Turkey Tacos

We often think that if your grocery budget is tight, that means eating unhealthy foods. While it is true that often over processed, non organic foods are cheaper, I think that eating healthier is still an option.  Here is a dish, that I believe will fit the bill of being inexpensive and healthy.

Turkey Tacos

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 lb. Ground Turkey

*1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. red pepper flakes (if you like a little more spice)

S&P to taste

1 can black beans

1 head iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce

Garnish with cheese, tomatoes, avocado, **sour cream, and more hot sauce.

*Turkey can be a bit dry (due to being a lean meat).  I use the Worcestershire to flavor and bring moisture but you can cut this expense by adding a little water instead or if you have it, a little chicken broth.

**I actually use non-fat plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream – just as creamy, has a similar tanginess and it’s nonfat.

Directions:

Put a little olive oil in the pan (about a tablespoon) and let it heat up over medium heat.  As soon as it’s warm, put in the turkey and start to brown.  Add all the spices while it’s browning, make sure to stir once in a while. Once the turkey is cooked through – NO pink, drain the black beans and add to the meat mixture.  Cook meat and beans for about 2 to 3 minutes so that the beans are warm.   Remove from heat.

Lettuce is what you are using instead of taco shells or tortillas.  Tear off several individual leafs, and rinse them.  Shake off the excess water and proceed with filling each lettuce leaf with taco meat and then garnish with the items you like best.  WARNING – this can be a messy meal so probably not a first date meal ;)

Meal 2 – if you have left overs, you can make a taco salad the next day – cut up the lettuce and top with meat, cheese and other garnishes.

A few money saving tips before the price break down; there is a name brand turkey out there that I have found to be about twice the price of store brand turkey, so buyer beware.  Also, I know that college students occasionally go out for fast food and I know that several of those fast food places give out freebies.  So don’t be afraid to ask for a couple extra packets of “fire” sauce or red pepper flake packets or mayo or whatever.  I mean, they are giving them away…….I’m not saying, clean them out, just take what you think you will use.

Price break down: (again most are based on Trader Joe's)

Ground Turkey (1lb.) - $2.99

Black beans (15oz.) - $.89

Worcestershire - $3.46 (based on a price I found online)

Lettuce (package of 3 heads of romaine)- $2.49

Tomato - $.79

Cheese – $3.49

Avocado (4 count) – $2.99

Nonfat Greek Yogurt – $1.49

Total comes to $15.10 but prices can be cut by buying block cheese and only 1 avocado, even still, this makes approximately 8 tacos which brings it to $1.89 per taco.   Like I stated earlier, it’s a couple of tacos the first night and then, depending on left overs, 1 or 2 taco salads the next day or so. 

Not only is this a cheap and healthy dish, it's also a really easy clean up.  Everything is made in 1 pan and for the non-cooked items, you only cut up what you need.

Enjoy!

What every hungry hungry college student needs

When my son told us that he was moving out of the dorms and into a house with 4 other guys, we realized that his only kitchen appliance was a coffee maker and that he might not be equipped to live on his own.
Unlike his freshman year, when the college sent us a list of every possible thing a student might need, there existed no such list, forcing my husband and myself to think back to our youth and figure out what all he might need.

Here would be my recommendations:
    2 dinner plates, 2 bowls and 2 mugs (or 4 depending on your budget)
    2 forks, 2 spoons (or more depending on budget)
    2 glasses (but I would recommend plastic not real glass)
List detour - When my husband and I were dating, he wanted to impress me by having a matching set of dishes, flatware and glassware, it was like 80 pieces.  Anyway, it was cheap and did the trick and NO, we don't have it anymore.
    2 dish towels, 1 set of sponges and 1 dish-wand that holds dish soap., Dish soap
    1 set of disinfecting wipes  
That should take care of the basic eating & cleaning essentials. Now what to cook with....
    1 Stock pot (8 quart)
    1 either 2 or 4 quart pot
    1 Skillet (8" or 10")
    1 Spatula, 2 large spoons - 1 slotted, 1 set of tongs (depending on your cookware, you may need plastic or wood)
    1 large knife, 1 serrated knife, 1 small knife, 1 knife sharpener
    1 Pyrex measuring glass (2 cup should cover most needs)
    1 set of measuring spoons (I don't ever use these for cooking but if I'm baking they are a must!)
    Can opener (I prefer the hand held to the electric but that's a personal choice)
    1 set of cheap Tupperware (for extras and left overs)
Other kitchen things that would be nice to have but not a necessity
    Coffee maker
    Blender
    Immersion blender (I know this may seem really frivolous but I got mine as a "smoothie" blender and rarely use it for that.  Another bonus is that they are cheaper than a regular blender and take up much less space).
    Hand mixer
    Rice cooker
    Toaster
Spices - Here is my list of must have spices but if you have certain spices you love, then adjust accordingly.
    Salt and Pepper (I like the mill's, and many stores sell them this way now.)
    Cumin (ground)
    Garlic powder
    Onion powder
    Italian mix
    Cayenne
    Smoked paprika
    Curry powder (pick your color - I like yellow)
    Cinnamon
    Olive Oil
And while these are not spices, I also recommend flour and sugar.

