1 Chicken, 17 Healthy Meals

8/14/2019 1 Chicken, 17 Healthy Meals...

1/13

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1 Chicken, 17 Healthy Meals, $26 Bucks, NoMayo

The stretchability of a whole chicken is a frequentlydiscussedtopic among food

and frugality bloggers. Its commonly accepted that a single fowl will feed a

family of 11 for weeks, years - even millennia. Even after 20 months of keeping

CHG, Im constantly gobsmacked by how moms and dads can c reate dinner

after dinner from the same bird.

Heres the thing: sometimes, those dinners arent the hea lthiest meals in the

world. There tend to be a lot of quesadillas and casseroles whenever these type

of posts pop up, not to mention chicken salads drenched wi th full-fat mayo.

Now, theres nothing wrong with this whatsoever (except the mayo - blech), but

I wanted to see if I could put a healthier spin on it.

In a sentence: I wanted to find out if it was possible to create a gaggle of

inexpensive, lower-fat meals with the leftovers from one big ol chicken.

Here were my rules:

The budget for EVERYTHING - was $25.

I had to use as much food already in my pantry as possible. (Which

accounted for a lot, and saved me mad dough in the long run.)

Each meal had to feed at least two people (The Boyfriend and me).

Bonus points for leftovers.

The chicken had to be used up within a few days, so it wouldnt go bad.

The meals had to have reasonable variety, preferably from a range of

cuisines. It couldnt be Chicken with Spaghetti on Day 1, then Chicken

with Penne on Day 2.

The meals had to have very little added fat, since the leftover chicken

would provide most of it.

And? Victory, for the most part. I ended up cooking five distinct, delicious,

largely healthy dinners with PLENTY of leftovers. And miracle of mirac les,

there were no duds in the g roup. (Thanks, online reviewers!)

However, I did go $0.86 over budget. Im okay with that, though. Between

what we consumed each night and ate for lunch the next day, that $25.86 made

17 full meals, which works out to $1.52 each. Thats less than a cup of Starbucks

coffee, so aces.

What follows is the menu breakdown, complete with pictur es and links to four

of the five recipes. The last, a Cooks Illustratedcurry dish, isnt online, so I

transcribed it at the very bottom of this post. Theres also a master grocery list,

so yall can see the price b reakdown of everything.

With that said, lets get started with intr oductions: Charles, these are the CHG

readers. CHG readers, this i s Charles. Hes my chicken. Hes 6.99 lbs.

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Day 1

Marcella Hazans Lemon Roasted Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes

2 servings

Chicken consumed: 10 ounces

We kicked everything off with Marcellas Lemon Roasted Chicken. Its been

featured on the blog before, with good reason. In a world of dry, lame-o poultry,

it is the Queen Mum of moist, flavorful goodness. Plus, when you add a few

thick-cut carrots and quartered (unpeeled) red potatoes to the pan before itstarts cooking, it becomes a whole meal. (Seriously, thats all you have to do.)

Together, The Boyfriend and I polished off all the vegetables and 10 ounces of

chicken (five ounces each) for a Sunday night meal.

Afterwards, we stripped the chicken bare. Nu de. Butt-naked. There was nothing

left on that carcass but skin and gristle. It was a little hyena-like, honestly, but

fun nonetheless. In total, our booty came t o 2 pounds, 4 ounces of pure,

straight-up leftover meat, mostly from the breast. Heres a shot of the carnage.

If I had half a b rain, I would have saved Charles bones to make stock. But I

forgot.

To quote the bard, Duh.

Day 2

Cooking Lights Chicken Picadillo with Rice and Black Beans

3 servings

Leftover chicken consumed: 1 pound

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3/13

(Note: The experiment almost ended here, since I didnt go grocery shopping in

time for Day 2. Fortunately, for this particular recipe, everything was in my

pantry already. [Woo hoo!])

Going in, I had mid-level expectations for Chicken Picadillo, and was super-

pleasantly surprised by the results. All in all, its supremely easy to cook, and a

nice change from the average Tex-Mex dish. Ground chicken, salsa, raisins, and

almonds make up the main ingredients, but a dash of cinnamon ties it all

together, giving everything a warm, lovely flavor. We ate it with plain rice and

mashed black beans (to prepare: heat in pot, mash with masher, add salt and

pepa), and used the leftovers to create a chicken/lettuce/salsa wrap the next

day for lunch. Good times.

