1 Chicken = 3 Meals

Everyone has, at some point, grabbed one of those rotisserie chickens they sell at supermarkets.  For $5-6 bucks a bird (mine was $5.79 for a 24 oz cooked bird), these can make a meal without anyone having to watch the oven or need a rotisserie.  I fell in love with them because I have no patience for longer-cooking meats if it won't fit in my crock pot.  Now, I realize that same 24oz of bird purchased raw could cost me as little as $1.20 (whole chickens go on sale for $0.79/lb), but I have learned to save myself time and use every bit of conveniently cooked bird.

The Price Per Serving Breakdown:
I can make 3 meals out of the bird I buy.  With the sale prices of the week, each meal came to between $0.63 - 4.00 per serving, or an average of just under $2.25 per plate.  This isn't crazy cheap (mom fed me home-grown suppers for .50/serving or less,) but I think it is still thrifty, considering the meals include lots of fresh vegetables and are still easily made in approx 20-40 minutes.  The average cost of a meal per serving in America ranges from $4 to $9.

The Meals:
Day 1: $4.00/serving + beverage

Lemon Pepper Chicken - $6
Fresh French Bread - $0.99
Steamed Broccoli - $0.99/lb

We eat what chicken we can cut off the pretty bird.  Half of the loaf of bread with butter we eat, the other half we store.  The broccoli we eat, then I finish off because I love the stuff.

I proceed to clean the meat off the bones, storing meat in the container and putting bones in the freezer with other scraps.

Day 2:  $0.63/serving + beverage

Salad:
Arugula/spinach/lettuce  - $1.00 as half of 1 bag arugula, half of 1 bag salad mix @ $1.00/bag.
carrots and leftover chicken - negligble and leftover
Toasted French Bread Croutons - leftover
Blue Cheese Dressing - $0.24, at $1.99/16 oz (there are cheaper, but I go with pre-maid and without HFCS)

I toast the previous french loaf bread after cutting into cubes and have makeshift croutons.  I mix up salad greens (any greens work, romaine with veggie leaves are my stand by), and I shred a baby carrot for color and cube some leftover chicken.

Blue cheese dressing is one of two dressings open in the fridge, so we go with that (note: too many types of dressing opened at once and they all languish in the fridge.  I won't open a new bottle of any flavor until another is almost gone.)  The lemon pepper seasoning of the chicken is noticeable, but good.

Day 3: $2.11/serving + beverage, serves 2

Stirfry:
bok choy - 1.00
wilted celery - .50, 1/2 of $1.00 pk
carrots - .25, 1/4 lb from 1.00/lb
red pepper - .33 ea
half-spent onion - .50
chicken - leftover
White Rice - .34, 1 cup of rice (7 oz?) from a $0.79/lb bag -
Crispy Chow Mien Noodles - $0.20, from bulk
Lean Cuisine Thai Egg Rolls - 6 in a pack, for $1.10 on sale
Seasonings: chili powder, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar - negligible

So, the bok choy I had to look up how to prepare, as I had never personally handled it before (I only bought it because is was on sale for $1/lb.) I cut off and save the bok choy leaves to feed to my lizard.  The celery, a few leftover stalks nearing the compost bin, have their leaves already fed to lizard.  I want to start using brown rice as it is healthier, but I got 15 lbs of white to use up, first!  I don't normally buy crispy chow mien noodles because that aren't very healthy and they often go stale quickly.  However, on seeing them in the bulk section, I was able to buy just a handful for each of us.  The Lean Cuisine egg rolls were a splurge, but I wasn't up for making my own egg rolls yet, and they are SOOooo good.

Use Up Everything:
Now, after I make those 3 meals, here's what else happens.  "And now, the rest of the chicken":

• Once the meat is gone I add the bones to my chicken stock scraps in the freezer, where they accumulate until I can make broth.  The plastic cases they come in make great seed starters (with a taller see-through top then other leftover containers) and both the plastic case and paperboard carrying handle are recyclable with our curbside program (just thoroughly wash off any grease or dirt, please.)   The only thing I have to throw out is the string tying the chicken legs together, as this is usually an unknown plastic cord.  That's a pretty economical chicken for being 'ready-to-eat'.  

