What Do You Eat When Nothing's on Sale? and the Weekly Specials with Mary Anne

Boy! The sales are really bad this week! I mean, really bad! I am so tempted to do something different this week, though I don’t know just what that would be. Something that doesn’t require me to come up with food stamp budget meals. It’s one thing, though, for me to ignore the fact that there are no good sales for purposes of this blog, and another thing entirely for you, when you have to put three meals a day on the table with no good sales.

Here’s what I found in the way of sales:

Kroger has 10 ears of corn for $3.00, or 30 cents an ear. Cherry tomatoes are 10 for $10.00, or $1.00 each for 10.5 ounces. Green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli crowns, Roma tomatoes, leaf lettuce, peaches, plums and nectarines are all 99 cents a pound. Iceberg lettuce is 99 cents a head. Four half gallons of milk are $5.00, which is $1.25 per half gallon or $2.50 per gallon.

Marsh has bacon for $2.99 a pound. Locally grown whole seedless watermelons (10 – 12 pound average) are $1.99. Locally grown sweet corn is 10 ears for $3.00, or 30 cents an ear. Cabbage is 49 cents a pound.

Walmart has ground chuck for $2.99, or 4.5 pound chubs for $13.45. Whiting (a mild white fish) fillets are $2.50 a pound, or $10.00 for 4 pounds.

Aldi has blueberries for 99 cents a pint and mangoes for 49 cents each. Green and red grapes are 99 cents a pound. Strawberries are $1.49 a pound. Organic baby carrots are 99 cents a pound. Eggs were still $1.19 a dozen when I was there on Tuesday, but milk went from $1.69 a gallon to $2.79 a gallon in a week.

See what I mean about the sales? Some good prices on produce (though I hate to buy produce at the store when it’s available at the Farmers Market), but nothing much on meat.

Speaking of the Farmers Market, don’t forget that you can still exchange up to $16 of food stamps each week for up to $32 dollars of Market Bucks, which means you can get meat, eggs, dairy and produce there for half price. And that includes plants to grow your own food, too.

Okay, here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to come up with menus for the whole week – breakfast, lunch and supper. And I’m going to keep it to an average of $4.15 per person per day, or $29.05 per person for the whole month. And since I’m assuming a household of four people, that comes to $116.20 for the family. That sure sounds like a lot, but I’m sure it’s going to go very fast.

Here are the rules. I’m going to assume that I have a few things on hand – a little bit of ketchup or mustard, some spices, things like that. But most things I’ll have to buy. And I’ll buy them at this week’s real prices. I didn’t get a chance to check all of the prices, but most things are on sale so I know those prices for sure, and I checked on the prices for chicken legs, milk and eggs, and those are the biggest things. I’ll give menus for three meals a day, and the meals will be of reasonable size. I won’t use potatoes or pasta or rice or bread or beans or things like that. And I’m going to spend no more than $116.20 for four people for one week. (For those of you who may have missed it in my previous posts, the average food stamp benefit per person actually received in Indiana is about $116.20 per month. That’s where I’m getting my numbers from.) The meals won’t be exciting, but they will be filling and reasonably nutritious. And they will definitely take advantage of the summer produce!

I know that when money is in short supply (and when money isn't in short supply, too, if that ever happens!) time is likely to be in short supply, too. Some of the recipes and menus are quick and easy to throw together. Others not so much. One of these days I'm going to do a whole week's worth of menus and recipes that are quick as well as cheap, but, unfortunately, that's not this week. Most of them aren't too, bad, though. They probably don't take much more time than piling everyone in the car and going out for fast food, and they're a lot healthier and cheaper.

It took a lot longer this time than it did in April when I presented a week’s worth of menus on a food stamp budget, but I was able to make it work. On paper only. I’m not doing an actual Food Stamp Challenge this week. I’ve done them several times before, usually for a whole month rather than just a week, and I’m sure I’ll do them again. Just not this week. I’ll present my menus first (quantities are given per person), then my shopping list, and finally the recipes. Spoiler alert – I came in at $112.19!

By the way, for a different approach to eating on a Food Stamp Budget, check out Leanne Brown's Good and Cheap: A Snap Cookbook. 

---Mary Anne---

MENU

Monday:

B – eggs scrambled in butter

L – tuna salad (lettuce, tuna, cucumber, grape tomatoes, ranch dressing), grapes

S – roasted chicken leg quarter, OVEN FRIED ZUCCHINI

Tuesday:

B – HOMEMADE YOGURT, blueberries

L – chicken salad (chicken, celery, mayo, teriyaki sauce, lemon juice)

S - EGGS BAKED IN ZUCCHINI with HOLLANDAISE SAUCE, MINT AND WATERMELON SALAD

Wednesday:

B – eggs scrambled in butter

L - CABBAGE SALAD, watermelon

S - ZUCCHINI SKILLET SUPPER, carrots, a peach

Thursday:

B – HOMEMADE YOGURT, blueberries

L - SLICED FRITTATA WITH TOMATO SAUCE, cucumber in sour cream and vinegar

S - EGGPLANT CASSEROLE, CARROT SALAD, fresh green beans

Friday:

B – eggs scrambled in butter

L – tuna salad (lettuce, tuna, cucumber, grape tomatoes, ranch dressing), grapes

S - BZM-MHC MEATLOAF, fresh broccoli, salad (lettuce, cherry tomatoes, ranch dressing)

Saturday:

B - HOMEMADE YOGURT, blueberries

L - BAKED PEACH PANCAKE, salad (lettuce, cherry tomatoes, ranch dressing)

S - TACO SALAD

Sunday:

B – eggs scrambled in butter

L – chicken salad (lettuce, chicken, cucumber, grape tomatoes, ranch dressing), grapes

S - EGGPLANT CASSEROLE, CARROT SALAD, fresh green bean

SHOPPING LIST

Aldi:

7 dozen eggs @ $1.19 per dozen

2 pounds butter @ $2.79 per pound

1 pint sour cream @ $1.29 per pint

5 ounces grated Parmesan cheese @ $1.99 for 5 ounces

8 ounce block cheddar cheese @ $1.99 per block

8 5-ounce cans tuna @ 68 cents per can

3 pints blueberries @ 99 cents per pint

4 pounds grapes @ 99 cents per pound

5 heads lettuce @ 99 cents per head

1 bunch celery @ $1.49 per bunch

1 2-pound bag carrots @ $1.49 per bag

2 3-pound bags onions @ $1.49 per bag

2 16-ounce bottles ranch dressing @ $1.49 per bottle

1 30-ounce jar mayo @ $1.99 per jar

1 16-ounce bottle teriyaki sauce @ $1.99 per bottle

1 25-ounce bottle olive oil @ $3.85 per bottle

3 14.5-ounce cans tomatoes @ 69 cents per can

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce @ 29 cents per can

Kroger:

