CHICKEN!

(Preschool farm day)

Chicken is inexpensive, delicious and good for you!  You can also cook it a million ways.  I typically buy a bag of boneless-skinless breasts, boneless-skinless thighs, and drumsticks.  Leg quarters are also a great buy.  Here's where I buy my chicken and some of our favorite recipes.

Costco: I buy the frozen bag of chicken thighs here.  (approx. $1.85/lb.) I sometimes buy the chicken breasts here too. (approx. $2.00/lb)

Grocery ads: right now there are chicken breasts for $1.67/lb. at a local grocery store.  I generally buy drumsticks while they're on sale at the grocery store as well.  Currently leg quarters are $0.75/lb - 10 lb. bag - at another store. (remember: WalMart does ad match.  Bring in the grocery ad and they will match the price for you - see store for details)

Boneless-Skinless Chicken Breasts

Cooking and shredding chicken is great for Mexican Fiesta Night.  We use it on nachos, in burritos, salads or enchiladas.  Chicken salad sandwiches are good for lunch or dinner and adding shredded chicken to my vegetable soup makes it a hearty meal. We also love Chicken Spinach Fettucini, Buffalo Wing Chicken Dip, Chicken Crescent Rolls, Mexican-ish Chicken, Chicken & Broccoli Braid, Lemon Chicken Soup, Chicken Scampi, Chicken Lettuce Wraps or just grilling it.

Boneless-Skinless Chicken Thighs

Years ago I took some Asian cooking classes and they used the thighs because the higher fat content made them more tender and juicy.  I agree and they're used in our home for Honey Bourbon Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, and Stir-Fry (although you can use chicken breasts)

Drumsticks

These are great baked, barbecued, and as Crock Pot Drumsticks - our favorite!  I've seen recipes for "oven-fried" chicken, when I try it, I'll share.

Leg Quarters

We normally don't buy them, but when we do we grill them with a little BBQ sauce at the end.  Growing up I had them in a chicken & rice casserole.  You can also cut the leg and thigh apart and use them separately.

RECIPES

CHICKEN SPINACH FETTUCCINI

1 lb. boneless-skinless chicken breast

1 lb. fettuccini noodles

1 (8-10 oz) pkg. spinach (frozen or fresh)

3 Tbsp. olive oil

Lemon Herb Seasoning

Salt & Pepper to taste

Season the chicken with the salt, pepper, and extra, extra lemon herb seasoning.  Put the olive oil in a baking dish and add the chicken.  Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.  Prepare the fettuccini and heat the frozen spinach, then mix together. (if using fresh spinach, I just coarsely cut it and throw it in the pan with the hot, drained noodles - cover with the lid until the spinach is wilted) When the chicken is cooked, cube it and add to the fettuccini and spinach.  Make sure you add all the chicken drippings to the dish.  Sprinkle with more lemon herb seasoning if needed.

**If I'm in a rush, or don't have my chicken already thawed, I generally use the pressure cooker.  I place the chicken, oil and seasonings in and pressure on high for 8-10 minutes.  Let release naturally, then cube it and add to noodles and spinach.

HONEY BOURBON CHICKEN

(From Real Mom Kitchen)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

salt & pepper

1 onion, diced (she only used 1/2 cup)

1 c. honey

1/2 c. low sodium soy sauce (I use a Japanese soy sauce since it's lower in sodium)

1/4 c. ketchup

2 T. canola oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (you can omit or increase, to taste)

1-2 T. cornstarch

Hot Rice

Sesame seeds, optional

Salt & pepper chicken and place in your slow cooker. Place onion on top of chicken. In a medium sized bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, ketchup, oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour mixture over the chicken in the crockpot. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Remove chicken from crock pot and slice into strips. In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp. cornstarch with 1 Tbsp. water. Pour into sauce remaining in the crock pot and stir to combine. If sauce in not thick enough repeat with another Tbsp. of the cornstarch water. Place the chicken back in the sauce and stir around to recoat the chicken in the sauce. Serve over cooked rice and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top (optional).

