vintagekitchen
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2011
- Messages
- 706
Growing up my grandmother and my aunts taught me to never waste any bit of food when cooking, and to try to save money and stretch the food budget without sacrificing nutrition or taste, so I kept track this week of just how far I managed to stretch a chicken, and what the final cost was.
Monday I went grocery shopping, and bought a whole fryer, 5.5 pounds. That night I made roast chicken with baby carrots, onions, and new potatoes, green beans, homemade mac and cheese, asparagus, pan gravy, and frozen yeast rolls.
Tuesday we had leftovers.
Wednesday we had chicken and dumpling with broth made from the chicken carcass and some of the leftover meat, and 2 cans store bought broth, leftover potatoes and carrots, green peas, and more frozen yeast rolls.
Thursday we had chicken pot pie with the last of the chicken meat, the leftover vegetables, the leftover gravy, and the thickened broth from the dumplings, with the leftover asparagus a and leftover mac and cheese as sides, and the last of the frozen yeast rolls.
So, I made a whole chicken last 4 meals, each meal feeding 2 hungry adults and 2 growing kids. Everyone ate as much as they wanted, and everyone got full. Total cost for the week, including items used in cooking like margarine and milk, was $26.50. That's about $6.63 a meal, or $1.66 per serving.
Of course, I also made a chocolate cake and a batch of chocolate chip cookies, total cost for desserts, $6.73, or about $1.68 per day, or $0.42 per serving.
So desserts and all, I spent $33.23 to feed 2 adults and 2 children dinner for 4 days. That's about 8.31 per dinner, or about $2.08 per serving for all you can eat with dessert. I don't know of any restaurant that can beat it.
Anyone else frugal in the kitchen?
Monday I went grocery shopping, and bought a whole fryer, 5.5 pounds. That night I made roast chicken with baby carrots, onions, and new potatoes, green beans, homemade mac and cheese, asparagus, pan gravy, and frozen yeast rolls.
Tuesday we had leftovers.
Wednesday we had chicken and dumpling with broth made from the chicken carcass and some of the leftover meat, and 2 cans store bought broth, leftover potatoes and carrots, green peas, and more frozen yeast rolls.
Thursday we had chicken pot pie with the last of the chicken meat, the leftover vegetables, the leftover gravy, and the thickened broth from the dumplings, with the leftover asparagus a and leftover mac and cheese as sides, and the last of the frozen yeast rolls.
So, I made a whole chicken last 4 meals, each meal feeding 2 hungry adults and 2 growing kids. Everyone ate as much as they wanted, and everyone got full. Total cost for the week, including items used in cooking like margarine and milk, was $26.50. That's about $6.63 a meal, or $1.66 per serving.
Of course, I also made a chocolate cake and a batch of chocolate chip cookies, total cost for desserts, $6.73, or about $1.68 per day, or $0.42 per serving.
So desserts and all, I spent $33.23 to feed 2 adults and 2 children dinner for 4 days. That's about 8.31 per dinner, or about $2.08 per serving for all you can eat with dessert. I don't know of any restaurant that can beat it.
Anyone else frugal in the kitchen?