Custom Meat Cuts

When it comes to meat, I have 3 things that I pay attention to:

-knowing exactly how much I'm using per meal for price breakouts and budget
-having meat that has most prep work done, so that it's quick to use at meals
-portion size for calories, diet and health

I have found that buying in bulk is great. Even better, buying full sections of meat and either cutting it up myself or having the butcher do it can be even better. Example- I love boneless pork chops. I've found that buying a whole pork loin is cheaper per pound, and then I can cut the chops to 3 oz. portion sizes, which I then marinate and freeze so they are ready to cook as soon as they defrost.

For good cuts of steak, I typically wait for the Fareway here to have a great sale. They have a wonderful meat counter, and I can have the butchers cut things specifically to my liking.

You can also take your boneless skinless chicken breasts, portion them up, and have them in marinade ready to go.

Now I know I'm eating the proper portion size of meat and can't eat more (no temptation!), I can determine exact price per meal, and the prep work is all done! Works for me!

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.

Precooking can help you with the budget

I am finding more and more that precooking certain foods can help you save substantial money. It also gives you the "convenience" foods that you would spend more money on if you bought in that form in the store. Here are some ideas that you can do on the weekend that could save you $$$ and time in the long run:

Beans- Canned beans are convenient, but cost more money than dried beans, and they have a LOT more sodium. Dried beans can take a lot of time, so cooking in advance and then freezing into separate servings give you a more economical, and healthier convenience food.

You can find suggestions on how best to cook dried beans at http://www.centralbean.com/cooking.html. Once cooked, portioning about 2 cups of beans per bag will give you the equivalent of 1 can of beans. For a LOT less.

Meats- For certain dishes, like tacos, or dishes that require cubed, cooked chicken, I find that if I just keep pre-cooked portions in my freezer, I save time and money. When I cook ground beef a pound at a time, I end up using a pound, whether I really needed that much or not. These days, I find it easier to cook 4 or 5 pounds of meat in the pan, then I portion it up into ziplocs. Reality is that I can probably get about 7 or 8 meals this way, which I wouldn't have gotten the other way.

For poultry, same rule applies. If you're doing a baked or grilled chicken dish, throw in a few extra, then chop and bag for the freezer. You can make that meat stretch a lot further. The other perk I've found is that pre-cooked meats take a lot less time to defrost, which gives you another go-to item when you're pressed for time.

Happy cooking, and happy savings!