Marinated Artichoke Hearts - Kirkland vs HyTop

Marinated artichoke hearts are all about the same...right?

Most of my family love artichokes and marinated artichoke hearts.  I usually buy the small 6.5 oz jar of marinated hearts from Walmart or WinCo when they are on sale.  On sale, a 6.5 oz jar costs me $0.99.  When I stopped by WinCo at the beginning of this month and saw that they were on sale, I picked up a few jars.

I remembered a friend talking about how they love artichoke hearts and wondered if Costco carried them.  Why yes they do.  I had never purchased them from Costco because they used to come in one ginormous jar and if I opened up that one jar, it would probably be devoured in 2 days by my kids.  I want my $10 worth of hearts to last longer than 2 days, so I've always just purchased the smaller (pre portioned) hearts.  However, Costco recently reduced their very large jar into two 33 oz jars, making it a little more convenient.

After WinCo, I stopped by Costco and picked up a twin pack of marinated artichoke hearts.  I don't remember the exact price, but it was just under $10 for a total of 66 oz.  Even at $10 for the pack, that's cheaper than the cheapest 6.5 oz bottle I could find.  I have been pleasantly surprised not only at the price per ounce, but at the quality of the product.  Go figure, right? I mean, it is Costco.  Costco does carry many great quality items, and they are always bringing new things to the table.  They don't consider their Kirkland brand to be generic.  They consider it to surpass the quality of the leading name brand.  That's why things like Kirkland diapers are more expensive than the Huggies diapers, and the Kirkland premium ice cream is more expensive than other brands.

The Comparison:

Kirkland         HyTop

I came home and compared WinCo's Hy-Top brand of hearts against Costco's Kirkland brand.  I figured there would be a difference, but I was a bit surprised as to how much of a difference there was.  The taste of the two brands was very similar, but the size was unbelievable.  I compared them side by side with the tender leaves and without.  Marinated artichoke hearts are a little deceiving because it's really not only the hearts.  It includes the most tender leaves in the center of the vegetable, along with the hair/fur, and then the heart and stem.  My first problem was finding a Kirkland artichoke heart that was small enough to do a fair comparison.  We are now at the bottom of the second jar, and I have finally found some artichoke quarters, but both of the jars were mostly halves. So, I took the smallest half from Costco and the largest piece from Hy-Top...just to be fair.  As you can see in the pictures, the Kirkland heart is so much larger than the other.  Kirkland's doesn't include the stem and Hy-top's does.  Even with the stem included it doesn't measure up.

 Nutritional Value:
Another thing that surprised me was the nutritional value.  Artichokes are a good source of vitamins and minerals with no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium, and low in calories.  When you marinated them, it increases the fat and the sodium content and this is what I found:

Kirkland Hy-Top Serving Size 2 pieces 2 pieces Calories 27 15 Total Fat 2g 1g Sodium 105 mg 220 mg

Artichokes

My kids like artichokes.  We don't eat fresh artichokes very often, but I try to keep bottled marinated artichoke hearts on hand to throw into salads.  My husband was very unfamiliar with artichokes when I first purchased them, but we grew up with eating them every summer.  They are an odd looking plant and can sometimes be dangerous with their sharp thorns on the tips of the outer leaves.

For those who are unfamiliar with artichokes, here is a little guide as how to prep and eat them. 

Artichokes:

• High in Vitamin C
• Low in calories (60 calories an artichoke)
• Good source of fiber, magnesium, and folate.

Marinated artichoke hearts are high in sodium, so they are not exactly a free for all, but artichokes can be prepared in different ways.  They can be boiled, steamed, marinated, and grilled.

Prepping the artichokes:

Artichokes come with thorns poking out from the tips of the leaves.  Some stores do sell them pre trimmed, but most do not. 

• Wash each artichoke well under cold water. 
• With a sharp knife, cut each artichoke top about 1” from the top, removing the thorns.  Any thorns that remain can either be snipped off with scissors.
• Optional: trim the stem about ½”.  You can remove the entire stem if it is easier to set them in the steamer, but the stem is edible and is helpful for testing doneness.

 Boiling:

• Fill a large pot half way with water, add salt to the water (optional, but recommended).  Add the prepared artichokes to the water.
• Boil for about 30 minutes or until stem is knife tender.  This may take as long as 45 minutes, depending on the size of the artichoke.

 Grilling:

Basic idea of grilling artichokes:

• Clean and prep the artichokes (see: prepping the artichokes above) and boil the artichokes in salted water for 15-20  min. Drain of excess water.
• cut lengthwise in half and drizzle with olive oil
• grill 10-15 min, turning and basting as needed

 Options:

• stuff lemon slices or crushed garlic between the leaves while cooking
• use infused olive oil (garlic, herbs, or chiles work well)
• Sprinkle the cut side with salt if desired.

