Meal Prep Made Easy: How We Turned 33 Pounds of Ground Beef into 28 Delicious Meals!
Recently, my husband scored an incredible deal on ground hamburger—33 pounds of it!
We decided to make the most of this bounty by processing 24 pounds for various meals and using the remaining 9 pounds for meatloaf and convenient packs of raw hamburger. While it was a lot of work for one evening, it will save us countless hours of cooking in the weeks to come.
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Meal Prep Magic
Here’s how we broke it down:
Processed Meals:
- 10 meals of chili
- 10 meals of spaghetti meat sauce
- 8 meals of seasoned taco meat for tacos, burritos, and nachos
With everything portioned and stored, all we need to do is pull it out of the freezer, boil some pasta, or heat up a bowl of chili. Here’s a closer look at our process and a couple of fantastic recipes for the meals we prepared.
Recipe: Classic Chili
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of seasoned ground hamburger
- 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions
Instructions:
- Cook the Hamburger: In a large pot, brown the seasoned ground hamburger over medium heat until fully cooked. Drain excess fat.
- Add Onion and Garlic: Stir in the chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent.
- Combine Ingredients: Add the kidney beans, black beans, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir well.
- Simmer: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve: Ladle into bowls and top with your favorite toppings.
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Recipe: Spaghetti Meat Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of seasoned ground hamburger
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cooked spaghetti, for serving
Instructions:
- Cook the Hamburger: In a large skillet or pot, brown the seasoned ground hamburger over medium heat until fully cooked. Drain excess fat.
- Add Onion and Garlic: Stir in the chopped onion and minced garlic, cooking until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Combine Ingredients: Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Simmer: Reduce heat and let the sauce simmer for at least 20-30 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
- Serve: Serve the meat sauce over cooked spaghetti and enjoy!
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Processing 33 pounds of ground hamburger may seem like a daunting task, but it’s an investment in time and convenience that will pay off in the coming weeks.
With meals like chili and spaghetti meat sauce ready to go, dinner will be a breeze. Plus, knowing that we have all these delicious dishes prepped gives us peace of mind. Happy cooking!
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Discovering wild blackberries and plums has been an exciting adventure, and I can’t wait to see what else we can forage.
Making jam from our finds is a perfect way to celebrate the abundance of nature. With this recipe, you can enjoy the taste of wild fruit all year long. Happy foraging and cooking!
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