2 half gallons milk @ $1.25 each

1 pound hot dogs @ $1.00 each

1 loaf bread @ 99 cents each

3 10.5-ounce packs cherry tomatoes @ $1.00 each

2.5 pounds peaches at @ 99 cents per pound

2 pounds green beans @ 99 cents per pound

2 pounds broccoli crowns @ 99 cents per pound

Marsh:

1 watermelon @ $1.99 each

1 2-pound head cabbage @ 49 cents per pound

Walmart:

1 4.5-pound chub ground beef @ $13.45

2 10-pound bags chicken leg quarters @ $6.90 each

1 1-pound jar sunflower seed kernels @ $2.50 each

1 head garlic @ 40 cents each

Farmers Market:

6 cucumbers @ 3 for $2.00

5 large zucchini and 1 huge zucchini @ 3 for $2.00

1 huge zucchini @ 75 cents each

1 eggplant @ $1.00 each

1 green pepper @ 50 cents each

Brassica juncea! Wait, what?

It's that time of year again when the greens are thriving in the gardens. To be specific, mustard greens or Brassica juncea, if you are getting technical. These types of greens are prevalent among Indian, Chinese, and Japanese dishes and known for their distinct thin leaves. They are incredibly easy to grow, making them ideal if you are new to gardening.

Here are some common questions about mustard greens. 

1. How do you identify mustard greens? 

There are many varieties of wild mustard greens, however all of them are edible. 

The western varieties include frilled-oval leaves & mustard spinach (similar to the green leaves of spinach) 

There are over 50 Asian and Chinese mustard green varieties. The most readily available variety is Mizuna, which have bright green fern-like leaves.

2. Are they really that good for us? 

Compounds within Mustard Greens include antioxidants (Vitamin C, E, & A), anti-inflammatory properties (Vitamin K), and with regular consumption, support Cardiovascular health (aids in lowering cholesterol). If you are interested in learning more, click here! 

3. How do you prepare mustard greens? Have any cooking tips or simple recipes? 

First step, wash/soak those greens! An easy washing recipe to use is combining water, vinegar, baking powder, and lemon juice and allow the greens to soak for 10-15 minutes. To eliminate any dirt or residue that may be on the greens. 

Next step, cooking. 

To maintain the healthy compounds of Mustard Greens, the best cooking technique is to sauté (using 5 Tablespoons of either chicken or vegetable broth and sautéing for 5 minutes or so). 

Note:

- Young Mustard Greens have less of a bitter taste, making them ideal for salads

- To store, place greens in a plastic bag and keep in the refrigerator. Be sure to remove as much air as possible! 

Click on the recipe below for a simple dish that was prepared at MHC for patrons to sample. 

Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas and Mustard Greens 

Menus for a Week on a Budget, and Weekly Specials with Mary Anne

April 25, 2014

The sales aren’t great this week. IGA has ground chuck, in three pound or bigger packages, for $2.99 a pound. Honeysuckle fresh ground turkey, 93% lean, is also $2.99 a pound. Shredded cheese is $5.00 for three 8-ounce packages, or $1.67 each. Cauliflower and bunched broccoli are both $1.99 each. How good a price this is depends on how big they are. Prices are good through Sunday, April 27.

Aldi’s ad is unusual this week in that the only food shown is vegetables and one kind of meat. The rest is mostly yard and garden related stuff. Grape tomatoes are 99 cents for 10 ounces. Baby carrots are 79 cents a pound. Mushrooms are 89 cents for 8 ounces. Multi-colored peppers are two for $1.29. Cucumbers are 99 cents for a three pack. Prices are good through next Tuesday, April 29.

Marsh has sweet corn, ten ears for $3.00, or 30 cents an ear. Ground chuck in the family pack is $2.99 a pound. Chicken leg quarters in the family pack are 79 cents a pound. Johnsonville cooked brats or sausage is two 14-16 ounce packs for $6.00, or $3.00 each. Prices are good through next Wednesday, April 30.

Kroger has boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.99 a pound. Fresh green beans are 99 cents a pound. Eggplant is 99 cents each. Breakfast sausage is $2.79 a pound. Assorted cheeses are $3.79 for 12-16 ounce packages. A good price for 16 ounce packages, not so good for 12 ounce. Pints of cottage cheese are three for $4.00, or $1.33 each. Prices are good through next Wednesday, April 30.

It’s not a great bunch of sales this week, is it? Some OK prices on meat, but nothing fantastic. The vegetables at Aldi are the best of the bunch. Doesn’t really leave much room for budget cooking. However, that’s what we have to deal with so, so I guess there’s no point in complaining. Even though it does feel good to do so, sometimes.

I was trying to decide what meat to feature today, and nothing jumped out and said, “Use me! Use me!” I just talked about pork chops a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve talked about chicken a lot, and that’s as close as it comes to good specials this week. So I decided to do something different. I’ve been giving recipes and menus for about three individual meals per week, but there are 21 meals in a week. As I’m sure you know, especially if you’re trying to feed a family.

I decided that this week I’d give a whole week’s worth of menus, trying to keep it within the average food stamp benefit received in Indiana. I’m not sure exactly what that is, but the benefit actually received in Indiana was $132.46 per person per month in 2012 (according to the feds) and it was reduced by about 5.5% last year, so that would take it down to about $125.17, or about $4.17 per day, or about $29.21 per week. Since I’m going to do menus for a week and I’ve been assuming a family of four, that would be about $116.83. That’s as close as I can figure to the average weekly food stamp benefit actually received by a family of four after the cut last year. Anyway, that’s what I’m using as my goal.

So, here’s the deal. I would try to come up with a week’s worth of menus for a family of four, using this week’s ads and current prices for everything not on sale, and keep it below $116.83. And I would stick with my goal of eating just meat, eggs, vegetables, and dairy. No fillers like bread or rice or pasta or noodles or potatoes or beans or things like that. I had no idea when I started whether I’d be able to do it. No, that’s not really true. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to do it, given the dismal state of the weekly ads. At least, not without a lot of tinkering and cutting.

I was very pleasantly surprised. It actually came together very easily, which it doesn’t always do, even when there are great deals. I’m very fortunate that I don’t have to rely on food stamps, but I have done the Food Stamp Challenge several times, sometimes for real and sometimes on paper. Which is not, of course, the same thing as eating on a food stamp budget because you have to. Even on paper is seldom comes together this easily.