The other foods I try get mileage from, as well:

• For the broccoli, I cut up the stem in small pieces so they cook well and aren't still tough, so they get eaten.  
• When I have a whole uncut loaf of bread, I cut the whole thing into slices and brush all the crumbs into my jar of bread crumbs used for cooking.  
• For certain types of dressings I will add vinegar/oil/water to the bottle to get a few more pours from it, shaking to get the seasoning from the sides of the bottle.  
• Some dressing bottles I rinse out to store my own creations if I have time to make them.  
• I keep greens in a salad spinner in the fridge (one for lizard, one for us) and they keep amazingly well in them.  
• The bok choy and celery leaves aren't normally eaten or cooked in most recipes, but that is okay because my lizard appreciates the variety.  
• The celery in a stir fry can be limp and not noticed, as long as there are other 'crisp' veggies there. The onion I had to peel quite a few layers off (it had been hiding in the back and bottom of the basket) and the center was starting to grow, but any bits I didn't use, as well as cut-offs from bok choy, celery, carrot and onion went in the freezer bag for making stock.  
• Any other food scraps I would ideally compost, though haven't heard back from the MRF yet on my ability to start doing that where I live now.

Cooking More (Energy) Efficiently:
People think green and efficient and they think about gas mileage or appliances that are Energy Star approved.  How we use things like appliances is what actually makes them efficient.  Here are ways I save energy in my kitchen:

• Well, the chicken was cooked in groups in a commercial machine, which I suppose is more efficient than everyone cooking a chicken in their own home unit.  
• The broccoli I steam, making sure to have a lid on to keep the hot steam in the pot (I actually have seen people 'open top' steam things, I don't know if this is common, though.)  
• I use the toaster oven to toast small pieces of bread, like croutons, because it is more efficient than firing up the big oven.  
• The rice I cook 'economy' style, which means I put the rice and the water in the pot, then heat it up with lid on.  I open once to stir, and once it is boiling, I turn off the burner and let it cook.  I take a peak, and if the rice looks about cooked, I take the lid off and let it steam off any extra moisture.  This uses less fuel from my oven to achieve the same thing - cooked rice (though it is sticky rather than 'fluffy', I like sticky better.) 
• The vegetables I cut small and thin as possible, which will increase how fast they fully cook, and shorten the time they need to be on the stove top.  
• I wash dishes by hand if my arthritis will let me, instead of running the dishwasher. 
• I think about and grab all the ingredients from the fridge, so I'm not constantly opening and shutting the door, letting out the cold air.  I try put them all back at once, too.  
• I politely request of my S.O. to not open the fridge and stare into it with the door wide open while deciding what to drink.  (At least, I think I'm polite about it.  Judging by how fast he runs off, maybe I sound more irritated than I think.)
• I don't microwave much, but for smaller servings, it is more efficient than heating up the whole oven.

And there you have it!  As wasteless, efficient, convenient and affordable as I can make my dinners right now.  The Efficient Cook may become a post series if there is any interest in it, so please let me know if you enjoyed this article, or if you'd have preferred a more typical recipe layout.  

Can't wait to see what I save you next time!

Image of rotisserie chicken courtesy of Flikr, (c) stu_spivack, with image overlays.

Less Food Waste: Plan Ahead, Buy What You Need

Food waste is a big topic of late.  39% of Americans felt the most green-guilt about wasting food, versus 27% for wasting water or 21% for not recycling*.  Perhaps it is because of the media coverage and awareness of the 1.1 billion starving people in the world.  Perhaps it is because they get mad at the food and so themselves.  Whatever the reason, fighting food waste as a cause is gaining support, its banner being picked up by companies, coalitions, communities, and consumers.  There are many places between farm and table where food becomes wasted, but I want to talk about how someone can prevent food waste from the consumer point-of-view.  
*Per Shelton Group survey; I want to know why 21% of people weren't recycling!

I plan to share tips, ideas, and methods of how consumers can prevent food waste in their daily lives.  I will also be discussing technology, innovations, markets, and community actions that can help you prevent throwing away food-shaped money.  To start, I want to go over this Consumer's Guide to Preventing Food Waste.

