The Laid-Off Gourmet visits Albertson's

If you live in South Florida, get yourself to your local Albertson's RIGHT NOW. I just came back with a load of groceries, including organic mac and cheese, Muir Glen tomatoes, Barbara's Bakery cereal, Silk chocolate soymilk and a Happy Birthday banner.

Grocery items are 50 percent off; general merchandise, like toiletries and office supplies are 70 percent off and greeting cards and candles are a crazy 95 percent off. (If you're looking for Spanish Bar Mitzvah cards, you're in luck.)

There is a lot of Lean Cuisines left, lots of ice cream, lots of cereal and salon-quality hair products. Tomorrow's the last day for all the Albertson's that are converting to Publix stores and I'm predicting a hoarding madhouse.

Eating 'clean' on a budget

The latest issue of Clean Eating magazine is out and promises that a family of four can have a work-week's worth of tasty, healthy real-food meals for less than $50.

Dishes include Black Bean Tostadas, Thai-Style Tofu & Noodles, and Sesame Mango Chicken With Brown Rice.

This quarterly magazine has shot off like a rocket in popularity since its birth last fall. It's packed with lots of healthy meal ideas based on the "clean eating" principal followed by athletes and weight lifters.

Check out the latest issue HERE.

LoveFoodHateWaste: Love it!

Just discovered the impressive LoveFoodHateWaste.com, a British site funded by WRAP, the Waste & Resources Action Programme.

There is a ton of info on making sure food doesn't go to waste, which is good for your wallet and the environment.

There are food storage tips, leftover recipes, tips to save money on your grocery bill and lots more.

One really useful page is their "use by and best before" factsheet.

From the mailbag: Big Lots cautions

Got a comment on my Big Lots post. It's a good heads-up and I agree, you really need to check labels:

Big Lots is kinda fun and a good way to kill some time. But, after shopping there for several years all over the country, I've slowly discovered that most of the stuff you see has originally been pulled for some hidden reason. It's rarely overstocks and promos. And, since the economy has been worse, you see the dregs. Stay away from cosmetics, or anything not regulated very well thanks to current FDA. For example Gatorade aspartame is a little dangerous after expiration. I've even tried their electronics, and found huge QA issues. Their international foods is good. However, something as simple as Basmati rice turned out to be a bad batch. Sorry to be the debbiedowner; BL is still fun -- just a little more work/skill is required.

As if I'm not blogging enough...

Join me on Examiner.com, where I'm the new national Weight Loss Examiner on the news Web site. Am I still a Laid-Off Gourmet? Until I see a check of any real substance, heck yeah.

From the back of your fridge to the front burner!

ReadyMade magazine, which comes close to the late, lamented Budget Living magazine, recently relaunched its Web site, and on it I found an article titled Waste-Not Cooking, which is what I am all about (leftovers for everyone!). They offer a recipe for Smoked-Salmon Chowder, which will use up that slightly rubbery celery, last night's chardonnay remnants, cooked salmon and Sunday morning's leftover smoked salmon.

Sunday morning update on my logo

Yes, I realize that it might resemble a colorblindness test to some people and the kerning is awful so I'm tweaking it with whatever crappy software I have on my computers.

Afternoon update: I think it's better now.

Evening update: I found a free font site and I can't help myself; I changed it again. (It's like how a hairstylist stands at the mirror between clients, messing with their own hair.)

So if anyone needs a logo for their blog, please hire me and I'll design one for you at an extremely reasonable price.

Your weekend activity: DIY tooth whitening

Here's something freaky I read in my Vital Juice Daily e-mail -- do-it-yourself tooth whitening recipes. Among the concoctions:

• Leave crushed strawberries on your teeth for a few minutes; the malic acid in the berries helps whiten teeth.
• Mix your toothpaste with baking soda, apply the goo to aluminum foil strips and let it sit on your teeth for an hour before brushing.

In no time your teeth will be job-interview perfect. There are more whitening recipes plus many more healthy living tips at Vital Juice Daily.

Eating organic on a budget

The latest issue of Prevention magazine has an article on how and why to eat organic when you're on a budget. Among the reasons:

• Some organics are proven to have higher nutrients.
• You consume fewer toxins.
• Eating a "clean diet" may help you lose weight.

The article also tells you which foods to pick and pass on when you're faced with organic vs. conventional.

Recycle your old shower curtain

I've had a shower curtain in my son's bathroom for years that I couldn't bear to part with, even though the holes are ripping day by day. It's clear vinyl printed with photographic flowers and try as I might, I couldn't reinforce the holes. So off to Target we went for a new curtain.

But I still have the old one. Now, what to do with it? The new Planet Green channel from Discovery has a companion Web site and one of the features is called 5 Reuses 4, which repurposes household items. And they have a page for shower curtains!