How did I come out? I’ll give you my menus and shopping list in a minute, but I’ll give the basics first. It came out to $105.90, or an average of $3.78 per person per day. That’s what I would have had to shell out at the store. For example, that includes a quart of half-and-half, even though I only need two cups this week. But mostly I used up everything I “bought.” I did go back and make some changes that way, so I didn’t end up having to buy a second jar of something if I only needed a couple of tablespoons. And I assumed that I had a few things on hand, like mustard and Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper that I only needed a little bit of.

One more caveat, and then I’ll get into the nitty gritty. I eat very low carb. I believe that it’s the healthiest way for me to eat. That doesn’t mean it’s the healthiest way for you to eat. I’ll leave that up to you and your health care professional. But these menus are based on a low carb eating plan. There’s no cereal or bread or potatoes or rice or pasta or noodles or so forth, but there are lots of vegetables and probably more meat than you’re used to. And definitely lots more eggs and fats! Don’t freak out about that. There is a lot of research that shows that dietary cholesterol isn’t a problem as long as you keep your carbs way down. I’m not a doctor or a dietician and I don’t give medical advice, but from what I’ve read, if you eat a lot of carbs, don’t eat a lot of fat. If you eat a lot of fat, don’t eat a lot of carbs. These menus are low carb and so it’s all right for them to be high fat. Just don’t add a bunch of bread or cookies or dried beans or whole grains or whatever to it and expect it to be healthy.

Okay, now to the menus, and a couple of recipes, and then a shopping list. I’ll tell you where I’m buying things, and if something isn’t on sale this week, I’ll tell you what I used for the cost and why. I didn’t go out and check the price of everything not on sale, but almost everything is on sale and the other prices are pretty current. Again, this is for a family of four for a week, and assuming that you are providing all of the meals. No school lunches, no skipping meals, no eating out, etc.

The menus include a lot more eggs and fat than you’re used to, but also a lot more meat and vegetables. And you’re right – very little dairy and no fruit. That’s intentional, and again, there’s science behind that, but that’s probably the hardest thing for people to accept about eating low carb. If you feel that you need to add milk, make it whole milk, and for fruit use melon and berries if at all possible. Cantaloupe are on sale this week.

There are only three recipes for the whole week, which is actually a lot more like the way I actually eat. I’m much more likely to throw a pork chop in a skillet and nuke some broccoli than I am to fancy things up with a recipe. So three recipes. First, JOE’S SPECIAL, which is a scramble of hamburger, eggs, mushrooms, spinach, onions, and, sometimes, parmesan cheese. It’s a classic from the 1930s or so from San Francisco. Second, HAMBURGER VEGGIE SOUP, which is exactly what it sounds like. Use whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand or are on sale. It makes lots. A dollop of sour cream is good in it, but then a dollop of sour cream is good on just about anything. And finally, SAUSAGE AND MUSHROOM QUICHE. A dollop of sour cream on top of this is good, too.

Now for my shopping list, showing you what I bought and where and for how much. (Remember, this is all on paper; this isn’t my real menu for the week. I’m using up stuff in my freezer and pantry and buying as little as possible this month.)

So that’s how I build a menu out of what’s on sale. It very rarely comes together as nicely and as easily as it did this time. And I know that there can be a world of difference between works out nicely on paper and what works out nicely in the kitchen and on the dining table! What makes it work is the eggs at 79 cents a dozen (if they’re back to their old price of $1.59 a dozen they’ll cost almost $5.00 more), the chicken at 79 cents a pound (though Walmart’s usual price has been ten pounds for $6.90, or 69 cents a pound, which would save over a dollar, even after buying the extra pound), and the great prices on the veggies. Pork chops for $1.59 a pound helps, too. If the ground chuck weren’t on sale, we could have gotten regular ground beef for around $2.50 a pound, so the sale on ground chuck is nice but not critical. And you’ll notice that I didn’t include any coffee (or tea, for me) or desserts or snacks. You may feel that these are important for you and your family. If you have kids (and I am assuming a family of four) then you may need to include snacks. It’s a far from perfect menu, but I hope that you can get some ideas of things that you can include in your meal planning process to help you plan healthy, appetizing meals on a budget.

Where's the Budget Ground Beef? and Weekly Specials with Mary Anne

This is a horrible week for specials! Or maybe it’s just the price increases that they’ve been talking about so much and I don’t recognize good prices. Here are the few things that seem like good deals to me.

Marsh has family pack chicken leg quarters for 79 cents a pound. Three one-pound packs of strawberries are $5.00, or $1.67 per pound. Frozen vegetables are $5.00 for two 32-ounce (two pound) bags. That’s $2.50 per bag, or $1.25 per pound. When comparing this to the price for other vegetables, be sure to check the size of the packages. A lot of them are 10 ounces these days, or maybe 12 ounces. These two-pound bags come out to 78 cents for 10 ounces or 94 cents for 12 ounces. The picture shows corn and broccoli; other vegetables may be on sale, too. These prices are good through next Wednesday, April 2.

IGA has “bunched broccoli” two for $3.00, or $1.50 each. It may be a good price, depending on how big the “bunches” are. Don’t forget that the stalk is good eating, too. It needs to be peeled, though. I use a knife to cut back the thick peel, then pull it off. Most of it comes off that way. “Tomatoes on the Vine” are 99 cents a pound. Frozen vegetables are ten 1-pound bags for $10.00, or $1.00 a pound. “Selected varieties” are at this price; the picture shows a bag of mixed vegetables. “Selected varieties” of canned vegetables are two for $1.00, or 50 cents each. Three 8-ounce packages of chunk cheese are $5.00, or $1.67 each, or $3.33 per pound. Shredded cheese is the same price. These prices are good through Sunday, March 30.

Aldi has fresh broccoli for 99 cents for a 1-pound package. If you shop there, you know that their produce is all prepackaged. I’ve noticed that some vegetables are a lot bigger than they say. You might be able to get a better deal if you can find a big package. Strawberries are $1.49 a pound. These prices are good through Tuesday, April 1.

Kroger has Anjou pears and Asian pears for 99 cents a pound. Are you familiar with Asian pears? They look more like apples, have brown skin and very crisp slightly grainy flesh. Ground turkey is $2.50 a pound.

It seems like all I ever talk about is chicken and pork, chicken and pork, with an occasion foray into fish or hamburger. I’m tired of chicken and pork! But then again, what else is there besides chicken, pork, beef and fish? OK, there’s also lamb (too expensive), turkey (done that one, too), duck and goose (also too expensive), venison (if you happen to hunt), and beef other than hamburger (too expensive). But from a practical standpoint, there’s not much except chicken, pork, beef and fish. The thing to do is to find different ways of fixing them.

