How to you stretch out meat purchases?

If you do grocery shopping once per week, how much meat do you buy?

Im having trouble stretching out my meat. If I go shopping and buy one package of chicken, that lasts for usually one dinner with leftovers for one lunch. Then I have to either defrost MORE meat, or buy more for the next day.

How can I make meat last longer? Or am I just not buying enough?

I do sometimes get meat at Sams, or buy the Family package and freeze serving size portions, but I dont always do this. As I type this I get the feeling I should do that all the time.

Re: How to you stretch out meat purchases?

Not sure what you are asking. I stock up on meat when its on sale so I always have a full freezer.

Re: How to you stretch out meat purchases?

I do the same. One week I will buy a lot of meat so it will last for several weeks. Then each week I might pick up one or two meat items to supplement.

I often will fill in by purchasing a fish item to change things up.

Re: How to you stretch out meat purchases?

Look at the expiration dates if you are buying a single pack that will only be used for one recipe. So, if I buy a pack of thin chicken cutlets that is only 1 lb but it's on sale, I will use the whole pack immediately (I also stock up on these when they are on sale, so I'd buy a few and freeze the rest of the packs).

If I go on Sunday, I plan meals, so one day it's chicken, one is fish and another may be beef. If I buy a big/family pack of ground beef and 1 of chicken I leave it in the fridge untilt he day I'm cooking a portion of it(usually within 3 days), then I freeze the rest immediately (typically I'll buy the 3lb family packs and get 3 recipes out of it).

Re: How to you stretch out meat purchases?

One package of meat usually lasts DH and I one dinner and one lunch. So basically 1 days worth of food. So I have some in the freezer but each week I buy about 3-4 packages of meat at once. I make sure to pick packages with the longest expiration dates.

How to you stretch out meat purchases?

I usually buy 2 or 3 packs of meat which is enough for the week plus leftovers. I make a point to check the sell by dates so I get things that will last. I've found that ground turkey and sausage often have a week or longer before expiring. When I get home I actually mark down the dates on my calendar to make sure I don't waste anything. I plan my menu to use things up in the order needed.

I also freeze a lot but prefer to cook it first. For example, last week I got a 5+lb package of ground beef. I split it into 2 pans and did one with taco seasoning and one I turned into bolognese sauce. I kept out enough for one of each meal and froze the rest in 2 serving size packages.

I refuse to shop more than one a week and can sometimes stretch to 2 weeks.

Re: How to you stretch out meat purchases?

I buy all my meat for the most part at BJ's and freeze it. Then I defrost as I need it.

One way to stretch out meat is to incorporate a lot of veggies and beans into the meal.

For chicken breast, you can split them in half. If you have a lot of other sides, you can get away with eating only 1/2 per person (depending on the original size of the breast - the antibiotic free tend to be smaller to begin with so this is tougher).

Slicing meat and sauteing - for example pieces of chicken sauteed with veggies over pasta can also help reduce. You could, for example, chop up 3 chicken breasts and have enough to serve 4 with enough veggies. I do this with sausages too - slice them up and sautee and we can get away with eating less overall.

I add a lot of beans to things - for example chili. I add the ground beef, a ton of veggies, and one or two cans of beans. That makes a lot of chili to go around and personally I prefer it with all the added veggies, beans, etc.

Re: How to you stretch out meat purchases?

I plan my meals in advance, so when I shop once a week, I just buy what I need. If I am planning to cook 4 dinners (which is typical, because we always have one pizza night, and a couple of nights of leftovers/eat what's in the house), I will try to vary it (beef, chicken, pork, seafood, vegetarian).

But I usually plan for one meatless meal a week, which could be a pasta meal, or a grain based dish, or a soup/stew/chili.

When I meal plan, I try to incorporate items that are on sale at the supermarket.

Also, if I see a buy one, get one sale on chicken or meat, I will usually make a meal with one and freeze the extra package. That way, some weeks I don't have to buy as much meat and can utilize stuff in the freezer.

I think a lot of winter meals are easy ways to stretch meat -- things like stews and soups can incorporate meat, but it's not the main star of the meal, just one component. Also tacos, wraps, pasta dishes, salads are other ways to use less meat while still using some.

Even when the meat is the focus of the meal, such as with a roast, if you make hearty sides (big platters of roasted veggies, baked potatoes, etc.), you will eat less meat and have more leftover for lunches, to be used in sandwiches or repurposed in other ways.

Hope this helps!