Pastured Chicken and Grass-fed Beef

When one discusses the topic of meats, I would always recommend getting pastured chicken and grass-fed beef from your local farmer.  Think about it like this, you are what you eat and what it ate.   And if any of you have seen "Food, Inc.", you know the conditions many of the chickens and cows are forced to endure, let alone the food they are given to eat.  I believe it was said in that documentary that you could reduce the chances of E. Coli poisoning by 85% if you fed a cow grass for one day instead of corn.  The chicken and cows/beef that are sold in stores today were not fed a good nutrient dense diet. We eat this food and wonder why we are undernourished.  So, how do we expect to get the proper nutrition we need when we are not giving the animals we are eating the proper nutrition they need to to be nutrient dense and good for our bodies?

If you can afford it and are living in the Chicago area then I would recommend my farmers.  They are called Meadow Heaven Farms and you can view their site at www.meadowhavenfarm.com.  They have delivery sites in the city and in the suburbs. Their whole chickens will run you about $26, but they are good.  And their beef is super tasty and pretty comparable to Whole foods in price.  The price is even better than Whole Foods if you buy part of a cow. 

So, what do you do when you can't afford it?  We'll I have a solution for you.......

Whole Foods sells chicken at the number 2 level.   What does this mean? It means that the chicken is antibiotic free, all vegetable fed, and cage free.  The majority of these chickens are grown by local Amish farmers.  It is not as good as the chicken you will find at your local farm, but it is way better than what you will find at your local grocer.  At Whole Foods, this chicken will run you between $1.99 to $2.49 a pound.

But HERE IS THE BEST PART: Whole Foods is not the only store who sells this brand. The name of the brand is Miller Amish Country Poultry and it is sold all over the city for way cheaper than Whole Foods charges for it.  Tony's on Cicero and Belmont sells this chicken for $1.79  a pound and this week it is on sale for $1.69 a pound.

Miller Amish Country Poultry is based out of Indiana, so my guess is that you could find their products in grocery stores in the surrounding states.  To see if their chicken is sold in a store by you, you can go their website at http://www.millerpoultry.com/

When it comes to beef, your farmer is really the best.  But if that is not an option, Whole Foods sells the next best thing. It is expensive, but if you watch your local Whole Foods web page they sometimes post 1-day sales on their meats.  They will not advertise these sales anywhere else, but on their home page and at the store....so you will need to be vigilant.