Among the ideas: car seat cover for transporting the pooch and a picnic blanket (which might get a little sweaty in summer). I was also thinking about cutting it into cool placemats.

Dining at Ikea: How Swede it is!

Who says a trip to Ikea has to involve shower curtains and sofas? Listen my penny-pinching pals, the Swedish behemoth is a great place to dine as well. It's open seven days a week, from 9:30 or 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 or 8:30 p.m. so that covers any meal of the day. Here are some of their meal deals (and afterwards, hit the scratch 'n' dent room for great bargains):

Breakfast Scrambled eggs, 2 bacon strips and potatoes for 99 cents (!).
Cinnamon roll and Swedish coffee ($1.50).

Lunch or dinner
15 Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, gravy and lingonberry sauce ($4.99).
Open-faced shrimp and hard-boiled egg sandwich ($3.75; at right in blurry camera phone shot).
Gravlax with mixed greens and a dill-mustard dressing ($4.99).
Organic penne pasta marinara ($1.99!).

Kids' meals (all children's menu items are 99 cents)
Organic pasta with tomato sauce
Baby carrots with ranch dressing

Fun with a box of mac and cheese

On my last trip to Big Lots, I picked up a couple boxes of Annie's organic macaroni and cheese for a buck apiece.

A box of mac and cheese has long been a staple of the cash-strapped, but that doesn't mean you have to eat it as is. Here are some mix-ins to "gourmet up" your blue box:

• Add a drained can of salmon or tuna and voila! Instant tuna noodle casserole comforty goodness.
• Mix in 1/2 cup of salsa and it's Mac y Queso Ole.
• Toss in some cooked peas or broccoli for a hit of green.
• Use plain yogurt instead of milk and mix in chives or scallions.
• If you just want the simplicity of mac and cheese but just want to tweak it a tiny bit, mix in 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg.

Stop and smell the chlorine

I've been unemployed for two weeks. I've never been unemployed. The minute I got home after being escorted out of the building (for reals), I immediately called up my resume and updated it. I searched job Web sites. I responded to phone calls and e-mails.

And I've been doing basically that for the past two weeks.

But my kid's home with me until school starts again, so I'm running Camp Mommy as well. And I've had an unhappy camper while Mommy waited for phone calls, printed out resumes and added LinkedIn requests.

So I stopped. And jumped in the pool.

We floated silently on our backs, listening to our breathing just under the surface (and scaring the crap out of our dog).

Just me, the kid, the sun, the water and nothing else.

The anger and the desperation just washed away.

Make it a happy weekend.

Cookbook bargains

Need mealtime inspiration? How about a cookbook for a buck? BookCloseouts.com is having a 1 Dollar Summer Sale.

There are more than just cookbooks in the sale (two on raising cockatiels!), but among the cookbook gems is Cocina India, a book of Indian cuisine in Spanish.

More salsa on your vindaloo?

Laid-Off Gourmet Fashion Tip No. 1

Try not to leave the house wearing these.

Sure you got them half price online at LL Bean, but that doesn't make them any better looking.

It's just a step above (maybe laterally) bunny slippers.

The perils of waiting at home for a phone call ...

... you end up dancing with your kid to Yo Gabba Gabba.

Even the kid's too old for this.

Good exercise.

Trippy show.

(And yes, that is Biz Markee.)

Leftover pizza: Not just for breakfast anymore!

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing like a slice of cold pizza to start the day. And right now our household is knee deep in the stuff, due to Ricky Nolasco's 13 strikeouts in the Marlins' win over the Colorado Rockies Saturday night. (You get a free small Papa John's pizza with every ticket stub and we had multiple stubs.)

When you have an abundance of the stuff, here are more creative ways to use it up:

Pizza dippers: Cut up the slices into sticks and dip 'em into marinara sauce. This works especially well with kids.

Pizza with benefits: If your leftovers are plain, make things interesting with your own toppings, such as fresh tomato slices, caramelized onions or mushrooms sauteed in a little olive oil or shredded chicken mixed with a little Italian seasoning.

Pizza salad: Take your reheated pizza and top it with a bag of baby mixed greens or any soft-textured lettuces. Drizzle a little Italian or Caesar dressing on top. sprinkle on a little parm and voila!

The Laid-Off Gourmet hits Big Lots

Who doesn't love a shopping trip to Big Lots? Huh? Who's with me on this?

(throws hand up for virtual high-five)

In addition to the thrill of buying Christmas Kleenex all year round, you can get some spectacular deals on groceries, and I don't just mean Bulgarian pasta or failed energy drink flavors (I'm talking to you, Rockstar pomegranate).

