Sale on Meat ~ Feed the Freezer
Remember how we talked about one key strategy to getting great deals while shopping for groceries, is a having an open, pliable mind.
Here is an example of how that worked out on New Years Eve. While grabbing a few items for our traditional Appetizer Fest, a lovely array of hors d'oerves including Jalapeno Poppers, Brie with Honey Caramelized Walnuts and Twice Baked Potatoes, I ran across an extreme deal.
Packages of ground chicken for $1.25 each. Not organic. But ground chicken, perfect to make a massive amount of taco meat for the freezer. Tons of them, all marked down from holidays and snow.
What to do?
As I walked away from the ground chicken, I glanced through all the organic aisles, to see if they had marked down packages of fresh meat. None. Organics are always my first choice, but they were all happily in date. Hovering near the chicken, I realized packages of chicken breast were also deeply discounted....
Instead of grabbing every package in sight, I headed around the store, praying, "Lord, is this what you want me to buy?" Knowing that the HSLDA webinar was coming up, we are working night and day on the website, to get it ready for you, I thought, why not get them and do a Prudent Wife video, while feeding the freezer.
Spending less than $20 total, I bought 8 packages of ground chicken and 3 packages of chicken breasts, for more like $16.00!
Out of the ground chicken (turkey, hamburger, buffalo, etc would all work) we made our delicious recipe for Taco Meat in Bulk. This made a whopping 11 packages, measured in 2 cup portions, to feed your freezer for those time crunched days.
Cooking large quantities of taco meat in bulk really reduces pressure in my life! Knowing these frozen assets are ready, completely prepared, the first step toward making a simple taco, enchilada or taco salad meal come together fast. Taco Meat is also used in many soups and virtually all of our chilis, and many creative dishes in between. You give me a cooked, 2 cup package of taco meat and I can have dinner on the table in minutes.
How many dishes do you make that take a base of cooked hamburger meat with onions?
The fresh chicken breast was turned into 5 packages, 1 1/2 cups each, of Fajita Meat. This is one of the most versatile recipes you can have on hand, frozen Fajita Meat in Bulk waiting to be made into any recipe of your choosing. We use fajita chicken for tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, taco salad, soups and so much more! Perfect for dinner tonight (we threw feta cheese and chopped jalapeno pepper on it, and baked it for 20 minutes and it was delicious!) and another 4 packages to feed your freezer for those time crunched days.
Talk about ways to maximize time, money and effort and keep that grocery budget in check!
By shopping SMART, I made 11 bags of Taco Meat in Bulk for less than $10 and another 5 bags of Fajita Meat in Bulk for less than $6!
Total time, less than 2 hours of shopping and cooking, with meat for 16 meals, for about $16 all together! Woo hoo!
You can do exactly what I just did here, feeding your freezer with pre-cooked meat bases. Prices will vary by grocery store, and by how much they want to move the meat.
So remember, stop and pray before you go in to any store. Ask the Lord what He would have you buy. Look for deals. Consider them, don't just throw them all wildly in the cart (unless you have the extra cash in your budget, or they are organic and you can squeeze them in!). Buying food is a way to nurture your family, not win a savings contest.
Breathe.
Too much of a good deal is not a deal. I could have bought 20 packages of ground chicken, but there are 3 of us, and that is way more than we needed. I would have to cook and store 2 1/2 times the amount of ground chicken if I did, which could quite easily overwhelm me! Perfect if we had a massive party coming up, not great when we have a pretty good stockpile of meat in the freezer already.
Think and pray through the purchases. Buy what you like, what you will use! Then eat it and enjoy it, He will provide again!
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. Proverbs 31:14