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Believe it or not Wmart sells a pretty good chicken with no A/B's or hormones. I generally spend about $6 for one. I usually get 4-5 meals off it and that makes it fairly economical. I also use a lot of chicken stock in my cooking and pay almost $3 for a quart of quality chicken stock. I now make my own chicken stock from the carcass of the chicken I roasted. I can get between 2-3 quarts of chicken stock from one carcass. Considering the cost of the chicken to the cost of store bought chicken stock I am getting my chicken for free and may even be saving more than I spent regardless of the energy used for cooking.
If you don't know how to make chicken stock, learn. It is easy, money saving, and healthier for you.
If you do make your own chicken stock let me offer this suggestion: After my chicken stock strained, cooled, and fat skimmed I fill cheap ice cube trays with the stock and freeze them. I spray the ice cube trays with olive oil before filling and after freezing they are easier to empty and place in a plastic bag. With the chicken stock cubes frozen I now can take out exactly the amount I need without waste.
Believe it or not Wmart sells a pretty good chicken with no A/B's or hormones. I generally spend about $6 for one. I usually get 4-5 meals off it and that makes it fairly economical. I also use a lot of chicken stock in my cooking and pay almost $3 for a quart of quality chicken stock. I now make my own chicken stock from the carcass of the chicken I roasted. I can get between 2-3 quarts of chicken stock from one carcass. Considering the cost of the chicken to the cost of store bought chicken stock I am getting my chicken for free and may even be saving more than I spent regardless of the energy used for cooking.
If you don't know how to make chicken stock, learn. It is easy, money saving, and healthier for you.
If you do make your own chicken stock let me offer this suggestion: After my chicken stock strained, cooled, and fat skimmed I fill cheap ice cube trays with the stock and freeze them. I spray the ice cube trays with olive oil before filling and after freezing they are easier to empty and place in a plastic bag. With the chicken stock cubes frozen I now can take out exactly the amount I need without waste.
My frugal chicken.
Most commercial chicken in prepared with a "flavor solution" that must be included on the packaging. The ingredients of this solution does not have appear on the labeling, however. This solution includes artificial flavoring as well as other chemicals.
I do not eat walmart chicken, so I cannot say for certain that "added flavor solution" is in it, however, I would bet that it is.
Health-wise you would be much better off to buy chicken that does not include this solution. You can generally purchase chickens that have been free ranged right off the farm - even in large cities. Or you can go to your health food store and purchase them or, if your grocery store carries Smart Chicken, you can request they obtain the "Organic" Smart Chicken that does not have any added solution and is not fed with GMO grain.
All a much better health option, IMHO. When it comes to health, cost should NOT be a factor. Getting the best food into your body should be the most important factor, regardless of the cost. You can always make up the difference financially somewhere else.
Most commercial chicken in prepared with a "flavor solution" that must be included on the packaging. The ingredients of this solution does not have appear on the labeling, however. This solution includes artificial flavoring as well as other chemicals.
I do not eat walmart chicken, so I cannot say for certain that "added flavor solution" is in it, however, I would bet that it is.
Health-wise you would be much better off to buy chicken that does not include this solution. You can generally purchase chickens that have been free ranged right off the farm - even in large cities. Or you can go to your health food store and purchase them or, if your grocery store carries Smart Chicken, you can request they obtain the "Organic" Smart Chicken that does not have any added solution and is not fed with GMO grain.
20yrsinBranson
I'm not saying it's not true, but do you have any evidence that 'Organic' chickens are healthier? The only thing I've seen is from sites with an agenda, always citing an unnamed source (or themselves!)
Walmart does post what is in the solution. I think it's either salt or msg and water.
I'm not saying it's not true, but do you have any evidence that 'Organic' chickens are healthier? The only thing I've seen is from sites with an agenda, always citing an unnamed source (or themselves!)
Walmart does post what is in the solution. I think it's either salt or msg and water.
Obviously, an organic, free range chicken has been fed better, and doesnt have that nasty "solution" crap in it.
That solution is there to add to the weight, not to "flavor" the chicken.
Healthy and frugal do not go well together. You need to make a compromise. If you find meat that scary but don't want to be a vegetarian, learn to use meat as a condiment.
Wherever you live, your supermarket probably has ten-pound bags of frozen chicken leg-quarters, for around 60c a pound. That's frugal. One leg quarter (about a pound) provides enough meaty content for about four servings of curry, stew, dumplings, etc., which comes to about 15c a meal for the meat part of your dish. Two or 3 ounces of meat a day won't hurt you that much, no matter what the producers sneak into it.
With the high demand for white meat in the ready-to-eat sector, there is plenty of surplus dark meat being dumped, and frugality is the art of taking advantage of these marketing realities. Let the rich and picky subsidize your meat diet. Don't forget giblets. Chicken heart, liver and gizzard are no-waste high-nutrition bargains at around a dollar a pound. For really frugal chicken livers, try bait shops. Same livers, just not inspected.
I love chicken thigh but it's too fat. I eat 3-5 lbs of chicken breast a day. I'm wondering if it's worth it to get 'Organic' chicken (which is significantly more expensive).
The solution is usually 10%, by weight, which is still significantly cheaper than 'Organic'.
Are they really fed better? Chickens eat whatever crap they can find.
I'm looking for a source (not motherearth news, green living, etc) that has actual data showing the health benefits of 'Organic' chicken.
I raise organic free range chickens, and I can tell you that my chickens are fed far better than what one will find in the regular grocery store.
One would think that the info you are looking for could be Googled.
The solution is usually 10%, by weight, which is still significantly cheaper than 'Organic'.
Are they really fed better? Chickens eat whatever crap they can find.
I'm looking for a source (not motherearth news, green living, etc) that has actual data showing the health benefits of 'Organic' chicken.
The fact alone that organic chicken does not eat GMO corn and grain is good enough for me. The government has not tested the long-term effects of genetically modified grain. There are documented reports of laboratory animals dying from eating GMO foodstuffs. And of course there was the BIG sheep kill in India several years ago.
That is why I recommend the Organic Smart Chicken. I read on their website that the do not use GMO grains to feed this line of chicken. So, for my money I am choosing them. I do also eat farm raised, free range chicken if they can assure me that none of the feed is GMO, but 90 percent of corn and soy beans are GMO in the United States now, so it is very, very difficult to get feed that does not contain this kind of food. (Grass fed, free range chickens without supplemental grain would be ok).
Believe me, even though Organic is much more expensive than the crap you buy at the grocery store, 10 or 20 or 30 years from now, when your health, and the health of your family is at stake, it will be well worth the added expense. I will scrimp on anything, being the frugal person I am, but I will NOT scrimp on my family's quality of food. That is what keeps you alive and helps your body repair damage. It is the MOST important thing you can buy.
20yrsinBranson
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