HAMBURGER HELPER

Sorry this post is a day late.  Year after year, I always seem to forget how hectic the last week of school is.  You'll want to plan a couple hours to make these recipes but the big pay off is that you will have several meals in your freezer.   That means more time at the pool or whatever it is you prefer doing other than slaving in a hot kitchen.

These recipes utilize some canned goods but if you prefer to use fresh, knock yourself out.  In recipes like these cans are fine.  If you are concerned about sodium, choose the low sodium varieties.

You will need 6 pounds of ground beef or ground turkey. Our family likes a 50/50 split of ground turkey and the leanest ground beef available at the store.  Using lower fat meats also save a step since it won't need to be drained of fat. I know 6 pounds seems like a lot but it goes a long way and is worth the effort.

The first thing you will need to do is to simply brown all the meat.  If you don't have a large enough pot, you will want to do this in smaller batches.  You will be dividing it into 3 batches after it is browned.  From this meat we will be making:

Pasta sauce with meat
Multi purpose taco meat
Chili con carne

PASTA SAUCE

A family favorite around our house.  Getting the veggies chopped finely enough is key to hiding them from picky eaters.  This sauce is so good that they may not even notice the vegetables.  Feel free to add or omit veggies you don't care for.  The onion and garlic are key so try to keep those in your formulation. 

2 pounds cooked ground meat
1- 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
2-15oz cans of tomato sauce
1-15 oz can of beef broth ( I use the low sodium)
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 onion finely chopped
I cup diced zucchini squash
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Brown all the vegetables for about 5 minutes or until tender.  The carrots may still be a bit firm but that is just perfect.  Add the cooked ground meat and stir, cooking for about 5 more minutes to blend with the vegetables.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes. 

MULTI PURPOSE TACO MEAT

This one is ridiculously easy.  Once you have the seasoning in your pantry, you'll be able to whip this up any time.  Another plus is that you control the salt!  I use this for tacos, enchiladas and nachos.  Our family loves it on a taco salad.   All you need in addition to the ground meat for this one is:

1-2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1-2 tablespoons of chili powder ( not the hot kind)
red pepper flakes to taste.  I only use 1/2 teaspoon.
1-15 oz can of tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Put all of the above ingredients into a large pot.  As soon as it is blended together add the cooked ground meat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

CHILI CON CARNE

2 pounds of cooked ground meat
2 red bell peppers
1 large onion chopped
6 cloves or garlic, minced. (feel free to add more or less)
1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2- 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
1-15 oz can black beans rinsed
1-15oz can pinto beans rinsed
1-15 oz can kidney beads rinsed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder (again, not the hot kind)
red pepper flakes to taste- I use no more than 1/2 teaspoon
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the bell peppers and onion along with the garlic until soft.  Add the tomatoes and the cooked meat.  Simmer that for about 10 minutes.  Add all of the beans and simmer for another 10-20 minutes.

Chili is something that is great on its own but don't forget the hot dogs and hamburgers!  I like chili served over rice too.

So now you will have all this sauce and meat.  If you notice, my simmer times are quite short.  We will be freezing all of this so we don't need to be too concerned about our flavors blending.  This will happen in the freezer saving you even more time. 

Once your concoctions have cooled we can go ahead and freeze them.  You can freeze them in containers of any size that works for you.  I like one cup servings so that if I need some for lunch to take to work I'm only thawing what I'm eating.  Regardless of the size you choose, you will have several meals at your finger tips. 
The time invested up front saves you so much time in the kitchen later. 

Have fun with the extra time you created. Next week I'll give you a couple of things to make in your crock pot.  Yes, I said crock pot.  Summer is the BEST time to use your crock pot so dust it off and get ready to fire it up!