Do you realize I’ve been doing this column just over six months now? The first column came out on September 3, 2013. I went back and did some checking and, if I’ve counted correctly (always a questionable assumption), I’ve given 166 recipes so far! A few of them are duplicates, but not many. Probably 150 is more like it. That includes 11 recipes for beef (6 corned beef and 5 hamburger – I thought there were a lot more for hamburger), 40 recipes for chicken (no wonder I’m tired of talking about chicken!) and 10 for turkey, 4 for eggs, 11 for fish, 40 for pork (17 for pork chops and roasts, 11 for ham, and 12 for sausage), 29 for miscellaneous things like tortilla chips and pumpkin pie, 13 for salads, 15 for soups, and 51 for vegetables! Yes, I know that comes to a lot more than 150, but some things fall into more than one category. Like chicken soup is both chicken and soup. Based on this informal and probably inaccurate analysis, it looks like I should see what I can do with hamburger, if it ever goes on sale again. Even at sales prices, though, it’s still too expensive to be much of a “budget” meat.

Hamburger isn’t on sale this week, but IGA has ground chuck for $2.99 a pound in the three pound or bigger packages. I guess that is on sale; I just tend to think that a sale price on hamburger should be under $2.00 a pound. Let’s go with the ground chuck. I’m going to try to keep my dinners to $1.50 per person, but I’m allowing myself some leeway here. I’m willing to go as high as $2.00 per person. That means cutting back on breakfast or lunch to keep the day’s meals at $4.00 per person or less, so I’ll throw in a couple of menus for them, too.

First, BREAKFAST. My breakfasts tend to be pretty boring; how about yours? Especially since I don't eat grains of any type, so no cereal, pancakes or waffles, toast, etc. I don't know how much cereal costs these days, but I'd guess that my eggs are probably cheaper than most name brand sugary cereals.

What’s a cheap LUNCH? How about a big bowl of soup or salad? Not just a bowl of lettuce, but lots of protein, too. And definitely not just a can of soup!

Back to the hamburger recipes. Cabbage rolls are very tedious to make. Or at least it seems to me that they would be. I’ve never actually made them because they sound so finicky. CABBAGE ROLL CASSEROLE gives you the flavor of traditional cabbage rolls without all the blanching and rolling and filling and so forth. A batch of this will cost about $5.00 and will make four big servings. If you want to serve something with it, how about some carrot sticks. A good dollop of sour cream on each serving would be good, too. These will keep it to $6.00 total, or $1.50 per person.

KANSAS CITY BEEF SOUP is full of ground beef and vegetables in a rich butter-and-flour gravy. 

It costs about $9.20 for eight servings, or $1.15 per serving. How about some carrot and celery sticks to go with. Or some wedges of iceberg lettuce with dressing. You can stay under $1.50 per serving either way. Using a can of vegetables instead of the frozen would save 50 for the batch. Or you could use two cans of vegetables instead of the frozen vegetables, which would make it even chunkier and would make the servings a little bit bigger and it would still cost about $9.20.

The final recipe, CHEESY BEEF AND GREEN BEANS, is super quick. The cheese makes it a little more expensive than the other recipes. It comes to $5.80 for four servings. They’re big servings, but you’ll still probably want something to go with it. Some iceberg lettuce with dressing would be good, or a simple cabbage salad or coleslaw. Or some fresh fruit. You could slice up a couple of pounds of the Anjou pears or the Asian pears. They would probably have to be sliced and shared because they will probably be too big for everyone to have a whole pear. Or some canned fruit would be good. Just be sure to get some that’s canned in juice and not in a sugary syrup. It should come to under $8.00, or under $2.00 per person, with any of these additions.

Budget Basics and the Food Stamp Challenge

Some of my friends have said that there's no way they could ever eat on as little as I spend when I'm doing a Food Stamp Challenge. A Food Stamp Challenge (FSC), the way I do it, lasts for a month. I have only $132.42 to spend on food for the whole month, or $4.40 per day. That was the average monthly food stamp benefit per person received in Indiana in 2012. Not the maximum possible, but the average that was actually received per person. With this, I have to buy all of my food. I assume that I started out with absolutely nothing – not even salt and pepper.

I try to make the Challenges as realistic as possible, but I know that I have a lot of advantages that many people who live on food stampsbecause they have to and for long periods of time don’t have. For one thing, I know that it’s just for a month and that I can quit any time I want to. Just knowing that is a big help when I get tired of it or want to eat something that I “can’t afford.” I also have the advantage of not working, so I have lots of time to cook. And I have transportation and can go around to the different stores to get stuff wherever it’s cheapest. And I have lots of small appliances and freezer containers and pots and pans and things like that. And I have lots of cookbooks and the time to look through them and to look on the internet to find recipes that use what’s on sale.

I do have a couple of disadvantages, too. The biggest one is that I am diabetic and I really limit my carbs. That means nothing with sugar in it, and no processed foods. More important from a budget point of view, that means nothing with any grain in it (no pasta or noodles or rice or bread or ramen, etc.), no potatoes, and no dried beans. These are all the “fillers” that seem to be at the heart of most “budget” menus and recipes. And no processed foods means very little of the stuff that’s on sale. The good thing about this is that I’m already used to not eating junk food, so I don’t have that bad and expensive habit to break. I eat almost exclusively meat, eggs, vegetables and a little bit of dairy, and, as you know, these aren’t cheap.

Here’s what I told my friends recently, when they said they could never live on just $4.40 per day.

The first Challenge I ever did, which was several years ago, was hard, but each one has gotten easier. The first menus were very clunky and stilted and unimaginative. Over time, though, I've gotten together a set of recipes that use stuff that's often on sale or priced unusually low (around here that's chicken leg quarters from Walmart, whole fryers/roasters at Aldi, and frequent sales on pork and sometimes hamburger). I have basic menus that I eat over and over. Fortunately, I don't mind leftovers, and in fact have them a lot whether I'm on a FSC or not. I still eat full, healthy, satisfying meals, but I stop when I've had enough. I know that if I eat too much today, I might not have enough left for the end of the month. 

Here are a few tips, not just for a FSC, but for eating more cheaply in general. These are the same tips you'll get from just about anyone who's trying to tell you how to save money on food, but it helps to have them repeated sometimes. 

First, take a look at your meat sources. Do a thorough job of this once so you know what the regular prices are, then do it again periodically to see how they change. WRITE DOWN THE PRICES! If something goes on sale, write that down too. 