 How to eat an artichoke:

I know this sounds goofy to add instruction on how to eat something, but seriously, if you are not familiar with artichokes, you may feel confused as how to eat them.  It’s a large bulbous leafy vegetable that even after cooking, the leaves remain tough and fibrous.

Most often, artichoke leaves and hearts are dipped in butter or mayonnaise.  If I grill them, I usually eat them with no dipping sauce just because they are already seasoned.

If you pull the outside leaves off and turn them over, you should be able to see the “meat” of the leaf, which starts at the base of the leaf and goes up about ½ way.  Bite down on the leaf, holding on to the tip end, and pull away.  You should be able to scrape off the meat with your teeth.  Discard the rest of the leaf.  As you reach the center of the artichoke, the leaves will become more tender and easier to eat.  The center of the artichoke contains the heart.  Simply remove any remaining leaves, scoop out the hair with a spoon, and you are left with the heart, which is basically the base that is connected to the stem.  If this is confusing, you can refer to this short Youtube video.  It's kind of weird watching it, but it gives you a visual idea.

Roasting a Pumpkin Whole

Pumpkin

Last year, I planted a couple of acorn squash plants, and one of them turned out to be pumpkins.  I guess I picked out the lucky random seed in the pack.  The pumpkins did not grown huge, but they were a decent size (about 10 pound each) and the plant produced lots of them.  A storm was heading in, so I was forced to harvest my pumpkins before they were ready.  Only 3 out of the 15 pumpkins were orange, the rest of them being a very dark green.  We thought that we would be able to just carve the green pumpkins anyway (for Halloween), but it turned out to be such a daunting task, that we just gave up.

I read that if you leave the pumpkins out in the sun, they’ll ripen.  I did this for about a week, but after that I didn’t think it was worth the time.  So on the kitchen floor they sat.  It wasn’t the prettiest sight to behold, but I didn’t know what else to do with them.  After about a month, I noticed them starting to turn orange.  Every one of those hunter green pumpkins ripened.  Then I was faced with the challenge of what to do with 10 (we used 5 for Halloween) ripened pumpkins.  Roast them!

The Pumpkin Challenge:

I thought roasting them was the perfect idea.  I could puree the meat and freeze it for later use.  After hacking through 2 pumpkins, I realized that this idea wasn’t as fun and exciting as I thought it would be.  First, I had to safely cut through the pumpkin and then I had to scrape out the seeds and guts.  What was I thinking?  Cutting through a winter squash is one of the most unpleasant things I’ve done.  I thought that there had to be a better way.  I thought for a minute and wondered what would happen if I cooked the whole pumpkin without halving and gutting it.  I wondered if they might explode in the oven from pressure, so I made sure that at my first attempt, I poked slits in the top of the pumpkin a few times with a knife.  I cooked it and voila, the pumpkin did not explode, the guts were easy to scoop out with a spoon, and the meat was just as easy to scoop out as well. I noticed the skin was a weird brittle texture, and the meat seemed to separate from the skin a bit, almost giving it a deflated look (see picture above).  I thought that maybe it was possible to cook the whole pumpkin without even adding slits to the top.  This time I only rinsed the pumpkin off, cleaning any dirt away from the skin, placed it on a cookie sheet and popped it in the oven. Ha! It worked.  I don’t know why I never thought of this before.  I reflected on the many times I painstakingly cut through a butternut squash.  How much easier it would have been if I just cooked the uncut squash first and seasoned the meat later.

Roasting a Pumpkin -- Whole:

1-2 pumpkins

cookie sheet

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash your pumpkin(s) in the sink with water, cleaning them of any debris.
3. Place pumpkin(s) on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven on the middle rack.
4. Cook for 60-90 minutes, turn the oven off, and leave the pumpkins in the oven until they are cooled down enough to handle.
5. Set the cookie sheet on the stove top, cut off the top or cut the whole pumpkin in half , scoop out the seeds and guts and discard.  It’s not necessary to scoop out every single stringy part.  It all will be eventually pureed.
6. Scoop out the meat into a large bowl.
7. Puree meat while still warm either in a blender or with a stick blender.  I use a stick blender to cut down on the dirty dishes.
8. Divide into freezer bags and freeze, or store in fridge for up to 4 days.

Pumpkin Guts

Pumpkin Meat

Pumpkin Puree

One volleyball sized pumpkin yields roughly 6 cups of pumpkin puree.

*It is so much easier if you puree the meat right away while it is still warm. 

So what do you do with pumpkin?

I think we’ve all been here:  buying a can or two of pureed pumpkin for the holidays and then finding out someone else is bringing the pumpkin pie.  So what do you do with the pumpkin?  Stick it in the far back corner of your pantry until next year?  

