We all know that getting dinner on the table can be a struggle. Doing it within budget is even harder! One great trick is to do the prep work in the evening or over the weekend - whenever you have more time - so that the actual meal is easier to pull off later.
Last week, I found ground turkey on sale and bought 6 pounds. We had not planned on eating ground turkey that week, so when I found myself had some time, I made up my favorite Turkey Burgers to freeze for those nights when there is not enough time (um, like, probably tomorrow). I like this recipe because it incorporates some veggies, includes beef (making it more flavorful and juicy) and tastes great (and no one complains that we are eating a turkey burger)!
This time around, I did not want to flash freeze so many burgers, so I stacked them into Tupperware containers separated by waxed paper (yes, some of it was cut up cereal bags) and froze the whole thing at once. Since I had so much ground turkey, I made 36 burgers.
The cost of the turkey was $8 for 6 pounds. I threw in 3 pounds of our ground beef that we get when we buy our cow portion, the whole deal works out to about $2 a pounds for steaks and all that good stuff, so for ease of calculation, let's just say that the ground beef was $2 a pound for 3 pounds. The remaining ingredients are things you likely already have, but milk and eggs can be spendy, so let's toss in another $1 for eggs, milk, onions, carrots, spices and all that jazz. Even with that likely over priced guess, these burgers cost just $.42 each! Try paying that at McDonald's (even with a bun, these are just $.55) - and these are WAY better and WAY better for you!
Round it out with basic buns (or make your own), some local veggies and fruit, and dinner is quick, inexpensive and healthy. If you have more time, you can also make homemade fries to go with that burger!
Turkey Burgers:3 small onions, chopped1 small carrot, finely chopped3 garlic cloves, minced1/2 cup dried bread crumbs1/3 cup milk1 egg, beaten1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon dried basil1/2 teaspoon dried thyme1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce2 pounds lean ground turkey1 pound lean ground beefMix all ingredients well in a large bowl. Shape into 12 patties.
If you are trying to get dinner on the table on a day you are out working or running, just put the frozen patties on a plate in the refrigerator in the morning or night before. When you get home, start up the grill. While they are cooking, prep the rest of dinner, open the mail, hang with the kids or have a glass of wine :>)
Find my all beef burger recipe here.
Enjoy!
To see even more great recipes, visit The Grocery Cart Challenge's Recipe Swap.
3 comments:
We bought a box of burgers at Sam's Club for $19 something for 40 burgers already made up. That's about $0.50/burger (I can't remember what the change was but I'm using $20 to calculate each burger's cost). I'm sure the turkey makes yours a bit healthier, but cost wise, it's about the same and this takes no time! And you just pull out what you need and stick the rest back in the freezer. I highly recommend it.
Recipe sounds wonderful. Can't wait to try it. I always wrap my patties in wax paper, but haven't ever thought about using the empty cereal bags. Cool idea.
Hi there,
These sound really good. I've never thought of adding beef to the turkey for more flavor!
A week ago I made up some burgers for our freezer which we ate last night. I was kicking myself for not taking the time to add some diced onion and seasoning. I'm going to tryout your beef recipe next time.
Take Care,
Trixie
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