Want to save time and money? Try turkey! It’s not all that expensive in the off season. I bought three back when there was a grand opening of a food store in town just after Thanksgiving. That’s why when I was given a plan for making a chicken last a whole week (at a MOPS meeting), I thought of my frozen birds. I love slow-cooking meals because I don’t have to do anything all day and it’s ready when I want it. Well, really, what’s the difference between that and making a turkey?! Ok, so here’s the plan for making only one meat this week. By the end, I’m sure we’ll all be over turkey, but we will have saved a ton of money (especially since I bought it in December!), and my life is easier because I have reduced prep times! How many meals can a 10 lb bird that only cost $15 give a family? We shall find out!
Day 1: Cook whole turkey. Serve with two sides. (We did green bean casserole and stuffing.)
How I made my turkey: The hardest part was waiting for it to defrost. After reading everything online, I decided to defrost it by leaving it in the fridge for 48 hours. It still seemed hard at that point, so we waited another 24. On day 3, I took the turkey out and washed it inside and out by rinsing it under hot water. Mine didn’t have innards, but if it had, I would have pulled them all out. Then I preheated the oven to 325 degrees, put my turkey in a roasting pan, slathered butter all over it, and baked it for 5 hours. I had a 10 lb turkey. Pretty much, you just cut your weight in half and that’s how many hours you need (from what I read… and it worked for us). I took a baster (big sucky thing) and basted it twice while it cooked. My mom said putting bacon over the top makes for a nice treat too, but I was out of bacon. Anyhow, we didn’t do anything overly fabulousness for the sides. We made Stove Top Stuffing (In a box, in the microwave (not in the turkey)), and Frenches Fried Onion Green Bean Casserole (recipe on tub of fried onions). After we carved the turkey for the two of us and our two year old, we still had 3/4 of the thing left. Like a savage, I dug my hands in and cleaned the bones. I really felt my primal self emerge, and I’m not sure I liked it. I put that in a Tupperware pot in the fridge to make my other meals with later in the week. The other half of the casserole and stuffing got their own bins. This will be lunch tomorrow!
Meal plan for the rest of the week:
Day 2: Make chicken quesadillas with chicken, salsa, black beans, corn, veggies, etc. (Alternative: Turkey Tacos)
Day 3: Make Turkey with Wild Rice dish. (In medium sausepan, bring 2 1/4 cups of chicken broth to boil. Add 1/4 cup yellow onion, 1 cup chopped celery, 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper, and cook until tender crisp. Stir in 1 cup wild rice, 2 tsp curry powder, 1/4 tsp salt. Add chicken and mix well. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. STir in 1/2 cup strawberries and 1/2 cup peanuts (optional). Bake another 10 minutes.
Day 4: Make BBQ Turkey pizza. Turkey, cilantro, red onion, mozzarella, bbq sauce. (Alternative: buffalo turkey pizza recipe I got from Parenting magazine last month.)
Notes/Credits: This idea came from a MOPS meeting that I attended that included ideas for creating more time for your children and saving money. The presenter, Tracey Sondgroth, also offered a method for using 1 spiral cut ham for a week’s worth of meat, and a once-a-month-cooking method for preparing meals ahead of time (a whole month at once!). Watch for future posts that will give this information!! Her plan for this week actually called for chicken, but turkey is what worked for me this time around.