Day 3

White Chicken Chili

2-3 servings

Leftover chicken consumed: 1-1/2 cups

This tangy, mild, ridi culously simple chili was The Boyfriends favorite dish of

the bunch. (He is t he Chili King. He can do anything.) He slurped a bowl in

record time, scarfed leftovers for lunch the next day, and openly wept when I

told him he had finished it all. Poor guy.

The key to keeping this di sh low-fat is the beans. By lightly mashing them, you

create a thicker chili consistency, and dont have to add as much cheese. FYI: If

you like your chilis a little spicier, the heat i s eminently adjustable here: just

include the jalapeno seeds OR add another pepper altogether.

Day 4

Food Networks Sesame Noodles with Chicken

5 servings

Chicken consumed: 1 cup

Three days into this thing, and we were barely halfway through Charles leftovermeat. That started to change here.

It must be known: I loooooooove noodles. I luffthem. I lurve them. I want to

kiss them, but th ey keep falling through my fingers. (Ooo deep.) Naturally

then, this dish from Food Network was m y favorite of the experim ent. Its a

cross between Ellie Kriegers Aromatic Noodles and this Noodle Salad from

Cooking Light, with just a little more tang. The whole shebang is a tad higher

in fat than the experiments others (see: butter, peanut), but its the healthy,

protein-y kind, so I wouldnt worry too much.

One note: I substituted a pitted, sliced regular cucumber for the Kirby. No

harm, no foul, and it worked j ust fine.

Day 5



4/13

Cooks Illustrateds Chicken Curry in a Hurry

(recipe at bottom of post)

4 servings

Chicken consumed: 2 cups

Finally, we had reached the end. Charles was nearly tapped by Day 5, t hough

perhaps surprisingly, we werent getting tired of chicken in the least.

Its a good thing, then, we went with Curry in a Hurry. Served with a side of

brown rice, its a fast, fantastic, Indian-inspired weeknight meal that will

absolutely use up the last of any leftover chicken. Plus, its a lot of frigging food.

CIclaims it serves four people, its really more like five or six. Maybe ei ght or

nine if youre elves.

Note: we skipped the peas because they represent the oppression of the worker

by the bourgeoisie, and can only be freed through shared profit and

community-wide effort. (Oh wait thats not right. Actually, I just forgot to buythem. It didnt make a difference.)

~~~

And that, my friends, is it. We're full. The chicken's gone. The experiment

worked.

Heres our grocery list (just like we promised!), plus the c urry recipe, should you

be into it. Comments and questions are welcome, and I'd love to hear what y'all

have done with a whole chicken. Enjoy!

~~~

SHOPPING LIST

(* means I already had it in my pantry or fridge)

1 7-lb Oven Stuffer Roaster chicken: $6.92

1 lb thick carrots: $0.67

1-1/2 lbs red or Yukon gold potatoes: $1.42

2 lemons: $0.80

*1 or 2 tablespoons salt: $0.04

*3 teaspoons olive oil: $0.11

*2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil: $0. 36

*2 tablespoons vegetable oil: $0.18

*2-1/2 medium onions: $0.30

*9 garlic cloves: $0.30

*2-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin: $0.05

*1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon: $0.01

*1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning: $0.02

*Pinch ground cloves: $0.01

*1 teaspoon crushed red pepper: $0.05

*1/2 to 1 tablespoon curry powder: $0.07

*1 cup bottled salsa: $0.99

*1/3 cup golden raisins: $0.79

*1/4 cup raisins: $0.42*1/4 cup slivered almonds: $0.73

1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts: $0.35

1 large bunch fresh cilantro: $0.99

*1 14-oz can black beans: $0.67

1 can large white beans: $1.39

*1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas: $0.67

*1-2/3 cup uncooked brown rice: $0.95

1 seeded jalapeo pepper: $0.25

1 cucumber: $0.80

6 scallions: $0.67

2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger: $0.32

1 can (4-ounce) chopped green chilies: $1.49

*2 cups chicken broth: $0.60

*1 pound spaghetti or Chinese egg noodles: $0.80

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter: $0.21



5/13

*1/4 cup soy sauce: $0.38

*2 tablespoons dark brown sugar: $0.06

*1 tablespoon rice vinegar: $0.24

*1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (we used low-fat, and it was okay): $0.28

