S.B. asks from McKinney, TX on April 23, 2008
Healthy Ground Meat Meals
I am short on money and I want to try to cook every night. I bought 10 pounds of ground meat from Sams because it is so cheap but I don't know what to do with it other than taco salad, hamburgers, and spaghetti. My husband and I are also overweight and trying to workout and eat healthy so I would really like some healthy ground meat recipes or a recommendation of a good ground beef cookbook please.
5 moms found this helpful
More Answers
C.H. answers from Dallas on April 24, 2008
Fyi... Red meat isn't good to eat on a daily basis. Chicken, fish, and turkey are much lower in fat and easier for your body to digest.
One recipe that I do love made with ground beef is Picadillo. It's a traditional Cuban meal consisting of ground beef over rice. It is DELICIOUS!!! You can use brown rice instead of white. Also for pasta we now use the gold Barilla box . Dont remember what it's called and I dont have any here to check right now. But I actually like the consistency of it better than regular pasta. I am one that does not like the taste or consistency of wheat pasta, so I was thrilled to discover this one. It is high in fiber.
Also for tacos... the Mission brand of tortillas has one that is very high in fiber... 11 grams to be exact for one tortilla. It is called Carb Balance with a light blue label. They are very good.
Remember... high fiber, no sugar, lots of fruit and veggies with every meal!
Happy Hunting. : )
2 moms found this helpful
A.B. answers from Wichita Falls on April 24, 2008
Healthy portion controlled meatloafs.
MIx about 1-lb uncooked ground meat with sauteed veggies (acrrots, green peppers, celery and onion even used zuccinni before). Add 1 -2 cups cooked brown rice, 2 eggs a small can of tomato sauce (check for consistence after this) if too dry add some water - too wet add some bread crumbs or more brown rice.
Fill sprayed muffin tins. Top with a squirt of ketchup or remaining tomato sauce. Bake 350 until browned and cooked through.
Cheapskate monthly's Mary Hunt suggests boiling large quantities of meat then packaging in 1 lb freezer bags to use later.
I make crock-pot enchiladas.
Spray crock-pot liner.
Layer enchilada sauce (have used regular salsa but like flavor of ench. sauce), corn tortillas, meat, rinsed black beans, cheese ending with more sauce and cheese.
Serve with a salad.
Stuffed Peppers
Green peppers cut in half and clean out insides (I cut in half from stem to bottom so there are more servings).
Stuff with a mix of ground beef, tomato sauce, sauteed onions, rinsed black beans and cooked brown rice.
Cover with more tomato sauce, place foil over, bake in over 350 until peppers are done. I usually used cook ground beef because it is faster but some of the flavor is lost because the meat has been drained. *My mother in law uses a box of zataran's dirty rice to stuff her peppers with. Lots of sodium but easy and very tasty.
Mom always made hamburger patties and topped with a can of cream of mushroom soup then covered and let simmer to make a sauce. Not super healthy but a way to use ground beef.
***My advice is to make veggies your main meal focus and add the meat as the side. Saves money and fat. I started keeping cut veggies in the fridge - carrots, celery, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower and serve with hummus or made at home ranch dip. My kids love it and I like the veggies w/ hummus. We always cook broccoli for dinner, have a salad with dinner (and I mean spinach and romaine with tomatoes and vinegar or homemade caesar). PM if you want the recipe. Try to serve two veggies, a fruit and a small salad then the meat dish. Better yet - put berries, oranges or grapefruit on the salad!
Good luck!
2 moms found this helpful
J.G. answers from Amarillo on April 24, 2008
Hi S.,
I have a delicious taco soup recipe. I am not sure of the caloric in-take but you can cut down by not adding cheese,sour cream and tortillia strips before you eat it. It is good without all of that as well.
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 package of dry ranch style dressing mix
1 package of taco seasoning mix
1 cup water
2-14.5 oz cans of rotell tomatoes and chilies
2-15 oz can pinto beans
1-15 oz can black beans
1-15 oz can of cream style corn
Brown beef with onions in med size pot Drain excess grease. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 min.
This does make a huge pot of soup so when I want to cut down a little I only add 1 can of ro-tell and 1 can of pintos.
Enjoy!! Your only problem should be not wanting seconds!!
J.
1 mom found this helpful
A.M. answers from Dallas on April 23, 2008
One of our favorite dishes with ground beef is mixing the cooked/drained beef into Rice A Roni just after you add the water. It keeps the meat moist instead of just mixing it in after the Rice A Roni is cooked. I've used the beef (low sodium), herb & butter, rice pilaf flavors. We often add picante sauce too which is low calorie and good for you.
You received lots of good suggestions, especially the ones about adding veggies to everything, including meatloaf.
My idea is to not make the main course the biggest part of your meals. Try to eat a salad first, drink water, and wait before eating the main course. You will realize that you are not as hungry as you first were. Several small meals a day are better than the three main meals we've been taught is right. I try to eat a high protein breakfast, have some yogurt around 10:00 am, different lunches, some type of snack (preferable high protein) mid-afternoon, then regular dinner (preferably by 7:00 pm). I think you're not supposed to eat after that time, or possibly have more yogurt or an apple/orange if you need a snack. Increasing your exercise/walking will also help your energy levels.
Good Luck to you and your husband!
A.
