Recently in Cheap Eats Category

Get a whole pie to go from Marie Callender's for $7 as part of their semi-annual pie sale. It starts today and goes through October 31.

Choose from 25 pies, including Banana Cream, Key Lime, Kahlúa Cream Cheese and Cherry. You also pay $.50 for the pie tin, which is refundable.

No minimum purchase is required to get the $7 pie.

Caveats: excludes cheesecakes and fresh fruit pies.

Marie Callender's has 140 locations in CA, OR, WA, ID, UT, NV, CO, AZ, TX and OK. Find one near you. Call to check if your local restaurant is participating because not all locations are.

Enjoy prix-fix meals and specially chosen wines during wine and dineLA, starting Sunday, September 7 and going through Sunday, September 21.

More than 40 restaurants in Los Angeles will be participating. To take advantage, make a reservation through Open Table. When you are seated ask for the wine and dineLA menu. These special food and wine pairings will not show up on the regular menu.

Prices and courses vary by restaurant. Call ahead to inquire about options. The promotion is in honor of California Wine Month and is different than Restaurant Week, when lunch and dinner prices at participating restaurants are fixed.

Caveats: you must use an American Express card to pay for the meal to get this menu. Lame!

(not my actual lunch) I was in Sherman Oaks to check out a perfume sale (more on that tomorrow) when I drove by Bronco Restaurant (no Web site, unfortunately) on Woodman Avenue. It's a diner that serves a range of standard Mexican fare, from carnitas to tostadas and chilaquiles.

Outside was a sign advertising a $4 breakfast burrito, which they serve all day. My choice was not hard because there were few other options for a Lincoln Lunch on the menu. Beef tacos were $4 and a torta was $5.82. Most other items were $6 to $12.

Bronco is casual. You order at the cashier, sit down and they bring your food. A bowl of chips and salsa came soon after I chose an indoor booth. There is also a small shaded patio outside.

My breakfast burrito was wrapped in tinfoil and was so hot I had to handle it with a napkin. Inside was soft chunks of potato, scrambled egg, chives, black beans and cheese. Very soothing to the stomach, if a bit bland. Luckily, the salsa from the chips was delicious and spicy. I had enough to dribble on the burrito, which was a good size. The chips were stale.

The restaurant is a bit loud, perhaps because pipped in music blends with the voice of other patrons and bounces off the many windows. Bronco got mixed reviews from Yelp, an online food review site.

Visit them at 4378 Woodman Ave. in Sherman Oaks. (818) 990-4961. They also have a location in Sunland at 8418 Foothill Blvd. (818) 353-0791. Monday through Saturday 7 am to 10 pm and Sunday 8 am to 8 pm.

Get a free appetizer or dessert at TGI Friday's when you sign up for their "Give me more stripes" program. Enrolling requires you to share your name, email, address, dob, and create a password for the site. You must be 18 to enroll. Unclear when the promotion ends.

To get the deal, visit their homepage and click on "Give me more stripes." Chose your card and you are on your way. I joined and they say they will mail me my card in about two weeks.

The freebie, however, took about 10 hours to materialize. I finally received the coupons via email. Another reader said she got hers immediately so I'm not sure why mine were delayed.

Browse their appetizers menu and dessert menu. Find a TGI Friday's near you. Thanks, Tina!

Get free WiFi at most Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf stores, no purchase necessary. The company is rolling out Internet hookups at 171 stores in the U.S. to attract more customers and because they realize people want to be connected 24/7.

Virtually all stores in CA, AZ and NV (but not kiosks) should have them by the end of the month, a PR rep tells me. The number of hours you can use their WiFi connection is not limited and you don't need to create an online account to get free access.

To find a Coffee Bean with free WiFi near you, visit their store locator page, enter your location and check the WiFI box.

Get 60% off gift certificates at Restaurant.com in celebration of Labor Day. On the site you buy certificates in set amounts for specific eateries. Make sure to read the particular redemption rules for each certificate because many require a minimum purchase, some are valid only on certain days or for certain hours.

To get the discount use code LABOR when checking out. Right now $25 certificates are selling for $10, but with the discount they are $4 each.