*1/2 cup grated low-fat Monterey Jack or white cheddar cheese: $0.50

TOTAL: $25.86

~~~

Cooks Illustrateds Chicken Curry in a Hurry

Serves 4

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, sliced thin1/2 to 1 tablespoon curry powder (mine is hot, so I only use )

Salt

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

cup water

2 cups shredded of thinly sliced cooked chicken

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen peas (I left this out, but please use)

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (we used low-fat, and it was okay)

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1. BUILD CURRY BASE: Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until

shimmering. Add onion, curry powder, and 1/2 t easpoon salt and cook until

onion is browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook until

fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. ADD WATER, MEAT, VEGETABLES, AND COOK: Stir in water, meat,

chickpeas, peas, and raisins. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through, 3

to 5 minutes.

3. GARNISH AND SERVE: Off heat, sti r in yogurt and ci lantro and serve. Over

brown rice is a good option.

11 diggs

Labels: Cooking, Frugality, Mains, Meat and Fish, Organization

59 comments:

Michele said...

you are my hero. my HERO. i am bowing - you just can't see me

February 18, 2009 1:16 PM

Alex said...

I think this is your best blog post EVER.

P.S. I really enjoyed the q uinoa soup.


Her Royal Highness said...

Stretching chicken is a long-time frugally honored practice. And yes, you

SHOULD have saved Charles' bones for stock. BAD! BAD FRUGAL PERSON!

There's tons of other sites on the web that give even more recipes to add to the

ones here - just google "rubber chicken recipe" or "stretch chicken recipe". Voila.

Even I, myself, have written an article on how to properly stretch a chicken.


Marcia said...

Okay, this post was absolutely awesome. I ca n't believe it. It's perf ect...recipes,

grocery list, breakdown of cost...AND nicely going around the globe with c uisine,

which I like very much.

I must try to do the same the next time I roast a chicken (though ours are usually

about half that size).


Anonymou s said...

I love you..healthy low, fat, and on a budget. You are my hero also..and you just

planned next week.



6/13


Kris said...

AUGH! You guys, that's awesome. Thank you times ten, and let me know how

everything comes out.

(Oh! And if I had remembered to buy broccoli, I was thinking of going with

calzones for one of the meals. It's definitely a p ossibility...)


TC said...

So...you guys say it's OK to keep a chicken in the food rotation/in the fridge for

five days without worrying that it's gone bad? I' ve always thought three...But if I

can stretch it to five, WOOHOO!


Meredith@MerchantShips said...

Destined to be a winning post!

I've been cheating on my chicken plan. I f igured out that my corner grocery marks

its rotisserie chickens to $2.49 after 7 pm, even if they came out of the roaster an

hour before.

I have a lot of cheap chicken meals in my future!


Teresa said...

Okay, so this is my first time on this website, therefore my first time reading your

blog.

Let me say it was fun to read, as well as very informative. I don't think any of the

recipes sounded like something I would hate. I am even encouraged to roast a

whole chicken and pick it clean at least this once. (I am strictly a boneless skinless

chicken breast or ground turkey person usually)

Thank you so much and I look forward to reading more blogs in the future.

February 18, 2009 10:21 PM

Toreysaid...

This is absolutely amazing. I'm totally inspired to try this and the recipes look

delicious. I love your blog.

February 19, 2009 1:17 AM

TKTC said...

I love this post and the site looks GREAT!!!

February 19, 2009 12:06 PM

Just another SAHM said...

I bet you won't f orget to make stock from the bones next time. lol

I think you did a fabulous job & I love that you went beyond the usual 'cream of

soup' casserole (etc...) for your chicken meals.

That white chicken chili looks wonderful & we'll definitely be trying that the next

time I have leftovers.

Thanks for sharing!

February 19, 2009 12:33 PM

Sarah Eliza said...

This is a *great* experiment. So intrigued to try to duplicate it! Thanks so much :)


Lindsey said...

What GORGEOUS blog is this I am reading???? I LOVE the redesign! And

seriously lady? This post. Brilliant. Genius. Inspiring.

I fully intend to recreate this entire post with all the recipes, but only AFTER next

