A Tale of Two Chickens...and the Meal Plan 10/5- 10/11

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way." Charles Dickens

You may remember this beginning quote from a most famous work of fiction, "A Tale of Two Cities". Reading this quote now, I can't help but feel that we can relate these words to life as we know it today.

Last week I set out to make Oven Barbecued Chicken from the latest edition of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. The recipe called for two 3 1/2 lb. whole chickens. From those two chickens, I derived 4 meals for our family. Whole chicken is less expensive than purchasing cut up pieces. At 89 cents/lb. I only spent $6.23 for 7 lbs. of chicken. If you have never cut up a chicken, it's easier than you might think. Here are a couple of links to walk you through it:http://www.chow.com/stories/10080 and http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cutupchicken.htm

Here's one whole chicken.



Cut up for Oven Barbecued Chicken.



Here's the Oven Barbecued Chicken.



And here is the salad that I made from leftover barbecued chicken breast the next day.



What to do with the pieces (back, wings, and neck) that you don't/can't barbecue? Make broth, of course!



Now put that broth away for later...it'll freeze safely for up to 6 months.



and make Chicken Noodle Soup, Broccoli Cheese soup, or any other soup for that matter when the mood or need for soup strikes. You could also make the sauce for your chicken enchiladas or chicken and dumplings, or...well, the possibilities are limitless.




When you're finished boiling down the chicken into broth, pick it off of the bones. You'll end up with this.



With those chicken pieces you can make chicken and noodles or Chicken Divan or my pick for this week: Buffalo Chicken Pizza.



Here's the meal plan:

Monday October 5th

Oven Barbecued Chicken

Tuesday October 6th

Barbecued Chicken Salad

Wednesday October 7th

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Thursday October 8th

Swedish Meatballs over Egg Noodles

Remember the meatballs that I froze last week?

Friday October 9th

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Saturday October 10th

Probably leftovers

Our family is participating in Walk Now for Autism. If autism effects your family or someone you know click here for more information on how you can get involved.

Sunday October 11th

Anything but chicken! Ha ha. We'll probably have something from the crock pot.


Grocery List

Produce

2 onions
1 bulb garlic
lettuce
tomato
1 bunch green onions
parsley
red onion
celery

Meat

2- 3 1/2 lb. whole chickens
2 lbs. ground beef (for meatballs)

Dairy

butter
shredded cheddar
2 1/2 c. milk
8 oz. Velveeta
sour cream
refrigerated pizza crust
16 oz. shredded pizza blend cheese

Canned Goods

cider vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
molasses
tomato paste
oil
whole kernel corn
black beans
ranch dressing
24 oz. chicken broth
1 jar beef gravy
Frank's Red Hot
barbecue sauce

Dry Goods

crushed red pepper
paprika
chili powder
cumin
garlic powder
brown sugar
flour
Stove Top stuffing for chicken (for meatballs)
egg noodles

Frozen

16 oz. broccoli florets