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Pork Chops: Experimenting with Pork Loin Assorted Chops

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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.

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

My Conclusions:

  1. Though both packages were about $1.99 per pound, the pork loin assorted chops is not the same deal as the boneless pork loin.
  2. 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!
  3. With the assorted chops, I paid $10 for these bones.
  4. 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.

Menu Planning: A Week’s Worth of Cool Meals

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On the way to church Sunday evening, our family drove through a hail storm. Paul tried to find cover at a gas station, but other drivers had the same idea. Since we could not find shelter, we continued through the storm. The kids were excited at first, but then the marble-sized hail began bouncing off the car. The sound was really loud, and I asked for silence. They sat still until we passed to the other side of the storm.

Though another hail storm might occur, I am still watching and anticipating rain showers. Usually after rain showers, the temperature drops a few degrees. With temperatures in the 90s, this summer heat has s-l-o-w-e-d me down. I get tired easily and unmotivated. Thankfully, my stockpile in my pantry has kept my family fed during my drought of energy.

Other than 2 quick stops at Aldi for milk, bread, eggs, sugar, and other staples, I have not couponed or visited a grocery store or drugstore in about 3 weeks. For those of you who have been purchasing sale items at your rock bottom price and creating or updating your pricing list, please inspire me with the deals you have found.

In the meantime, here’s a week’s worth of meals to feed your family without turning on the oven and heating up your house:

  1. Hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill with chips and cold pasta salad
  2. Spaghetti with green salad
  3. Breakfast items – eggs with ham, sausage, or bacon and hash browns
  4. Taco salad – my son’s favorite meal (at the moment) 🙂
  5. Quesadillas with salad and corn
  6. One dish dinners – tonight I mixed penne pasta, spaghetti sauce, and ricotta cheese together. My kids wolfed it down. Of course, they were STARVING for a snack upon returning home from church. 🙂
  7. Pork chops in the crock pot – I am planning to make the chops and allow them to cook in the crock pot outside tomorrow. I think I will place the crock pot in the garage. The heat can remain out of the house while our dinner simmers.

What about you? What meals are you making while keeping the heat out your kitchen? Please inspire me with your ideas and your great coupon deals.

Grocery Store Bound

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After avoiding the grocery stores for a month (due to a busy schedule), I have exhausted my staples. My pantry is still relatively full, but I have pieced together as many meals as my creativity can muster. Upon realizing that dinner was not to be had from my kitchen tonight, I requested dinner out.

Considering our choices, we decided to visit Firehouse Subs where kids eat free on Sundays and Wednesdays. With the allowance of 2 free kids’ meals for each paying adult, our family of 5 enjoyed 2 adult combo meals and 3 kids’ meals to the tune of $16.

Though I could have created a meal for far less, the night off was so nice. After watching another hail storm while at dinner and attending church, I came home ready to cut my coupons, organize my binders, and create a grocery list from the grocery store sales this week. With the help of Jenny Martin at southernsavers.com, I matched my coupons with the sales, printed my lists, and prepared myself for shopping tomorrow.

Although the sales were not outstanding this week, my family will enjoy having some of our normal meals again. I am pretty sure I have missed a ton of great deals and opportunities to buy ahead, but I chose to use my time wisely and hang out with my kids. Hope you are using your time wisely and able to snag some great savings while you feed your family.

June 16: Bi-Lo and Publix Shopping Trip Results

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After the break from shopping, I am back into the savings groove. Knowing I missed lots of sales that may not be repeated for the next 6 weeks, I am not sweating it. The sales will come back around, and my family will survive on what sales I can match with coupons.

Though the deals were not fantastic last week at my Bi-Lo and Publix, I did snag these good deals:

BI-LO

1. Dozen large eggs for $.99 each

2. Baby-cut carrots for $.99 each and paired with competitor (Publix) coupon for $2 off product item. Using the coupon with this purchase resulted in free carrots and $1.01 in overage. This overage was applied to another product, like the eggs. Since I had 2 coupons and each stated “one coupon per purchase,” I divided my purchases up into two transactions and used one Publix coupon per sale.

TIP: If you will have overage, like the $1.01 for the carrots, then purchase another item to absorb the savings in your transaction. For example, purchase the carrots and another item $1.02 or more (after coupons) in the same transaction. Most stores will not give you money back.

3. Bone-in split chicken breasts with rib meat at $.89 per pound. This price was lower than my rock bottom price of $.99 per pound. I purchased 3 packages which after cut up netted 15 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, 15 tenderloins, and 6 cups of chicken broth. Here is the tutorial for cutting up the chicken.

With my 2 transactions at Bi-Lo, I purchased $100.38 worth of product for $36.68 which was a savings of $63.70 or 63%. I was pleased with this trip with the limited number of deals this week.

PUBLIX

1. Tombstone Pizzas for $3.15 each

2. Package of smoked white turkey deli meat for $2.09

3. EGGO waffles for $1.29 each

4. Oscar Meyer Lunchables for $1 each

5. Yoplait Fiber One yogurt for $1 paired with $.50 coupon that doubled making the yogurt free.

My total at Publix resulted in $135.66 in merchandise for $60.06 which was a savings of $75.60 or 56%.

Both of my shopping trips resulted in over 50% savings which is my goal. Now that I am back to saving and restocking my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, I am ready to shop again this week. How are your savings panning out? Please leave a comment indicating your savings from feeding your family.

Recipe: Chicken Salad

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Photograph Credit: Stock.xchng (Linnell Esler)

In mentioning my homemade chicken salad earlier this week, I thought I would share this quick recipe with you. Making this chicken salad at least a day ahead helps the ingredients to mesh together for a great taste. Here are the ingredients:

                1. Chicken
                2. Mayonnaise (salad dressing, Miracle Whip, etc.)
                3. Celery
                4. Green Onions

Usually I like to have a recipe to follow when I cook. However, this recipe was given to me orally from a friend listing only the ingredients. Without a written recipe, I have tweaked it to my family’s taste. Here’s my revised recipe that now is in writing:

  1. Cook or grill 2-3 chicken breasts. Usually I will ask Paul to cook 2-3 extra pieces when he is grilling.
  2. After the chicken is cool enough to handle, break up the chicken into big chunks.
  3. Place the big chunks into a food processor and chop to a tuna consistency. (I usually chop the celery and green onions with the food processor as well.)
  4. Transfer chicken to a mixing bowl.
  5. Add 2-3 finely chopped stocks of celery.
  6. Add 2-3 finely chopped green onions.
  7. Mix in enough Miracle Whip to make it really creamy. The mayonnaise will be absorbed into the mixture, so you need enough to keep it creamy.
  8. Serve on croissant rolls, lettuce leaves, or your favorite bread.

This one batch makes about 10-14 sandwiches depending on how thick you spread the chicken salad. Enjoy!