week's Nola to Austin move- currently sticking to some nonsense about trying to

eat everything in my kitchen without buying anything new. Harumph.

But kudos, and I will let you know how it turns out!

February 19, 2009 11:37 PM

Anonymou s said...

thought you should know that workers (who are the proletariat) are actually

controlled by the bourgeoisie.



7/13


CJ said...

Bought a couple of turkeys on sale during Thanksgiving seson an popped them in

the deep freeze.

.

We thawed one out and roasted it on Sunday. Your post came just in time for more

inspiration!

.

Sunday- roast turkey and the standard fixin's

.

Monday- carcass into the pot f or stock/turkey cottage pies with extra veggies,

mashed potato topping and light gra ting of parmesan cheese

.

Tues.- turkey enchiladas

.

Wed.- turkey in white cream sauce with carmelized onions and sauteed portabello

mushrooms over rotini pasta

.

Here's where you inspiration kicked in-

Made the chicken chili with turkey (of course)

and now have a big batch of broth left f or soups!!!

I think I'm going to freeze the rest of the turkey in some stock (to prevent freezer

burn) and save for another week.

.

We cook this way a lot but seems like turkeys and hams really stretch out for

meals.

Thanks again for the GTEAT ideas.

February 21, 2009 11:48 AM

Michelle said...

WOW! Great blog.

Let me know if you ever do email subscriptions (I never get around to a reader).


Christysaid...

Wow! I am totally impressed. I love this entire post. Thanks so much!


Jeff S. said...

Wow. Very impressive, K. Even a lazy guy like me, addicted to bad food and

generally unimpressed by chicken, can get excited about a post like this. You made

a grocery list? What are you, applying f or sainthood?


Amy K. said...

Ooh, I will have to try that chili. We have a chicken in the fridge, defrosting right

now, and I love the inspiration, thank you!

For Valentine's day we roasted a duck, per Julia Child's recipe from "The way to

Cook". The next day, we had the same meal, round 2 (leftover meat, leftover roast

potatoes, leftover salad. Not as romantic, but pragmatic :-)

Day 3: Biscuits and gravy with shreddy duck parts. I saved the bones and g iblets

for gravy, and used the neck meat a nd cooked giblets in this "mystery meat" dish.

Feel free to "eew," it was an experiment. I loved it.

Day 4 Duck Fried Rice

Day 5 Risotto, a "cheater" meal made with the stock. I added toasted pine nuts,

delicious!

Still have some stock left over, and a meal worth of the fried rice.


Rachel B. said...

Thanks SO MUCH for this post! I made the lemon chicken tonight (throwing in

some rosemary smushed about in olive oil, too, since that's the way I like my

taters), and look forward to trying some of the other chicken recipes later this

week. And yes, this is indeed the best way to roast a chicken. I've never made one

so delicious before.

February 23, 2009 11:21 PM

Kris said...

TC - Er, actual ly, that's a g ood question. I've never had a problem stretching it to

four or five days, but, um, anyone out there work for the FDA?



8/13

Amy K. - Duck is a great idea. It's dang tasty when it's cooked well.

Rachel B. - Nice! So happy it worked out for you!

Anon - Crap! I get them confused almost as much as Bill Paxton and Bill Pullman.

It's been changed.

Thanks, you guys!

February 24, 2009 11:00 AM

Chocoholic said...

Mmmm, this looks good. If you d o this again, I heartily recommend Jamie Oliver's

roasted chicken receipes. Both the Perfect Roast Chicken and one he did withsome lemon, butter and herbs spread under the skin. A tip I f ound for seperating

the skin on the chickens breast to season between it and the meat is to use a

fondue fork to seperate it. It's a slightly gross thought but...after seeing plastic

surgury shows I realized the fondue fork looked like the tool they use on there to

seperate the skin and muscle layers.

February 25, 2009 10:31 AM

MCM Voices said...

This is such a great, inspiring post!!

I was keen to try this experiment and although I didn't prepare for it as well as you

did, and although it didn't stretch to 5 days because there are 4 of us and I think

we're greedier than you and the BF, it was all great fun and very tasty!

I roasted the chicken the way I usually do - rub it with a combination of salt,

paprika, thyme, pepper and a bit of cayenne and toss it in the oven for a couple

hours at 350 F and baste occasionally. Served with a salad of spinach, lettuce,

crumbled feta, chopped pecans a nd chopped pear, balsamic vinaigretted.