At Los Chilenos in Canoga Park, which makes empanadas, above, redeeming a $25 certificate requires a minimum food purchase of $35, excluding alcohol and beverages. An 18% gratuity is added and the certificate can be used for dining in only.

Unclear how long the promotion lasts for.

Kids under the age of 12 can get a free glass of milk and a cookie weekday afternoons at specific Le Pain Quotidien bakeries in September and October.

To get the deal, they must come with an adult, who must buy something. The PR rep tells me there is no minimum purchase, so you could buy a cup of coffee, a sandwich, or a cookie for yourself and your kid will still get the free treat.

The promo is happening at five locations around LA, in Studio City, Pasadena, Brentwood, Larchmont (opening mid-September), and Claremont. Click here for a list of their stores across the globe. Scroll way down for the LA stores.

Caveats: must drop by Monday through Friday between 2:30 and 4pm. While there is not a specific limit on the number of kids who can come with each adult, the deal is intended for family to bond with their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. If you bring in a dozen kids, there's no telling if the store will honor the deal.

(not my actual lunch) Wednesday comes and I'm desperate for a Lincoln Lunch, that $5 meal I am so fond of. I'm cruising Vanowen Street looking for a score when I pass Valley Produce, a large supermarket with a marquee outside that lists a dozen more businesses, including Jerusalem Grill (no Web site, unfortunately). But there is only one building. Hmmm.

I pull a U-turn and head into the parking lot of Valley Produce. The front spots are packed and the back lot is surprisingly full considering it's a Wednesday afternoon.

Jerusalem Grill is in the entryway to the grocery store, a large open space that is buzzing with customers. Even on weekends my local Albertsons does not get this crowded!

I am delighted to find 13 sandwiches for $5.50 or less and ordered the chicken shawarma, a dish that always takes me back to a dirty street in Conakry, the capital of Guinea in West Africa. I was there visiting my sister, a daring peace corps volunteer, and was exhausted after the long trip from New York. It was nighttime and I told Kate I needed food. In an alley we found this dingy hole in the wall grill and she ordered two shawarmas, which I had never had before. The food was hot, flavorful, and one of the best things I ever ate.

I didn't expect the shawarma from Jerusalem Grill to live up to my carefully crafted...

Get 20% off your total purchase at Godiva online. The deal is good today through Monday, September 1. Use code SAVE20 when checking out. The code works on regular and sale priced chocolates

A box of worldly chocolates is $15.50 (on sale for $18.20, orig $26). An 18-piece gift box of chocolate mousse treats is $28.80 (orig $36).

Caveats: valid in U.S. only. Not valid at Godiva Boutiques, department/specialty stores, or through 1-800-9GODIVA. Not valid on previous purchases, and cannot be combined with volume discounts or other promotions or offers. Not redeemable for cash. Not valid on orders over $600. Orders must ship by 9/30/08.

Buy one bottle of wine, get a second bottle of the same wine for 5 cents. More than 100 wines are eligible for the deal. A bottle of Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir, above, is $13.

Browse their 5 cent whites, 5 cent reds, 5 cent spirits and 5 cent mixers that are part of the sale.

Caveats: Club Bev membership is required to get the deal. Joining is free and every time you spend $250 you get a 5% off coupon that is good for one year. The nickel sale is limited to supplies on hand. Vintages subject to change. No adjustments to prior purchases.

Find a Bev Mo near you. Unclear when the sale ends. Thanks, Wilcox!

Get a $1 kid-sized scoop of ice cream every Tuesday night at participating Baskin Robbins stores. The cheap treat is a 2.5 ounce scoop that normally sells for about $2. Some stores will give you an adults scoop (usually about $2.50) for $1.

To get the discount drop by Baskin Robbins between 6 and 10pm on Tuesdays. You don't have to be a kid to get the deal, which is ongoing.

To find out if your local Baskin Robbins is participating call them. Stores are listed here. But remember to call! Just because a store is listed does not mean they are participating.

I love Baskin Robbins' mint ice cream, but I'm a sucker for that flavor pretty much anywhere.

