Pork

As a child growing up, my mother never cooked pork. I have just started cooking pork in the last twenty years or so.

Whole pork loin is as cheap as 1.79--more often it goes on sale for 2. Half  loins  are better And more manageable, but whole ones can be shared with another family. Cut them up into pork roast and chops and freeze. Another cut of pork that goes on sale frequently is boneless ribs. those make good crockpot fare.

 I know that you can make pulled pork sandwiches with pork butt, but have never done it. Pork butt is frequently 1. A pound.


PORK CHOPS AND STUFFING

Make dressing
1) 3cups dried bread cubes
2) onion , celery , apple ( about half of a cup each)
3) 1/2 cup hot water or chicken broth
4) 1 T poultry seasoning

Mix together ingredients and place in greased baking pan. Top with pork chops. I brown the chops first. Salt and pepper. Bake at 325covered for 25 min, then uncover and bake another 30 minutes or until juices run clear and no longer pink.

I hope this comes out more like a recipe, this program wants to make one paragraph out of it.

Next time: Almost FREE pizza.

Thanks for stopping by
Jane

EGGS AND CHEESE

Let's talk about eggs and cheese

 Eggs periodically go on sale. They have a pretty far out pull date.

1) hard cooked eggs..lunch?
2) quiche
3) breakfast for dinner is a good save for dinner on the fly
4) Italian fritatta

You can have a pure vegetarian dimmer and sneak in the protein in the form of cream brûlée for desert.

CHEESE

1) Mac and cheese
2)pizza
3)beer cheese soup

I recently got eggs for a dollar a dozen limit four with a store coupon at safe ways check the math, qfc had eggs for 1.69 for 18. That was more expensive.

I never want to pay more than 2.50 a pound for cheese.if grated cheese is more, I grate my own. A food processor is a good investment and more than pays for itself over time. The cheese section is very sneaky. Check the math. Sometimes those little 8 oz bags of shredded cheese are a good buy, but often they are four dollars a pound. I can still find medium cheese in two pou d bricks for 5.00 or less. I stock up. It lasts a long time If left in it's packaging and you can freeze grated cheese. It is best if you freeze store bought grated cheese. It doesn t Clump. But homemade is still good for cheese sauce or Mac and cheese. Grocery outlet is a good source for cheese. Watch the pull dates, if you can use anything almost immediately, buy an  almost stale dated cheese ..check first for mold

Next: PORK

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Let's talk chicken

CHICKEN

Whole chickens go on sale for less than a dollar a pound frequently. I only want to buy northwest grown chickens.  Lately I have found chicken breast for a dollar a pound. My rule is to pay less than 2.25 a pound for meat. Never buy a whole chicken unless it is more than 3 pounds. There is not enough ratio between bone and meat. I roast a chicken one day, and have chicken pot pie one day, and soup base to spare.

You can easily debone chicken and use it for the many recipes for boneless, skinless chicken breast that are out there.

ROAST CHICKEN

Wash chicken well with cold water. Clean out the cavity, rub the cavity with salt. Sometimes I stick lemon or orange slices under the skin. I always stuff the cavity With anything I can find around...onion quartered, lemon, apple, orange just for flavor. Rub outside of the skin with olive oil and put in a roasting pan In the oven at 350 for About twenty min per pound... 165 degrees or until the juices run clear.

Wash everything that has come in contact with raw meat Thorally.

Cooking and shopping for food on the cheap means that you cook from scratch. It doen't  mean that you can t cook fast....just smarter!

Thanks for dropping by.
 Jane

Sausage

To recap: we are developing recipes for low cost dinners that our family will eat.
SAUSAGE
Jimmy Dean sausage is 3 lbs for 6.13 at Costco. When  I get it home, I fry it, drain it well, and pour boiling water over it while it is still in the colander. This gets rid of a lot of the fat. Then divide it into six freezer bags. Label and freeze. When you are ready to cook, just take it out and bang it on the counter.
You can use it for Pizza, Quiche, Soup , Eggs and sausage.

8 ounces divided into four to six portions keeps the fat to a believable amount for a normal person.

Crockpot Sausage and bean soup

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 16 oz can diced tomatoes
3 cans beans of choice. Black, kidney, white.
1quart vegetable stock or beef stock.
8 oz cooked sausage crumbles
2tbls Italian seasoning

Cook vegetables in olive oil Place veggies and remaining ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Thanks for stopping by

jane

Get started

The logical first thing to do is to develop a list of recipes that use inexpensive protien sources. Start with seven and go on from there. There are recipes on the Internet, at the library and cookbooks at antique malls and used book stores. Family members and friends can share as well. Good sources of inexpensive protien are: sausage-(-a little bit goes a long ways) Eggs, Chicken ,Pork, Beans and Rice
and Cheese.

More tommorrow
Thanks for visiting
Jane

Getting Started

I am an old lady with a mission.  After paying your mandatory bills...rent, utilities , transportation, etc, the only thing left to economize on is your discressionary spending.  My mission is to teach people to
grocery shop on the cheap and still provide balanced meals to their families.  Saving money on the food budget can get you through a tough time; or free up some money for enriching your life. 

Grocery shopping on the cheap takes a three prong approach:

1)  Planning and Organizing
2)  Cooking
3) Shopping

In the weeks to come, we will explore each of these areas . 
What you use of the information is your call--  the more you use, the more you will save. 

Thanks for dropping by...

Jane