For example, I know that around here, Walmart's regular price on chicken leg quarters is $5.90 for a 10 pound bag. That comes out to about 59 cents for a leg quarter (thigh, drumstick, and bit of back). That's my basic, go-to budget meat. But I have to remember to budget for the whole $5.90 because that's what I have to spend. It doesn't make sense (and more importantly doesn't work!) to figure on just one or two leg quarters. I have to plan to eat, and to actually eat, the whole bag during the month or other budget period. Aldi's regular price on whole chickens is 89 cents a pound, and I've gotten some really big ones there. The biggest, I think, was almost 9 pounds, which made a delicious roaster. Again, it was the whole price of almost $8 that was important. I got a lot of meals out of that one bird, but I had to plan for them all. Because I know these prices, I know that I can get the meat for a meal for 59 cents, and I compare all other meat prices against that. 

Hamburger is usually between $2.25 and $2.50 a pound, if I buy it in 5 pound chubs. I figure that about half a pound of hamburger is a "serving" for me (remember, I eat just meat and veggies), so that's well over $1 a serving. It sometimes goes on sale for just under $2, and when it does, I buy some. Not a lot, because even at $1.87 (the last price I bought it at), that's still almost 95 cents a serving. Hamburger always goes into a soup or casserole so I can stretch it way out. 

Pork frequently goes on sale. Marsh sometimes has pork combo packs (ribs, chops and roast) for 98 cents a pound, but you have to buy at least $25 worth of other stuff. Their other prices are higher than Walmart or Aldi, so I haven't been getting them. I should go ahead and do it anyway, even if I do have to pay more for the rest. The usual sale price on pork is about $1.97. Even at 98 cents a pound, though, that’s between $10 and $15 for the pack, and I have to be able to work that whole amount into my budget. If it’s at the end of the month, when I’ve spent most of my money, I’m out of luck.

There are definitely kinds and cuts of meat that I wish I could get. I would love to have a beef roast. Even chuck would be good. But even on sale it's between $2.50 and $4.00 a pound, and that just doesn't work. I would continue to get the cheap leg quarters even if I preferred the white meat, because it's so much cheaper. Fortunately I prefer the dark meat anyway. 

I do the same thing with eggs and dairy. Aldi's regular price on cottage cheese is $2.29 for 24 ounces. Sour cream is $1.29 a pint. Butter just came down from $2.49 to $1.99 a pound. Cheese is $1.79 for an 8 ounce block. These are the best non-sale prices in town, and I compare sale prices to them. Whipping cream, on the other hand, is $1.99 a pint at Aldi and around $3.76 a quart at Walmart and Sam's. I get my cream at Walmart or Sam's, if I'm going there anyway. If not, I go ahead and pay the few cents extra at Aldi, because I know that if I go to Walmart or Sam's I won't get out with just the cream. Eggs are a different matter. They seem to vary a lot even when they're not on sale. I figure that the "regular" price is about $1.49 a dozen. When Aldi has them for $1.29 I really stock up. I think I bought 10 dozen the last time they were that price. 

And the same with vegetables. My basics there are cabbage, carrots, onions, and frozen broccoli. Frozen spinach used to be one of my basics, but Walmart's price on that jumped from $1.99 for 26 ounces to $1.58 for 16 ounces, so I don't get as much of that. I prefer fresh broccoli, but it's a lot cheaper frozen. And I prefer chopped broccoli, but what Walmart has for 99 cents a pound is broccoli cuts. Oh well. I make do. Aldi has the cheapest canned veggies by far, so I always get them there. Not much variety - just canned green beans and canned tomatoes. I would rather have more variety when it comes to veggies, especially fresh ones, but these are what's affordable. I seldom do the FSC during the summer when there are so many wonderful veggies at the Farmers Market! They're not cheap, but they're good.

Other than that - the basics like mayo and seasonings - when I'm on a FSC I usually have mayo, salt and pepper, cinnamon and chili powder, mustard and salad dressing. And that's about it. That's because I usually start with absolutely nothing when I do a FSC. It would be more realistic to start with whatever I had left over at the end of the last FSC, at least in terms of things like a part of a jar of mayo, some mustard, a few seasonings, etc. Then the next month I wouldn't need to buy them and could buy a few other staples, instead, or stock up on something when it’s on sale.

So there's the shopping part of doing a FSC. It's pretty much what you've read everywhere else, though the foods are probably different. No potatoes, pasta, bread, dried beans, or ramen. Instead, lots of the cheapest meats and veggies, and a little bit of dairy that I buy at the cheapest places. It's not necessarily the kinds of meat and veggies that I prefer, or the cuts that I prefer, but it's the cheapest kinds. I don’t know what I really spend on food, when I’m not doing a Challenge, but I’m sure it’s way more than $132.42 most months. I am fortunate to have a deep freeze so I can really stock up on meat when it’s on sale, which means that what I spend fluctuates wildly, depending on what the sales are.

As for actual menus, breakfast is usually eggs. Lunch is usually either soup or a salad, and the protein is usually either tuna, chicken or eggs. Supper is usually meat and veggies, sometimes separately and sometimes in a casserole or soup or stew. Sometimes I have a salad to go with it, but usually not, except in summer. No desserts, but then I don’t eat them anyway.

And that’s it. I don’t have any special secret to how I do it. It’s the same sort of thing you find in Good Housekeeping or other magazines when they talk about how to cut your food budget. I think the things that really make it work for me are that I don’t mind leftovers and that I have access to lots and lots of recipes. The fact that I like to cook really helps, too!

What Do You Eat When Nothing's On Sale?

Okay, here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to come up with menus for the whole week – breakfast, lunch and supper. And I’m going to keep it to an average of $4.15 per person per day, or $29.05 per person for the whole month. And since I’m assuming a household of four people, that comes to $116.20 for the family. That sure sounds like a lot, but I’m sure it’s going to go very fast.

Here are the rules. I’m going to assume that I have a few things on hand – a little bit of ketchup or mustard, some spices, things like that. But most things I’ll have to buy. And I’ll buy them at this week’s real prices. I didn’t get a chance to check all of the prices, but most things are on sale so I know those prices for sure, and I checked on the prices for chicken legs, milk and eggs, and those are the biggest things. I’ll give menus for three meals a day, and the meals will be of reasonable size. I won’t use potatoes or pasta or rice or bread or beans or things like that. And I’m going to spend no more than $116.20 for four people for one week. (For those of you who may have missed it in my previous posts, the average food stamp benefit per person actually received in Indiana is about $116.20 per month. That’s where I’m getting my numbers from.) The meals won’t be exciting, but they will be filling and reasonably nutritious. And they will definitely take advantage of the summer produce!