I know the last time I posted a Starbucks freebie it turned out to be a scam and I still wince when I think about that bad mistake. But this time the freebie is fo' rizzle. For all you folks who have never heard of Snoop Dogg, that means for real.

Get a free 10 ounce Sorbetto or 16 ounce Vivanno at select Starbucks locations in Southern California on Wednesday August 27 from 4 to 7 pm only. Basically, it's happening at stores that already sell the Sorbetto drink.

The freebie is part of their customer appreciation day, though I suspect it is a ruse to hook customers on two of their newest drinks and boost business.

If you are still on the fence, there will also be free pastries. That did it for me, too.

The Sorbetto comes in five flavors, Pinkberry, tangy mango, tangy citrus, citrus ice and mixed berry. Very sweet. It is normally about $3. The Vivanno comes in two flavors, chocolate banana and orange mango banana. The chocolate one, above, has the texture of cold milk and is not super chocolaty, but refreshing.

To find a participating Starbucks near you, go here. There are more than a dozen participating in the Valley.

(not my actual lunch) I'm not a hot dog person, but getting a Lincoln Lunch at The Stand in Woodland Hills has been on my list of places to check out for awhile. I walked to their newish Woodland Hills location with two colleagues and found a bustling eatery with a menu that seemed expansive considering they sell hot dogs.

Turns out these folks take hot dogs very seriously. Dogs with bleu cheese, dogs with neon relish, dogs with baked beans and a handful of classics. They also sell burgers, sandwiches, and salads. Alcohol sales are pending.

The line was long but moved quickly. After you order and pay they give you a buzzer and you seat yourself. The buzzer lights up when your food is ready, which helps servers find you and deliver your grub.

We snagged one of two booths inside, which is a bit loud. There is outside seating, too.

My $4.50 Chili dog came very fast. It was hot and loaded with chili, diced onions, cheese and tomatoes. The white bun was warm and very fluffy. The dog snapped when I bit into it and was overall very tasty, but nothing to daydream about. A heap of crispy potato chips rounded out my meal.

The Stand has a pickle bar much like fresh Mex places have salsa bars. Other Lincoln Lunch options include the Stand dog, all but one of their "classic" dogs, two different sausage dogs, a chili-slaw dog and a chili cheese knish.

I would go back to The Stand because the food was good and very quick. My only real criticism is that the line was disorganized and hungry customers ended up getting in the way of servers delivering food to tables outside and customers exiting the restaurant. A few lane lines would have made everyone happier.

Visit them at 5780 Canoga Ave in Woodland Hills. (818) 710-0400. They also have locations in Encino, Westwood Village and Century City. Look out for their $1 dog night Mondays in Encino!

Get a 99-cent slice of pie at Marie Callender's when you order an entree and drink at participating locations. The special pricing is part of their 60th anniversary celebration and lasts until September 25, a PR rep tells me.

Caveats: excludes fresh fruit pies and cheesecakes. Cannot be combined with other discounts or deals. One per person.

Find a Marie Callender's near you.

Never thought I'd be able to get a sushi Lincoln Lunch, what I call a $5 lunch because Lincoln is on the fiver. Then I went to the new Fresh & Easy grocery store in Van Nuys.

I went to compare their prices to Trader Joe's, Vons, Costco and Food 4 Less, which I will blog about soon. While there I was enticed by an open fridge near the check out area that offered prepared meals.

Medium sized pre-made salads were $3.29 to $4.29. Tuna, ham and egg salad sandwiches were $2.49 to $2.99. Trays of California rolls and other sushi items were $2.99 to $4.99. They also had a baked potato and couscous with raisins.

I opted for the sushi. Adventurous, perhaps, but the pay off could be big. I snagged a tray from the back that had six spicy California rolls and two pieces of tuna sushi for $5. The rolls were decent. Certainly I've had much better but for the price I felt it was entirely acceptable and a good solution for those who crave sushi more often than they can afford it.

The tuna sushi was very edible. I prefer sashimi, fish without the rice underneath, so I peeled off the bright red flesh, dipped it in soy sauce, and plopped it into my mouth. The fish had a very soft texture, bordering on mushy. Not the brightest flavor, but tasty enough that I ate the second piece.

