Bone-in Split Chicken Breasts

March 17, 2011 by Tracy

A little over two years ago I learned about bone-in split chicken breasts from reading a blog post by Erin Chase.

Before reading her explanation I had seen this cut of chicken on sale, but I really did not have any recipes or ideas of how to use it. Since I had no clue, I bypassed the great sale.

Today I hope to let you in on a secret that saves our family lots of money on chicken.

For the most part, I cook and bake only boneless chicken breasts and tenderloins. But on sale chicken breasts can still be over $2.00 per pound – OUCH!

Chicken Sale Price

Without a sale, bone-in split chicken breasts run about $2.50 per pound, but you are still paying for the bone. But with a sale – a great sale, I find bone-in split chicken breast (or split chicken breast with ribs) on sale for $.99 per pound. At this great price, I stock up!

In fact, three weeks ago I purchased 7 lbs. of split chicken breast with ribs, which was two packages, at Bi-Lo at $.99 per pound for a total of $6.95. I then brought the chicken home and cut it. The result was 6 boneless chicken breasts, 6 tenderloins, and 8 cups of chicken broth!

Chicken Purchase and Preparation

Do you want to know how you can snag this deal as well? Let me share how you can do the same:

1. Look in your grocery store sales ad and wait for split chicken breast to go on sale for $.99 per pound. If you live near a Bi-Lo, you can snag this sale Friday – Sunday, March 18-20, per the weekly advertisement.

2. Purchase what you need to last you about 6 weeks. Since sales usually run in cycles about every 6 weeks, I stock up on items when they are at their rock bottom price to last me until the next sale. In this case, the chicken sale repeated in 3 weeks. I will still be going to Bi-Lo this weekend to stock up!

3. Read this post by Erin Chase at the $5 Dinner Mom. Erin walks you through skinning and cutting the chicken. I love the picture explanations!

4. After watching Erin take the chicken and remove the breast and tenderloin from the bone, go try it! Erin does a great job in her post, but she is a pro at cutting the chicken. I am not! I have learned along the way, so I will include what has worked for me.

Tracy’s Tips from Erin’s instructions:

The first few times I tried to cut the chicken, I tore up the tenderloin. I could not find it because I did not cut the breast all the way to the bone. After the third or fourth try, the chicken was cut differently in the package. The butcher was really kind, and I found the tenderloin very easily in that batch of chicken. I have not had any more problems finding the tenderloin since that batch.

If you only get the chicken breasts, then you still got a great deal! I just chalked up my mistakes to needing some more practice. My practice has paid off! But I did not start out well. I tell you this to encourage you if the tenderloin does not surface.

I have found it easier to use a knife to start getting the chicken away from the bone. Then I use my hands to pry the chicken away. This system has worked for me since I do not end up cutting the tenderloin which is tucked up under the breast against the bone. If you are squeamish about handling raw chicken, then this tip might not work for you.

When I make my chicken broth in the crock pot, I cook it all night, and then let it cool during the day. I then measure out 2 cups at a time, and freeze it in GLAD containers.

How about you? Are you ready to save some money? This process used to take me quite some time – about an hour from start to finish.

Having perfected my system, I can accomplish cutting and freezing the cuts in about 30 minutes. Is this time well spent? It is for me. I try to work on the chicken after dinner or while dinner is cooking.

This little bit of time saves me so much money. I hope you find the savings worth your effort as well!

Question: What is your favorite chicken breast or tenderloin recipe?

Hamburger Helper: Asian Beef Fried Rice

May 19, 2011 by Tracy

Delicious new variety

Do you enjoy the boxed Hamburger Helper mixes from Betty Crocker? I have purchased some of the varieties in the past, fixed them for quick dinners, and decided not to purchase those again. I like the convenience of the boxed meals, but the taste of the ingredients, especially the cheese, leaves an aftertaste. Not caring for the lingering sensations, I have opted to bypass sales on Hamburger Helper. Until . . . last week when I had a $5 off any purchase of $25 or more at a local grocery store. Knowing I needed to refill one of our propane tanks with the sale of $15.99, I began scouring the Bi-Lo weekly advertisement for other great sales. I again found Hamburger Helper on sale for $.99 which I could pair with a coupon for $.75 off any 3 boxes resulting in $.74 per box.