I know that when money is in short supply (and when money isn't in short supply, too, if that ever happens!) time is likely to be in short supply, too. Some of the recipes and menus are quick and easy to throw together. Others not so much. One of these days I'm going to do a whole week's worth of menus and recipes that are quick as well as cheap, but, unfortunately, that's not this week. Most of them aren't too, bad, though. They probably don't take much more time than piling everyone in the car and going out for fast food, and they're a lot healthier and cheaper.

It took a lot longer this time than it did in April when I presented a week’s worth of menus on a food stamp budget, but I was able to make it work. On paper only. I’m not doing an actual Food Stamp Challenge this week. I’ve done them several times before, usually for a whole month rather than just a week, and I’m sure I’ll do them again. Just not this week. I’ll present my menus first (quantities are given per person), then my shopping list, and finally the recipes. Spoiler alert – I came in at $112.19!

By the way, for a different approach to eating on a Food Stamp Budget, check out Leanne Brown's Good and Cheap: A Snap Cookbook. 

---Mary Anne---

MENU

Monday:

B – eggs scrambled in butter

L – tuna salad (lettuce, tuna, cucumber, grape tomatoes, ranch dressing), grapes

S – roasted chicken leg quarter, OVEN FRIED ZUCCHINI

Tuesday:

B – HOMEMADE YOGURT, blueberries

L – chicken salad (chicken, celery, mayo, teriyaki sauce, lemon juice)

S - EGGS BAKED IN ZUCCHINI with HOLLANDAISE SAUCE, MINT AND WATERMELON SALAD

Wednesday:

B – eggs scrambled in butter

L - CABBAGE SALAD, watermelon

S - ZUCCHINI SKILLET SUPPER, carrots, a peach

Thursday:

B – HOMEMADE YOGURT, blueberries

L - SLICED FRITTATA WITH TOMATO SAUCE, cucumber in sour cream and vinegar

S - EGGPLANT CASSEROLE, CARROT SALAD, fresh green beans

Friday:

B – eggs scrambled in butter

L – tuna salad (lettuce, tuna, cucumber, grape tomatoes, ranch dressing), grapes

S - BZM-MHC MEATLOAF, fresh broccoli, salad (lettuce, cherry tomatoes, ranch dressing)

Saturday:

B - HOMEMADE YOGURT, blueberries

L - BAKED PEACH PANCAKE, salad (lettuce, cherry tomatoes, ranch dressing)

S - TACO SALAD

Sunday:

B – eggs scrambled in butter

L – chicken salad (lettuce, chicken, cucumber, grape tomatoes, ranch dressing), grapes

S - EGGPLANT CASSEROLE, CARROT SALAD, fresh green bean

SHOPPING LIST

Aldi:

7 dozen eggs @ $1.19 per dozen

2 pounds butter @ $2.79 per pound

1 pint sour cream @ $1.29 per pint

5 ounces grated Parmesan cheese @ $1.99 for 5 ounces

8 ounce block cheddar cheese @ $1.99 per block

8 5-ounce cans tuna @ 68 cents per can

3 pints blueberries @ 99 cents per pint

4 pounds grapes @ 99 cents per pound

5 heads lettuce @ 99 cents per head

1 bunch celery @ $1.49 per bunch

1 2-pound bag carrots @ $1.49 per bag

2 3-pound bags onions @ $1.49 per bag

2 16-ounce bottles ranch dressing @ $1.49 per bottle

1 30-ounce jar mayo @ $1.99 per jar

1 16-ounce bottle teriyaki sauce @ $1.99 per bottle

1 25-ounce bottle olive oil @ $3.85 per bottle

3 14.5-ounce cans tomatoes @ 69 cents per can

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce @ 29 cents per can

Kroger:

2 half gallons milk @ $1.25 each

1 pound hot dogs @ $1.00 each

1 loaf bread @ 99 cents each

3 10.5-ounce packs cherry tomatoes @ $1.00 each

2.5 pounds peaches at @ 99 cents per pound

2 pounds green beans @ 99 cents per pound

2 pounds broccoli crowns @ 99 cents per pound

Marsh:

1 watermelon @ $1.99 each

1 2-pound head cabbage @ 49 cents per pound

Walmart:

1 4.5-pound chub ground beef @ $13.45

2 10-pound bags chicken leg quarters @ $6.90 each

1 1-pound jar sunflower seed kernels @ $2.50 each

1 head garlic @ 40 cents each

Farmers Market:

6 cucumbers @ 3 for $2.00

5 large zucchini and 1 huge zucchini @ 3 for $2.00

1 huge zucchini @ 75 cents each

1 eggplant @ $1.00 each

1 green pepper @ 50 cents each

Hamburger Veggie Soup

1 lb ground beef

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 c chopped celery

1 lb baby carrots, sliced

8 oz mushrooms, washed and sliced

8 oz cabbage, shredded

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can green beans

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 t oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef, onion, garlic and celery. Drain the fat off if you want to; I seldom do. Add the rest of the ingredients, plus a tomato can of water that you use to rinse out the can. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the carrots and cabbage are done.

Joe's Special

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

14 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

8 oz mushrooms, washed and sliced

½ t oregano

6 eggs, beaten (or not - I almost never beat eggs before I add them to anything)

Dash nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have exuded their liquid and it has evaporated. Add the ground beef and garlic and cook until the meat is browned. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach is done. Add the eggs, nutmeg and salt and pepper and scramble it all together, cooking it until the eggs are as done as you like them.

Weekly Shopping List

Here's my shopping list for the week of April 28, based on the sales that week. This is assuming four people who eat all three meals a day at home, for one week. Twenty-one meals in total. It comes to a total of $105.92. Not bad, huh?

ALDI

6 dozen eggs at 79 cents per dozen (price when I was there on Monday)

1 pound butter at $2.19 (advertised price)

3-1/2 pounds of mushrooms at 89 cents for 8 ounces (advertised price)

3-pound bag of onions for $1.49 (they’re usually about that at Aldi’s)

3 heads of lettuce at 99 cents per head (I’ve seen that price there a lot but not sure it’s current)

4 1-pound bags baby carrots at 79 cents a bag (advertised price)

2 heads celery at 79 cents a head (price when I was there Monday)

8 cans of tuna at 68 cents per can (price when I was there Monday)

1 30-ounce jar of mayo (price the last time I checked there, about a month ago)

4 10-ounce packs of grape tomatoes (advertised price)

2 3-packs of cucumbers at 99 cents a pack (advertised price)

1 pint sour cream at $1.29 (I think that was the price)

1 quart half and half for $1.49 (they may have raised the price to $1.69 recently)

1 can diced tomatoes for 59 cents (price when I was there on Monday)

1 can green beans for 49 cents (price when I was there on Monday)

1 jar salad dressing at $1.39 (price the last time I bought some)