There was a time where I thought you could only bake a homemade pumpkin pie or maybe a pumpkin roll or a pumpkin cheesecake if you’re feeling a little adventurous, but that’s about it.  Believe it or not, there are actually quite a few things that pumpkin (and pumpkin puree) can be used for:

Cookies

Sweet Bread

Yeast Bread

Rolls

Pancakes

Waffles

Oatmeal

Pumpkin Butter

Cake

Pie

Pumpkin Fries (yes this involves cutting the pumpkin)

Soup

and even more…

There are many different types of pumpkins and sugar pumpkins are used for making pumpkin pie, giving you the sweetest result.  Store bought pumpkin puree is made from pumpkins that have a similar sweetness to sugar pumpkins.  Many canned varieties are made from Dickinson Squash, that is not technically a pumpkin, but has a deep orange flesh with a sweet taste.  “Regular” types of pumpkins will produce a more subtle taste…not so pumpkin "y".

Produce Savings - Revisited

I made a pretty standard shopping trip to Walmart  a couple of days ago (about a week since my previous quick trip), and I thought it was a better example for showing the savings on buying produce on sale versus the regular store price.  Walmart's prices are lower than our other big chain stores like Smith's and Fresh Market, so the savings comparison is a little more realistic.

I bought enough produce to completely fill my refrigerator, and then some.  I still have 20 oranges that I am storing in a cool place that would not fit in my fridge.  I also decided not to compare against my whole receipt.  I did buy other things like tortillas, potatoes, eggs, bread, and a snow shovel and winter beanies that they were on clearance.  I thought it better to just focus on the produce so you can see that the savings a little easier.

Under the Regular Price or Sale Price  column, I listed the price per pound or per each along with the price I would have paid for the amount I bought.  Under the Price Matched Price, I listed the sale price I matched along with the total amount for the quantity I bought.

The oranges are a little tricky.  Walmart sells oranges per each, while most other stores sell them per pound.  A store advertised oranges at $0.10 lb and I price matched that ad.  Walmart has to enter them by the quantity, so it came out to $0.05 each orange, and I bought 30 of them.

Here's what I came home with:
 

Item	Quantity		Regular Price or Sale Price		Price Matched Price		Savings
Cauliflower	3 heads		1.50 ea / $4.50		$0.79 ea/ $2.37		$2.13
Kiwi	16		$0.33 ea / $5.28		$0.12 / $1.98		$3.30
Slicing Tomatoes	6.57 lbs		$1.25 lb / $8.21		$0.25 lb / $1.64		$6.57
Cucumbers	10		$0.59 ea / $5.90		$0.14 / $1.45		$4.45
Loose Garlic Heads	1.71 lbs		$3.32 lb / $5.67		$0.50 lb / $0.86		$4.81
Asparagus	1.94 lbs		$1.71 lb / $3.31		$0.97 lb / $1.88		$1.43
Green Onions	2 Pkgs		$0.79 ea / $1.58		$0.20 ea / $0.40		$1.18
Oranges	30		$0.50 ea / $15.00		$0.05 ea / $1.50		$13.50
Red Delicious Apples	6.47 lbs		$0.89 lb / $5.76		$0.50 lb / $3.24		$2.52
			Regular Price Total:		Price Match Total:		Total Savings:
			$55.21		$15.32		$39.89

I spent under $20 for a fridge full of produce.  Taking advantage of sale prices like these gives me more flexibility when I make a trip to Costco.

Does Price Matching Really Save You Money?

I just recently had a family member ask if I really save that much money when I price match, especially when it comes to produce.

Here's a recent scenario to help answer that question.  I recently picked up a handful of items at Wal-Mart.  I was just wanting to make a quick trip, so I only grabbed a few things that either we needed, or the price was good enough to not pass up. Here's what I got:
 

Item	Quantity	Wal-Mart Price	Price Match/Sale	Savings
Lemons	1 Bag	$1.50	N/A
Frozen Brussels Sprouts	8 Bags	$1.48 ea / $11.84	$0.88 ea / $7.04	$4.80
Slicing Tomatoes	3.65 lbs	$1.25 lb / $4.56	$0.50 lb / $1.83	$2.73
Potatoes 10 lbs.	1 Bag	$2.50	$2.00	$0.50
Broccoli Crowns	3.13 lbs	$1.18 lb / $3.69	$0.33 lb / $1.03	$2.66
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 68 oz	4 Bottles	$13.48 ea / $53.92	$6.98 ea / $27.92	$26.00
Coconut Milk 1/2 Gallon	2 Cont.	$3.25 ea / $6.50	$2.79 ea / $5.58	$0.92
Oranges 8 lb Bag	1 Bag	$5.46 ea	$0.96	$4.50
				Total Savings:
				$42.11

Of course the extra virgin olive oil brought in the biggest savings, but even without the olive oil, I still saved $16.11.  Then, on top of that, I had coupons totaling $4.00 in savings that I quickly printed from my computer which brought my total savings to $20.11 (not including the olive oil) or $46.11 (including the olive oil).