Putting Hamburger Helper on my list means – check it out at the store. I don’t always purchase everything on my grocery list. Sometimes I am just looking and considering purchasing that item. I will indicate the deal on my grocery list, and then check out the deal with the available varieties while shopping.

At the store I browsed the Hamburger Helper section to find a new boxed item: Asian Beef Fried Rice. Since we love Japanese food, I decided to try this variety. I purchased 2 boxes of the Asian Beef Rice and another variety for the third box. On Wednesday night, I made the meal using ½ pound of hamburger rather than the suggested 1 pound. (Our family prefers a small amount of hamburger.) The entire family enjoyed the meal. I’m thankful we tried this variety, I found it tasty and filling. I will definitely purchase it again.

Having found a variety of Hamburger Helper that I like, I am ready to try other foods and varieties which is a big step for me. I get in my comfortable zone and continue to prepare and serve foods I enjoy. Breaking out to try something new keeps my family on their toes. I’m glad to find another quick option for those crazy weeks when every meal needs to be made in 5 minutes.

What about you? What new variety or new recipe have you tried recently? Please leave your answers in the comments.

Pork Chops: Slicing a Boneless Pork Loin

May 26, 2011 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Fotolia

When Paul and I were first married, we enjoyed cooking together a new recipe each week. We had received some cookbooks for our wedding, and we would browse and choose one recipe to make. Besides giving us time with each other, these sessions also helped us find meals we both liked. I tended to cook foods that were coterminous with my mom’s style which was vastly different from Paul’s mom’s style. As a couple, we worked to find meals that were our style.

During these experiments, we tried different cuts of meat, including pork. We found that we liked the taste once we overcame the chewy consistency. As we added children to our family, the consistency of the pork I cooked, baked, or roasted was not tender enough for our little ones to chew. To spend my time wisely, I chose not to make pork until . . . I came across this great post from centsiblesavings.com.

After reading her post, I waited for boneless pork loins to go on sale for $1.99 per pound. At the sale, I purchased a small pork loin and tried her Chicken Fried Chops recipe in the crock pot. (Her recipe is included in her post here.) The result of trying this new recipe was . . . a family favorite! The pork was so tender after cooking in the crock pot for 6-8 hours. The realization that this was a “keeper” meal came when my children asked for more.

We love this recipe, and I have made some minor adjustments to stretch the pork more which saves me time, energy, and money. These are Tracy’s tips for this recipe:

Purchase the boneless pork loin when it is on sale for $1.99 per pound or less. My rock bottom price for this cut is $1.99 per pound. In April, I purchased 5.17 lbs. of a “pork loin, loin half boneless” at $1.99 per lb. for a total of $10.29.
At your time of purchase, ask the butcher to cut the pork loin into chops. Our butcher at Publix used a sharp knife to cut our pork loin into 11 pork chops. My kids loved watching this process. I am thankful for all the wonderful employees at Publix who willingly demonstrate and teach my kids as they help me save time, energy, and money.
Consider using 3-4 pork chops for each meal instead of 6 or 7. To feed my family of 5, I use 3 pork chops.
Add more ingredients. About an hour before serving the meal, I remove the fat from the edges of the chops, shred the chops using a fork, and stir in another mixture of ½ cup of milk and 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup.
Allow the chops to complete the meal. Instead of serving a side of meat per person, I make open-faced sandwiches using toasted hamburger buns. The leftovers make great lunches. By using my time making this meal, I can serve one dinner and at least one lunch. Yeah, saving money, energy, and time while feeding my family makes me happy.

This meal is such a hit in our house that my son requested pork chops for his birthday dinner. I highly recommend this delicious recipe. You, too, can save time preparing dinner by allowing the crock pot to cook all day for you. Stay tuned next week for more on pork loins.