KROGER

4 pint (16 ounce each) cartons of cottage cheese at 3 for $4.00 (advertised price)

1 pound breakfast sausage for $2.79 (advertised price)

MARSH

19 pounds of chicken leg quarters at 79 cents a pound (advertised price – family pack)

12 ears of sweet corn at 10 for $3.00 (advertised price)

3 pounds ground chuck at $2.99 per pound (advertised price – family pack)

1 package (14 – 16 ounce) Johnsonville brats at 2 for $6.00 (advertised price)

IGA

1 head cauliflower at $1.99 per head (advertised special)

3 pounds ground chuck at $2.99 per pound (advertised special – same as Marsh)

8 ounce shredded cheese at 3 for $5.00 (advertised special)

2 bunches broccoli at $1.99 each (advertised special)

WALMART

1 pound sunflower seeds (price the last time I got them)

2-1/2 pounds cabbage at 59 cents a pound (I think that was the latest price I paid there)

1 head garlic estimated at 60 cents (it’s sold by the pound so it varies)

1 28-ounce bag frozen spinach at $1.97 (I think that was the latest price I paid there)

THINGS I ASSUME YOU HAVE SO NOT ON SHOPPING LIST

2 tablespoons mustard

2 tablespoons lemon juice (bottled is what I use)

4 teaspoons vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon oregano

Dash nutmeg

Salt and pepper

Menus for a Week for Four for under $110.00!

So here are the menus that I came up with. They're not exciting, but they are good and they are filling and they are nutritious and they are cheap! Three meals a day for a week for four people - for just $105.90. And that's assuming you have very little to start with other than things like salt and pepper, mustard, and a very few other condiments.

MONDAY

12 eggs scrambled in 4 tablespoons butter (3 eggs per person)

Salad of 1/2 head lettuce, 1 pound carrots, 1/2 head of celery, 4 cans tuna, 4 hard-boiled eggs, 3/4 cup mayo (1 can tuna and 1 egg per person, plus veggies and mayo)

4 pork chops (2 pounds), with a pound of mushrooms and 2 onions sautéed in 4 tablespoons of butter, and half a head of lettuce with half a cup of salad dressing (one 8-ounce pork chop with vegetables and salad with 2 tablespoons of dressing per person)

TUESDAY

1 quart cottage cheese and 8 ounces sunflower seeds (1 cup cottage cheese and 2 ounces sunflower seeds per person)

Salad of 1/2 head lettuce, 10 ounces grape tomatoes (that’s one box), 1 cucumber, 1/2 pound baby carrots, 4 cups chicken (meat from4 leg quarters, cooked and boned), and 3/4 c salad dressing (1 cup chicken and 3 tablespoons dressing per person, plus a bunch of vegetables)

1 pound brats, 4 ears sweet corn, 4 tablespoons butter, salad of one pound cabbage with 1/2 c mayo and 1/2 onion (1 brat and 1 ear of corn per person, with a tablespoon of butter per person for the corn, and some cabbage salad)

WEDNESDAY

12 eggs scrambled in 4 tablespoons butter (3 eggs per person)

Salad of 1/2 head cauliflower, 1/2 head celery, meat from 1-1/2 pounds pork chops, 1/2 c mayo, 1 T mustard, 1 T lemon juice (meat from 6 ounces of pork chops per person, plus the veggies and dressing)

4 chicken leg quarters (1 pound each), 1 bunch broccoli with 2 tablespoons butter, salad of 1/2 head lettuce with 10 ounces grape tomatoes and 1/2 c salad dressing

THURSDAY

1 quart cottage cheese and 8 ounces sunflower seeds (1 cup cottage cheese and 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds per person)

Soup of 1 quart homemade chicken broth (made with the bones from the chicken), 3 cups chicken (meat from 3 leg quarters at 1 pound each), 1/2 bunch chopped broccoli, 1/2 pound sliced baby carrots, 4 ounces sliced mushrooms, and 4 eggs (1 cup broth, 3/4 cup chicken and 1 egg per person, plus the vegetables)

Joe’s Special (scramble of 1 pound hamburger, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 14 ounces (half of a 28 ounce bag) frozen spinach, 8 ounces mushrooms and 6 eggs), salad of 1 cucumber with 1/4 c sour cream and 1 t vinegar (4 ounces hamburger, 1 egg and lots of veggies per person)

FRIDAY

12 eggs scrambled in 4 tablespoons butter (3 eggs per person)

Salad of 1/2 head lettuce, 10 ounces grape tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 1/2 pound baby carrots, 4 cups chicken (meat from 4 leg quarters at one pound each), 3/4 cup salad dressing (1 cup chicken and 3 tablespoons dressing per person, plus the veggies)

4 pork chops (2 pounds), 4 ears sweet corn with 4 tablespoons butter, salad of 1 pound cabbage with 1/2 onion and 1/2 cup mayo (1 8-ounce pork chop and 1 ear of corn with 1 tablespoon butter per person, plus cabbage salad)

SATURDAY

12 eggs scrambled with 8 ounces of mushrooms and 1/2 onion sautéed in 4 tablespoons butter

Salad of 1/2 head lettuce, 1 pound carrots, 1/2 head of celery, 4 cans tuna, 4 hard-boiled eggs, 3/4 cup mayo (1 can tuna and 1 egg per person, plus veggies and mayo)

Soup of 1 pound ground beef, 1 onion, 8 ounces mushrooms, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can green beans, 8 ounces cabbage, 2 cloves garlic, 1 cup celery, 1 pound baby carrots (4 ounces ground beef plus lots of vegetables per person)

SUNDAY

Quiche of 6 eggs, 1 pound sausage, 8 ounces cheese, 2 cups half and half, 8 ounces mushrooms (1-1/2 eggs, 4 ounces sausage, 2 ounces cheese, 1/2 c half and half per person plus mushrooms)

Salad of 4 cups chicken (meat from 4 leg quarters at 1 pound each), 1/2 head cauliflower, 1/2 head celery (less the cup of celery that went into Saturday’s soup), 1/2 cup mayo, 1 T mustard, 1 T lemon juice (1 cup chicken and 2 tablespoons mayo per person, plus veggies)

4 pork chops (2 pounds), 4 ears sweet corn with 4 tablespoons butter, salad of 10 ounces grape tomatoes and one cucumber in 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 tablespoon vinegar (1 8-ounce pork chop and 1 ear of corn with 1 tablespoon of butter per person, plus the salad)

Budget Lunches

The average daily food stamp benefit in Indiana in 2014 is about $4.16 per person. I usually try to break that down as $1.00 for breakfast, $1.25 for lunch and $1.50 for supper, and the extra 39 cents a day (about $11.70 per month) to cover things that you have to buy more of than you need that month, like a jar of mayo when you just need part of a jar. I can usually squeeze supper out for about $1.50 by using what's on sale, but sometimes the sales just don't cooperate and I have to go over. Fortunately there are several quick and easy lunches that run less than $1.25 and so leave some extra for supper. Here are some examples. 

