more! Stop by our Floral Department and speak with one of our helpful teammates. Our floral arrangements will help make any occasion more memorable and special! And the gas savings wouldn’t hurt either!

Written by Sylvia Geiger MS, RD, CD, Price Chopper Community Nutritionist

The dog days of summer are here and everyone is looking for ways to beat the heat. You may not be able to get to the beach and you may not have air conditioning, but you can still cool down from the inside out by sipping water or beverages throughout the day.

In this hot weather, it’s especially important to drink enough! Afterall, water is the key nutrient involved in regulating body temperature.  It also pads and protects organs and is essential for all bodily functions. Your body will actually start being dehydrated before you get thirsty, so in situations where you are sweating a lot (hot weather and exercise), you need to keep ahead of your thirst.  When you sweat you also lose electrolytes (mostly sodium) that need to be replaced. Most people get enough electrolytes from foods, but sports drinks are one of many ways to replace them. If you’re out in the sun or exercising more than an hour at a time—a sports drink may be the easiest way to replace electrolytes. Nutrition experts agree that the best way to prevent dehydration is to be well hydrated before exercising—especially in hot weather.

Here are some delicious recipes to keep ahead of your thirst.

Cherry Fizz

Tropical Smoothie

Watermelon Smoothie

The Center for Disease Control has these great ideas for keeping hydrated: For more ideas to beat dehydration go to National Institute of Health or Center for Disease Control

Recipe Ideas using this week’s sale items

All main ingredients are on sale

 

Seared Scallops with Crispy Leeks   or  Red Curry Tofu with Vegetables

Braised Green Beans & Summer Vegetables

Arugula Salad with Honey-Drizzled Peaches

Chocolate, Cherry & Almond Bread Pudding

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Rice Krispies Treats with M&M's!

No one likes a hot oven on a hot day. That’s why easy “no bake” desserts are the perfect solution if you have to go to a party or picnic on a blistering day. Ice Cream sandwiches are a refreshing no bake treat! You can purchase cookies at our Price Chopper bakery and choose from a variety of flavored ice creams, frozen yogurts or our new Central Market Classics gelato! You can also try our No Bake Peanut Butter Pie recipe! It’s quick, easy, tastes delicious, and best of all there’s no oven required! Rice Krispies Treats, probably one of the most famous no bake desserts, are also a great oven-free option. And this week we have coupons for the main ingredients! On the coupon tab of our Facebook page, we have a coupons for Jet Puffed Mini Marshmallows for $1 with card and coupon, Rice Krispies Cereal for $1.49 with card and coupon, and M&M’s Chocolate Candy for $1.99 with card and coupon (coupons valid 7/24/11-7/30/11). Don’t sweat over a hot oven. Instead, try a no bake dessert! As you may know, today is opening day at the Saratoga Race Track! To many, opening weekend means fun, horses and hats! The Saratoga Race Track is a great place for a family outing, a day out with friends or even just a day by yourself with the horses! To get you even more excited about the upcoming meet, we have decided to hold our own Hat Contest! Send us a photo of a hat you would like to wear to the races or a hat you have previously worn. All photos should be sent to photos@pricechopper.com and all photos must be submitted by Monday, July 25th, 2011 at 10 AM. After this deadline, we will post all appropriate photos to a photo album on our Facebook page.  The three winning photos of this contest will be determined by which three photos have the most “likes” at noon on Tuesday, July 26th, 2011. Each winner will receive a $50 Macy’s gift card to buy their very own hat! Please, see our official rules below. So whether you’re enjoying the races from the picnic tables, grandstand or the Club House, this season will be filled with great giveaways, the barber shop band and Tom Durkin wishing you a great day at the Spa! Price Chopper Hat Contest Official Rules As you may know, today is opening day at the Saratoga Race Track! To many, opening weekend means fun, horses and hats! The Saratoga Race Track is a great place for a family outing, a day out with friends or even just a day by yourself with the horses! To get you even more excited about the upcoming meet, we have decided to hold our own Hat Contest! Send us a photo of a hat you would like to wear to the races or a hat you have previously worn. All photos should be sent to photos@pricechopper.com and all photos must be submitted by Monday, July 25th, 2011 at 10 AM. After this deadline, we will post all appropriate photos to a photo album on our Facebook page.  The three winning photos of this contest will be determined by which three photos have the most “likes” at noon on Tuesday, July 26th, 2011. Each winner will receive a $50 Macy’s gift card to buy their very own hat! Please, see our official rules below. So whether you’re enjoying the races from the picnic tables, grandstand or the Club House, this season will be filled with great giveaways, the barber shop band and Tom Durkin wishing you a great day at the Spa! Price Chopper Hat Contest Official Rules

National Ice Cream Day is on July 17th this year! This amazing day falls on the third Sunday of July. Starting on July 17th and lasting all week we are celebrating with a Facebook coupon for our new Central Market Classics Gelato! CMC gelato can be purchased for $2.00 with card and coupon (valid 7/17/2011-7/23/2011). To print the coupon, visit our Facebook page and click on the coupon tab!

If you haven’t tried this new product yet, now is a great time to do so! This gelato is imported from the country that has perfected this deliciously creamy dessert! This Italian dessert is available in eight savory flavors including: Limoncello, Coffee, Pistachio, Blood Orange, Chocolate, Coconut, Panna Cotta and Mixed Berry. Indulge yourself with CMC gelato and you’ll find that it is a refreshing and delicious summer treat!

Happy National Ice Cream Day! Spaghetti is a traditional dish that has been uniting families around the dinner table for a long time. There is nothing like good food and good conversation with the ones you love. In this fast-paced world, it’s getting harder and harder to coordinate family dinners around everyone’s busy schedules. But, most people recognize family dinners as a time to bond, even if they tend to get a little chaotic at times. Tell us about your most memorable family dinner. Was it a loud, chaotic family dinner experience? Or maybe you enjoyed an unusually quiet and relaxed dinner with great food and conversation? Post your stories to both this blog and the corresponding Facebook post. We will choose 4 winners who will each receive $50 in Price Chopper gift certificates. Celebrate eating dinner together with the family! Please see official rules below. ALSO, don’t forget to check out our ad this week! We’re featuring a buy one get two deal for delicious Tuttorosso 29 oz tomato sauce or 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes (puree, plum or diced).  The mouth-watering aroma of cooked Tuttoroso tomato products will be sure to make your family flock to the table for dinner. So enjoy a home-cooked meal with your family and Tuttorosso! Price Chopper & Tuttorosso Family Dinner Offical Rules