Sunday, February 8, 2009

How to get 3 meals out of a Roasted Chicken!

How are you stretching your food $$$ Only healthy meal ideas please. We are a family of 2 so obviously food goes further for us. My DS is 6 yrs old. This week I figured out a way to use a Rottisiere chicken 3 ways!


I bought a cooked chicken from Whole Foods on Chicken day for $5.99 (meaning it is on sale). That evening we ate chicken, rice and butternut squash(substitute any veggie here). Make a large portion of rice to use for other meals. For larger families you could buy 2 chickens. Or do one and skip the tacos and go right to soup.

The next night I made chicken tacos. Pulled the meat shredded it with 2 forks, put corn tortillas in the microwave (layered inside the corn tortilla) with mozzarella cheese, green salsa, shredded chicken,black beans warmed up, then out of microwvae and topped with Lettuce and Cilantro. It does not take long to warm up in microwave. My son also had a cut up apple. Not Mexican I know but added fiber. He liked it. I also used remaining rice. I put in a microwave safe bowl, added cummin, peas, some chopped tomatoes, a bit of red salsa, stir all together, add about a teaspoon of water cooked for 3-4 mins with lid on. Easy Spanish rice. You obvious can make variations on the chicken tacos to suit your tasted and what you have in the fridge or put the black beans (or any bean on the side)for added protien and fiber.


3rd day. I boiled the remaining chicken for soup. We have not eaten this yet but we will. I have left over rice to put in soup! I keep them separate until I serve. In soup I have celery, carrots, chicken. I did throw in some additional chicken that I boiled and chopped up. I boiled 3 chicken breast in broth. I will put 1 1/2 chopped up back into soup and 2 remaining ones I will chop up and make chicken salad for my son’s lunch this week. When I make the broth I throw in almost every veggie I have left over in my fridge from the week for the vitamins. This week I put in carrots, celery, zucchini, and mushrooms. After I am done cooking broth I strain out the veggie mix and add new veggies (carrots and celery only) boil again in broth for the soup. My son has no idea I snuck all those good veggies in.

If you do not want to eat the soup right away after straining the broth the first time put in a container or freezer zip lock and freeze for later use! I always keep a batch of frozen broth in the fridge just in case we get a cold. I also put dill in my chicken soup. My old Jewish neighbor told me that was her tip to awesome chicken soup and it is!

Each of these meals takes minimal time for preparation! Super easy and super healthy! And it really stretches your food dollar!