MON 2/23 - Baked Spaghetti. The last time I made it, I froze half - for this meal, we'll cook that frozen half.
TUE 2/24 - Chicken stir-fry served with rice
WED 2/25 - Roasted Chicken Quarters, rice w/ almonds & oranges, veggie on sale
THU 2/26 - Crunchy Oven-Fried Fish made using salmon, acorn squash (microwave to cook), veggie
FRI 2/27 - Chicken pot pie made w/ frozen dough from Debbie.
SAT 2/28 - Lasagna - use ricotta in fridge, salad
SUN 3/1 - Cornish hens, rosemary potatoes, salad
MON 3/2 - Dinah's first day at his new job!! Hooray!!
Chicken Marsala, herbed angel hair pasta, salad
TUE 3/3 - Tuna Tataki w/ Ponzu sauce, jasmine rice, veggie
WED 3/4 - Salmon with Caper Relish, wild rice mix, veggie
THU 3/5 - Chicken in Mushroom Sauce, Fried Apples and Onions
FRI 3/6 - Pre-cooked ham steaks from frzr - just need to reheat. Serve w/ mashed potatoes & canned peas.
SAT 3/7 - Baked Cod (though we're going to use Tilapia) with Stuffing on Top and White Risotto (RR2468/244)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Purchasing Meat on Sale
Meat-Packing Time!
We pretty well never buy boneless, skinless chicken breast that's more than $1.99/lb. When it's on sale, if our freezer stock is low, we buy as much as will fit in the freezer. That day or the day after, we freeze the meat in 2-serving portions, in freezer bags. In trimming breasts down to one serving each, we end up with a lot of small pieces that were cut off. These pieces are chopped even smaller and frozen in 2-serving portions for stir-fry. Each bag is labeled with the date & contents and put in the freezer.
My husband and I work together. I trim the chicken to serving-size pieces (a.k.a. the icky job) & he labels the bags & brings them to me one at a time; I drop the chicken in, and he seals the bag. That way, I don't have to figure out how to keep one hand clean to hold the bags. The whole process takes about 45 minutes. Having a child label the bags is a great way to keep them involved & busy while you're trimming meat, too. Pick up a couple colored permanent markers & let them decorate the bags!
Is it worth the effort?
Cost of a kitchen scale: $49.99
There are cheaper ones, but let's see if it's worth it even for one this expensive.
Cost of freezer bags: a box of 40 is $4.99 at our local market - that's 12 cents a bag.
You'll need permanent markers to label the bags - let's add $8.50 for those.
Let's say 2 people have chicken about 5 times a week.
2 servings x 5 meals a week x 52 weeks in a year = 520 servings
At 4 oz per serving, that's 130 lb per year.
((Note, this is the same as a family of 4 having chicken 5 times in two weeks))
What's the cost of 520 servings at $1.99/lb?
130 lb @ 1.99/lb = $258.70
2 servings per freezer bag = 260 bags
260 x 0.12 = $32.44
Add in the cost of a scale and markers, and your yearly total is $349.61
What if you bought chicken each week, whether it was on sale or not?
If it were never on sale and you always paid $5.39/lb, one year of chicken would cost you $700.70
But in reality, it is on sale sometimes. Let's say it goes on sale once a month.
Now, your yearly spend on chicken is $590.20
You save $240.60 by buying it on sale and packing it in the freezer.
AND you only have to buy a scale once. So, the following year, you'd save almost $300.
In two years, I've only had to replace my scale's batteries once, too. We've had the same markers for a couple years, too.
We spend about 45 minutes once every two months to freeze chicken in portions.
4 1/2 hours a year saves $240 the first year and $300 every year thereafter.
And keep in mind, this is only chicken. We buy pork on sale the same way, $1.99/lb.
Worried about freezer room? Hey, all we have is a typical refrigerator w/ freezer - and we can make it work. You can, too!
Benefits:
1. Portion Control. You can be sure you're eating correct portions of meat. I can guarantee that at each meal, we each only have one serving of meat.
2. Less Time in the Store. When you have a well-stocked kitchen, your grocery trips take less time in the end. You'll only have to visit the meat section every couple of months - what you need for your meal plan is already in the freezer.
3. No Last-Minute Worries. You're prepared for last-minute meal plan changes. Need to add servings b/c friends are coming over? No need to run to the store! Just pull out another packet of meat from the freezer. You will always have meat on hand. And packets of frozen chicken cut up for stir-fry defrost *very* quickly. I'll microwave defrost it just until I can break it apart, then into a hot pan it goes.