My sushi tray came with ample soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi. I enjoyed eating with the collapsible chop sticks so much that I considered saving them. All in all, not a bad option if you are in the neighborhood.

Visit them at 15230 Vanowen Street in Van Nuys. (818) 902-0635. Remember to check back later to see how Fresh & Easy prices compare to other grocers!

Just a reminder that the El Torito restaurant chain has 99-cent steak, chicken and carnitas tacos every Tuesday from 4 to 10pm when you sit in the Cantina.

El Torito's regular weekday happy hour is from 4 to 8pm with half-price appetizers, $3.95 house margaritas, $4.25 fruit margaritas, domestic draft beers are $3, $3.50 glasses of house chardonnay, and $3 well drinks.

Find an El Torito near you. They have locations in California, Nevada and Arizona.

I've eaten a lot of cheap lunches around the Valley in my time as the Bargain Hunter. Now you can find a Lincoln Lunch, what I call a $5 meal because ol' Prez Lincoln is on the fiver, by looking at this map. Click on a red marker to read my write up on a restaurant.

The map lets you add a marker so please share your own cheap eats! See directions below.

I hope you will come back to this map when you are looking for a Lincoln Lunch in the future. Here's how to share your own cheap lunch:

1. Click the 'Add' button located in the upper right corner of the map. Please choose a marker color other than red.
2. Under 'Title,' enter the restaurant name.
3. Below 'Title,' enter the and full address, phone number, Web site. You will need a zip code.
4. Click 'Details' and share your experience at the restaurant. What did you order? How did the food taste? What kind of service did you get? What did the place look like? How much was your bill?
5. Click 'Submit' and you're done

(not my actual lunch) Forgive me if I sound like I am gloating but I just had a $3.50 lunch that was fabulous and included dessert.

I stumbled upon Van Sandwiches while cruising Sherman Way recently and remembered a place in San Gabriel where I had a very tasty Vietnamese sandwich. Would Van Sandwiches deliver the same experience that qualified as a Lincoln Lunch?

No, as it turned out. My meal was even better.

We were greeted by a pile of huge Jack Fruit melons, which are the size of large watermelons and are covered in pea-like beads. On the floor next to the melons was a small shrine that offered cigarette butts to a white-haired God.

My dining companion stopped in her tracks when she saw a "B" sign in the doorway but I waved her in. Secretly, though, I had my own worries. On either side of the register, two tables offered shrink-wrapped trays of...

DOUBLE UPDATE: In case there was any doubt in your mind, this coupon is no longer good. Apparently it started as a legitimate coupon that was given out at a new store. Starbucks did not intend for someone to scan it onto a computer and email out to the world, and when that happened they nixed the deal. If you try to use it they will turn you down.

UPDATE: One reader tried using the coupon and was told it was a fake, but got a free drink anyway!

PREVIOUSLY: I owe my bud Kelli for passing on this Starbucks coupon. It is for a free 12 oz iced Frappuccino, iced espresso, iced brew coffee, or iced tea. Print the coupon by clicking on the image of the coupon to your right. Expires August 30, 2008. (I had to shrink it to 30% to get it to fit the page before I printed.)

I suggest printing a bunch right now because this is a totally free deal and that means it is either fake or it will end sooner than you think. I mean, the coupon looks real to me. I'm just skeptical that the local global coffee shop is giving away free drinks from the kindness of its pockets.

Kelli said it worked for her. I'm going to test it out later this morning and will let you know.

Caveats: One per person per transaction. Cannot be combined with other offers.

Find a Starbucks near you. Thanks, Kelli!

A colleague insisted I try Joe's O's from Trader Joe's because he said they actually taste better than Cheerios. I was skeptical because I have eaten generic Cheerios before with poor results.

Joe's O's were $3 for 15 oz. A 14 oz box of brand name Cheerios can be had for $2 or even $1.50 on sale with a coupon. So even if Joe's Os end up tasting better I will probably not buy them regularly because they cost more. If you don't watch for sales and don't clip coupons, Joe's O's may be cheaper.

