Meat Products

Lunch Meat

Sometimes I find the Hormel cheaper and sometimes the Oscar Myer depending on where I shop.

Hormel Natural Choice Brand: (I'll add the prices later)
**This is not organic meat, but does not contain Nitrates, Nitrites or MSG.
Oven Roasted Turkey
Honey Turkey
Roast Beef
Uncured Pepperoni
**They also have ham, but I don't usually buy it.
Hard Salami

Oscar Myer nitrate free lunch meat:
Turkey & Ham


Frans Fryers:
I buy my whole chicken, ground turkey, and beef from a company called Frans Fryers. Their meat is not labeled as "organic" but they do not use hormones, or antibiotics etc so it is much healthier. This meat is sold at The Granery and Drug Emporium, but I get it a lot cheaper through a local co-op that delivers once a month to a ladies home. I plan to add more info later about how I use my meats and the costs etc.

Ground Turkey
I buy the ground turkey in 10 lbs packages that come frozen. The ground turkey is so much cheaper than the ground beef. I do occasionally buy the ground beef for a "splurge" but really we can't tell much of a difference in the recipes I use them in. So when I'm ready to thaw out the big 10 lbs pk I put it in a big plastic garbage bag and tie the end up (to catch any blood that leaks out) then I stick it in my fridge to thaw for several days. I then cook it all up in a big batch in one day. I have a big skillet that will hold 5 lbs at a time. I sprinkle on garlic powder, onion powder, basil, and oregano while cooking! I drain off the fat and let it cool off before putting them in 1 lb portions in zip lock bags. I then freeze these bags and they are very convenient to take down and throw in whatever recipe I am using! The 10 lbs of raw meat cooks down to about 7 lbs of cooked meat.

Whole Chicken
When I get the whole chickens they are not frozen so I usually roast 2 the day I get them and freeze the rest. I'm sure they would taste a lot better if I rubbed herbs and spices all over them up inside and under the skin...but I don't do that very often...I just stick them in the pan and roast them in the oven sometimes with some veggies around them. When they are done and cooled I debone them and either use the meat then or freeze it for later use. The chickens are usually around 3.5 lbs each and I normally can get about 1 lbs of cooked meat (2 1/2 -3 Cups) per chicken. I then get rid of the skins and take the bones and either make chicken stock with them then OR put them in a zip lock bag and freeze them for later use. Right now I have about 3 big gallon zip lock bags of bones in the freezer waiting for me!! I am behind!

Roast
I usually buy one or two nice roast each month. We would love to eat it more often but it is expensive. And of course I save the bones for beef broth later!

I don't want you to think that I ONLY eat meat from here. We also buy regular meats sometimes....but I really want to start eating more meatless meals and restricting our meat intake to healthier meats.