Chicken Four Ways

I have been finding ways to make my grocery dollar go further, and so I thought I'd share a fairly simple one. The other day, I roasted a chicken. It cost about $5. It was enough meat for one meal for our family of four, with some left over for one more meal. I made a casserole later in the week with the leftovers. I took the drippings from the roast and made about 2 pints of gravy, which I saved in the freezer. I boiled the bones in water with onion, celery, carrot and crushed garlic, along with some vinegar and seasonings, for most of the day, and made a half gallon of rich delicious broth. This can be strained and used immediately for a soup, or frozen or canned. I used some for soup, and the rest for a delicious risotto later in the week. Altogether, I used the chicken as a main dish twice, I used the broth for two hearty side dishes, and I have a supply of gravy on hand for open faced sandwiches for a lunch or quick dinner.
Here's a quick cost comparison:

My cost for the chicken: $5.

Cost of a half gallon of broth in a box: at least $6.
Cost of two chicken dinners for a family of four: $30-$40.
Cost of 2 pints of gravy: $8.

Savings: about $49

Hope this inspires you to make that roast! It goes a long way!

Mini Wheats, A Favorite Treat

One of my favorite treats is a healthy one I have every morning--Frosted Mini Wheats! As you heartily enjoy you can hear a nice crunch that puts a smile on everyone's face. You'll be singing in your head when you taste the pleasantly mild sweetness of the little wheat chunks. An inviting smell of pure whole wheat and sugar will seep into your nose as you pour in the milk. All of the cute little chunks are woven together in a neat little blown-up marshmallow shape which gets me all worked up just looking at it. Best of all, when you're all done with a small bowl of this good stuff you're completely satisfied; you'll stay full and focused until lunch.

by Josiah