Thursday, October 27, 2011

The pork roast odyssey . . .

When we were out shopping, my husband and I came across an unexpected sale - boneless pork roast for $1.85 a pound. I like boneless cuts of meat because I know all my money is going to meat and not a bunch of heavy bones. Okay, I will admit that bones comes in handy for very good soups but I'll opt for the boneless when it is on sale. We got a 14-pound roast.

The first day, we had roasted pork. Naturally, we had leftovers so it make two work lunches for my husband and one for my son. Two days later, I used the broth from the pan drippings and enough diced pork to make a Asian-type rice soup. Again, it provided two work lunches for my husband besides the dinner portions. Today, I put the leftover chunk of roast pork in the crockpot with a cup of barbecue sauce, chopped bell pepper, garlic, and lots of red onion - shredded pork! The shredded pork goes on freshly baked rolls for pulled pork sandwiches. I'm anticipating enough leftovers for sandwiches for lunch over the weekend.

I like saving money by stretching the ingredients. You know the best part? All the above mentioned came from only half of the 14-pound piece of meat. I still have seven pounds in the freezer!

It doesn't take too much imagination to stretch the meals. When you have a main ingredient like the meat, you just check out your cupboard and see what will work. Diced pork goes well in spaghetti sauce. Slices of the meat makes a good grilled sandwich. Cold, diced pork is good in a chunky salad. I've even included shredded pork in grilling cheese and onion tortillas.

Just thought I'd share some ideas on making approximately $25 pay for 14 or 15 meals!

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