Pork Chops: Experimenting with Pork Loin Assorted Chops

June 2, 2011 by Tracy

In last week’s post on Pork Chops: Slicing a Boneless Pork Loin, I shared that my rock bottom price is $1.99 per pound. When I find this cut of meat at this price, I stock up. The last sale I found was in April, and I purchased a half pork loin which netted about 11 pork chops. Do you think I purchased enough? I thought so, but after 3 or 4 open-faced pork chop sandwich meals, I was out. Having been looking for another sale and finding none, my troops requested more pork chops.

The Experiment:

Since I was not finding a sale and refused to pay full price, I decided to check the price at Sam’s Club. While browsing, I found 10.49 pounds of pork loin assorted chops for $1.98 per pound for a total of $20.77. Since this price was my rock bottom price for pork chops, I chose to purchase this package.

When I unsealed the meat, I immediately noticed the fat and the bones in each one. My eyes bulged. For some reason, I thought I was purchasing boneless pork chops and was shocked to find bones. Oh well, I have bones. Here is my pictorial tutorial for getting boneless pork chops from a pork loin.

Place the meat on a cutting board and find the bones by feeling the pork.
Cut away the meat from the bones.
Stack boneless pork into meal-sized piles.
Wrap pork in plastic wrap or place in zipper-topped bags.
Place in freezer.

My Conclusions:

Though both packages were about $1.99 per pound, the pork loin assorted chops is not the same deal as the boneless pork loin.
The boneless pork loin half resulted in 3-4 meals for about $10 while the same 3-4 meals with the assorted chops cost $20. Ouch!
With the assorted chops, I paid $10 for these bones.
The Chicken Fried Chops tasted the same with both cuts of meat.

Overall, this experiment taught me to use my time wisely by waiting for a sale on the boneless pork loins, stocking up, and bypassing a $1.98 per pound sale on pork loin assorted chops. If I run out of boneless pork loins and really need them, I will consider paying full price for the boneless pork loin. Though it is hard to see so much money wasted on the bones, I have learned from this experiment and will be able to bypass this sale without wondering if it is a good deal.

Have you tried any experiments in the kitchen? I’d love to learn along with you.

Milk Option: Smart Balance

July 7, 2011 by Tracy

With the price of milk rising (with all the other grocery prices) and my need to purchase a minimum of 2 gallons of milk each week, I have been watching for milk deals. Unfortunately, I have not found any great sales.

My family of 5 drinks whole milk. My 17-month old needs the fat in the milk, and I prefer to purchase one type rather than remember “who gets what milk” first thing in the morning. In our household, we currently get the “red milk” because the cap on whole milk is red. We used to purchase “blue milk” since the cap on the 2% is blue. (Yea, we keep it simple.)

While still searching for sales, I continue to purchase our milk (for drinking) at Aldi for around $2.89 per gallon which is the least expensive price in our area.

Besides drinking milk, our family uses milk for cooking. Here is where I can stretch my grocery budget because I can find sales on fat free milk and other varieties. My current milk of choice for cooking is Smart Balance.

Recently, I purchased Smart Balance: Fat Free Milk and Calcium at Publix. The half gallon containers were on sale 2 for $5. Combining this sale with the $1.50 and $1 off coupons from the June 5, Smart Source insert in the newspaper, I was able to purchase 2 half gallon cartons totaling $2.50. The savings was $.38, but the Smart Balance has a much longer shelf life than the whole milk.

Thus far, my family has not noticed a change in the baked chicken, pork chop sauce, stroganoff, macaroni and cheese, tomato soup, or pudding – where I have replaced the whole milk with the Smart Balance milk. Without coupons and a sale, I would have by-passed the Smart Balance. However, if I can get milk below the $2.89 price, then I will purchase it and use it for cooking.

Have you considered using one milk for drinking and another for cooking? Without the sale, I would not have considered it. Now, I like the idea. The next time I can nab a gallon of milk below my rock bottom price of $2.89, I will not hesitate to try it. Happy savings!