cheap eats

So although I didn't participate in the September day of $5 meals, I've given it some thought and found some great deals I thought I'd share.

At the usual grocery store I go to I had thought I'd found the deal of the century, .98 cent per pound whole chicken- so it's like $4 for a whole chicken that feeds my family of 3 for 2 meals- sometimes just 1 depending on how hungry Alli is. I thought that was a great deal paired with a bag of frozen veggies ($1) and a frozen bag of salt and pepper potatoes ($1). So $6 for 1-2 meals for a family of 3. Awesome right?

So I decided to go to Target (my favorite store in the world) for groceries one week because I found the milk we buy for $2 cheaper- awesome, wait it gets better. I went to get a chicken and checked some prices- okay the organic whole chicken at Target was $3 total, not per pound. and the regular whole chicken was $1.76. yes the whole chicken less than $2. I could not believe my eyes. So we had our less than $5 meal this week and it was delish!

Okay, don't be intimidated by a whole chicken, it's basically the same method of cooking as a turkey-it just takes less time- because of weight. So you cut the bag open take the chicken out and take out the gizzards (yuck! & the target chicken had no gizzards-SCORE!) and I wash the chicken in the sink, just to get some slime off- then pat dry. place in a roasting pan. Rub butter, salt, pepper and an herb on the breasts and legs. I used rosemary this week- yum. Any herb will do, I've used basil, parsley, sage, etc. Then place in a 350 degree oven for 60-90 minutes. You can also add the potatoes to the roasting pan. I've done that too. yum. When the chicken is done, I usually let it rest in the pan after I take it out of the oven for 10-15 minutes before slicing. I usually take the breasts off first in one whole piece and then slice them. and it's super easy to take the legs off with kitchen sheers. It's pretty low cal if you don't eat the skin, but do leave the skin on during cooking, it will make the juiciest chicken you've ever had.

It's so easy and cheap. Enjoy! Eat More Chicken!