In the end, I find that taking the time to buy meat only when it's on sale & freeze it in serving-size portions is well worth investment in tools, time, and effort.
We pretty well never buy boneless, skinless chicken breast that's more than $1.99/lb. When it's on sale, if our freezer stock is low, we buy as much as will fit in the freezer. That day or the day after, we freeze the meat in 2-serving portions, in freezer bags. In trimming breasts down to one serving each, we end up with a lot of small pieces that were cut off. These pieces are chopped even smaller and frozen in 2-serving portions for stir-fry. Each bag is labeled with the date & contents and put in the freezer.
My husband and I work together. I trim the chicken to serving-size pieces (a.k.a. the icky job) & he labels the bags & brings them to me one at a time; I drop the chicken in, and he seals the bag. That way, I don't have to figure out how to keep one hand clean to hold the bags. The whole process takes about 45 minutes. Having a child label the bags is a great way to keep them involved & busy while you're trimming meat, too. Pick up a couple colored permanent markers & let them decorate the bags!
Is it worth the effort?
Cost of a kitchen scale: $49.99
There are cheaper ones, but let's see if it's worth it even for one this expensive.
Cost of freezer bags: a box of 40 is $4.99 at our local market - that's 12 cents a bag.
You'll need permanent markers to label the bags - let's add $8.50 for those.
Let's say 2 people have chicken about 5 times a week.
2 servings x 5 meals a week x 52 weeks in a year = 520 servings
At 4 oz per serving, that's 130 lb per year.
((Note, this is the same as a family of 4 having chicken 5 times in two weeks))
What's the cost of 520 servings at $1.99/lb?
130 lb @ 1.99/lb = $258.70
2 servings per freezer bag = 260 bags
260 x 0.12 = $32.44
Add in the cost of a scale and markers, and your yearly total is $349.61
What if you bought chicken each week, whether it was on sale or not?
If it were never on sale and you always paid $5.39/lb, one year of chicken would cost you $700.70
But in reality, it is on sale sometimes. Let's say it goes on sale once a month.
Now, your yearly spend on chicken is $590.20
You save $240.60 by buying it on sale and packing it in the freezer.
AND you only have to buy a scale once. So, the following year, you'd save almost $300.
In two years, I've only had to replace my scale's batteries once, too. We've had the same markers for a couple years, too.
We spend about 45 minutes once every two months to freeze chicken in portions.
4 1/2 hours a year saves $240 the first year and $300 every year thereafter.
And keep in mind, this is only chicken. We buy pork on sale the same way, $1.99/lb.
Worried about freezer room? Hey, all we have is a typical refrigerator w/ freezer - and we can make it work. You can, too!
Benefits:
1. Portion Control. You can be sure you're eating correct portions of meat. I can guarantee that at each meal, we each only have one serving of meat.
2. Less Time in the Store. When you have a well-stocked kitchen, your grocery trips take less time in the end. You'll only have to visit the meat section every couple of months - what you need for your meal plan is already in the freezer.
3. No Last-Minute Worries. You're prepared for last-minute meal plan changes. Need to add servings b/c friends are coming over? No need to run to the store! Just pull out another packet of meat from the freezer. You will always have meat on hand. And packets of frozen chicken cut up for stir-fry defrost *very* quickly. I'll microwave defrost it just until I can break it apart, then into a hot pan it goes.
In the end, I find that taking the time to buy meat only when it's on sale & freeze it in serving-size portions is well worth investment in tools, time, and effort.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
MENU Sun Feb 8th through Sat Feb 21st
SUN 2/8 - ate with the neighbors
MON 2/9 - Sicilian Sausage and Fennel Pasta, salad
TUE 2/10 - Shrimp Toast with Cucumber Sauce (RR1/109)
WED 2/11 -Baked Spaghetti, salad - have 1/2 spag. for dinner, freeze 1/2 unbaked
THU 2/12 - Crunchy Oven Fried Fish, Italian-Style Broccoli
FRI 2/13 - Chicken in Mushroom Sauce, Fried Apples and Onions
SAT 2/14 - A Romantic Dinner! I know we want to have lamb, but I'm not sure what else yet. I'll make the Chocolate Hazelnut Torte that day, too.
SUN 2/15 - Lasagna, salad - have 1/2 las. for dinner, freeze 1/2 unbaked. Be sure to separate out 2 TB of the ricotta for use tomorrow in the Stuffed Chicken Rolls.
MON 2/16 - Stuffed Chicken Rolls, served with salad and rosemary potatoes instead of pasta. Rice from the freezer - was made 2 weeks ago, when we had Cashew Chicken & I made extra rice for this very purpose.