This was only a quick shopping trip.  If I remember, I'll try and compare savings again during one of my larger shopping trips.  So in my opinion, yes, you absolutely can save enough money from price matching or buying during the sales to make it worth the hassle.

Quick and Easy Breakfast Burritos

Veggie Breakfast Burrito

2-3 large flour tortillas

½ red or green bell pepper or a mixture of both, diced

½ - 1 onion, thinly sliced or diced

Large handful fresh spinach roughly chopped

4 oz. mushrooms, sliced

2 eggs, scrambled mixture

Cheese

dash of hot sauce

pepper

salt

There are a couple ways that I like to prep the burrito-

Cooking Method #1

1. Spray large skillet with non-stick spray and cook the bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms over med-high heat. 
2. Season with salt and cook just until the onion starts to turn translucent.
3. Add the spinach and toss with vegetable mixture just a couple of times and remove from skillet.
4. Cook the scrambled egg mixture until cooked through, seasoning with salt and pepper.
5. Remove from heat, add cheese if desired, and cover skillet until cheese is melted.
6. Divide vegetable mixture between the flour tortillas, being careful not to add the excess water (from the mushrooms).
7. Top vegetables with egg, sprinkle with hot sauce (opt) and roll into a burrito.

Cooking Method #2

1. Spray skillet with non-stick spray and add bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms over med-high heat. Cook for 1 min.
2. Add scrambled egg mixture to the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and cook until eggs are cooked through.
3. Divide the fresh spinach between the flour tortillas
4. Add the cooked vegetable/egg mixture on top of the fresh spinach.
5. Sprinkle with hot sauce if desired.
6. Roll into a burrito.

The heat of the mixture will slightly wilt the spinach when rolled in a burrito.

If using mushrooms, it really is best for the mushrooms to rest a moment before adding them to the burrito.  They tend to sweat more than the other veggies, and adding them straight from the skillet to the flour tortilla tends to make the tortillas almost gummy. 

 Every Ingredient Is Optional:

For my husband, breakfast is an on-the-go meal.  He practices the art of waking up in just enough time to get dressed, grab his stuff, and head out the door.  To my surprise, this year he woke up early enough for two weeks straight to eat breakfast, get his lunch ready, shower,  and get dressed with about 15 minutes to spare.  What a big shock!  It was too bad that it only lasted two weeks.  So for him, if I don’t have a breakfast that he can take with him, he won’t have enough time to eat at all. 

We’ve tried different variations of an egg sandwich or breakfast burrito, and a veggie burrito is my favorite way to go.  My husband and I have two very different tastes when it comes to breakfast burritos.  Thankfully these are very easy to alter for each of our preferences.

My husband hates mushrooms.  There are some things that he can swallow down, but mushrooms are not one of them.  Even if the mushrooms are even diced until almost unnoticeable, he will know and he will sit there and pick out every last piece.  On the other hand, my husband likes cheese.  No, he loves cheese.  When we were first married, he went through more cheese in a week than my family would go through in a month.  He has limited the amount of cheese he eats by quite a bit, but if there is cheese in the house, he will eat it.

Unlike my husband, I love mushrooms.  I don’t like egg (only sometimes) and I don’t like cheese in my breakfast burrito.  If there is extra after cooking for my husband, I’ll eat it, but it’s not my first choice. I also like lots of onion.  When onions are cooked over med-high heat with a light seasoning of salt, there tends to be a sweetness about them that comes out.  I love this.  While I’m not crazy about bell peppers, they really do add lots of flavor to mixture. 

So even though our tastes are different, I just prepare the dislikes separately and cook them accordingly.

Prepare Vegetables Ahead:

A quicker way to throw together a burrito in the morning is to have the vegetables already diced and ready to go.  Onions and bell peppers, zucchini, and jalapeno (or other peppers) can be diced and stored in a container together.  Tomatoes tend to get mushy and spinach can get soggy if prepared too far ahead, so I just wait until that morning.  Mushrooms, I'm not sure about.  I haven't had any issues preparing mushrooms ahead, but I'm not sure if you can combine them with anything else.  I've always stored them separately.  If you prefer breakfast meat like bacon, ham, or sausage, these can also be precooked, stored in your fridge for a few days, and just reheat them on the skillet.

Sometimes a little preplanning will save you a lot of time in the early morning.

Nutritional Yeast B12 Fortified

I have had handful of inquiries about WinCo's nutritional yeast and if it is Vitamin B12 fortified.  I was finally able to remember to check and yes it is Vitamin B12 fortified.

For people located in Utah, Good Earth's nutritional yeast is also B12 fortified and is currently cheaper than WinCo's.

Nutritional Yeast-
WinCo $8.68/lb
Good Earth $8.05/lb