Price differences aside, I was curious if a blind cereal substitution would fool a veteran Cheerio eater like Hubby. I first subjected myself to a similar test, starting with a small bowl of Cheerios. Crispy, crunchy with a mild, oaty flavor that has just a hint of a hint of sweetness.

Second up, a bowl of Joe's O's. They looked very pretty and were slightly shiny with very clean borders around the O's. Super crispy, but the flavor is a little strange. Maybe slightly yeasty? I can't tell. There's no way Hubby won't notice, I'm thinking.

Bringing him a bowl...he started eating.

"So these are the Joe's O's?" Hubby said after the first bite.

"You got one bite in before you noticed!" I said.

"Yes, I noticed on the first bite."

Hubby scooped more cereal into his mouth.

"Better than the generic Albertson's Cheerios," he said. We tried those and couldn't finish the box.

Hubby kept eating.

"They're no Cheerios, but I would eat them." Yes, I can tell by your empty bowl, my dear.

Buy a Starbucks drink in the morning and get any iced grande beverage for $2 after 2 p.m. That's about $2 off some of the pricier drinks, like a latte. You must present your receipt showing you bought something that morning to get the deal.

The deal goes until September 2, according to an AP story.

Deals may be in the works for customers who use Starbucks cards. The global coffeeshop giant has also been experimenting with specials on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So stay tuned!

Caveats: Limit one drink per receipt. Cannot be combined with any offers or discounts. Not valid at Barnes and Noble Cafes. Find a Starbucks near you. Thanks Nolemon!

Faux grass, the kind familiar to mini golfers, lines the entrance to Dr. Hogly Wogly's Tyler Texas BBQ in Van Nuys. As I opened the restaurant door I wondered if the green fur outside was a clue to what type of meal I was about to have inside.

The tiny eatery has high booths, dark paneled wood walls and framed paintings of western landscapes that look like they were new when the restaurant opened 39 years ago. The place is quiet, unassuming, and completely non-ironic.

A server tells me to take any seat and as I scoot into a booth with a surprisingly upright back it occurs to me that already I have inhaled 100 calories in the rich, meaty atmosphere of Dr. Hogly Wogly's.

The menu is brief and strikes me as expensive but when my food comes the price makes sense. At Hogly Wogly's, $8.45 buys you two pickle slices and about a pound of meat served on a laughably small piece of white bread. I wasn't worried that the slabs of pork would slip off and splatter when I picked up the sandwich because they were falling out all on their own.

After a few bites I resorted to eating with a fork and knife. A tiny metal teapot, the kind used to hold cream, was filled with sweet BBQ sauce. A plastic squirt bottle contained a spicier version. I found a mixture of both served the slightly dry meat well. This was not the soft pulled pork commonly served at BBQ joints.

I quickly ran out of bread and asked the server for more, even though it costs an extra $.95. She immediately brought a "half loaf" of warm bread that had the texture of cotton candy. Next to the bread the server placed a small paper cup of glistening butter. Yes! I did, in fact, need a few more calories with this meal. Thank you.

But I forgot to tell you about my baked beans. The pork sandwich comes with one of four typical BBQ sides, your choice. The beans were sugary, creamy, and hot. My only complaint is the ramekin-sized portion they came in.

My bill far surpassed a Lincoln Lunch - $10.14 plus tip. I may have to coin a term for a $10 meal - Hungry Hamilton, anyone?

Visit them at 8136 Sepulveda in Van Nuys just south of Roscoe on the east side of the street. (818) 782-2480. Dr. Hogly Wogly's restroom is outside and I did not venture there.

The Specialty Restaurants chain has a promotion for $10 off your bill when you make a reservation for the "feed your tank" special and buy two meals come dinning time. The idea is they pay your gas bill to get to the restaurant and back.

Participating restaurants include 94th Aero Squadron in Van Nuys, The Castaway in Burbank and San Bernadino, Luminarias in Monterey Park, Monterey Hill in Monterey Park, Odyssey in Granada Hills, The Proud Bird in Los Angeles, The Reef in Long Beach, and Shanghai Red's in Marina Del Rey. Restaurant links and addresses are here. It is unclear how long this promotion lasts.