**MY TWO CENTS: Those were her directions, but I like to pressure cook it.  I place everything in the pressure cooker (following directions #1-3) and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.  Then I let it naturally release and follow the directions from #5-8. It's quick and DELICIOUS!!!!

CROCK POT DRUMSTICKS

(I've seen this recipe on a few different blogs.  I'll just credit the one I first grabbed the recipe from at Creatively Domestic  I think this is the best recipe!  Inexpensive, easy and it actually tastes better without the skin!!!)

2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. paprika

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. dried thyme 

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. black pepper

3-4 lbs. chicken drumsticks, skinned (optional, but it tastes better!)

foil for crumpling up in crockpot

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine salt and all the spices. Rinse drumsticks and pat dry with paper towel. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken. Crumple up foil  and put in the bottom on your crock pot. Top the foil with the spice rubbed chicken pieces. Cook on LOW for 8-12 hours until very tender. (hers was perfect after 6 hours on Low)

**MY TWO CENTS: I use a little cooking rack in the bottom of my crock pot.  You want to keep the chicken off the bottom of the crock pot.  With the skin off and the spices rubbed into the drumsticks, it makes a nice, firm outer shell with the incredibly tender chicken inside.  TRY THIS ONE!

MEXICAN FIESTA NIGHT

Today's Tuesday and that means Mexican Fiesta Night at our home.  We originally had Taco Tuesday night, but my children only like meat tacos (can you blame them?!).  Since meat isn't on the menu every night, we had to adjust.  Mexican Fiesta can be enchiladas, white chicken chili or even tacos.  Most of the time we have build-your-own nachos, burritos, quesadilla, salad or cheese crisp.  I put several ingredients out and everyone makes what they want.  The basics always include beans, cheese, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, tortillas, chips, and salsa.  Some nights we might add avocados, shrimp, corn, chicken, sauteed onions and peppers or taco meat.  I generally make a big batch of salsa each week.  We use it for Mexican Fiesta and the kids love to snack on chips and salsa throughout the week.  If we're having salad, then I like to make up a batch of creamy tomatillo dressing.  It's DELISH!!!!  Finally,  I just started making my own enchilada sauce.  It's so delicious and inexpensive! So let's talk about the logistics: where I shop, what I make and some yummy recipes.

SHOPPING:
Pro's Ranch Market: Tortillas - flour & corn- freshly made tortillas are amazing!
Costco: Cheese - 2 lb. block, Chips - 6 lb. total [(3) -2 lb. bags]
Veggies: Superstition Ranch Market or Sprout's or grocery ads
WalMart: canned tomatoes - the recipe calls for two small cans or one large.  I have found a large can of Del Monte tomatoes (for the same price as the smaller can) for $0.78 here! I've also found Herdez Salsa Verde for a good price here.
Church Cannery: beans and rice in bulk, dehydrated refried beans

WHAT I MAKE:
BEANS: I love to pressure cook beans.  They're so inexpensive!  I have an electric pressure cooker that I found at Costco.  I put 8 cups of water in it, then 1 lb. of beans (no soaking, just make sure to sort your beans first.  You don't want any rocks!) and a couple tsp. of oil.  I then use high pressure for 24 minutes and let the cooker naturally release the pressure.  Within an hour from start to finish, I have cooked beans.  We also make some of our dehydrated refried beans.
RICE:  Some days it's just white or brown rice cooked up.  I have occasionally made other recipes before like cilantro-lime rice and Mexican rice.  If I just have plain rice, everyone can choose what to add to their rice.  I prefer to add a little cumin, chili powder, salt & pepper and maybe a tiny bit of chipotle to mine.