Day 2 was Chicken Curry in a Hurry. Yum!! That was a big hit. There was enough

left over for a modest lunch.

Day 3 I paid homage to Marcella Hazan since I had spurned her lemon chicken

recipe: I made her creamy zucchini with fusilli from her Classic Ita lian Cooking,

and substituted chicken for the zucchini. There was just enough for 4 of us.

Day 4 There was enough chicken left to u se as a sort of garnish in something, or

maybe to make enchiladas, and since I did cook the carcass on Day 1 and had

some very good stout broth, I was planning to make a cream of carrot soup on Day

5. However, my kids are sick and chicken soup seemed like the thing, so I ended

up combining Days 4 and 5 with a cream of chicken soup with vegetables and rice,

along the lines of http://southernfood.about.com/od/chickensouprecipes

/r/bl61220c.htm and adding rice to it.

The chicken was on sale for 99 cents a pound so it cost me just under $7, and I

had all the ingredients for the other stuff already. Normally the leftover chicken

from the roast would have just gone into chicken salad or straight into

sandwiches, so I loved doing this and really thinking about how to stretch this

bird. Thank-you so much for your post.

Mary


Kris said...

Mary, that rules! So happy it worked for you guys!


Amanda said...

Absolutely brilliant! Thanks for sharing this one!

February 26, 2009 9:55 AM

Jessica said...

I am bookmarking this! Great ideas, never know what to do with leftover chicken

and now I do. THANKS!


taralynn819 said...

We finished up a "Charles" of our own just today! Only, I wasn't super creative

about different meals. Basically, we ate c hicken, rice, and a veggie for three

nights.

Meanwhile, the rest of the meat froze for a week, with which I turned into a

mother-of-a-kettle of chicken noodle soup. We ate on that for five whole days.



9/13

We should have polished it off sooner, but the first day Hubby got stomach sick

and the third we took a day trip. But that's a whole lot of nights I didn't have to

cook!

So here I am today scouring your site for a dinner idea for tonight...

March 2, 2009 2:34 PM

Karen Datko said...

I did my chicken the Marcella Hazan way and it was truly the best roasted chicken

I've ever made. I've also tried the peanut and noodles recipe but used beef.

Incredibly delicious. I'm defrosting another chicken to roast and I'll make it again

with my leftover chicken. It's that good. Yum. Thanks so much, Kris.

March 23, 2009 8:51 PM

Betsysaid...

Loved this post--I do "rubber chicken" at least twice a month and, like you, avoid

the higher-fat leftover dishes. We throw the leftover chicken into stir-fry, a wicked

variety of soups (and I ALWAYS make stock--if you've flavored your roast chicken

nicely, you don't have to add anything else to that stockpot besides water and a bit

of salt), wraps with salad greens/vinaigrette/etc. etc. etc. I' m linking this to my

blog--hope that's okay!

March 30, 2009 1:45 PM

website design nyc said...

nice post

April 11, 2009 2:58 AM

Anonymou s said...

Did the last recipe today. They were really great. We fed four p eople (well, three

and a half , my picky night year old ate a lot of PB&J this week) off one chicken -

with leftovers most nights.

Changes - I'd stretch the chili with another can of beans if I made it again - we

managed to feed three with it, but it was the only 'sparse' meal.

I made the Asian noodles with rice noodles instead of spaghetti (gluten issues).

Turned out great.

If I redid the week I'd make the chicken pecadillo last. T he rest of the recipes I

picked through the best parts of "Charles" - since the chicken is ground for chicken

pecadillo it would be the best recipe to use the 'edible but not attractive' bits.

April 11, 2009 1:37 PM

Julia Mangan said...

I love this post!

May 24, 2009 2:47 PM

Health Remedies said...

Awesome, I'm fallen in love with you.

May 27, 2009 3:52 AM

Anonymou s said...

Roast Chicken-- HUGE success: i.e. moist and delicious, my smoke alarm did not

go off (always seems to when I do something like that in the oven, even when

things are perfectly fine), and I followed the suggestion and threw some potatoes

and carrots underneath--OMG...not the healthiest option, but they were

absolutely amazing and worth every gram of chicken fat.

The picadillo was not a hit with my family (21 m, 3 1/2, 5, and hubby)although I

happily ate it. Everyone loved the chili (I added the peppers to the adults only),and my husband and I LOVED the chicken curry in a hurry (only ones home that

