I don't have to have organic chicken. I just want to clarify that. However, I do prefer organic chicken. It costs more money, which I don't like. I like that it has less of the hormones, etc. So, whenever we can fit it into the grocery budget, I use one pack of chicken like it's gold. haha! Meat wasn't on sale, even organic meat, last week when I went grocery shopping, so I only bought one pack of chicken to make it stretch. You can do this with ANY pack of chicken. My pack of organic chicken had only 3 chicken breasts in it. This is how I used them in meals this last week.

One breast, I just cooked and then shredded and made a chicken veggie pizza. It was PLENTY of chicken for a homemade pizza. I forgot to take a picture....sorry... but it was so good. I think I am finally getting the hang of making homemade dough and it is so worth it!

There's always one breast in a pack that is larger than the others. I took this one and I sliced it in half to make two flat chicken breasts. We had some BBQ sauce in a bottle leftover from something, so I marinated it in that and Hart threw them on the grill. We had some zucchini and squash and onion on some skewers that we put on the grill, too! YUM!

The third breast, I also cooked and shredded. I pulled out some homemade tortillas that I had in the freezer from when I tripled a batch, and thawed. I cooked some brown rice. In a separate pan, I added a can of black beans (drained and rinsed), a can of corn (drained), a can of diced tomatoes, the shredded chicken, and some taco seasoning... I don't know how much, maybe a tablespoon. Salt to taste. Heated that through. Then I mixed in some of the brown rice into the mixture, shredded some cheese, and we had a Shredded Mexican Chicken Dish that was DEEEELISH! And this made leftovers that Hart took for lunch, and I will eat again for dinner tonight.



Moral of the story... you can stretch a pack of chicken, mostly by shredding the chicken and mixing it with some other great veggies. Americans consume so much meat. I could get on my hippy soapbox and talk about this for awhile, but since my husband reads this blog... I will spare him. LOL.

My tip is that if you are trying to be better at being frugal with groceries, just get creative in how you use meat!

The Co-op!

Today was my first day doing The Co-op that I joined here in Columbia. I love fresh fruits and veggies! I was getting a little obsessed with trying to buy certain things organic and others not, but right now I've been really convicted to honor God with our finances. I am surrendering getting over-obsessed on figuring out what is most healthy to Him! I was not able to complete a normal order, but the Lord really provided a lot of leftover "Extras" that I was able to shop from after all the normal bagging had been done. Everything in this picture totaled only $13. Not seen above is a carton of eggs, which only cost $.80/dozen. Oh, and that watermelon was only $1.50!!!!!

This particular Co-op is a bunch of Christian families that order produce from The Farmer's Market. I love supporting local farmers! We gathered together and prayed before beginning the bagging. It's really sweet to be apart of something where other like-minded Christian women gather together to help out their families by organizing and putting this whole group together!!! It is a bit of a time committment due to the fact that everyone has to have a job they must contribute to every three weeks. I worked in the nursery keeping children today and I think that might be what I do until the baby arrives, where they sweetly allow you to have "maternity leave."

In case you are wondering, here is a break down of the prices for what we ordered...

4 ears corn - .20/each (Publix had this same price this week, but I got home, cooked it, and it tasted horrible... I think this batch will actually be fresh and tasty!)
1/2 lb. mushrooms - 1.10
2 onions - free (they were going bad...needed to be used soon.)
2 lemons- .25/each
1 # red peppers - .90
1 # green peppers -.40
2 eggplant - .50/each
3 #'s potatos - .75 total
peaches .40/lb. (I cannot remember how much I got!)
plums .60/lb.
lettuce-.70/head
squash .60/lb.
cherries 1.95/lb.

Now, I just need to get everything washed (I am doing a vinegar wash on most produce.) and then make sure it all is put away! I'm so thankful to the Lord for this group!