LET'S COOK:
BASIC SALSA
this recipe was given to a friend who adapted it, then I adapted it again! (originally from Bronwyn Brown, given to me by Cynthia Baxter)
1 Large Can of Tomatoes (or two smaller cans)
4 oz. Canned Green Chiles (we like more and I use a 7oz. can when I have it)
4-6 green onions (your preference)
Cilantro (a good handful, coarsely chopped)
Sugar (approx. 1 tsp.)
Garlic (one clove, minced)
Jalapeno Tabasco (a few shakes - optional)
Salt & Pepper to taste
 In a blender, place half the tomatoes, green chiles, 1/2 the chopped green onions, all the cilantro, sugar and garlic.  Blend until the cilantro is finely chopped.  Then add the rest of the tomatoes, green onions, Tabasco, and salt & pepper and pulse a few times.  Dip a chip and taste.  Adjust seasonings as needed.

CREAMY TOMATILLO DRESSING
(After researching many recipes, this was what I put together)
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix (I have a large container of the mix and use 3 Tbsp.)
1 c. Mayo (I buy the Costco Brand Mayo)
1 c. cilantro (big handful), roughly chopped
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 Herdez Salsa Verde (you could use your favorite salsa verde...this one is mine!)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (I use a little more than 1/8 tsp. for my batch)
Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.  So yummy!

SHRIMP TACOS - one of my favorites!!!!!
(Recipe from Rookie Cookie - the link to this recipe wasn't there anymore, so here's the recipe)
1 lb. medium raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails off 
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lime
I prepare the shrimp and place in a bowl.  Then I add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, pepper and salt and mix with the shrimp.  Place the shrimp (covered in plastic wrap or lid) in the refrigerator for 30 min. to 1 hr.  When the shrimp are ready, add olive oil to a skillet over med-high heat.  When the pan is warm, add the shrimp and cook 5 -8 minutes until done.  Remove from heat and squeeze lime juice over the shrimp and toss.  (I make shrimp soft tacos with these - tortilla, shrimp, avocado, lettuce/cabbage and a little salsa verde...SO GOOD!)  I've even used tilapia instead of shrimp in this recipe.

MEXICAN RICE
(adapted from the Food Nanny)
2 t. canola oil
1 small onion, finely diced (adjust the onion to your family's liking)
1 c. long-grain white rice, uncooked
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp. chili powder (or more, to your taste)
1-2 c. corn.  (I used frozen corn from Trader Joe's)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. water
In a pot, add the oil & onion and cook until soft.  Then add in your rice, stir and cook for 1 minute.  Next add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to low and COVER your pot.  Simmer the rice for 25 minutes KEEPING THE POT COVERED THE WHOLE TIME.  (my husband use to always lift the lid when I was cooking rice, it was so frustrating!  He's finally learned thank goodness)  My whole family loved this recipe.

ENCHILADA SAUCE
(after searching all over the internet, I was satisfied with these ingredients.  I'm still tweaking this recipe)
2 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. flour (or more)
2 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. chili powder (to taste)
In a large skillet over med-high heat, place your oil and flour.  Whisk until browned. Add your chicken broth and whisk in your chili powder.  Stir and then simmer to thicken. 

WHITE CHILI RECIPE
(From my friend, Lindy Manwaring)
4 c. cooked white beans (or 2 cans, rinsed & drained)
1 small can chopped green chiles
1/4 c. butter (you can use margarine, I choose butter)
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 c. flour
4 c. chicken broth
3 c. half & half (I almost always use whatever milk I have on hand.  I was cutting the recipe in half once and forgot, after I put the full amount of chicken broth in I didn't know what to do.  I ended up putting powdered milk in so I wouldn't add any more liquid.  It worked!)
4 c. cooked, shredded chicken
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. hot pepper sauce (this is optional)
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. salt (I ALWAYS TASTE IT FIRST - it may not need the salt)
1/2 tsp. white pepper

1 1/2 c. grated monterey jack cheese (again, I use what I have)
1 c. sour cream
Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium heat.  If I've halved the recipe, I can fit it in my large skillet.  Add onions and saute until tender, about 15 minutes.  Add flour and stir 5 minutes - do not brown.  Gradually whisk in chicken broth and half & half.  Simmer gently until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Add reserved white beans, chiles, shredded chicken and spices.  Simmer gently to blend flavors, about 20 minutes.  Add grated cheese and sour cream.  Heat until warmed through and cheese melts.  Do not boil.  Serve any way you like, and top with cilantro or salsa verde if you wish.

