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Hello Kraft Community, we are very excited to share some great news with you. As loyal Kraft Community members we have heard your desire to do more fun things in the community and we are happy to announce in January 2010 we will be making some changes so you can connect and share food ideas in more ways than ever!
We want to let you know we will not be transferring the existing discussions to the new enhanced message boards so if there are discussions that you would like to save please make sure to either print them or copy and paste into a document that you can save to your personal files.
We will remind you again before the transition occurs but wanted to let you in on the exciting news!!
If you have any questions on how to do this please contact Customer Care at Contact Us
Moderator_Sky
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1,521
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Posted:
Aug 21, 2009 10:00 PM
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> just came home from grocery shopping and on a really
> tight budget this week b/c some money has to be
> diverted to school supplies.
I stocked up on food stuffs earlier because my son's preschool is at my college, so they didn't even have anyone in the office until today to find out what I needed to bring with him as school supplies. Otherwise I'd have been in the same boat.
So expensive to stock up a child for school - and only gets worse as they get older, culminating in college lol.
Anyhow, I hit up sales each week to stock my freezer. Seemed to be the best way for me and I got a lot of great cuts for low prices.
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Posts:
42
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Posted:
Aug 21, 2009 2:21 PM
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just came home from grocery shopping and on a really tight budget this week b/c some money has to be diverted to school supplies. Needed to get in and out around $20. Luckily, I do have some staples in the pantry. I bought chicken legs for 1.96 (5 in the package) and pork blade steaks for 2.44. There are 3 of us, so I split the chicken legs into a pack of 3 and one of 2. I have ck breast for me in freezer b/c I don't do legs. Then I cut the pork into 4 deck of card size chops. The rest of the pork I sliced into thin strips. You can use these in stir fry, or try this recipe.
Dredge pork lightly in flour.
brown 1/2 a small onion and 3 cloves garlic chopped in 2 tbsp olive oil
when softened, add in pork and salt and pepper to taste
brown pork, then add in 2 cups (or more if you like a lot of sauce) chicken or veg. stock-I make my own and keep it in the freezer.
add in 1/2 tsp dried sage
bring to boil, then lower to simmer to let the sauce reduce
I served this last night over leftover rice pilaf I made for a different meal. We had it with salad and fresh gr. beans from my garden. Enjoy
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Moderator_Deanne
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1,706
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Posted:
Jul 21, 2009 8:34 PM
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Welcome to the community itismedia. =)
That recipe sounds really good, thanks for sharing!
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Posts:
6
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Posted:
Jul 21, 2009 1:31 PM
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BBQ Chicken Pizza.
I buy the tubes of premade refridgerated pizza crust when they go on sale and I have coupons (of course! ) I always have a few in the fridge.
Stretch the dough out a little farther than they suggest and get a bit more out of it. Lightly brown it (just a touch)
Saute chicken, chopped in small pieces. When it is about 1/2 done add in a thinly sliced onion.
Top crust with your favorite BBQ sauce instead of pizza sauce.
Sprinkle on onions and chicken.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Put back in the oven until cheese is melted.
YUM!!!!
I buy boneless skinless chicken breast when they are on sale (1.99lb) they usually have 3 large breast in there and I can feed my family of 6 this meal with 1 1/2 breast. Leaving the other 1 1/2 for another meal.
With sales and coupons this meal averages us about 4.50 for the pizza and .75 for 1/3 of a package of romaine hearts for a salad (they usually package 3 heads in 1 bag, for about 2.00). By the way the 6 people in my family includes 4 teens!!!!!!!
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Moderator_Sky
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1,521
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Posted:
Jul 20, 2009 4:21 PM
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> Vegetarians save TONS of money on meat. 
I was in a science lab today and we had to "examine" sheep brains. There's a vegetarian in there that was miserable, to say the least. Her lab partner tried to tell her "But it died of natural causes" lol
I still really love my own way to save money on meat - buy it when it's on sale and stock up, and cut "portions" in half. Because the typical portion we might eat is usually two times more than the recommended portion size. If you pre-slice it and set the plates for your family filled with lots of veggies, they usually don't even realize they are getting less.
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Moderator_Jane
Posts:
1,656
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Posted:
Jul 20, 2009 11:37 AM
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> Vegetarians save TONS of money on meat.
Yes, they do by definition, but vegetarians often spend as much on groceries to get their needed proteins. There is no one solution that fits everyone's life and life style.
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Posts:
266
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Posted:
Jul 20, 2009 7:21 AM
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Vegetarians save TONS of money on meat.
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Moderator_Sky
Posts:
1,521
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Posted:
Jul 19, 2009 9:44 PM
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> *For salisbury steak, I set each serving on a slice
> of bread to sop up the gravy and stretch the meal
> out. You could also serve the meat atop mashed
> potatoes or noodles, similar to a shepherd's pie.
mmm sounds so good
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Posts:
6
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Posted:
Jul 19, 2009 11:53 AM
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A loved one has physical problems brought on by consuming too much protein, so I've been trying to cut down on meats in my cooking to accommodate him. Here's what I've started doing, besides what I posted before:
*When I make meat loaf or salisbury steak, I don't use dry bread crumbs. Instead, I tear a slice of bread or two into small pieces. Sourdough or French bread is a nice variation if you have some left over. I've also heard of adding shredded zucchini to the meat mixture.
*For salisbury steak, I set each serving on a slice of bread to sop up the gravy and stretch the meal out. You could also serve the meat atop mashed potatoes or noodles, similar to a shepherd's pie.
