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Dr. Barb, the Nutrition Budgeteer

Helping families eat healthier for less

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Meats, Poultry & Seafood Tips & Strategies 

 

 

Do You Know . . .

 

. . . when considering protein foods to buy, which are the best buys? Click here to see a nutrition & price comparison of several common protein foods.

 

. . . you can save money by roasting your own whole chicken instead of buying the rotisserie chicken at the grocers? Whole chickens are often on sale for $0.99 a pound. From one 6-pound raw whole roaster, you get about 2.3 pounds of edible chicken. This translates into 12 3-ounce servings at about $0.50 a serving. From one 6-pound roaster, you can make 2 recipes of Arugula Chicken Salad, one recipe each of Dr.Barb's Customizable Swiss Chard Stir-fry and the Tortilla Mexican Soup and still have six 3-oounce cooked portions left to eat anyway you like.

 

. . . "Choice" is the grade of beef commonly found in your supermarket's meat department? The quality grades of beef by USDA are (in order): Prime, Choice, Select, Standard/Commercial, and Utility. Prime has the most marbling within the meat and can be found more in restaurants, although some warehouse clubs and supermarkets carry limited supplies. Select grade is normally leaner that Choice and Prime. However, because Select grade beef has less marbling, only the tender cuts of beef (such as loin, rib, and sirloin) should be cooked with dry heat or barbecued. Other cuts are better marinated or slow-cooked for several hours for maximum enjoyment, flavor, and tenderness.

  

. . . which seafood should you buy or avoid at the market or restaruant? Which species are being overfished? Click here for a guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

 

. . . you can lower your risk for heart disease by 13, 19, 24 or 30% by replacing one serving of red meat a day with lowfat dairy, poultry, fish, or nuts, respectfully? This conclusion came after looking at the diet of 84,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tired of eating tuna the same old way? Need some new ideas? One or more national brands of canned tuna can usually be found on sale almost every week of the year. Click here to download Dr. Barb's 10 tips for creative ways to prepare canned tuna.

 

 

Test Your Knowledge      

 
Which is the better buy - chicken legs on sale for $0.99 per pound or boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.99 per pound? Click here for a chicken drumsticks versus chicken breast comparison.  Which cuts of chicken are healthiest? Which are the most economical? Click here to see a chicken price comparison. Click here for a chicken nutrition comparison.  How many calories and grams of fat do you save by not eating the skin on your chicken? Click here for a chicken skin comparison

 

Are you confused by the many types of salmon available? Red, pink, sockeye, chinook, coho, Atlantic, Pacific, wild, and farm raised are just some of the words used to describe salmon that is available. Click here for a Salmon Nutrition Comparison.

 

Do you know the least expensive seafood sources of omega-3 fatty acids? Click here for a Cost Comparison of Seafood Sources of EPA and DHA.

 

You want to buy some ground beef but you're not sure if you should buy the 93% lean on sale for $5.49 a pound, or the 85% lean for $4.99 a pound or the 80% lean for $3.69 a pound. Click here for a Ground Beef Price and Nutrition Comparison.

 

How aware are you of portion sizes? How many servings do you normally get from a pound of boneless meat? The charts provided on this website are all based on 4 ounces of raw meat (which is equivalent to 3 ounces of cooked meat). If you get only 2 servings per pound, then that is twice the amount, or 8 ounces raw (or 6 ounces cooked).