Salad. A can of tuna is 69 cents at Aldi. Add a couple of tablespoons of mayo (about 7 cents), a chopped carrot (about 15 cents), a bit of pickle relish (about 10 cents), and some lettuce (99 cents a head for iceberg lettuce) and you’ve got a big lunch for about $1.20. Or make the same kind of salad with hard boiled eggs instead of tuna. With four eggs it will come to about $1.05. Or a cup of chicken, from the leg quarters at Walmart, for about $1.20. 

Soup. A cup of homemade bone broth (you are saving all of your bones and making broth out of them, aren’t you?), half a pound of frozen vegetables (spinach and broccoli are best, or whatever you have or is on sale, so let’s say 65 cents for half a pound of broccoli from Marsh, since we know they have broccoli), some cream or milk (21 cents for half a cup of half and half at Aldi), a couple of tablespoons of grated cheese (25 cents at Aldi), and some seasonings and you’ve got a big hearty bowl of soup for about $1.15 if you use homemade bone broth, or $1.40 if you use canned chicken broth. Or you can just buy canned soup and stay around $1.00, though you never know what’s really in it.

8/1/14 - Sliced Frittata with Tomato Sauce, German Pancakes, Baked Peach Pancakes

7/18/14 - COTTAGE CHEESE ZUCCHINI PANCAKES. Less than $1.00 per serving topped with fruit on July 18, 2014, using big zucchini from the Farrmers Market to make BZM (BASIC ZUCCHINI MIXTURE), which you can make during the summer when the big zucchini are cheap and plentiful and then freeze until you need it when they're not. Even cheaper if you use HOMEMADE YOGURT. Get your yogurt starter from the Hub.

Budget Breakfast

When I'm figuring how much a meal should cost in order to keep the month's food at or under the average Indiana food stamps allowance actually received, I usually figure $1.00 for breakfast. However, because it's getting harder and harder to get in a good supper for no more than $1.50, the amount that I allow for supper, I've started posting Budget Breakfasts - complete breakfasts that I'm going to try to keep to no more than 50 cents per person. Nothing fancy, of course, but reasonably good and nutritious breakfasts that don't rely on bread, cereal, oatmeal, or other grain-based dishes. Sometimes the menus will depend on what's on sale at the time, so I'll include the date.

8/1/14 - German Pancakes, Baked Peach Pancake

7/11/14 - 1 cup of homemade yogurt with 1/2 cup of chopped peaches - 40 cents OR Peach Smoothie, over 2 cups - 45 cents

7/4/14 - Strawberry & Blueberry Smoothie Deluxe, about 1-3/4 cup - 50 cents

6/20/14 - Honeydew Smoothie, about 1-3/4 cup - 25 cents

6/13/14 - 1 cup of homemade yogurt and either a fourth of a cup of raspberries or half a cup of blueberries, plus a few slivered almonds - 50 cents

6/6/14 - 3 eggs scrambled in 2 teaspoons of butter - 50 cents

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, or Do It Yourself?

I’ve been wondering how the price of split fryer breasts and boneless, skinless fryer breasts compare. You can often get the split breasts for 89 or 99 cents a pound, and boneless, skinless breasts are often on sale for $1.89 or $1.99. I had a pack of split fryer breasts and I cut off the meat to make pieces like the boneless skinless kind you can buy. I don’t remember the exact numbers, but when I compared the cost of the original chicken to the cost of the meat I had cut off at the boneless, skinless price, they came out almost exactly equal. I paid the same for the split fryer breasts as I would have if I had bought the boneless, skinless fryer breasts. And I had the skin and the bones and the meat on the bones, besides. I cooked up the skin to make Chicken Crisps, boiled the bones to make bone broth, and there was enough chicken left on the bones to make a salad. So, the result of my little experiment was that it really is cheaper to buy the split fryer breasts and do the work yourself. Of course, the ones that are already boned and skinned are quicker and easier to use. I use both.

Figure that about half the weight of the split chicken breasts will be in the boneless, skinless portions, so if you need a pound of boneless skinless chicken, you’ll need to start with two pounds of split chicken breasts. Between 8 and 9 ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast will yield a cup of diced, cooked meat. Let’s call it 8 ounces, so 1 pound of split chicken breast will yield about 1 cup of diced, cooked meat. More or less. That’s about 99 cents per cup of cooked meat this week (March 21, 2014), plus you get the bones, the skin, and some meat that’s left on the bones after you cut off the big chunks.

Chicken Stock or Bone Broth

When you’re trying to save on the food budget, it’s important not to waste anything. This goes for the bones, too. The bones from the chicken legs can be used to make chicken stock, or broth. Save up all of your bones in the freezer, and when you get a bunch of them (say, three pounds or more), make a big batch of stock and use it to make soup. Freeze the rest of the stock to use in soup later. The vinegar is to leach out the calcium and other minerals from the bones. You shouldn’t taste the vinegar in the stock or in the soups you make with it.

3 lbs or more chicken bones, either raw or previously cooked

            (or use backs and necks and wingtips)

½ onion

1 stalk celery

1 T white or apple cider vinegar

2 to 3 quarts water

1 T poultry seasoning (optional)

Parsley, pepper, thyme, or other herbs (optional)

On top of the stove: Put everything in a big pot. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 4 hours. Strain. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

In the slow cooker: Put everything in the slow cooker. Cook on low for at least 8 hours, preferably 12 or even 24. The longer the better. Strain. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

You may think that the stock is blah if you taste it by itself. That’s because there’s no salt in it. You’ll need to add salt when you make the soup, probably more than the recipe calls for. Most recipes assume that you’ll use canned chicken broth or stock, and they tend to be pretty salty.

By the way, I include bones that I’ve chewed on. I make my stock in the slow cooker and cook it at least 24 hours. I figure that if there are any germs strong enough to survive that, they’re going to get me anyway! Out of consideration for the squeamishness of others, I wouldn’t use my chicken stock in a recipe that I’m serving to guests, and, unless they’re family, I wouldn’t use the bones that other people have chewed on. I’m sure they’d be safe and all, but I’m a bit squeamish, too.

I figure that the broth is free. Yes, there’s the cost of the onion, celery and herbs, but they don’t come to much. I make my broth in a 6-quart slow cooker and I usually get about eight pints of broth. That’s less than five cents a pint.