Extending your Food Budget - Chicken Edition

The first few weeks of July were filled with plenty of fun: birthday celebrations (have I mentioned I love July 8th?), family visits, beach trips, concerts, ballgames, and as a result: lots of meals out. We absolutely had a blast and created lasting memories, but it was time to get back on the dining-at-home track and get some control of our food budget again.

Luckily for us, our grocery store recently had a sale on chicken breasts, so we had stocked up. Now, I’m all about using our groceries efficiently, but the idea of eating chicken every night sounds dreadfully boring.  And do you know what happens when dinner at home gets boring? You often end up heading out for something outside your plan/budget, that’s what. Fortunately, by taking advantage of a few key tips, we were able to cook at home each day last week and not grow sick of chicken.

• Start by freezing bulk meat purchases in meal-size portions. For us that’s 1.5 breasts per container. This allows us to prepare just enough without having leftovers. (I’m definitely not opposed to leftovers, but they can lead to boredom during a reclaim-your-food-budget week.) 
• Take inventory of what you have on hand. To keep our spending low, we decided to make use of what we already had at home. One of the perks of working as a dietitian in the food service field is being invited to food shows that offer free samples a plenty! This week was a great time to try two products I had received at Flavors of Carolina, a show featuring products made here in North Carolina. Your pantry will have different options, of course, but consider trying a new twist on an old standby.    
• Switch up the accompaniments. With our weekly delivery from The Produce Box, we were able to keep things interesting with a variety of tasty (nutritious) side dishes. 
• Include something else in your plan. In between the chicken dinners, plan for a different protein source. We also had ground beef (frozen in half-pound portions) in the freezer, so we had spaghetti one night.  

Eating chicken four nights in a row may be undesirable to some and perhaps sound like a regular week to others. To us, it was a week full of tasty meals combined with the added bonus of not spending any money beyond the CSA fees. I’d call that a win.

Do you plan for a variety of proteins each week? How do you regain control of your food budget?