THE GREAT XTENDER

From my days as a young child, 4 oz of protein/day was ingrained into my head. If you ever wondered how to gauge 4 oz of protein, it is the size of the palm of your hand. When eating any variety of meat or fish, envision your palm to visualize 4 oz of protein.

If you are a family of four and multiply 4 oz of protein times 4 family members, you need one pound of meat for dinner. The next mystery becomes, how to stretch one pound of meat for a family of four at dinner time!

The answer is the “Great Xtender”. It can be a healthy starch, such as a grain, rice or bread. I like using oats when I need a grain Xtender. Vegetables also can suit the purpose such as shredded carrots, mushrooms, green/red peppers. There are times when I use leftover bread or breadcrumbs as the Xtender.

Sometimes, it calls for all three such as meatloaf, meatballs, pork fried rice or chicken casserole recipes. With meat costing per pound more than the Xtender, think of the meat as an ingredient instead of the entire entrée.

One technique that works for me is dividing my chicken breasts into thirds. First, I remove the “chicken tender” underneath the breast. Those are set aside and frozen for another meal.

Many times the chicken breast is still a thick piece of meat. Taking an ordinary straight edge knife (not a serrated knife), slice the breast in half. At this point, you can either cook the chicken breasts or pound them with a meat mallet (or coffee cup if you don’t have a meat mallet) and roll them with your favorite cheese or vegetable stuffing. Dip in a bread crumb mixture for a great chicken entrée.

Sometimes the Xtender is an appliance and not a food item. The slow cooker is a great food Xtender. My favorite meals involve pulled chicken (thighs) or pulled pork sandwiches cooked in the crock pot. Pulled meat goes a long way when feeding a family.

SOUNG THE BUGLE: Today’s tip: Double coat your chicken breasts or pork chops. First, dip your meat in the egg mixture, followed by the bread crumbs. Then, dip the coated meat back into the egg and recoat with more bread crumbs. When cooked, the result is a plump and juicy piece of meat to serve at dinnertime.

                                      Chicken breasts from a .69/lb whole chicken 

 

Homemade bread crumbs from stale bread

 

Chicken breasts stuffed with 1/2 slice ham and 1/2 slice Swiss Cheese