At the Odyssey you can combine the $10 off deal with an early-bird special if you are seated between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. daily. Reader Brian did just this and said "the early bird special is $15.95 and includes soup (a great clam chowder), entree (choice of prime-rib, a chicken dish or one other dish I can't remember what it was), dessert and coffee or tea. If you want the fabulous salad bar you may substitute the soup for an additional $1.95."

With no drinks ordered his bill for two came to $21.90. Not bad! Thanks, Brian!

Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Valencia and Las Vegas just started a smoothie happy hour! Everyday between the hours of 4 and 7pm they are offering a free smoothie when you buy a smoothie. The cheaper one is free.

Many other Tropical Smoothie locations have the happy hour deal. Call your local store to find out if they have the promotion.

The owner of the Valencia store, Dina, says the last time they had a promotion many customers told her they heard about it on this blog. Thanks for "name dropping" - I hope you will do it again!

Visit them at 28255 Newhall Ranch Road in Valencia. (661) 702-1038.

Every Wednesday TCBY company stores sell waffle cones filled with soft serve frozen yogurt for 99 cents. The cone holds about 5 ounces, which is about a size small, which usually sells for about $3.50.

Starting next week, company-owned TCBY's and franchises will offer the deal every Wednesday. So if you don't want to call ahead and check if your local store offers the deal just wait until next Wednesday.

Some stores may offer the deal with hand scooped frozen yogurt. Find a TCBY near you.

I couldn't resist passing on this tip about being a Freezer Diva from Lisa at Thrifty Kitchen, a subscription site that plans meals around grocery sales. Read my review of the site here.

"Your freezer is a powerful ally in the grocery savings game," Lisa says. "One of the best uses of your freezer is to store a pre-made meal or two for those inevitable nights when cooking a full meal is just not going to happen."

A little advance planning makes it easy to avoid a take out bill. Here are her ideas for pre-made meals that can be put together very quickly.

"Marinated steak or chicken - many TK menus include a marinated meat. These may be frozen in their marinade, then simply defrosted and grilled for a delicious "emergency" homemade meal."

"Pasta sauces - make a double batch and freeze half. Heat up and serve over freshly cooked pasta."

"Soups - most homemade soups will freeze beautifully, but leave any noodles out of the recipe and add them when you re-heat the soup. Their texture will be much better this way."

"Casseroles like lasagna and baked ziti also freeze very well, but they will benefit from slow defrosting - pull these out to defrost in the refrigerator the night or morning before you plan to eat them."

"Lunch meat, sliced cheese, cooked bacon and tortillas may all be frozen for quick roll-up sandwiches."

"Don't forget the side dishes - you can freeze breads, rolls, or pre-cooked mashed potatoes to have alongside your main dish."

"Round out your meal with a bag of frozen veggies."

Well said! Last week I cut into chunks a dozen baking potatoes that were getting soft, tossed them into a freezer bag with salt, pepper, olive oil and a few herbs, and stashed them in the freezer. I baked them recently (on a tray for about 45 minutes at 350) and found they
are even softer having been frozen. Very tasty!

Now, what's for dinner?

Get a slice of cheesecake for $1.50 at the
Cheesecake Factory Wednesday, July 30 only. All of the 30+ cheesecake flavors will be sold at this price.

The special price is in honor of National Cheesecake Day and the 30th anniversary of the restaurant chain. When the eatery opened in 1978 its cheesecake slices were $1.50. A new, limited edition Chocolate Cake Cheesecake will be introduced Wednesday and $.25 from the sale of each slice sold this year will benefit the hunger relief organization,
America's Second Harvest.

Caveats: limit one per customer, dine in only.

Find a Cheesecake Factory near you. Thanks, Mike!

(not my actual lunch) Eating at Follow Your Heart in Canoga Park is not a straight up Lincoln Lunch because the cheapest items on the menu - a $5.50 bowl of soup or a half salad for $6.50 - are both above the $5 threshold. Plus, neither is filling enough for a meal.

