Dinner on a dime

Not quite literally a dime but pretty stinkin cheap! I got what I consider to be the best kitchen appliance ever. I'm about 10 years behind but I finally got a Kitchenaid stand mixer! I love it! I knew that to really put it to good use I would also need the meat grinder attachment and my super husband came through.

I love going to the grocery store in the morning and checking out the markdown meat. My meat grinder attachment has proven invaluable in the few short Weeks that we've had it.

A good quality, low fat, ground beef tends to run over $3.29/lb in my area. Ground chicken and turkey can be found for around $2.79/lb. However, boneless chicken breasts are regularly $1.99/lb and I never pay over $2/lb for beef of any kind. I scope out the markdown meat and get whatever I can that falls within those pricing parameters.

I sort through my meat. All of the cheap cuts of beef are ground up, put into ziplock bags, labeled and put in the deep freeze. If the chicken is boneless,I usually grind up about half of it and save the other half (especially if it's chicken breast). If I buy bone in chicken I cook all that I can fit into my roasting pan in one go. I fill my roasting pan with just enough water to cover most of the chicken, pop it into the oven on 375° for about an hour, let it cool, shred it up and into the freezer it goes. Shredded chicken is so versatil & we use it quite a bit. Don't throw out the liquid on the roasting pan because it can be boiled down and placed in the freezer as well so you should never have to buy chicken stock. I thought it was funny around the holidays to see people with 5 cartons of chicken broth in their carts and I've got a couple gallons at home that's fresher and virtually free!

I also like to check out the fresh produce section because I always find amazing deals. I was able to score 2 packages of romaine hearts for $0.25 each today. I plan my meals in advance but allow leeway for deals like this that come along.

For instance; I pulled 2#of frozen ground chicken out of the freezer last night planning to make spaghetti. I found the lettuce deal so I'm making meatloaf and salad instead. Total cost breakdown:
Chicken, $1.99/ lb x 2#
2pkgs lettuce, $0.50
2  cans vegs @ $0.50@, $1
Mac n Cheese, free (leftovers from last night)
Meatloaf filler, roughly $1

Total cost: $6.50 & we'll definitely have leftovers

Another example, I got a turkey after Christmas for $7 & it was an almost 22# turkey. I made it and we had that for dinner one night, turkey tetrazene the next night, turkey casserole the next night and with the turkey we have left in the freezer i'm going to make turkey pot pie. That one turkey was able to serve as the main course in 4 meals plus we made turkey sandwiches for lunch! I've found when you mix it up and use the same meat in different ways, you don't get tired of it. I don't eat beef or pork but I still buy and make it for the kids and my husband so they don't feel like their missing out.

I made a list of every dish containing meat that I can make and I store or in my coupon notebook. If I find a piece of markdown meat@the store I scan through my list and find something we haven't had in a while and I then gather the ingredients while I'm at the store. It's a win for the budget and a win for the family who likes different things. I personally could live off of chicken Caesar salads but majority rules so I'm forced to mix it up a little more than