1 mom found this helpful
T.W. answers from Dallas on April 23, 2008
I also use ground turkey. It's cheaper in most cases that ground sirloin which is what I used to use. A casserole that our family makes is: brown the meat with onion, drain. Boil 4-5 potatoes until soft and slice. Take a can of cream of mushroom soup and add a can of milk to make a gravy mixture (you can use the low-fat gravy and low-fat milk). You will probably need 2 cans to 2 cans of milk. Layer in a casserole dish the meat, sliced potatoes, low-fat mozzarella cheese, frozen veggies, then the gravy. Probably will get another layer of each in the dish. Top with cheese. Bake in oven at 350 deg until cheese is melted. Yummy good! I change up the veggies depending on whose eating, i.e. my children don't like peas, but like green beans, etc. Good luck!
1 mom found this helpful
S.W. answers from Dallas on April 24, 2008
Eating healthy on a budget is hard but it can happen. Remember to always wash (yes wash) your ground meat after you cook it. That will take all the extra grease off the meat. I put my cooked ground meat in the strainer and literally run very hot water over it and then pat it dry.
Also when making spaghetti make sure you use whole grain noodles and don't over do it with the meat. You should also serve a small salad with your meals because you need the extra veggies. A wonderful salad dressing to use on your salad is the Salad Spritzers. THere are several different flavors and they are very good and cheap. Also to make your tacos a little more on the healty side try using a can of Rotel instead of the taco seasoning. That adds veggies and cuts down on some of the sodium. Make sure you have copped lettuce to go on them and cut out the cheese or use reduced fat cheese. I am not a fan of the fat free chesse products but love the fat free sour cream on tacos and taco salad. A nice veggie soup w/ gound meat would be good for you. Again wash your ground meat and add tomatoe sauce, Rotel tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, green beans, etc. You can also use the ground meat with just a can of Rotel and make a "sloppy joe" out of it. You can put that on a nice wheat bun and it would be great. You can also do a nice rice dish w/ ground meat. The best rice out there is Uncle Bens Whole Grain rice. Make your rice and add ground meat. You can also add some cooked onion and diced tomatoes and serve with a small salad. One other suggestion is brown your meat (wash it) mix in a can of Rotel and place the mixture in a bell pepper. Cook it in the oven on 350 for about 30 minutes or until the pepper is soft. Cooking the meat first will cut WAY down on the fat and the juice of the Rotel will keep the meat from drying out while cooking. I am a BIG fan of using Rotel because is has veggies and it spices your food up so it is not so blan. It truly is great stuff and it comes in mild, hot, original and one with cilantro. Another great ingredient is garlic. You can add garlic to anything and it give it a great flavor. ALso get a bottle of Mrs Dash seasoning. It is salt free and full of flavor. You can add it to your favorite steamed veggie and it is wonderful. Another great topping for steamed veggies is chopped cilantro with some lemon juice. You cook it for a few just a few minutes and pour over the veggie. Is may sound a little weired but it is really tasty. Just remember to eat more veggies and cut down on the portions of meat. Your plate should consist of more veggies than meat. You should also try buying a bag of the store brand frozen chicken breats. Chicken is not expensive and you can do many things with it.
1 mom found this helpful
J.P. answers from Wichita Falls on April 24, 2008
When eaten in moderation hamburger helper can be part of a healthy meal plan and it is cheap. Soft tacos are a better choice than corn chips bc the tortillas count as a starch. The chips count as a fat. Here are a couple of things that I make....
Green enchiladas
brown ground beef, drain, wash, return to pan (you can cook onion in w/ meat if desired)
add grn chilies, cream of mushroom soup
spray your baking dish
fill tortillas w/ meat mixture and cheese
fill your baking dish
top the tortillas w/ left over mix and cheese
bake at 350 until everything is hot
something I made up.......
brown ground beef, drain, wash and return to pan
add fresh minced garlic (pressed, whatever)
turn off heat and cover
boil frozen broccoli
make some instant rice
In a bowl add desired amounts of rice, broccoli, and meat mixture.....stir all together and top w/ some soy sauce
This is yummy and very healthy
As with any meal you need to plan a main entree....eaten in moderation with a choice of veggies and fruit makes a really healthy meal.
I go by a diabetic meal plan and eat more than ever, but healthy.....and lose weight. You have to be diciplined in eating on a schedule. The biggest sabotage to weight loss is not staying on a schedule. Each meal should contain protein, starch, fruit, veggie (w/ the exception of breakfast)....twice a day low fat milk and mid morning have a fruit for snack.
Good luck to you! Eating healthy seems expensive, but when you get into the swing of things and get on a schedule you will eat out a lot less and save money. If you need any more tips don't hesitate to contact me.
J.
1 mom found this helpful
R.V. answers from Dallas on May 01, 2008
I will share one of my healthy Gr Beef receipes with you Take a Glass mixing bowl add Gr Beef, finely chopped onion, jalapeno or Bell Pepper any colored, Garlic,Ginger, cilantro and finely chopped Mint leaves, salt / pepper, paprika / Ground cinnamon spread this mixture in a baking Pan and decorate it with thin slices of Tomoato... Broil or Bake in the oven till Brown.. Eat with a nice Greek or any other healthy Salad...
1 mom found this helpful
Email
facebook
twitter
StumbleUpon
digg it
kirtsy
Technorati
reddit
del.icio.us
blinklist
simpy
