"I'll Have the Chipper Chicken"

In this economy everyone is trying to stretch the almighty dollar, and I'm no exception. I'm trying to save money to put toward finishing our basement. My sister Jacqueline recently asked me how I can feed my family so inexpensively. The answer to being smart with your food money is simply to be aware and most importantly, planning.

I guess my parents should have given me a middle name like, "cheap," or "sale," or even "bargain." Ask any member of my family, and they will fully agree that I have a knack for finding great deals. What can I say, it's a gift. In fact my brother called me last week to tell me about this amazing sale they were having at Smith's Grocery Store. This was a joke of course because Gregory never even looks at sales, let alone grocery shops. He proceeded to tell me that he was sure that my heart starting beating quickly as soon as I heard him say the word, "sale." He has even told me he wanted to get me a shirt that had "Manager's Special" printed on it. What can I say, I do love a good manager's special.

Anyway, I promised my sister that I would share a few of my secrets. I really try to keep dinner under $10 for my family of five. Often, it's even less than $5. I'm not talking skimpy non-nutritious meals either. I pride myself in feeding my kids home-cooked healthy food. I always enjoyed having a home cooked meal each night by my own mother and I want to give that to my kids as well. This is NOT to say however, that like most mothers, I don't end up going to Wendy's drive thru after a hectic day. It does happen, more than I would like. I just hope that I have some sort of coupon to use, ie. Arby's 5 for $5. You get the drift.

Have you seen this guy on TV they call the Grocery Guru? He cracks me up. He comes with meals like a bag of salad with some Banquet Frozen dinners. Who even finds that appetizing? Not me.

I've decide that with kids it's best to be simple. This is not to say that we cater to our kids likes and dislikes. I have one child is who very picky, but she's learning to try new things.

My first step in planning my menu for the week is to look at the local ads and center my meals based on sale items. I like to look at Pinching Your Pennies website. You can print all of their deals online. Also, when it comes to meat, if I find a great deal, I buy in bulk. For example, about a month ago at Target they had 80/20 ground round hamburger for $1 a pound. It was regular $3 something a pound. I brought home over 20 pounds of hamburger that day. In addition, they were all packed in individual one pound packets, reading to be frozen. If you haven't discovered Target's meat department yet, I highly suggest it. All of their beef is "Choice" and I think the quality is outstanding. Target usually prices their meat very high, but they are known to frequently have "temporary-price reductions" in the meat department. In addition they commonly offer attached coupons for $2-5 dollars off of the reduced price.

So Jacko...this is for you. My $5 meal that my kids really love:

Hamburger Casserole (Note: This isn't low fat, but I did use lean hamburger and 99% fat free cream of mushroom soup.) I consider this a great comfort food meal. I loved this as a kid.

1 pound lean hamburger
1 packet onion seasoning mix
1/2 cup of bread crumbs or oatmeal
1 egg
1-2 teaspoons of worchester sauce
8 oz can of tomato sauce

Mix egg in a bowl and add onion seasoning, bread crumbs, tomato sauce and meat. Mix well together. Place meat mixture in baking dish (9X13 or something similar). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

4-5 large potatoes, boiled and then mashed (with a little butter and milk)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 can green beans, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup

After meat mixture has cooked, drain any fat off of the meat. Pour and spread evenly the cream of mushroom soup over the meat, then the green beans, then the mashed potatoes and sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake another 30-40 minutes on 350 degrees until it is heated thru and the cheese is melted.