Beyond Lunch Meat

The summery edge is gone, and our morning are finally a bit chilly. At least for now (you never know in Virginia), it's feeling like fall. Our schedules are also changing with school and activities getting into swing and daylight hours getting shorter. New routines typically means a new meal planning strategy is needed as well.

Here I offer you a few cost-saving, nutrition-boosting alternatives to deli lunch meats. They are all great as a dinner main course with leftovers for lunch, or you can prep an extra batch ahead just for lunches. I am serious when I say that I believe our products are worth every penny, and I do not believe they are specialty items or fancy extras. They are the building blocks of simple, nourishing meals for regular people like us. You will see in my price comparisons below that in the lunch meat department they are actually quite competitive. Don't forget the added value of the broth you can make with bones and the fact that you are getting an incredibly superior food. Whenever possible (and I admit, it's not always possible!), I prefer doing a little work myself to save money and provide better nutrition. I hope these ideas will help you plan lunches you can feel great about serving yourself and your family!

1. Turkey Breast (or leg/thigh)

You can prepare moist, tasty turkey in your crock pot or in the oven. Slice thinly for sandwiches.

It's turkey season again at Whiffletree! Turkey leg/thighs are $7/lb, and turkey breasts are $14.00/lb. Whole and half turkeys, available now, average $10/lb. These prices are competitive with the average price of deli meat at our local Walmart with Applegate Naturals brand sliced turkey coming in at $11.30/lb.

In the oven:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Roughly chop three carrots, two onions, and three celery sticks and place in the bottom of your Dutch oven or roasting pan with 2-3 cups of broth. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. (The veggies are optional if you are in a hurry!)

Mash together into a paste: 2 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 Tbsp each dried sage, thyme, and rosemary. Lift skin of the breast and smear half of the paste underneath. Spread remaining paste over the top of the skin of the whole breast. (Alternatively, sprinkle breast with salt, pepper, and herbs of choice and dollop with several Tbsp of butter.)

Bake for 50-60 min or when thermometer in the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees.

In the crockpot:

Place veggies and broth in the bottom of the crock. Prepare breast as described and place on top of the veggies.

Prepare breast as described and place on top of the veggies.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until thermometer registers 165 degrees. (In my experience, cooking a bit too long does not ruin the taste or texture!)

Recipe adapted from The Heal Your Gut Cookbook by Hilary Boynton and Mary G. Brackett

2.Roast Beef

In the oven:

My go-to for oven-roasted beef is the eye round roast, which costs $13.25/lb. Walmart's deli roast beef ranges from about $10-16/lb currently. Methods abound for cooking the perfect eye round, but my favorite is Shannon Hayes' "super slow-roasted beef." This beef is juicy and pink throughout with a tender brown exterior. Slice as thinly as possible.

Preheat oven to 170 degrees.

Rub the roast with a mix of 2 Tbsp coarse salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 3 cloves mashed garlic. (I keep a jar of 2:1 coarse salt:pepper in the spice cabinet to speed up the process of seasoning this and other meats.)

Place meat in a cast-iron skillet or roasting pan and roast, uncovered, until a thermometer in the thickets portion registers 120-140 degrees (depending on your preference). This will take about 30-40 minutes per pound.

Slice thinly and serve warm for dinner or save for making sandwiches.

In the crockpot:

This super-simple pot roast recipe is also from Shannon Hayes. we eat this meat with mashed potatoes or roast veggies and sauerkraut for dinner all the time, but we also enjoy the leftover meat in open-faced sandwiches with melted cheese, quesadillas, or shredded into a regular cold sandwich with cheese and pickles. It's made with the even more cost-effective chuck roast at $12.50/lb.

Season the chuck roast with 2:1 coarse salt:pepper.

Sear for 4 minutes per side over medium-high heat with a few Tbsp of butter, lard, or tallow.

Transfer meat to your crockpot.

Top with one onion sliced in thick rings.

In the skillet used for searing, bring 1 cup of broth to a boil. Scrape up all the browned bits of meat and seasonings. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the broth has reduced by 1/3.

Pour reduced broth over meat and onions in the crockpot. cook on low for 5-6 hours or until the meat is falling off the bones and shreds easily.

Recipe adapted from Long Way on a Little by Shannon Hayes.

3. Protein Salads
My last suggestion is to make hard-boiled eggs or roast chicken and turn them into protein salads. At Whiffletree, a whole chicken will cost you around $6 or $7/lb. Eggs are $8.00/dozen. Bulk discounts are available on both. These proteins can be added to a regular green salad of your liking or mixed with mayonnaise and/or sour cream to turn into salads in and of themselves. (Wild-caught salmon, at a higher price point, can also turn into a great protein salad.) Here are some tips for taking those salads to the next level!

Chicken salad:

With chopped fresh dill: lemon juice, chopped chives, diced celery

With chopped fresh parsley or tarragon: halved grapes, chopped walnuts, diced celery, minced red onion

With curry powder: halved grapes and/or dried cranberries, chopped almonds, diced celery, minced red onion

Egg salad:

Add any or all of the following: diced pickles, minced red onion, lemon juice, fresh parsley, fresh dill