Denuer steak?

[klmno]

Has anyone heard of this? I don't know if it's me being so out of date about things or what but I finally got my aid for food so I went to the store last night and bought a pack of four small "steaks" for barely over $4 (reduced priced). I have them on the grill now and they are as tender as they can be. I double checked the package to see what kind they are and that is what it said. I didn't care what they were when I bought them- I just needed some beef to eat and I figured at that price, it was as cost effective as ground beef. LOL! They are thick enough to last me four dinners at least.

 

[klmno]

Uhhh...this is beef isn't it? (It looks like it and was in that section.)

ETA: Never mind- I just found something about it online- it was supposed to be Denver cut steak. If it tastes as good as it looks, it's a heck of a bargain!

 

[nvts]

Maybe "Denewer Steaks" were next to "Deolder Steaks"?

Sorry...I couldn't pass it up -

Beth

 

[klmno]

LOL!!

It was good, by the way, for anyone struggling with a budget and wanting some real meat for an economical price. I can only take so much of the processed stuff before I start feeling physically weak and my body starts rebelling. I'm going to alternate these with BBQ pork sandwiches and fried potatoes for a few days!

 

[Marguerite]

We managed to get to a farmers market while in Canberra. What we found - meat bought at a farmers market from producers in the area, is often a lot cheaper. We also found it was fresher and better quality. Stocked up on fresh vegetables, too. I bought a bag of Spanish onions and they were smooth-skinned, fresh and lovely. The ones we buy at the store are already wrinkling, mouldy and old.

Of course it will be different types of produce in your area, but the best value deals are generally local, from the grower personally, and in season. If you can't find any more "denuer steak" to stock up on in the freezer, see if you can find a local direct-to-consumer market.

There's also something deliciously earth-motherly, about taking your cane basket to the market and loading it up with dew-fresh produce.

Marg

 

[donna723]

It's not easy to make decent meals for one person, especially when you're on a budget. I buy whatever meats are on sale, then rewrap them in meal-sized portions and freeze them. Our local grocery store often has small pork roasts for no more than $3.50-$4.00 and I can get several meals off of one. After two or three meals, I cut what's left off the bone, add barbeque sauce, and get wonderful sandwiches. And I can get at least five good meals off of one small roast chicken. After using the meat that's easy to get at, I put the 'carcass' in a pot, cover with water, add a little onion, celery, or whatever and let it simmer - makes a lovely broth. I pick the meat off the bones, cook some rice in the broth, then mix them together - makes enough really good chicken and rice for at least three meals.

 

[klmno]

That's pretty much what I do too, except I'm not one for soups and such. Typically, I'll buy a large pack of meat and cook part and freeze part. Then later maybe make a casserole out of the rest and eat it a couple of days with a salad, as an example. I do this when difficult child is home. I had to wait so long for food assistance money though that I had been on the spaghettio and hot dog plan. LOL!! Needless to say, I was just happy to be able to get real meat instead of processed stuff. When I married real young and we had NO money then either, we ate tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches several times a week. I remember after my dad died, my mom fixed beans and rice a lot, or skyline chilli. None of these things are ideal but shoot, it is possible to have only a little money and eat food that can keep you going temporarily.

I have gotten a bag of potatoes, some beans, eggs, and bread; I already had pasta in the cabinet and some frozen vegies, but I am a person who needs real meat to go with it most of the time. I can do a lot with ground beef though and still feel like I'm getting a variety- that will probably be next. I find that if I fix enough for leftovers but do it again the next night with a different meal, alternating the leftovers doesn't leave me feeling like I'm eating the same thing over and over. And of course, I want to make something with a specific ingredient- say lettuce for instance, I'll make sure I'm planning cheeseburgers and tacos or salad that week to make sure none of the lettuce goes to waste.

My typical inexpensive main courses include the lower grade steaks or stir fry, better chicken strips grilled on skewers, anything made from ground beef (chilli, meatloaf, spaghetti, tacos, burgers), a flank of ham for ham biscuits, chicken casserole, pork chops if I can get them on sell. I like fried chicken and fish too but I don't get it unless difficult child is home to help with the prep and frying.

But if anyone has other ideas, they are welcome to share them!!

 

[witzend]

Beth, you crack me up!

 

[nvts]

Thanks Witz!

 

[DammitJanet]

klmno......check out food lion or your brand of food lion. They have chicken and pork kabobs on sale because no one knows what they are for a buck 25. You get two chicken kabobs in the package. Also....I have figured out that food lion puts out there mark downs on Sunday morning or Wednesday. I scope out the use by dates on the meats and go then.

 

[susiestar]

Keep an eye on the sales. Around here pork chops are on sale frequently, and I have not paid more than $1.39 a pound for them in the last five years. Italian dressing makes a nice marinade for them. You can find a LOT of recipes on www.recipezaar.com for ways to fix them if you get bored with the recipes you have.

Most stores do the biggest meat markdowns on Wed mornings. I have made friends with several of the meat guys at the better groceries in town. I often will ask them if they have anything marked down that they haven't put out yet and gotten really good deals. Here they don't like to have a whole lot of meat that is marked down out at once. If a lot of meat needs to be marked down they will put part of it out and restock it every few hours during the day. If I find a great deal on something I always ask if there is any more marked down in back. This is esp true for ground beef. Often people will see a package or two out and go for the higher priced stuff if they want a large quantity. By asking I can almost always get at least 10 pounds of ground beef at the markdown price. For a big family it is really helpful. We cook up most of it at once. Half of it stays plain and half gets cooked as taco meat. Then we can make easy dinners or lunches by taking some of the meat out.

