SmartShopIt Blog

Peaches For Father's Day

I know… you’re thinking he’s stretching it again.  He’s trying to tie Father’s Day into some kind of grocery shopping story.  Well, you caught me!  But I think you will like the story.  So how do peaches relate to honoring our fathers this Sunday?  About a month ago, I met a peach farmer and author by the name of Mas Masumoto.  I’m currently reading his book “Epitaph For a Peach”.  It’s a fascinating book.  Having grown up in California myself, I can relate to the changing times many of the farmers in this state have had to weather.

He’s a simple farmer in a day of mega-farms.  He’s seen changes that now has Apple Computer occupying the acreage where orchards once stood.  He’s a determined soldier of the soil.  Yet he’s also flexible enough to know when old traditions need to be set aside to make way for a better, more environmentally friendly peach.  For those of you who know Oriental heritage, know that is not an easy trait to learn.

And sadly his father just passed away.  You can read his touching story here.  And while his passing is sad, it also has brought forward, through Mas’ writing, a great story of peaches and fatherhood:  A traditional fatherhood, which is rare to see today.  It is about a son carrying forward his father’s lifetime effort to bring delicious peaches to our table.  A man whose daughter, now in college, wants to take over that farm one day.

Peach season is just beginning, having kicked off domestically on May 16th.  Mas recently posted on his Facebook.com profile, “We just shipped a “new” heirloom peach we’re growing to Berkeley Bowl – Gold Dust peaches (the mother of Sun Crest peaches). Wonderfully sweet – but they’re a little small this year due to a very cool spring. Weather good for humans and not necessarilly (sic) peaches. Hope they meet expectations! Let me know.”

So I’m off to our farmer’s market tomorrow to see what peach treasures I can find.  To put them into a dish for a visit to my father’s house so that it will remind us of the strong ties of fatherhood that helps bring us this food.  To think about and understand where our food comes from.  What it takes to raise it.  How it impacts the environment we live in.  Why trying to eat locally grown is important and does make a difference.  Especially to traditional families like the Masumotos.

Being a father myself, I know the role of today’s father has changed.   But the next time I bite into a juicy peach, I will think of the generations of fathers that planted the seed, nurtured the soil and sweated over its growth, so I could enjoy its sweet nectar.  Then he passed that knowledge on to their children.  And as the sweet flavor of the peach fades on my taste buds, I will try to find a way to teach these lessons to my children.

(Visit our main site and become a free member at SmartShopIt.com to save time and money grocery shopping. Create shopping lists, see product price and nutrition information. Get free coupons and compare products. Also accessible via your mobile web device at http://m.SmartShopIt.com)

Filed under: Fruits & Vegetables | No Comments »

Free Fryday at Jack-In-The-Box

This Friday (April 16, 2010) is Free Fryday at Jack-In-The Box.  They have re-invented their french fry recipe and are launching the new formula on this day.  All you have to do is stop into a participating Jack-In-The-Box restaurant and ask for your free small order of fries.  No purchase necessary.  If you try it, please come back and drop a comment on this post and let us know what you think of the new recipe.

Also, don’t forget about your free cup of coffee at Starbucks on April 15th.

SmartShopIt.com has also created a new category for posts like these called Free & Discounted Specials. Look in this category (see category listings in upper left) for frequent posts on free and discounted products (not just groceries) of all kinds. Check back here daily for new finds. (Or become a SmartShopIt.com member or subscriber to received these announcements to your email. Also available on Facebook and Twitter.)

(Visit our main site and become a free member at SmartShopIt.com to save time and money grocery shopping. Create shopping lists, see product price and nutrition information. Get free coupons and compare products. Also accessible via your mobile web device at http://m.SmartShopIt.com)

Filed under: Free & Discounted Specials | 2 Comments »

Free Coffee; Save a Tree – Sounds Like a Good Name for a Country Song  ( ala “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy”)

The Big Picture Project

With the tax time crunch coming, you can look to celebrate your tax filing (or your extension filing, if you’re like us) this Thursday, April 15th by bringing in your reusable mug to Starbucks and receive a FREE cup of coffee.  Plus, save a tree at the same time.  (Yeah but did you file electronically or print those 50 pages of your Long Form?)  This is in conjunction with The Big Picture Project which has taken on the task of trying to convert all us caffeine addicts into reusable mug users.  Phase out the paper cup and cardboard insulation sleeves and BYOC from here on out!