So this is a rough list and it may or may not complete your kitchen needs but it will certainly get you a great start.  I would love to hear from college students out there that had something that they used regularly that I may have left out.

Super cheap and easy red sauce

Oh and here's a recipe:  Back story - as a single mom, one of my quick, easy, cheap go to meals was pasta and sauce.  I wasn't too particular about sauce brands and bought whatever was on sale.  It worked for us until I got married to my super picky eater of a husband (love you honey). He WILL NOT eat chunky tomatoes so his solution to this was 1 can tomato puree and 1 can of tomato paste.
Directions: Mix and heat in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the spices you like; oregano, thyme, garlic, S&P, onion powder or chop up an onion and saute it, then add the sauce.  Or cook up some hamburger, then add the sauce.  Super easy, super cheap. Great with pastas, as a pizza sauce or on meatball subs....you name it.

Again, these are Trader Joe's prices
Tomato sauce $1.49
Tomato paste $.89
Onion $.69
Spices - vary in prices and amounts
$3.07 is what the sauce with onion comes to and it can easily be used for 2 meals or 1 large pasta meal with left overs.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I know my 2nd recipe is another soup but with the weather our country has been experiencing, it just feels right.  Also, soups can be filling, make a ton and best yet, they can be cheap.

So I feel I need to acknowledge one of the ingredients that I use in my Split Pea and this recipe; Bacon ends and pieces. Bacon ends and pieces is something I found and decided to try in a chili recipe.  I loved it, it had huge chunks of bacon and made the perfect addition for many of my recipes.  What is it? Well, basically it's the ugly step sister of bacon.  You know those packages of uniform, beautiful bacon, well, not all the pieces come out looking so pretty so they are packaged up and sold for about 1/2 the price of the pretty stuff. Yes, it is a lot of fat as well and I usually cut most of that off but I do use some because the fat adds lots of great flavor. And sometimes there are huge chunks of bacon, thick and tasty bacon!

I have found this at Trader Joe's and Albertsons.  I have not looked elsewhere but I bet if you shop at a store that has a butcher, and you don't see this item, ask the butcher what they do with the ugly bacon, they may sell it to you for cheap or better yet, if they just discard it, maybe they can discard it to you, the hungry hungry college student.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes

½ package of bacon ends and pieces

1 cup Onion mix (chopped onions, shallots and minced garlic)

4 cups 2% milk

2 cups buttermilk

5 oz. sharp cheddar cheese

1 ½ tsp. smoked paprika

S&P to taste

Toppings: Sour Cream, fresh chives, bacon crumbles

Directions:

Clean and pierce the potatoes then bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes.  Once done and cooled, remove the skin and cut into small chunks.

Trim the majority of the fat off of the bacon ends and pieces.  In a stock pot, cook the bacon over medium high heat until cooked through and crispy. Take out and set aside.  In the bacon drippings, sauté the onion, shallot & garlic mixture until the onions are translucent (10~15 minutes).  Add flour, milk and buttermilk and heat over medium heat until creamy and bubbly.  Add potato chunks, crumble the bacon (reserve some for the garnish) but add the rest to the pot.  Then add the cheese and paprika, stir until cheese melts and remove from heat.   S&P to taste.

Garnish with shredded cheese, bacon, chives and sour cream.  Enjoy!  Makes approximately 6 servings.

Pricing: (all ingredients were purchased at Trader Joe’s)

4 russet potatoes - $1.96

Onion mix - $1.69

Bacon ends and pieces - $2.99 (whole package)

Milk (1 quart) - $1.49

Buttermilk (1 quart) - $1.49

Shredded Sharp Cheddar - $4.29 (12 oz. package – use about ½ of this)

Smoked paprika - $2.99

Chives - $1.79

Sour cream - ~$2.00 or less depending on size.

Based on the quantities used this meal comes to just under $10.00 and makes each serving less than $2.00.

If you are looking to save $$, cut the smoked paprika and the buy a pint of buttermilk instead.