Either way, yesterday I went by Trader Joe's (which by the way is a health haven for those on a budget) and I picked up a few things. One of those things included some ground turkey. I had it sitting in my refrigerator and knew I either needed to cook it or freeze it very soon. So I decided today to cook it. I do cook meals for one (that would be moi), so sometimes I have to get really creative so that I don't waste food as it is kind of hard to make portions small enough for just one person. With the ground turkey, I made two meals! Yes, two different meals and both were very cost efficient! One meal I will have tonight for dinner, and those left overs will probably be lunch or dinner tomorrow. The other meal will be eaten some time in the next few days.
Meal number one: turkey burgers! And they are good!! So I took half the package of ground turkey to make two turkey burger patties. I mixed an egg, sweet onions, green peppers, Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb seasoning, and a little bit of Worcestershire sauce together to make the patties. I then cooked them in a frying pan over medium heat until they were completely cooked. Putting the onion and green peppers in with the ground turkey makes it sometimes hard to keep the patties together while cooking, thus I added the egg. When I got finished cooking those, I set them aside because I was working on meal number two. In the mean time, I cut up a little red onion (I love onions!!) and placed those on top of the patties and sprinkled a little bit of shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top (not too much, just a little). To go along with my burgers, I baked some french fries. Not the most healthiest side dish, but sometimes I have cheat days! And besides, I baked them so not too too bad.
Meal number two: whole wheat penne pasta with marinara sauce, ground turkey, and a few pieces of turkey pepperoni. I cut up a few more green peppers and onion and sauteed those before putting the ground turkey in to brown and cook thoroughly. I combined the cooked penne pasta, marinara sauce, ground turkey, and pepperoni together to make a quick and easy pasta dish! I seasoned the ground turkey with Italian seasoning, basil, and oregano.
I now have two meals using some of the same ingredients without wasting anything!
By the way, in case you haven't noticed the trend or was wondering why...I don't eat red meat or pork so this is why I'm using the ground turkey and turkey pepperoni. I gave up all meat instead of fish for Lent this past Lenten season and after it was over, I only incorporated chicken and turkey back into my diet. I left the red meat and pork alone. It hasn't been too bad either! I have really enjoyed using turkey and chicken products for that added protein. I also use a lot of herbs and spices to season my food instead of salt. Mrs. Dash's line of seasonings is amazing and gives food a real boost of robust flavor!! Some of my favorite from the line is lemon pepper, garlic and herb, original seasoning, and onion and herb!
meal #1
I didn't have any bread, so I basically adorned my turkey burger with all the fixings without a bun. I added fresh spinach, red onion, organic ketchup, and spicy brown mustard. I am also working on taking at least 20 minutes to eat my food instead of scarfing it all down in record time. What I found to be helpful was to write this blog while I ate. And sure enough, it's been about 20 minutes! I washed dinner down with a tall glass of water!! I may have a piece of fruit for dessert.
Do you like turkey burgers? If you make yours from scratch, what do you like to season yours with?
I am a HUGE season user! I try my best not to use salt. I found that seasonings in the jar were super expensive as they may cost between $2.00-$5.00 a jar and they don't last as long as I need them too. I started purchasing my seasonings in bulk at Ellwood and Thompson in Carytown. I walk out with bags of lemon pepper, black pepper, garlic, rosemary, cayenne, red pepper, ginger root, etc. for like $10.00-$15.00 and usually don't have to stock up again for months.
ReplyDeleteWow thats good to know ,,
Delete