SmartShopIt.com has also created a new category for posts like these called Free & Discounted Specials.  Look in this category (see category listings in upper left) for frequent posts on free and discounted products (not just groceries) of all kinds.  Check back here daily for new finds.  (Or become a SmartShopIt.com member or subscriber to received these announcements to your email.  Also available on Facebook and  Twitter.)

(Visit our main site and become a free member at SmartShopIt.com to save time and money grocery shopping. Create shopping lists, see product price and nutrition information. Get free coupons and compare products. Also accessible via your mobile web device at http://m.SmartShopIt.com)

Filed under: Free & Discounted Specials | 2 Comments »

As the next snow storm barrels down on the northeast, many of my friends and family are heading to the store for bread, milk and eggs.  Jostling down the aisles like the U.S. men and women’s hockey teams will soon be doing against Canada!  (Go USA!!)  But don’t just dive in there for the last remaining loafs of bread but add non-stick cooking spray to your list too!

Shoveling snow is one of the leading causes of winter injuries and heart attacks.  Here’s a little video help on how to do it safely and properly and why some non-stick spray will help in this task.

Shovel safely and put the discipline of an Olympic athlete in your routine and prepare and warm-up properly!

(Visit our main site and become a free member at SmartShopIt.com to save time and money grocery shopping. Create shopping lists, see product price and nutrition information. Get free coupons and compare products. Also accessible via your mobile web device at http://m.SmartShopIt.com)

Filed under: Interesting & Fun, Pantry | 4 Comments »

Hope For Natalie Nakatani from Patrick Biesemans on Vimeo.

Today, we digress from the usual topic of finding good grocery shopping deals to help spread the word regarding the Hope for Natalie campaign.  Little Natalie Nakatani, as well as many others, is suffering from the cruel disease of Leukemia.  Natalie is 8 years old and the leukemia she has been battling, which was in remission, has returned.  Her last chance for survival is to find a bone marrow donor within the next few weeks.

Hope For Natalie

No one currently in the National Registry is a match for Natalie, who is half Chinese and half Japanese. The odds of her finding a match in time to save her life is about 1 in a million, literally.  We know a lot of our readers are of Asian descent and that ethnic background is her best chance to find a match.  The test to see if you are a match is a simple swap of the inside of your cheek. Even if you are not of Asian descent, it’s still worth a chance to register with the DKMS National Registry.  If you are not a match for Natalie, maybe you will still be able to help someone else.

How you can help:

1. Get tested as soon as possible. Some test drives are listed on Natalie’s or the DKMS web site.  There is one this weekend in the San Jose, CA area.  Be sure to also tell them you are being tested for Natalie Nakatani so they can expedite your test.  The DKMS site has details to consider before you choose to be tested as a potential donor and register in the National Registry.
2. Spread the word to all your family and friends, especially those of Asian descent.  Use Facebook, Twitter or post flyers to help spread the message.
3. Donate money or time (see web site for details).

More information can be found at www.HopeForNatalie.com or at www.dkmsamericas.org/.

Save Natalie on Twitter http://twitter.com/#search?q=savenatalie

Save Natalie on Facebook http://www.Facebook.com/save.natalie

(Visit our main site and become a free member at SmartShopIt.com to save time and money grocery shopping. Create shopping lists, see product price and nutrition information. Get free coupons and compare products. Also accessible via your mobile web device at http://m.SmartShopIt.com)

Filed under: Interesting & Fun | 3 Comments »

Super Bowl Sunday Buffalo Wings

This site was just starting a year ago.  We did not even have our main site, SmartShopIt.com,  completed yet.  Just our blog was here.  At that time, I wrote an interesting article on the original Buffalo Chicken Wing recipe.  Seeing how it’s Super Bowl Sunday again, and how many of my current readers might have missed it, I’m posting a link to that article again.

Winging It! (Hunting Down the Original Buffalo Wing Recipe Sauce)

One thing we have noticed is that the popularity of the chicken wing has increased this last year.  Many new chicken wing chains have popped up and many restaurants have added this tasty treat to their menu.  Many grocery stores have also added pre-cooked chicken wings to their deli sections.  If you insist on going fast food, check out this taste test article.

The sad side to it all is that the price of chicken wings has gone up.  I had a hard time finding wings under $2.00 per pound this year, making it more expensive than just about every other part of the chicken.  I was not smart enough to think ahead and buy some frozen wings before the price went up for the Super Bowl weekend.  But it’s not enough to keep me away!