night). I roasted one 3 pound chicken and used another 3 pounder to cook for

stock because the deal of the week was on the small ones. For the stock, I just pull

it apart a fter an hour or so to save the meat and returning bones to pot to cook for

three or four more hours so I could roast one for dinner and make stock all a t

once.

We didn't have enough chicken to make the noodles, but I was still impressed that

it went as far as it did. Next time I'll probably get (3) 3-pounders and roast two,

one for stock. But my family is bigger than most.

THANKS! Most fun I've had in the kitchen in a while, minus the dishes :) Used to

cook well all the time but am just now getting back into it after "baby" #3...your

blog is very inspiring. This is an excellent post!



10/13

June 21, 2009 10:35 AM

Anonymou s said...

oh, and yes, another can of beans f or the chili is needed.

June 21, 2009 10:37 AM

Anonymou s said...

I found your blog on acc ident while looking for a chicken recipe for some boneless,

skinless chicken I had thawed. I therefore, had to skip your first meal but have

tried them all and am trying to decide whick to try again! They were wonderful.

Thanks for your great blog. We appreciate it. Thanks!!

July 15, 2009 4:09 AM

said...

As always wonderful. Added to bookmarks.

January 16, 2010 6:56 PM

Andrewsaid...

I just came ac ross this post on BoingBoing, right after I roasted a chicken last

Sunday and made two more meals for 4 from the same bird. That's 12 meals from

one bird, so not quite as many as you got, but I wasn't challenging myself! Roasted

stuffed chicken with herb butter on Sunday, Buffalo Chicken Pizza on Tuesday,

and a very large pot of Zesty Chicken Noodle soup on Friday. I am still eating the

soup, so perhaps it's closer to 15 meals. Not as healthy as you, but if you want to

see the recipes they are on my blog: www.lechefskitchen.com

Will be following you more closely now! Drew

March 1, 2010 9:59 PM

evilsciencechicksaid...

Boil the bones with some wilted veggies to make a stock! It will be kind of weak

with only one carcass, but still good for a meal of soup one night and some risotto

the next.

All excellent recipes, though. What a cool experiment :)

March 1, 2010 10:50 PM

Megan said...

You might know by now that you got posted to Boing Boing today-- but congrats

anyway! I love your site and have bookmarked it. I' ll be looking for more cheap

recipes (and humor) in the future!

March 1, 2010 11:01 PM

Anonymou s said...

Uh, oh. Here comes Debbie Downer. I really suggest everyone read Jonathan

Safran Foer's latest book, Eating Animals. I'm not posting here to preach morality.

It is not possible to have a Perdue chicken and the term "healthy" inhabit the same

space. Not possible. Perdue, like any other fa ctory farm, produces Frankenstein

food. The chickens are genetically engineered, fed substances (hormones,

antibiotics, animal "byproducts") we wouldn't allow our dogs and cats to eat, and

after slaughter their meat is pumped up with saline water. I'm not making this up.

This is what the industry admits to. To the authors of this blog, I love 95 percent

of what you post, but this chicken recipe needs to advocate for family farmed

chicken.

March 2, 2010 1:27 AM

SF Legend said...

"twenty-six dollars bucks"

March 2, 2010 9:28 AM

Eeyore said...

I like to take the whole chicken, put it in water, cook it for a couple hours, then

make a huge stew with all the leftovers in my fridge. Better than cleaning out a

pantry--when else would I eat the leftover green beans from a week ago or save the

slightly freezer burned carrots? Secret ingredient to make the stew pop: soy sauce.

Add dumplings if you aren't afraid of the carbs. The last stew I made fed 2 people

for 6 meals!

email me if you'd like the recipe. culturalx patriot AT gmail dot com

March 2, 2010 10:08 AM

Anonymou s said...

This was an awesome post. Any chance you can repeat the experiment with beef or

fish or some kind? I'm highly allergic to poultry. I'm not much of a cook either, so

would the above recipes work with beef?



11/13

March 2, 2010 10:11 AM

Anonymou s said...

Hmmm

A couple of points.

1. The curry recipe. Raisins in a curry are a cardinal sin. A generic curry powder is

no substitute for the real thing and it is sooo easy to make it yourself.

2. Tinned produce? Beans. These are way more expensive than dried. IF you do

not have one, get a pressure cooker and use that to cook them quickly and/or soak

overnight. These devices are invaluable for cooking (the best being Fissler from