I'm so glad it's Mexican Fiesta Night!  Hope you enjoy the recipes.  I'm off to make my creamy tomatillo dressing!

WHERE'S THE FOOD?

(cute little mini loaf of homemade bread)

When we dropped our grocery budget to $50/wk, I made a huge realization.  There's not much food in the grocery store!  Sure, the store is packed with items, but most of it isn't....FOOD!  Most of it is a pre-packaged array of ingredients you can't say and our great-grandparents didn't have access to.  The only way to stretch my budget was to buy said pre-packaged items at a huge discount OR cook from scratch.  For the most part, I cook from scratch.  Let's take an item and compare.

Black Beans

cost at a regular grocery store $0.79-$1.39 approx. per can

cost at a discount store $0.50-$0.99 approx. per can 

(there's a good chance the can will be damaged or very old)

cost of dried beans as low as $0.06-$0.25 approx. per can (equivalent)

(there's approx. 1/4 lb. or 1/2 c. of dried beans to equal the 1 1/2 c. of beans in a can.  You can easily find black beans for $1/lb which would bring your cost per can equivalent to $0.25.  I've bought black beans in a 25 lb. bag for $16.80 which would bring your cost per can equivalent to $0.16.  The best deal I've found by far was 4 lb/$1 which would make your cost per can equivalent to $0.06....awesome!)

Now you may be thinking....that savings isn't enough for me to cook beans.  Maybe not, but when you've changed how you shop and cook with many items, it has a huge impact on your budget.  (not to mention your health)  These are items that regularly make the shopping list in our home:

Eggs (5 dz. from Costco)

Milk (from whoever has the best sale that week)

Cheese (2 lb. block from Costco)

Butter (4 lb. package from Costco - by far the best deal)

Tortillas (Pro's Ranch Market)

Tortilla Chips (3-2lb bags pkg. together from Costco)

Fruits & Veggies (grocery ads, Sprout's or Superstition Ranch Market)

Canned Tomatoes (best price right now at WalMart)

Oil (canola & EVOO)

Flour

Beans 

Grains

Rice

Pasta

I do buy chicken, but we go meatless many nights.  

Here are some theme night menu ideas:

Pasta Night - baked eggplant parmesan is one of our favorites.  

Mexican Fiesta - We put out a variety of items and you make the nachos, burrito or salad that you crave.  Items would include: whole beans, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, avocado, tortillas, chips, cheese, salsa, and rice.

Crock Pot Night - Honey Bourbon Chicken or Mexican-ish Chicken.

Soup, Salad or Sandwich Night - two of our favorites are 1) French Dip Au Jus and 2) The B.E.A.S.T. - Bacon (we buy turkey bacon from Costco), Egg-salad, Avocado, Spinach (sauteed) & Tomato....my mouth is watering just thinking of it!

Homemade Pizza Night - well......pizza!  Kyler always has cheese pizza.  The rest of us will have pepperoni, or BBQ chicken pizza.  We always make our own dough.

Even when I use chicken in our meal, I've generally stretched it.  Here's my beautiful Chicken Broccoli Braid.  Homemade bread dough, steamed broccoli (I remember I spent $0.14 for the broccoli I used), shredded chicken (only one chicken breast), a little cream cheese and a few slices of cheese.

DELISH!

I'm working on organizing my recipes and can't wait to share!

Have a great weekend!!!