TUE 2/17 - Salmon with Orange-Ginger Glaze, wild rice mix w/ mandarin oranges and almonds added, veggie that's on sale.
WED 2/18 - Baked Cod (though we're going to use Tilapia) with Stuffing on Top and White Risotto (RR2468/244)
THU 2/19 - Italian Baked Chicken, pesto potatoes, working with the idea on this site, veggie that's on sale.
FRI 2/20 - Hamburgers - I'm going to check with our friend Brad on a good way to make them tasty. Served with a few baked chips and baby carrots, celery, cukes.
SAT 2/21 - My sweet Dinah's birthday!! We're going to have a party w/ lots of good foods... not officially planned yet, though.
SUN 2/22 - Going to dinner with Dinah's parents, for his birthday. They kindly offered to take us to a rib place we've not been to before. How fun!
MON 2/9 - Sicilian Sausage and Fennel Pasta, salad
TUE 2/10 - Shrimp Toast with Cucumber Sauce (RR1/109)
WED 2/11 -Baked Spaghetti, salad - have 1/2 spag. for dinner, freeze 1/2 unbaked
THU 2/12 - Crunchy Oven Fried Fish, Italian-Style Broccoli
FRI 2/13 - Chicken in Mushroom Sauce, Fried Apples and Onions
SAT 2/14 - A Romantic Dinner! I know we want to have lamb, but I'm not sure what else yet. I'll make the Chocolate Hazelnut Torte that day, too.
SUN 2/15 - Lasagna, salad - have 1/2 las. for dinner, freeze 1/2 unbaked. Be sure to separate out 2 TB of the ricotta for use tomorrow in the Stuffed Chicken Rolls.
MON 2/16 - Stuffed Chicken Rolls, served with salad and rosemary potatoes instead of pasta. Rice from the freezer - was made 2 weeks ago, when we had Cashew Chicken & I made extra rice for this very purpose.
TUE 2/17 - Salmon with Orange-Ginger Glaze, wild rice mix w/ mandarin oranges and almonds added, veggie that's on sale.
WED 2/18 - Baked Cod (though we're going to use Tilapia) with Stuffing on Top and White Risotto (RR2468/244)
THU 2/19 - Italian Baked Chicken, pesto potatoes, working with the idea on this site, veggie that's on sale.
FRI 2/20 - Hamburgers - I'm going to check with our friend Brad on a good way to make them tasty. Served with a few baked chips and baby carrots, celery, cukes.
SAT 2/21 - My sweet Dinah's birthday!! We're going to have a party w/ lots of good foods... not officially planned yet, though.
SUN 2/22 - Going to dinner with Dinah's parents, for his birthday. They kindly offered to take us to a rib place we've not been to before. How fun!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Plan Your Meals!
Benefits of Meal Planning:
• Healthy mind – no more last-minute stress of what to make
• Healthy meals – plan healthy meals and avoid last-minute unhealthy options
• Healthy bank account – keep your grocery budget down by not buying what you aren’t going to use
Healthy Mind
Frequently, I’ve heard complaints of the mental stress that comes on the drive home, rushing to figure out what to make for dinner. Then, just when they have it figured out, they get home to find an ingredient missing. Planning meals means you don’t have to worry anymore – just drive home, decompress from your day, and then start making dinner, never having worried about what to make.
Healthy Meals
Planning meals allows for healthier choices. Unfortunately, the easiest last-minute dinner choices are not typically healthy choices. Pizza, mac and cheese, hot dogs, pre-packaged meals, frozen dinners, and take-out are easy as can be … and they will work against your weight loss plans!
You don’t have to become a chef – many healthy meals are easy to make, too. It’s really about making small changes, choosing healthier options. And having a plan enables these choices, because you’re not pressed at the last minute. Steam, broil, or bake your foods – don’t fry. Use fresh ingredients. Choose lean meat. Drain off the fat. Opt for light dressing instead of regular. But most importantly, have a plan. Take the time to choose healthy meals for the week, then stick to that plan.
Healthy Bank Account
You’ve probably heard it said, “Never go to the grocery store hungry.” Well, I’ll add another rule, “Never go to the grocery store without a plan.” We’ve all been there – slimy, scary produce in the refrigerator, bought and never used. Or meat defrosted and then forgotten. Deli meat/cheese you never used up before it went bad. If you plan your meals, these kinds of events will happen less, guaranteed.