Germany - mine is 12 years young and used a couple of times a week - which

although expensive is worth every cent and still g oing strong).

3. In another post you mention that olive oil is good due to its high smoke point.

Please note that this is INCORRECT. Olive oil is an unrefined oil and typically has

a smoke point of 350F or lower. For the other olive oils the trace elements left after

the use of solvents can become carcinogenic. Therefore it should not be used in

any cooking where the base temperature is > 350F. Far better to use peanut,

canola, safflower, or soy which are refined and are far b etter suited to this.

4. The chicken carcass. Using a pressure cooker you can extract so much flavor

and goodness PLUS the bones will become soft and can easily be ground down for

inclusion as part of a dog's diet.

March 2, 2010 10:22 AM

Matthewsaid...

This is great. Just Great.

March 2, 2010 10:26 AM

Kurt C. said...

Great article, but you lose points fo rusing the term "butt-naked". The term is

BUCK naked, not butt.

March 2, 2010 10:38 AM

urpwnd said...

great article and great ideas, however...

please people.. get off t he "fat is bad" bandwagon. this has been proven,

conclusively, with science.

excessive carbs from bad sources is where you need to be ca reful. carbs = sugars =

you getting fat.

check this out.

Debunking Popular Fat Myths

March 2, 2010 11:25 AM

Anonymou s said...

Awesom ... too bad u have a boyfriend already :)

March 2, 2010 12:49 PM

Kim Siever said...

Why not just portion and freeze your meat? Then you dont need to worry about

racing through it all.

March 2, 2010 1:26 PM

GreenStockings said...

We did the same sorta deal with our holiday turkey this year - I *did* make stock

out of the bones, which is still becoming things now, as I froze it all in single cup

servings.

Granted, we did end up making lots and lots of turkey sandwiches, because we

love them, and they don't take much prep work.

March 2, 2010 1:43 PM

Johnny R. (Austin, TX) said...

Great recipes and a great blog, but one thing that comes to mind is that most of

the savings comes from buying a "factory farmed" chicken. These birds are cheap

for a reason--all possible corners are cut to save money and mostly the chicken

pays with crowded conditions, crippled legs, no sunlight, living in its own feces

etc.

I would do the same recipes as the blog but with a free range bird. I buy one every



12/13

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1-2 weeks and it costs about $11 for a 4LB bird at Whole Foods. And if you haven't

done this at least once you owe it to yourself because the taste is amazing, it's very

"chickeny" as Julia Child says. Also if you need a bird bigger than 3.5-4LB it's best

to buy 2 smaller birds to ensure tender, tasty meat.

March 2, 2010 2:18 PM

Sallysaid...

love it!! I just happen to have a large chicken in my freezer from the weekend and

I think I already have all the staples from your grocery list in my pantry so we are

so on for tomorrow's dinner. I a lso posted your link on a couple of my blogs so

others could get the same benefit. I hope that was ok. I should have asked first. If

it is a problem email me at smilesonly at shaw dot ca and I will remove. Sally

March 2, 2010 2:44 PM

Shel said...

Overall, great post! Thanks for the great information! Five days is a little on the

outside for freshness/safety issues. USDA recommends 3-4 d ays, without broth or

gravy. Broth or gravy is only good 1-2 days because of bacteria growth.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/chicken_food_safety_focus/index.asp

The best idea is freeze it in portions, as someone suggested, or use a c ouple of the

meals for lunches. The Chicken Chili should freeze really well for later use. When

freezing, though, make sure to freeze it the same day you cooked it. The freshness

timer doesn't start over just because it' s been frozen once.

March 2, 2010 3:08 PM

Anonymou s said...

Im really excited ab out your blog, our family is passing some economic troubled

times and this will certainly help. Thankyou so much!

March 2, 2010 3:18 PM

lyd said...

that was fun - thanks!

March 2, 2010 6:25 PM

Yo Prinzel said...

This is fantastic. Thanks to you and your family for being our guinea pigs!

March 2, 2010 7:46 PM

Melissa said...

This post is amazing! Im bookmarking it right now. I also have a cooking blog,

maybe you could use some of my recipes in coming trials!www.andyhoward.ca/liss

March 2, 2010 9:40 PM



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