Preventing Food Waste:  The Consumer's Guide

Now, I'm going to go over all the steps in this nifty chart for what you, as a consumer, need to be considering.  Mostly, I want to give a layout on how I operate (though I still have food fall through the cracks!), and offer ideas to help you modify your routine into a workable, sustainable fight against food waste.

Today, I will go over "Planning Ahead" and "Buying What You Need."  Bear with me any of you warehouse or couponing people, because this is the account of one person in a small townhome, so I physically can't stock 4 boxes of Wheat Thins.

Plan Ahead:
"What's for dinner?"
"Ummm...."
Unless you have a hotdish called "Ummm", chances are you aren't planning meals.  This is a serious mistake if you want to save money, prevent food waste, or have time to relax.  Meal planning is never a 'one style fits all' activity, and you will need to find the methods that work for you.  Squawk Fox has some nice images and comments on meal planning here.

Some tips based on how I've developed meal planning:

• Consider planning your meals on the same day of each week.  Schedule it like a doctor's appointment, so it gets done.  Mine is Tuesday (the same night Supernatural is on TV.)
• Consider making your 'meal plan' day the same as when you receive stores' sales flyers (I get mine, surprise, on Tuesdays).  This lets you cash in on the stores' loss leaders for the week, without feeling obliged to stock excessive amounts of sale foods when you are in the store. (because you know you'll be planning meals off next week's sales, anyway.) 
• Consider making a 'rotation' chart to help plan 'what' meals.  See an example of this method here.
• Have a recipe box, binder, or document that contains your family's favorites that you can make easy-peasy.  Standby recipes are less stressful, and having them all in one place helps write grocery lists.  Do try new dishes, but don't make the entire week a culinary adventure or you will get tired.
• If you want to really get the freshest foods and best values, plan your meals according to what foods are in season.  Check out Kitchn's list of resources on this.
• With the meals chosen, make a list of the ingredients from the recipes.
• Go through ALL of your food storage areas to see what you already have, so you only shop for what you need.
• Write your meal plans down and put them somewhere VISIBLE for the entire household to see.  Then everyone knows what to expect, and if someone is old enough to complain, they are old enough to plan their own meal for that day (even 5 year olds can make a sandwich.)
• Prepare what you can ahead of time, secure that it will be used on Day X.  Make sure to follow the same rules as with other foods, properly storing what you make and making sure it gets used in time.

Buy What You Need:

When a is a deal not a deal?  Saving money on groceries isn't always just how cheap you can buy ingredients.  I would say Americans lose money by buying foods 'on sale' and then having them languish, stored improperly or so well hidden they are forgotten- until the smell reminds you, or you see the Wheaties box with the winning Minnesota Twins on it.  So, to reiterate from the Planning Ahead:

• With the meals chosen, make a list off of the ingredients from the recipes.  Go through ALL of your food storage areas to see what you already have, so you only shop for what you need.

So, now you have to go out and get the food:

• Taking my grocery list of things I need, I pencil in the approx regular price of each item, or the sale price and what store has it.  (If you have a price book, take it out now to keep it updated with sale price info.) Total this up.
• I then take out cash for this amount plus $10-15 for 'stock-up' sale purchases to be used in later weeks (I will take out more if a basic meat or expensive item is on super sale.)  Cash keeps you faithful to your list and prevents overspending.
• I keep my grocery list in my wallet (though will be trying some phone apps soon.)  As the list is written per recipe, I won't run to a store for their sales if I know I don't need to until Friday. Some people do better getting groceries all at once (especially if they get one day without kids,) but with my schedule, I'm usually on the road each day, anyway, so I stop in when its convenient for me and on the way home.
• Eat before you shop.  Bring a water bottle from home.  If you are notorious for your sweet tooth (guilty!) then keep homemade cookies or snacks on you and have one before going into the store.  You want to feel already satisfied and happy while you are shopping, so the displays and sweets won't tempt you. 

