[/QUOTE]When I make a hamburger-helper-type dish I only use 1/2 to 3/4 pounds of meat instead of a whole pound. Couple this with a veggie and rolls or cheap biscuits and no one notices the missing meat
I also wait until hambuger is on sale and only buy it at the meat counter. I HATE HATE HATE that the pre-packaged packages never ever have a pound of meat in the them--always way more.
I stretch by using half ground beef and half TVP - NO ONE in my family has even noticed and TVP is waaaaayyyy cheap
At my store the bigger "family packs" are usually a lot cheaper than the smaller packs so I just buy the big pack and re-wrap it into smaller sizes and then freeze. Saves lots of money. I just bought 97% lean ground beef for $1.29/lb!
This one may not add up to much but I always have a straw in my drink at home (usually Diet Coke, I'm sprung!
) and try to remember to just rinse and reuse. Get into the habit and a pack of straws will last forever!
I brown it before I freeze it, put abount a pound in a quart freezer bag and freeze flat. This way when I have forgotten to set anything out, I can quickly grabbed one bag for dinner. I throw it right in for taco, spaghetti, etc. No need to thaw in the microwave, being flat it thaws really fast on the stove or in the sauce. This is the best thing I have ever done for convenience sake.
I brown it before I freeze it, put abount a pound in a quart freezer bag and freeze flat. This way when I have forgotten to set anything out, I can quickly grabbed one bag for dinner. I throw it right in for taco, spaghetti, etc. No need to thaw in the microwave, being flat it thaws really fast on the stove or in the sauce. This is the best thing I have ever done for convenience sake.
That is a great idea!
I brown it before I freeze it, put abount a pound in a quart freezer bag and freeze flat. This way when I have forgotten to set anything out, I can quickly grabbed one bag for dinner. I throw it right in for taco, spaghetti, etc. No need to thaw in the microwave, being flat it thaws really fast on the stove or in the sauce. This is the best thing I have ever done for convenience sake.
I do this too. It's an awesome time saver. I've read that a pound of browned meat is about 2 1/2 cups. I ususally package about 2 cups or slightly less to freeze (1 1/2 just wasn't enough in some recipes with sauce). I make small snack size baggie packs of about a half cup or less, too for homemade pizza toppings. (I put all the snack size packs in a larger pack so they don't get lost in the freezer.)
tip I have been taking advantage of for a couple of years now is boiling ground beef in large quantities instead of frying it! Sounds gross but it really doesn't alter the taste and its quick and easy to boil and package in freezer bags frozen flat (as others have mentioned) for quick-fix meals!