Enjoy the game and may the best wing win!

(Visit our main site and become a free member at SmartShopIt.com to save time and money grocery shopping. Create shopping lists, see product price and nutrition information. Get free coupons and compare products. Also accessible via your mobile web device at http://m.SmartShopIt.com)

Filed under: Interesting & Fun | 3 Comments »

SmartShopIt.com Pet Coupons

Getting a pet can be a fun holiday gift to receive.  However, now that the novelty may be wearing off, as proud new owners you are probably realizing there are a lot of on-going expenses to care for the new addition to the family.   Did you know that SmartShopIt.com has coupons, product information and Smart Buy prices on pet supplies?  Visit our main site to check them out.  For example, right now you can find the following savings in the SmartShopIt.com coupon section (coupons may vary by regional area):

• $1.00/$2.00 off Milk Bone Essentials PLUS
• $2.00 off Vitalife (at Walmart)
• $2.00 off Wardley Fish Food Products

Click Image for Coupons

In addition, while perusing the internet, our SmartShopIt team found the following coupons for $11.00 in savings off Scotch Fur Fighter Hair Remover products (good through 2/28/10).

SmartShopIt.com’s New Year’s resolution is to increase and improve how we bring you information, tips and coupons to help you and your family (including pets) eat healthier and shop smarter.  You can access information, shopping tools and coupons by becoming a free member at our SmartShopIt.com site.  If you just want to be notified when new articles and coupons are posted you can subscribe to our newsletter.  (Your privacy is always secure and SmartShopIt.com does not release your information to any other party without your permission.)

(Visit our main site and become a free member at SmartShopIt.com to save time and money grocery shopping. Create shopping lists, see product price and nutrition information. Get free coupons and compare products. Also accessible via your mobile web device at http://m.SmartShopIt.com)

Disclaimer: SmartShopIt.com has not been paid any fees by any of the companies represented in this article. SmartShopIt.com always discloses if it is compensated by any company in exchange for writing an article.

Filed under: Pet Supplies | 2 Comments »

Send Hope to Haiti

Just a quick post to say that we at SmartShopIt are thinking of those affected by the earthquake in Haiti.  While we’re shopping this weekend, maybe we can not buy one or two things and use that money to help those in need.  They say every little bit helps.  Send a little hope if you can.  We have provided you with this list of several organizations currently working to provide aid and relief.

The American Red Cross – www.redcross.org

Text “Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10 (billed to your phone)

The United Nations World Food Program – www.wfp.org

The Salvation Army ww.salvationarmyusa.org

Action Against Hunger – www.actionagainsthunger.org

Project HOPE – www.projecthope.org

Partners in Health – www.pih.org

Filed under: Interesting & Fun | 3 Comments »

Dr Pepper announced yesterday (01/12/2010) that  it is partnering with popular country music recording group Sugarland to give one fan the opportunity to attend the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in April.   The winner and a guest will enjoy a weekend of country music with tickets to the awards show, as well as passes to a special Dr Pepper Welcome Reception with Sugarland and the post awards ACM All-Star Jam.

“Country music and Dr Pepper share a strong fan base of Americans looking for an authentic experience,” said Dave Fleming, director of marketing for Dr Pepper. “We are proud to continue our support of the Academy and partner with incredible talent to provide an unrivaled experience to our consumers.”

You can enter for a chance to win at drpepper.com now through March 31. The full promotion rules are available at www.drpepper.com. The 45th Academy of Country Music Awards show airs Sunday, April 18 on CBS.

UPDATE: (Jan. 14, 2010 4:00p)  In an interview with Dr. Pepper CEO, Larry Young announced today that Dr. Pepper will be keeping the Cherry flavor as part of its permanent portfolio.   “A lot of times we do these extensions where they’re a limited time offer, but this one we’re going to keep on board,” said Young in this interview. “It’s definitely a keeper.”

Dr Pepper, which claims to be America’s oldest major soft drink brand, was invented in 1885 at a drug store in Waco, Texas, Young said, adding that its taste is created by blending 23 flavors.  Now it looks like it’s 24!  I love cherry flavored Coke, Pepsi and 7up.  We’ll have to give this one a try too.

(Visit our main site and become a free member at SmartShopIt.com to save time and money grocery shopping. Create shopping lists, see product price and nutrition information. Get free coupons and compare products. Also accessible via your mobile web device at http://m.SmartShopIt.com)

Disclaimer: SmartShopIt.com has not been paid any fees by any of the companies represented in this article. SmartShopIt.com always discloses if it is compensated by any company in exchange for writing an article.

