You’re not used to hearing me talk about Meal Preparation. Let alone NON Coupon purchases. This week’s sale has me thinking outside the box.
At $.69 per pound, whole chicken is a great buy and is a rather easy meat to freeze. This is where planning can really save your family this year. A whole chicken will still taste fantastic 6 months after you’ve placed it in your freezer. So we each have an opportunity to plan some chicken meals today for the next six months. Buy the birds now, pop them in your freezer.
In my family, I try to stretch one chicken into three meal parts. Meal #1: Whole Bird. I start off with either a grilled chicken, baked, or crock pot bird. That will work nicely with two sides dishes for a good meal.
Then come the left overs. I always have quite a bit of chicken left. Time to de-bone it and separate it into two meals.
Meal #2: Freezer meal. I love the three meal system, it’s good for the wallet, yet having chicken three times in one week may be too much for your tastes. Some good options include Della’s Chicken Enchilladas (She’s a coupon club member, I’ll put her recipe online this week), Chicken pot pie, chicken à la king, or cashew chicken stir fry. I don’t cook my meal and then freeze, but I marinade, or prepared what I need in a Ziploc container so it’s any easy thaw and cook.
Meal #3: Left overs. This is my quick and easy go to meal for Thursdays. It’s late in the week, the laundry is piling up and it’s time for something easy. Mexican grilled stuffed burritos are a favorite and simple. Shred the chicken, add a packet of Ortega or Old El Paso seasoning, and top with cheese. That’s it.
Here is the key to the entire thing: Use your coupon staples to create the meals. If you have lots of canned soup starters, go for a crock pot meal. If you have tons of salad dressings, Marinade in your Italian dressing and grill the bird on the bbq, or try a new margarita chicken mix.
We all went wild over the Weber seasonings mixes a few weeks back. I picked up 20 for $.25 each, these are great to mix with water, and pour over left over de-boned chicken and put in the zip bag. When a meal just isn’t coming to mind, all I need to do is put the entire bag contents in the crock pot and let it simmer.
Look for smaller birds. They are harder to find. If you need more options, ask the meat manager. They may have more sizes you need in the back room. I try to get under 5 pound chickens. They fit the crock pot and my roaster better than the large ones. At five pound You’ll average $3.50 per chicken, or a mere $1.17 per meal.
By the time you add in your coupon staples at $1.50 per meal, you can feed the entire family for less than $3. 20 chickens will easily cover you the next 6 months. Around $70 to know you have 60 meals ready and waiting. That is a steal! Bargain of the week is hands down Whole Chicken.
This month check out the liquor department for Corona rebates on chicken. Exp 9/30/12
Here are some coupon links to combine with your chicken quick fix meals;
WishBone Italian dressing on sale 10 for $10, use newspaper coupon to save $.50 on 1
For additions Print N Save Coupons:
Print N Save Section of this Blog County Market
CouponNetwork.com
Coupons.com
Coupon Clipping Services:
Lynn’s Coupons and Refunding Service Put COUNTY MARKET FREE SHIPPING in check out for free shipping on your first order. This offer must be for a purchase greater than $5, and can not be combined with any other offer. She provides newspaper, non newspaper, coupons and rebate forms. Kuntry Klippers This service specializes in newspaper coupons. Their fees vary but are between 10% and 15% of face value. They also run specials on products. They ship a bit slower, allow for 3-4 days in Illinois. All coupons are sold in sets of 20 like coupons. County Market shoppers also get Free Shipping with “First Time County Market” in check out box.
Coupons by Dede
This site sells full inserts, and clipped coupons. All of these coupons are newspaper coupons. The price is generally 15% of the face value of the coupon. You can buy 1 coupon, or 100 coupons. Shipping from this site is fairly fast. Very reliable service. She will run “Specials” on coupons when they get within 10 days of expiration.
The Coupon Clippers
is the largest clipping service in the country. They provide newspaper, non newspaper, coupons and rebate forms. They have good service, and a large selection. Being the largest, the hottest coupons disappear fast. However, they do get LOTS of coupons.
The Coupon Master has a mix of newspaper and non newspaper coupons. They ship quickly. Their handling fees are 10%-12% of face value. Shipping is quick, usually arrives in 3 days. They do carry rebate forms on the site.
All internet coupon print limits are subjective. At the time of this email coupons were available for print. If the daily or weekly print limit has been reached, the coupon will be automatically pulled from the websites. You can try to print again tomorrow. All coupons listed are not available in our stores. We list them so you can order or find them to save you money. Check with clipping services, trade boards, or ebay to find coupons not in your store. It is our intent to help you find as many savings opportunities as possible. Enjoy!