What stores to go to:

• Avoid stores that put number requirements on their super sales - I like the store Albertson's, but when they require me to buy 4 lbs of butter or strawberries to get the sale price, I can't justify it unless I have the time and space to dehydrate/freeze that week. 
• Avoid BOGO (Buy One Get One) sales unless it is something you can use in 1 week or is very easily stored.  It seems like you are missing out on the great price, but if everyone stops being lured by BOGO (or number requirements), the stores will have to go back to just putting the single items on sale, again.
• Avoid warehouse stores, as they often rely on selling large bulk amounts.  If you know you can eat the affordable 3 pack of something before it goes bad, then do it, but don't buy 4 lbs of cheap pretzels and 'hope' to get through them.
• If you shop liquidation / discount stores for food, pay attention to expiration dates and have a very clear idea of what items you can stock up on and what you already have in stock, as super cheap items tend to lull us into a, "Oh, I"ll just get it" mentality, where 'it' usually ends up stale/expired/thrown away in a month. 
• If you shop farmer's markets, or try get everything organic, know that many of these foods won't keep like their waxed/treated/preservative ladden counter-parts.  Buy your amounts accordingly.  You can barter for a smaller pack for less     

Regarding coupons: 

• I personal only browse coupons after my list is written.    
• If you coupon, don't open that coupon book until AFTER you have a list.  Coupons are used to get you to buy more of things you didn't need.  
• If you are a regular super-coupon user, do what you do, as you should be able to avoid the 'but I have a coupon' unnecessary purchasing and you (hopefully) have a system for storage.  I am infrequent in my coupon use because I usually buy my foods cheaper in bulk/off brand, anyway.

Update 1/20/2014 --I just attended an Extreme Couponing demonstration, and these guys are getting organized!  I can see how the 'extreme' couponers pull it off now, though I can't make it work in my lifestyle right now.  If you can physically store up to 3 months of an items' use and can keep track of rotating inventory/watching expiration dates, then you might want to check them out.  Read more here... 

2 Brown Bananas = MUFFINS!!

They were there each morning when I reached for my cereal.  Two pretty bananas, just begging to be peeled and chowed down on.  But I spurned them, day after day, until I looked and saw they had turned brown in the time of my disregard.

Damn.

So, before the fruit flies invaded my rejected fruit, something had to be done with the bodies.  Enter, grandma's banana bread recipe.  As I was heating up the oven for toasting up the garlic bread, I figured tonight was a good night for it.

The interesting thing about the recipe is there isn't much sugar or fat (compared to other recipes I've seen), which creates a more wholesome, non-crumbling bread rather than light and crumbly baked good.  For the process of baking my spurned fruit, I couldn't find my bread pan, so I pulled out muffin tins and my IKEA silicone muffin wraps (really happy with how well those muffin wrappers work, again and again).  I didn't have shortening so I used coconut oil.  I had no idea how long to bake this stuff in muffin shape, so I left them in until they turned brown, about 18 minutes in my gas oven.  Result:  Nummy.

Grandma's Banana-Bread-turned-Muffins:

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup shortening (I used 1/4 coconut oil)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 banana
1/4 c sour milk (add vinegar or lemon juice to milk)
3/4 tsp soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup nuts
1/8 tsp salt

Directions:  Mix all until no dry flour is visible.  Put in greased bread loaf pan (makes 2 midsize loafs.)  Bake at 350* for 50 minutes.  If you end up making them into muffins, bake them in greased muffin tin or in muffin cups at 350* for approx. 18 minutes, or until the tops brown (makes approx 12 muffins.)

Cost Analysis:

Homemade (2 loaves): .20 flour + .20 coconut oil + .15 sugar + .20 eggs + .45 bananas + .20 milk/lemon juice + .03 soda + .07 powder + .45 nuts = $1.95

Purchased Mix (2 loaves): $2.67, + .20 eggs + .08 oil = $2.95

Purchased Pre-Made: at Winco Bakery= $2.90 each, so 2 loaves = $5.80

Ingredients Comparison:

Pillsbury Quick Bread & Muffin Mix, Banana - 14 oz box
Enriched Bleached Flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
Sugar 
Dried Banana
Wheat Starch
Partially hydrogenated soybean oil
Dextrose
Contains 2% or less of: defatted wheat germ, baking powder (baking soda, sodium acid pyophosphate, calcium phosphate), corn starch, propylene clycol monoesters, salt, cellulose, natural and artificial flavors, mono and diglycerides, polysorbate 60, nonfat milk, TBHQ and citric acid (antioxidants). 
And you have to add:
2 eggs

3 Tbsp oil