And you have to push past the movie-bomb product tie-ins (like the Speed Racer fruit snacks at right, next to the American Idol Pop-Tarts).

I came home the other day with a haul of groceries that included items from Orville Redenbacher, Kashi, Peter Pan and even some, dare I say, gourmet-worthy items, like Muir Glen organic pasta sauce for $2 a jar (I paid $3.29 for the same thing the week before at the regular grocery store).

I even picked up some NutriSystem entrees for a buck apiece. But don't think you can do the diet from Big Lots unless you want to eat beefy-roni-like stuff for every meal because that's the only variety they had.

Many times, the only reason something will end up at Big Lots is because the packaging has been redesigned. Or that something's labeled "NEW!" when it's been out a couple months. I bought three 6-packs of Propel for $3 each because they had "old" labels.

You need to check expiration dates: I have exactly one week to consume two boxes of Campbell's Select Gold organic butternut squash soup, which I got for a buck apiece.

There is quite an impressive selection of snack food and, my laid-off friends, some of us have a lot of time on our hands and should refrain from sitting in the den eating a giant bag of sour cream and onion mini rice cakes while watching Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List on the TiVo. (Which describes my Friday afternoon!)

So who's coming to my house to chug soup?

Whole Foods=Whole Paycheck? Not the whole story

The New York Times has a story about how Whole Foods is changing its pricey perception by offering more specials and more store brands.

As someone for whom Whole Foods is my closest grocery store, I can attest to the fact that they do have great specials. I shop there a few times a month and this weekend I bought their 365 brand nonfat yogurt at 59 cents for a 6-ounce cup. Their sales on White Wave Silk soymilk are often better than conventional stores. And of course there was the ginormous bottle of 79-cent spring water that I brought to the baseball game (go Marlins!).

I regularly check the Whole Foods Web site for their weekly specials. Feel free to check 'em out HERE.

The Laid-Off Gourmet goes to a baseball game

Ever check how much a bottle of water costs at a sporting event? Over at Dolphin Stadium, where the Florida Marlins play, a 32-ounce bottle of non-spring water will set you back $5. So I bring my own. There's no problem, as long as the bottle is sealed. (Can't run the risk of someone showing up with a quart of vodka; there are too many $9 cosmos to sell!).

I splurged and bought a 50-ounce bottle of Whole Foods-brand spring water. The price? 79 cents.

Anyone else have any cost-saving measures for sporting events? Send 'em in.

Coming Monday: We troll for bargains at Big Lots

From the mailbag: Clean Out the Fridge Quiche

This meal idea comes to us from Coralie:

I just made a dish I like to call Clean-Out-The-Fridge Quiche. It involves a frozen pie crust, all the frozen and fresh vegetables and cheese you can find in your fridge, and some egg substitute. (I prefer egg substitute to regular eggs because otherwise I always end up beating too many eggs and throwing out the extra.) Bake at about 350 until eggs are solid, about 45 min.

Mine had a crazy hodgepodge of veggies, everything from edamame to carrots. I was doubtful, but it's delish! And saves me from buying an egg sandwich at Dunkin Donuts in the morning...

Thanks, Coralie! And remember, if you have a great cheap and easy meal idea, send it in.

Clipping coupons pays off

I am a devoted coupon clipper and can save some serious bucks by coordinating my coupons with the weekly grocery specials. If you didn't know, many grocery chains coordinate specials with coupons so you can double your fun that way. Last Sunday, for example, between the coupons and store specials, I saved $50 and brought my bill to $125. Yes it can take an hour or two a week to make out your grocery list, but where else can you make $50 a hour right now?

In addition to the Sunday paper, check out coupons.com where you can print out just the coupons you want. You may get a hard time from some cashiers (I do nearly every week) who think you're scamming them, but the store manager always approves the coupons. Problem was in the past Internet coupons would often get duplicated or sold via eBay and many stores flat-out rejected them. But coupons.com has watermarks and UPC codes -- totally on the up and up. (Check 'em out on my right-side column.)

And don't clip coupons for stuff you normally wouldn't buy -- that's a waste of money and time. Just stick with products you normally use, buy a small accordion file you can take to the store with you and weed out the expiring coupons at the beginning of every month so you don't miss out on their savings.

Also, sign up for e-mail newsletters from your favorite products -- there often are coupons attached to those as well.

Organic on a budget

The latest issue of Prevention magazine has tips on how and why to eat organic on a budget. Among the reasons you should try:

• Studies show organic foods have higher levels of nutrients (more bang for your buck).
• You consume fewer toxins.
• Eating "clean" may help you lose weight.

The story also tells you which foods are fine to buy conventionally grown and which are best to spend the extra bucks on.