*The food service director at my college used to add a can of condensed vegetable soup (without noodles) to the meat loaf.
*One of my family's favorite dinners is mac & cheese with ground beef added in. For mac & cheese night at college, we had mac & cheese with steamed broccoli and a cinnamon roll. If you don't like broccoli, peas or a side green salad (with peppercorn ranch dressing) goes well with the mac & cheese. It was a nice change from the usual meat entree.
I'm enjoying the ideas and hope mine are helpful too. 
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Moderator_Jane
Posts:
1,656
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Posted:
Jul 16, 2009 7:59 AM
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> I have a limited number of stores in my area, one is
> rather overpriced and located pretty close to a
> cheaper store. That has been a blessing lately
> because not many people shop there. So the day before
> their new ad goes into effect, I head there early and
> go straight to the meat department. I can usually
> find a few packages of almost any cut of meat or
> poultry discounted by 40 to 70 percent and sometimes
> even more. I've actually gotten packages of stew meat
> for 75 cents a pound that is still fresh, no browning
> etc. This works really well for me, the store is a
> couple miles farther than the discount store, but
> it's right by a really nice thrift store so I get two
> for one out of the gas! I don't buy much else there,
> but it's worth the trip to add to the meat freezer,
> and for the feeling I get when I make a stew that
> costs pennies a serving.
Great suggestions. We have freezer so we often buy the smallish discounted freezer bundles from the meat market. Over the years, we've learned exactly what we will eat and what we won't, and concentrate on those things we know we will eat within six months. It gives us a much better quality of meat for discount store prices.
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Posts:
7
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Posted:
Jul 15, 2009 11:53 PM
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I have a limited number of stores in my area, one is rather overpriced and located pretty close to a cheaper store. That has been a blessing lately because not many people shop there. So the day before their new ad goes into effect, I head there early and go straight to the meat department. I can usually find a few packages of almost any cut of meat or poultry discounted by 40 to 70 percent and sometimes even more. I've actually gotten packages of stew meat for 75 cents a pound that is still fresh, no browning etc. This works really well for me, the store is a couple miles farther than the discount store, but it's right by a really nice thrift store so I get two for one out of the gas! I don't buy much else there, but it's worth the trip to add to the meat freezer, and for the feeling I get when I make a stew that costs pennies a serving.
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Posts:
1
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Posted:
Jun 12, 2009 9:05 AM
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My husband and I have made a game out of seeing how inexpensively we can eat, especially if we are going out. We have a coupon book we bought for $20 which saves tons in the long run as well.
Without using coupons, we can go to El Dorado's and have meat nacho's and split it. They give you chips and salsa to start off with which half fills you up and then the meat and cheese nacho's come and by the time we finish those, we've had enough. Cost: $6.00 (Or $3.00 each for dinner.) Sometimes we'll split a 12 inch subway sub for dinner, each having water since soda's are so overpriced and bad for you, and if we get the $5.00 special, dinner is $2.50 a piece. On chili, like others here, we make a mixed bean chili (try black beans, white beans and red beans, a can of the Italian flavored chopped tomatoes - in Lowe's they are often on sale in the discount section, and ground turkey or chicken, also add in corn or mixed veggies.) It is extremely filling and satisfying. We've also taken to making our weekly menu's out beforehand, then going online and searching for coupons for those EXACT foods. Usually each brand will offer some coupons on their site. We save a lot of money this way as well and take advantage of Harris Teeter's doubling and tripling of coupons. This part takes some time, but can save you $25-$50 per week on grocery bills.
Another trick that Asian's will often use in their cooking to stretch meat is to take one serving of meat, slice it thinly and then make the majority of the meal vegetables or rice - that way, you still get the flavor and taste of meat but it becomes more like a "treat" amongst the vegetables. And you eat less meat (and save money) which is a health bonus. Using herbs and spices as well, turns the same old thing into something fabulous. A great way to learn to do this is to look at websites (or their cookbook) like "The World's Healthiest Foods" - their recipe for papaya with lime juice and cilantro is an incredible adventure for your taste buds (I never enjoyed papaya until I had had it this way.) One of our favorite things to do is to go to Lowes and look in their discount section (items they are wanting to clear out or that might be dented), usually half off. We buy the things we enjoy and stock up on them.
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Moderator_Deanne
Posts:
1,706
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Posted:
Jun 10, 2009 8:52 PM
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> Check the weekly ads at the grocery store, Instead of
> buying what you always eat, I just plan my weekly
> meals based on what meats are on sale. When its on
> sale you can get it up to 50% off, and when a really
> good meat is on sale I'll double or triple up and
> save in the freezer. And it makes for a good
> variety!!!
We raise our own beef but I watch for these sales on chicken and turkey to toss in the big freezer. =)
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Posts:
2
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Posted:
Jun 10, 2009 1:33 PM
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Check the weekly ads at the grocery store, Instead of buying what you always eat, I just plan my weekly meals based on what meats are on sale. When its on sale you can get it up to 50% off, and when a really good meat is on sale I'll double or triple up and save in the freezer. And it makes for a good variety!!!
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Posts:
6
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Posted:
Jun 6, 2009 8:24 PM
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You can also buy a little cheaper cuts of meat and cook them in the crock pot not only is the meat tender as can be, but you save energy too, not to mention in the summer cooking with the slow cooker doesn't heat your house.
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