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S-t-r-e-t-c-h that animal protein

Posted May 07 2008, 01:34 PM by Donna Freedman

Having raised eight kids, reader "SGW" can make a little bit of meat go a long way. She would buy a chicken on sale and make a huge pot of soup -- but they didn't eat the chicken itself, just the broth with vegetables. Then SGW would cut up the bird and freeze it in one-cup portions.

"Yep, I make chicken enchiladas, chicken chow mein, chicken salads, you name it for a family of 10 using only one cup of chicken each meal."

SGW also bought hamburger close to its sell-by date and turned it into meatloaf, meatballs, sloppy Joes and tacos. Some of the meat was just cooked and frozen in one-cup portions: "(It) goes a long way in chili and soup when you use beans, rice, noodles, barley and veggies." Round steak on sale for $1.59 or less per pound would go into the slow cooker and emerges as barbecued beef or Mexican shredded beef.

Incidentally, SGW and her husband are debt-free. Yeah, we were shocked, too.

Bottom line: You don't need as much meat as you might think.

Read more on MSN Money:

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Comments

 

This absolutely works!  I looked through the turkey section in my crock-pot cookbook and saw several called for so many cups of cooked turkey.  So I bought a $6 turkey *** cooked it, and then froze it in 1-2 cup portions and now I have enough for 5 recipes.  (There's only three in my family so that will be at least 12 nights!)  You could probably do the same with a chicken, roast beef or pork tenderloin.  It also works with ham- and then you have a ham bone to make a great vegetable soup!

8 kids! no wonder.

How about eating LESS meat or NO meat?  You don't need animal protein, and unless you're a suckling calf, you don't need cows' milk either.

Whole Foods store brand tofu is 99 cents a pound, and I usually get three meals out of a package.

I don't care if I need it, Veggie.  I like meat, and when I can do so cheaply, I am going to eat it.

I will try anything once and I gave tofu a fair chance.  That was the first and the last time.  

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