How well do we eat?

[pnutS4us]

Tonight, while I was serving up dinner, Dh asked a question--how well do we eat? Like how healthfully do we eat--

For instance, dinner tonight is Lentil Soup, made with soaked lentils, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, beef stock/broth/something--it was the juices left over from short ribs I did in the crockpot and then froze--tomatoes, spinach... and he said that we don't sit down to 'chunks o' meat' every night. That our meat is used in chili, stew, shepherd or cottage pies, meat patties, that sort of thing--our meat is more of a flavoring then the main course. Money has been tight, so I have been stretching our meat dollar with beans and broths and making meat casseroles rather then just a roast...

So what do you think? How do all of you eat? If you care to share! Do you sit down to roasts/chunks o' meat or do you stretch your meat dollar too?

[stilllearning85]

I definitley have to "stretch the meat dollar" as well... wish I didn't
But your meal sounds about like our regular dinners!

[cristeen]

We do sit down to "meat" most nights. Sometimes it's mixed with veggies, sometimes the veggies are on the side. I don't usually try to stretch the meat, but our grocery budget allows for that.

I think your dinner sounds very healthy. You're getting enough protein, enough fat and enough veggies, what more do you really need?

[reneeisorym]

We eat for health and variety. I love to try new recipies. I haven't cooked an old recipe but for about 2 times in a month. The others are new ones from a cookbook.
We usually eat about 5 servings of veggies, 2 meat, 2 fruit, 3 good carbs, 1 or 2 dairy. We keep it under 2000 calories w/about 30% fat.
I always cook double the needed amount for supper and we take the left overs for lunch.

[pampered_mom]

Originally Posted by pnutS4us

Money has been tight, so I have been stretching our meat dollar with beans and broths and making meat casseroles rather then just a roast...

I would say you're doing just fine. Even SF says in the back of NT that bone broths are good for those who are doing it with a limited budget for their "meat sparing" qualities. Another way to look at it...you are getting the most for your buck b/c you are getting every last bit of nutrition out of the meat you eat!

[thedomesticdiva]

We alternate between meat, ground beef and no meat because of $$ - Meat is so expensive, so I try to mix it up.

We have roast chicken every single week because it is so much "bang for the buck" - the first night we have the chicken on a bed of potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, etc.

This time, the second night I made shepherd's pie w/ the leftover veggies.

Then I will still have leftover chicken tomorrow night.

Tonight was cheese quesadillas.

And I made chicken stock from the bones - this I use in recipes for sauces and such.

Just about every week looks similar to this one.

I try to have MEAT, then something lighter, then the leftover meat re-invented.

By now I am going to have to buy a roast or steak because my husband feels deprived if we go too long without a SLAB of MEAT.

[guestmama9904]

also don't forget the great nutritional power you can get from nice inexpensive eggs!

i personally don't really like just a roast or slab of other meat, i need it mixed up into a dish. tonight i made GF meatloaf with squash puree in place of bread, with bacon on top and made with both ground beef and turkey. on the side we had mashed red potatoes and sweet potatoes. generally we have meat at every dinner but not the most expensive cuts by any means. i buy a lot of grass fed organic chuck roast steaks which i have made into some excellent pot roasts to which i add veggies including kale or other greens. i also adore chicken thighs, super nutritious, and the most flavorful part i find. the other night i made breaded, fried chicken thighs with gai lan (chinese brockly) sauteed in shoyu and sesame oil. the chicken thighs were about 2$ a lb and i get lots of produce from my local asian grocer for a great price.

[MeadowSong_]

I think it looks like you have a great proportioned diet. I don't do smoking hot with tons of meat all the time, but a little bit I can handle.

[dogmom327]

We normally have meat as a main course every night but our budget is about to be cut so I'm trying to break that habit. I roast a chicken twice a month. They are large (6-7 lbs.) and pastured :

First night: Roasted chicken w/mashed potatoes, gravy & veggie
Second night: Green bean and cashew recipe from NT--I add chicken and water chestnuts
Third night: Curry chicken w/rice (lots of veggies, very little chicken)
Fourth night: White chili (chicken w/navy beans)

I make enough of each dish for leftovers for lunch the next day. The chili makes enough for two lunches so the fifth night we might do eggs since we don't need a lunch for the next day.

I wish I could do a chicken more often (maybe 3 a month) but I don't think I have the freezer space and they are only available in the summer.