You might also ask around to see if any of the churches in the area do a food pantry. One about 5 miles from us has one once a month. No questions asked and they provide a lot of staples. We haven't used it yet, but it is nice to know it is there. Many of our neighbors use it.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

k, at BJ's, they put their meat on 50% on the "sell by" date. I got a pack of 12 HUGE boneless skinless chicken breasts for $9 last week! Sometimes there is nothing reduced, but other times you can get some really good deals.

I would definitely watch the sale flyers and also get to know when the local markets have their half off mornings (just asks the butcher next time you are at the super market). I don't buy a whole lot of meat, especially since I started doing the GI thing - the meat is a very small (at the most, 25% of the meal) part of your meal. But I do buy 90% of what I need at the warehouse stores (BJ's/Costco) because of the savings. I also buy most of my greens (like a pack of 3 romaine hearts - I have salad every day) there as well.

As far as produce goes - the farmer's markets are wonderful this time of the year. I went to one out north on Friday because I was making gazpacho. Look at what I got for $13 - 9 tomatoes, 4 white peaches, 1/2 pound of heirloom cherry tomatoes, 4 hot peppers, 3 cucumbers, 3 yellow squash, 2 vidallas, and some fresh green beans! They are a great source of reasonable delicious fresh produce through the fall.

Glad to hear you got the food assistance and are off the spaghettios! If you have any cans left, my difficult child would love them - lol!!!!!

Sharon

 

[klmno]

Thank you!! Getting a few good meals (healthy, not elaborate) in my stomach and knowing I can finally see a dr again this Thurs., after 2+ years, has me feeling a lot better. And I found out I can stop in and talk to a social worker for some direction about where to go from here and if they can help with a job while I'm at the VA center- no appointment necessary for a SW. I'm still listing stuff to sell as fast as I can but if they can help me get a job and place to move to quickly, maybe I can get some of the volunteer vets to move what difficult child and I need to keep and barter by giving them stuff they might can use but we don't need to keep. There's no way around needing some cash though- I have to have gas money and miscellaneous items that food assistance won't cover.

I'm trying hard to let the side of me that knows this is preferable than having a bunch of "stuff" but having to live thru losing a child or something else horrid win out over the side that resents the koi out of this primarily happening due to difficult child not staying out of trouble. And I am hanging on to hope of all hopes that going thru this helps wake him up about the seriousness of it all. And you can bet, I'll be dragging his butt to the VA center with me after he's released so he can look at some of these people who have given limbs, mental health, etc, for their country and are still happy to be here and are still nice and respectful instead of vengeful and retaliatory and delinquent.

Sorry- getting way Occupational Therapist (OT)!

 

[klmno]

LDM- will farmer's markets take this kind of card?

 

[KTMom91]

One of my summer favorites when I need to stretch the budget is to crock-pot a whole chicken, then make chicken quesadillas (use a package of chicken taco seasoning and a small can of green chilis, add the cheese...yum), chicken salad, chicken on a salad, bbq chicken sandwiches...whole chickens are 77 cents/lb. this week. If we weren't going to San Francisco on Wed, one would be cooking now.

 

[Marguerite]

Donna, you said,

Our local grocery store often has small pork roasts for no more than $3.50-$4.00 and I can get several meals off of one.

I buy a whole pork scotch fillet (looks like a long tube of lean boneless pork, wrapped in cling wrap) and instead of roasting it in one piece, I slice it (still wrapped, to hold it together while I slice it) then freeze them on a flat sheet, so once frozen I package them up in a bag and can get one or more out as I need them. They can be used as individual pan-fried pork steaks (with or without a half teaspoon of Asian sauce of your choice, caramelised onto the steak at the end of cooking, to make a lovely glaze) or thinly sliced while still part-frozen, to be used in a stir-fry with fresh vegetables (again with a teaspoonful of Asian sauce of your choice and served with steamed rice). In stir-fry with vegetables, one pork medallion will serve two people at least.

I also use the leftover chicken carcass from a roast, to make stock. But you don't have to only use stock for soup. I make risotto, or I make a chicken supreme (making the sauce with the chicken stock and powdered milk, modifying a standard bechamel recipe, then adding in finely chopped red capsicum and onion, sweated in a little butter, then adding frozen peas and leftover chopped cooked chicken). The chicken supreme can be served on rice, or if left over, can make wonderful creamy chicken pies. I either make pot pies, or use frozen sheets of puff pastry in a sandwich toaster (don't bother greasing or buttering the pastry) and use the chicken supreme as the filling. Cooks in minutes. If you need to thicken your sauce for the pies, add grated cheese to the mix before cooking.

I have a list of recipes which I call gourmet poverty food.

Marg

 

[LittleDudesMom]

k, you might want to call the one out in the far west end near that big mall (the name of the market is the name of a man) - that market is more a retail business but with great prices. Because of the paperwork involved, most small farmers market won't accept the food stamp program.

 

[klmno]

I know where you're talking about, LDM. Thanks!

Marg, I have enjoyed those pork roasts many times and difficult child likes them, too. I hadn't thought about freezing raw slices though and I like that idea. That helps with convenience if I can return to full time work as well as helping with being more resourceful now with money.