What's going on at the grocery store?

A printed article mentioned on the radio yesterday caught my attention and I just had to look it up on the web.  It certainly confirms what I see while shopping:  price increases!  What a change--a rise of 0.8% from 2009-2010 increased to 3.5% to 4.5% for this year.  That may be, but I have seen many items increase as much as 20%!

In another article, the news was also bleak for all you peanut butter lovers (according to the article, 90% of American households have a jar of peanut butter in their kitchen).  The article states that “intense heat and drought that hit the southern U.S. this year, as well as high prices for other crops led farmers to focus their efforts elsewhere" are the cause for the rising prices.

Well, we can't do much about the peanut butter crisis except to stop buying it. And, despite the price increases, we all have to buy food.  The good news is that you can make healthy meals for you and your family economically!  Try this for a yummy salad, now that summer tomatoes are history.....

Spinach Orange Salad
Wash and sort fresh spinach (I like the baby spinach, and if you buy it in a grocery store that has it loose and priced by the pound, it is MUCH cheaper.  I buy it at Wegman's)
Toss with mandarin orange slices or fresh orange slices when cheaper in season (Dec-Feb), feta cheese (buy it in a block, it's cheaper), and roasted pecan halves (see my roasting nuts tip below on the post 10/3).  Dressing:  mix 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sugar or honey (or less if you like), 3 Tbl. cider vinegar and 1-2 tsp. fajita seasoning.  You can make this salad a meal by adding cooked chicken strips in the spinach mixture.  YUM!