Menu Masterlist: Pork

OK, my lovely friends- this week's Masterlist is going to be a quick one for two reasons.  One- we just staged, listed and SOLD our house in one week and I am exhausted.  I mean bone weary tired.  (more on that on Friday!) 

And two- we do not eat a lot of pork here, hence the short Masterlist. 

We even gave up pork for about a year when we were eating mostly organic and following a strict eating plan, but to be honest- our family likes ham and bacon and well, we caved.

That being said, we do eat it on a limited basis so here is my small list. 

I would love for you to share with us your favorite pork dish!  Next week we have our odds and ends list- it is my favorite!!

Blessings!

P is for the Piggy's Turn

First it was the cows.

Then the chickens.

And now, yep, you guessed it, the pigs!

We are not vegetarians, and no meat is safe with us!
Sorry.

Once again, Farmer Dan and his lovely family humored us and allowed us to butcher two pigs with them.  My freezer is filling up!

And I am going to just be honest here- this is the one I was worried about  the most.

Why?

Because baby piggies are just so cute.  I mean, really, people keep them as pets, right? (bad idea for us animal loving wimps, just saying.)

So it did help that I never saw these guys as babies.  We, that being NOT me, went to a neighboring farm to get them.

And my 12 year old son got the honor of shooting them.  Before I get hate mail, he had begged.  He knew it would be hard, but he really wanted the chance to try.  And I hear he did just fine.  I also hear rumors of the men at the farm handing him a random gun, with no directions on what to do or how to work it and pointed to the pig while dad was not close by, plus rumors that Farmer Dan has more confidence in him that I do, but hey, that is just a rumor since I wasn't there.

Anyway,

They brought back two pigs and the fun began.

See, I can call it fun, because I was absent for most of it.  It really is not because it bothers me, but because when you are just standing around taking pictures you get in the way and kind of bored.  Ok, mostly bored. So we woman folks worked inside.  Yeah ok, we mostly visited. (so Ashton and Salem took most of the pictures.)

In just a few hours the pigs were skinned, gutted and split in half and then put into the cooling area for the next day.

Yay Farmer Dan!

The next day, you will be glad to know, I actually did something.

As Farmer Dan cut meat, we packaged, hauled stuff back and forth for him, and ground pork.

Actually, the grinding is my hubby's job.  I think he likes that big machine.

He also got cold in the cooler room, so he entertained us by dressing like this-

Trust me, we were entertained...

And what did we end up with? Yummy pork from a healthy source.  Lots of it-
3 Hams
2 porkloins
3 large packages of ribs
12 packages ground pork
8 packages of sausage
6 packages of pork chops (8 each!)
9 pork roasts (the biggest you have ever seen!)
22 pounds of bacon!

Thanks for the picture, A!

May not excite anyone else, but made my day!

Thanks H family!  We love you all and are thrilled to be a part of this learning journey with you!

Blessings,

Fun Fridays- Saving Money in the Kitchen

Welcome to the first week of

Saving Money in the Kitchen.

  I am so excited to get started on this series.  It has been brewing in my mind for a while now, but several of your questions and emails prompted me to get it out of my head and onto the paper.  Thank you!

Yes, my monthly budget for groceries really is between $400-$450 for our family of six.  I aim for $400, but depending on what our month looks like- company, parties, holidays etc. - it can be a little more.

I will try to take each week to concentrate on a different aspect of how I save money in this particular area of our budget.  None of this is rocket science.  Most of it is probably not even new to you.  But sometimes we just need a reminder or a gentle nudge to get started.

Consider this your NUDGE!

Here we go!

Let's start with meat, as that is often one of the most expensive items in your cart at any given time.   I do get most of my meat from the commissary, but you can use these same ideas anywhere.  Let me preface this by saying, this is not organic meat.  I know, I know.  Trust me, it concerns me too, but that is one place I just have not changed over yet.  It is our goal after our summer move to buy local organic meat in bulk, but that is simply not where we are at right now.  Hopefully soon.  Until then...

Buy whole chickens in large quantities whenever you find them on sale.  Be on the lookout for .99 and even .79 sales!    Stick it in the crockpot with some water, onions and spices and you are on your way.  After it is cooked and de-boned I freeze Mr. Chicken into 2 cup portions to be used later.  Think soups, casseroles, burritos, enchiladas, and chicken salad.  Depending on the size of your chicken you can usually get 3-5 meals out of one chicken.  If said chicken cost you $5-$6 you have stretched your money by a ton.  $1.50 per serving is a bargain!  Don't forget to freeze the broth as well.  I have not bought cans of chicken broth in forever!!!

Split your chicken breasts in half!  Usually the breasts you buy are NOT a standard healthy portion. Trust me on this one.  In a world of super sizing we kid ourselves in what a portion really is. Get out a kitchen scale if you don't believe me.  By slicing the breasts in half we double what we have and are eating healthier.

Buy large cuts of meat when they are sale.  Turkeys are cheaper at Thanksgiving.  Hams are cheaper at Easter.  Buy several to stock up!  Once cooked they can be used for multiple meals.  Case in point...I got our Eater Ham for $14.00 on sale.  We ate ham for three meals, froze one 2 cup portion and two 1 cup portions of diced ham for homemade pizzas or casseroles, and three packages of ham slices to use later. That is nine meals... at a fraction of the cost!

 

Let's chat ground beef for a second.  We do not eat a lot of red meat, but we do like a good hamburger occasionally, tacos and meatballs even.  But ground beef is expensive.  Ground turkey, not so much.  So for about half our meals that call for ground beef, I substitute ground turkey. Sometime I will use half and half.  Easy!

Go meatless once a week!  Here is one that I do not do as well as others because I have picky eaters who do not care for beans.   (except CJ, of course!)  But, by buying beans in bulk rather than cans and cooking them yourself you WILL save!  Another way to do this is to cook soups.  There are plenty of recipes out there for meatless soups that when paired with rolls or some homemade bread make a hearty meal.

Eat breakfast for dinner once a week.  I started this at our house because the kids thought it was fun.  Since then, I have realized it is also cheaper.  From everyday staples like waffles or pancakes to french toast and even breakfast casseroles, you can save money with breakfast food.

Buy pork chops.  I realize pork is an off limit food for some, but if it is for you consider buying it more often.  Pork chops are less expensive than chicken and I think sometimes we just forget they are an option.

OK, I know this one is not meat, but I am going to slip it in since I have mentioned bulk buying...

Buy side dishes in bulk.  We do this in our house primarily with potatoes.  A 10 pound bag is cheap when on sale.  When we were growing them ourselves, it was even cheaper...and made me oh so happy!  (You can grow potatoes in large buckets, bales of straw and even large trash cans.  Do not let space alone be your excuse for not growing them.  It is easy and your kids will love it!) We can get a lot of side dishes out of one 10 pound bag of potatoes!  Homemade french fries, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, hash browns!   I figured out the savings once of that one bag of potatoes compared to what it would have cost me to buy bags of the frozen equivalents and the difference was about $14.00.  Never mind the health benefits.  We also buy brown rice on bulk!

So there you have it.  Told you it wasn't rocket science.  And no coupon cutting was even involved. This month we spent right at $100.00 on meat.

Come back next week and I will break down the $400.00 even more for you and focus on the dreaded snack foods!

Questions?  Ask away!  More money saving ideas?  Please share!

Until then, Happy Shopping!



Linking up with Caroline at The Modest Mom today!