Food Prices are higher than ever. With no relief in sight, what can be done to put great food on the table and still keep within some type of a budget?
We have some tips to share...things we've done for years and went under the radar until suddenly folks had to take a second mortgage to buy a beef tenderloin or have dinner at your favorite fine dining restaurant.
Two words: Pork and Chicken. If you cook at home, especially for a family, using these proteins are literally 'money'.
Prices are low (we shop Costco a lot, whole chickens yesterday were $2.19/lb, $2.39/lb for whole breasts and under $2.00 /lb for thighs. Remember Egg pricing? Eggs were $3.39 for a 24 count flat. Amazing. And Pork...what a tremendous value. Whole Pork Loins were $1.19/lb. Pork tenderloins were $2.99/lb. Pork Boneless Shoulder is $2.29/lb. Prices at competitive grocers will be close to those prices.
How about Beef? Sure, Beef Tenderloin is still priced sky high, but there are great deals out there for cuts like Top Sirloin, Flat Iron, Chuck Steaks, Beef Shanks and more. We've found many at $8.99/lb - $9.99/lb consistently. Higher than Pork and Chicken, but to paraphrase a saying about Marie Antoinette...you can still have your steak and eat it.
These are versatile proteins that you can make into delicious and nutritious dinners, especially if you are adding in vegetables (there is so much local produce now available !) and filling carbohydrates like rice, beans or pasta to stretch the meal.
If you know your way around fabrication (taking a whole piece of meat and breaking it down) you have another advantage. I buy whole Pork Loins and break them into 2 1/2 inch boneless chops or buy a boneless Pork Shoulder and break it into blade steaks and have extra for stir fry and more. We buy whole chickens and quarter them and use them for roasting and grilling. Leftover pieces like backbone or wing tips get turned into stock which we freeze for later use. If I'm not using them the same day, I simply use a Vacuum Saver to save for another day.
If your pantry has the basic essentials ( spices, seasonings, grains, rices, pastas, beans and condiments), you can use them to build dinners in many different ways to feed your family. More on Panty Essentials in our next blog...it's amazing how you can change up the way you cook by using techniques and flavors taken from around the world...
We create dinners from all over: Pasta, Noodle and Rice dinners from Asia, Italy and Spain, Mixed grills similar to Argentinian Asadas, Cast Iron one pan seared and roast dinners, great BBQ and Grilling from here in the US...We mix it up as we have a pretty regular dinner crew and love to do different things.
Think about it. Adding in Pork and Chicken to your meal plans can let you eat like a king on a budget. Mixing in those proteins to your dinner menu on a regular basis can help feed your family nutritionally at a price you can live with...and save you money in the short and long run.