Maybe you already use a grocery list – good for you! That’s a great step to take. Just be sure what’s on the list is really what you’ll need – and then stick to it. Don’t purchase perishable items that aren’t part of the plan. And don’t purchase unhealthy snacks! This will help you toward a healthier body and a healthier account balance.
Another Benefit of Planning
Have you ever had a recipe call for just one tablespoon of tomato paste, just a bit of cream, a single stalk of celery, or just a portion of any fresh vegetable. What do you do with the rest of it? Some items can be frozen for future use, but not all. When you make your menu plan, you can plan multiple meals using that same ingredient so none goes to waste.
What if my Plans Change?
If you frequently have to change your plans, causing you to not have dinner at home, be sure to plan at least one meal per week that can drop off the menu without repercussions.
For example, I like to have a pasta meal planned at least one night per week. I think the easiest “droppable” meal is pasta; the unused dry pasta & jar/can of sauce will keep for another week just fine. The veggie for the night is typically salad, and I always keep salad ingredients on hand anyway, so nothing is wasted. What about the meat? Well, hopefully I’ll know the night before not to even take it out of the freezer. But just in case, I’ll be sure that there’s another meal on the menu that uses the same meat.
Need Ideas?
There’s many websites dedicated to helping you find new recipes. My own site, justrightmenus.com, has a category for “easily removed from the menu” and for “healthy” recipes. Feel free to add your own recipes to the site, too!
If you have meal-planning advice to share, just leave a comment so others may benefit from your experience.
• Healthy mind – no more last-minute stress of what to make
• Healthy meals – plan healthy meals and avoid last-minute unhealthy options
• Healthy bank account – keep your grocery budget down by not buying what you aren’t going to use
Healthy Mind
Frequently, I’ve heard complaints of the mental stress that comes on the drive home, rushing to figure out what to make for dinner. Then, just when they have it figured out, they get home to find an ingredient missing. Planning meals means you don’t have to worry anymore – just drive home, decompress from your day, and then start making dinner, never having worried about what to make.
Healthy Meals
Planning meals allows for healthier choices. Unfortunately, the easiest last-minute dinner choices are not typically healthy choices. Pizza, mac and cheese, hot dogs, pre-packaged meals, frozen dinners, and take-out are easy as can be … and they will work against your weight loss plans!
You don’t have to become a chef – many healthy meals are easy to make, too. It’s really about making small changes, choosing healthier options. And having a plan enables these choices, because you’re not pressed at the last minute. Steam, broil, or bake your foods – don’t fry. Use fresh ingredients. Choose lean meat. Drain off the fat. Opt for light dressing instead of regular. But most importantly, have a plan. Take the time to choose healthy meals for the week, then stick to that plan.
Healthy Bank Account
You’ve probably heard it said, “Never go to the grocery store hungry.” Well, I’ll add another rule, “Never go to the grocery store without a plan.” We’ve all been there – slimy, scary produce in the refrigerator, bought and never used. Or meat defrosted and then forgotten. Deli meat/cheese you never used up before it went bad. If you plan your meals, these kinds of events will happen less, guaranteed.
Maybe you already use a grocery list – good for you! That’s a great step to take. Just be sure what’s on the list is really what you’ll need – and then stick to it. Don’t purchase perishable items that aren’t part of the plan. And don’t purchase unhealthy snacks! This will help you toward a healthier body and a healthier account balance.
Another Benefit of Planning
Have you ever had a recipe call for just one tablespoon of tomato paste, just a bit of cream, a single stalk of celery, or just a portion of any fresh vegetable. What do you do with the rest of it? Some items can be frozen for future use, but not all. When you make your menu plan, you can plan multiple meals using that same ingredient so none goes to waste.
What if my Plans Change?
If you frequently have to change your plans, causing you to not have dinner at home, be sure to plan at least one meal per week that can drop off the menu without repercussions.
For example, I like to have a pasta meal planned at least one night per week. I think the easiest “droppable” meal is pasta; the unused dry pasta & jar/can of sauce will keep for another week just fine. The veggie for the night is typically salad, and I always keep salad ingredients on hand anyway, so nothing is wasted. What about the meat? Well, hopefully I’ll know the night before not to even take it out of the freezer. But just in case, I’ll be sure that there’s another meal on the menu that uses the same meat.
Need Ideas?
There’s many websites dedicated to helping you find new recipes. My own site, justrightmenus.com, has a category for “easily removed from the menu” and for “healthy” recipes. Feel free to add your own recipes to the site, too!
If you have meal-planning advice to share, just leave a comment so others may benefit from your experience.
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