Filed under: Beverages/Drinks, Interesting & Fun | No Comments »

Shop Smarter in 2010

As each new year approaches, we are inspired to sit down and determine what was good about the previous year and what we could have done better.  For me, that always involves trying to figure out how to improve on my grocery shopping skills.  And there is definitely lots of room for improvement as recent events have shown me.

Sometimes as we get over zealous in our search for great bargains, we get ‘hooked’ into buying the wrong things.  This is hard to avoid, especially with all the good marketing and merchandising the retailers and manufacturers do so well.  Such was the case for me the other day.

Now I don’t have any problems buying products that have been on the shelf a little longer as they tend to be discounted to move quickly.  Sometimes I actually think it’s easier for a cook to just buy the best right off the farm or fresh out of the ocean product and combine them a little extra virgin olive oil and 100 year old balsamic and call it a finished dish.  But all that chef really did was shop well, which by the way, any good cook also needs to know how to do.

What made our moms and grandmothers such great cooks was not just their ability to shop well but to also take inexpensive, sometimes not so fresh products and make them into mouth-watering dishes.  As I cook for my family and with economic times as hard as they are, I strive to learn from good ole grandma in this area.   But I don’t fare as well sometimes.

To get to the meat (shrimp and crab meat to be specific) of the story, I went to my favorite market for seafood.  Like any good shopper, I have my favorite stores for certain types of products.  Where I live we have great Asian markets (99 Ranch Market on the west coast and H-Mart stores on the east coast) that bring us products we don’t normally find in the American mega-marts.  In addition, they are usually less expensive on items that appeal to the Asian palate.  For example, I can find bananas at 99 Ranch Market right now for $.49 per pound where our local Safeway is selling them at $.99.  Huge bulk carrots are $.49 where Safeway is $.79 for skinnier roots.

In addition, the Asian market seafood departments are killer for having fresh and inexpensive seafood.  Hunting for some good shrimp ($3.99/lb for 50/60 count white shrimp versus Safeway at $5.99/lb)  and crabs ($3.99/lb  for live Dungeness vs. Safeway at $5.99/lb for pre-cooked) I headed to my local 99 Ranch Market.  At the Asian markets, they lay out the seafood over ice and in tubs for the patrons to pick the ones they want, giving them the ability to choose the best (provided you know how).  To my surprise, they had shrimp and crab laying out for only $1.99 per pound.  Granted, they were a bit older and the crabs were those that had died and couldn’t be sold as live crabs any longer.  But I figured they were still fresh and still looked pretty good.  Without inspecting them closely for freshness, a lack of better judgment overcame me influenced by the low price, and I took a chance and bought them.

I got home and wanted to make a Shrimp & Basil Malfaldini dish and a Steamed Crab dish.  But as soon as I tasted the products after the initial cooking, I knew I was in trouble.  Both meats were a bit on the mushy side and had lost the intense seafood flavor that fresh products bring to the dish.  The shrimp dish was ok as the meat was somewhat hidden by my basil sauce and the great Malfaldini my daughter had bought in a NY Italian market by her Queens apartment.  But there was no way the crab could be served just steamed with a dipping sauce.    To try to save the crab I coated them with some olive oil, salt, fresh ground pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander, garlic powder and smoked paprika and then roasted for 15 minutes to turn it into a Mediterranean Roasted Crab dish.  The seasoning was excellent but no matter what I did I couldn’t salvage the dish.  The quality of the meat was too poor.

So the money I saved was thrown down the drain in a poor product.  Lesson learned.  Seafood needs to always look and smell very fresh.  Avoid seafood that has a fishy smell (should have little smell or smell like the ocean on a clear day), lost its bright luster (especially noticeable in a fish’s eyes) and/or has a slimy film building up on it.  You can’t settle for less.  Sometimes we want to save money so much we buy inferior products.  And only experience can teach us these things.  So I take this lesson into 2010 to improve the dishes I can put on the family’s dinner table this new year.

Here’s hoping you also take many of these kinds of small lessons and make 2010 an even better year and a great start to a new decade.  Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year!

(Visit our main site and become a free member at SmartShopIt.com to save time and money grocery shopping. Create shopping lists, see product price and nutrition information. Get free coupons and compare products. Also accessible via your mobile web device at http://m.SmartShopIt.com)

Filed under: Seafood | 5 Comments »