So, like all of us, on Pinterest, I pin a whole lot and then generally forget about it for a year and a half. So lately, I've been trying to go back and use more of what I pin, especially when it comes to recipes.
Stacy's Cabbage Turkey Stew with Bacon
And I may have started to mention, I HIGHLY disagree with many, many, MANY blogs that are out there about meal planning and menus and shopping around your menu. Now, by NO means do I mean that you should walk into a grocery store and have a free-for-all with no plan or list. There are definitely guidelines. But the part that I disagree with, is that you see all these recipes, you get all these ideas for a monthly menu, and then you go into the store with the list of what you "need" and waste a whole lot of money by buying whatever it is you "need," whether it is on sale or not.
So let's look at it another way. Now I shop at a fairly small store, called Sprouts, but I know some of you shop at larger chains. If that's the case, it may be better to get the flyer ahead of time, that way you can make your list from that. But when I get to Sprouts, I always shop clockwise, starting in the deli, then meat department, come around through the produce and then to dairy/eggs. I browse through these areas and ONLY purchase what is on sale. If the meat counter has pork roast and ground chicken breast on sale, that's what I get. (And when ground chicken breast is on sale? I stock up, big time!) I do this in the meat department, as well as produce. If red peppers are 3/$1, we will be having stuffed peppers at some point in the week. And hey, I can use that ground chicken breast in the peppers… make sense? This type of shopping can require you to get a little more creative about things, but that is a good thing, and hey, that's why pages like Pinterest are great!
So let's look at it another way. Now I shop at a fairly small store, called Sprouts, but I know some of you shop at larger chains. If that's the case, it may be better to get the flyer ahead of time, that way you can make your list from that. But when I get to Sprouts, I always shop clockwise, starting in the deli, then meat department, come around through the produce and then to dairy/eggs. I browse through these areas and ONLY purchase what is on sale. If the meat counter has pork roast and ground chicken breast on sale, that's what I get. (And when ground chicken breast is on sale? I stock up, big time!) I do this in the meat department, as well as produce. If red peppers are 3/$1, we will be having stuffed peppers at some point in the week. And hey, I can use that ground chicken breast in the peppers… make sense? This type of shopping can require you to get a little more creative about things, but that is a good thing, and hey, that's why pages like Pinterest are great!
As far as the dairy department goes, I'm a little more "standard" about it, but I still just buy the cheapest organic milk that they've got, and I'm not picky about the percentage. If organic 2% is marked down, I'll buy it. But I have just learned that talking to the workers is a SUPER idea. The other day, the guy stocking the milk asked me if I needed help, because he could clearly see, I was scanning ALL of the milks. I told him I was just checking to see if anything had a "reduced" sticker on it, because sometimes they randomly mark down items. There were not any, but he said "Hmm… well, THIS one is getting kind of close to the sell date; I could mark it down for you." And then I laughed because he asked ME "How much do you think I should mark it?" Haha. I was thinking "Um, 15 cents?" I didn't say that, but I was still laughing at his question. I looked at the milk he had, which he said was the best and tastes like half-and-half, and a half-gallon was FIVE DOLLARS! That's craziness. But he marked it to $1.99, so I got two of them. Bomb deal. And I don't drink cow's milk, I just buy it for the family, but I tried it, and it WAS pretty darn good… So we win!
Anyhoo…. I don't buy a whole lot more from sprouts, just meat, produce, milk, and eggs. Because all of that is cheapest there. As for other items like ziplock bags or other random products, I usually go to Target. Between the cartwheel app and my red card, I can save a little on their name brands and do alright. We also shop at Costco, but I think I'll save that for another post.
Because, after all, this post was called Cabbage Stew. And I've yet to actually talk about that. So to get back to my point, cabbage was on sale at Sprouts for $.25 per pound. So I bought 3, not completely sure of what I was going to use it all for, but I liked shredding cabbage and using it in salads, tuna salad, salsa, that type of thing. But I also want to try and cook it more. So I've had this recipe on Pinterest for a side dish, and it's linked here:
So this recipe pan fries/cooks it and like I said, it was a side dish. I adapted it into a main dish, as well as something that I could put in the crock pot to have ready in a few hours. It worked out perfectly, that I cooked the bacon, left it to rest, threw everything else in the crockpot, left and went to the gym, and when we got back 3 hours later? It was ready and delicious! My daughter even decided that she would coin it as "The Most Awesome Dinner." So….. I'm kind of a big deal…. jk jk…
6 slices thick cut bacon (I buy from the meat counter, SO good)
1 head cabbage, cored and large chopped
1 lb turkey breast*, cubed
1cup broth, I had vegetable open already, so I used that, but you can choose, veggie, chicken, or beef
1cup broth, I had vegetable open already, so I used that, but you can choose, veggie, chicken, or beef
1 med onion, chopped, or when in a fix (like me, normally) 2tbsp dried onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp paprika
*I get turkey breast from Costco, in the meat section with other deli meat. It comes as a whole breast, so it is only like $3.99 per pound, without all the added ingredients. I'll take it home, slice half of it for sandwiches, and put the other half in the freezer. Perfect to cube or cut up for recipes like this one!
So brown up the bacon and set aside, on a plate with a paper towel on it. Throw in all the other ingredients, into the crock pot, set on high for 3 hours, and let it be. At 3 hours, ladle into a bowl and crumble the bacon over the top. That was it. Super cheap. Super easy. And super tasty! Yay!
Talk soon! :)
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