But a coupon from the San Fernando Valley Wildlife Waystation shaved $4 off my lunch bill, bringing my total to $5.34 plus tip. Not bad. Plus, I only need to use one other coupon from the $10 Wildlife booklet to break even.

For lunch I ordered the $8.95 Vegetarian "meatball" sub served on a wheat roll. It comes with with just enough marinara sauce, a coat of melted mozzarella cheese (non-dairy cheese is available), and lightly grilled green peppers.

The "meatballs" were surprisingly meat-like. Granted, I was very hungry. But even my dining companion agreed. After taking a bite she said, "That is a very tasty non-meat product!"

On the other hand her $7.95 faux shrimp (served with Thai noodles in a sweet and sour sauce), did not taste at all like shrimp. The dish did win points for pulling off the light, bouncy consistency of shrimp, however.

Like many coupons in the Wildlife booklet, this one knocked off the cost of the cheaper lunch entree. If you dine alone it gives you 50% off an entree.

Lunch options at Follow Your Heart start at $7.50 and go up to $11.95. Read the menu here. Visit them at 21825 Sherman Way in Canoga Park. (818) 348-3240.

To buy a Wildlife coupon booklet, call your local non-profit group (many churches, girl scout troops and other groups sell them). Or buy it directly from the WWS by calling Bruce at (800) 345-6371 or emailing a request to Bruce@thekuhngroup.com. A book for the Santa Clarita Valley is coming in 60+ days I'm told.

Coffee drinkers who use their registered Starbucks cards Friday, July 25 or Saturday, July 26 can get a free drink called a Vivanno. The Vivanno is a smoothie-type drink and is Starbucks' latest attempt to boost business.

The Vivanno contains a whole banana, whey protein, fiber, and comes in two flavors, banana chocolate or orange mango banana. A 16 ounce serving has about 270 calories.

Caveats: Not valid at Barnes & Noble Cafés. Must have your Starbucks card on hand. One per person. Good at participating stores only.

Find a Starbucks near you. Ha! Like that's ever a problem. Thanks, Tina!

Get a free smoothie at Jamba Juice when you buy one that costs at least as much. You have to fill out a brief form with your name, email and zip code to get the coupon. Expires July 30, 2008.

Caveats: baked goods and snacks are not included in the deal. One per customer. Only original coupons are valid. Not valid for Jamba Juice employees.

Find a Jamba Juice near you.

Worried your favorite Starbucks is one of the 600 across the nation that is closing? The list of doomed stores was just released so find out the fate here of your local global coffee shop.

Las Vegas got hit the hardest with 14 stores closing. San Diego comes in second with 10 shutting down. Dallas and Baton Rouge are losing nine, Houston eight. Indianapolis and Seattle will each have seven fewer.

The 600 stores represent about 8.5 percent of the company's U.S. total, according to a Seattle PI story.

Need a pick me up? Read The Onion's take on Starbucks earlier expansion efforts. The story begins "Starbucks, the nation's largest coffee-shop chain, continued its rapid expansion Tuesday, opening its newest location in the men's room of an existing Starbucks..."

Here is another super tasty dinner that makes tons of leftovers or feeds about six hungry eaters. My sister sent me the recipe from the NY Times years ago and I've adapted it slightly. It is hearty and perfect for a chilly day (because we are having so many of these lately) or as a recovery meal after a hard workout.

Meat sauce with turkey
1 lb ground turkey (you can use the super lean stuff but it's a bit dry) ($4)
1T olive oil
1 large chopped yellow onion ($.80)
2-6 minced garlic cloves (depending on how much you like garlic) ($.75)
2-3 chopped carrots ($.60)
1 - 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes ($1.19)
1 - 6 ounce can tomato paste ($.50)
1 T fresh basil or 1 t dried
1 T fresh oregano or 1 t dried
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb pasta ($1.25)

Use a large pot. On medium high heat brown the meat, then push it to the side of the pan. Add the olive oil and saute the onion, then push it to the side. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, then push aside. Add carrots and cook a few minutes until they are juicy. Turn down the heat if they look like they are going to burn.

Add whole peeled tomatoes one at a time, breaking each one up in your fingers. Be ca