Stretch that Meat Budget!

The most expensive part of my grocery budget is the meat. While I do try and go meatless from time to time, my husband enjoys seeing meat on his plate. So, I try and stretch our meat dishes as far as they can go. A good way to do this is to add non meat ingredients to your meals.

Ingredients such as beans, vegetables, lettuce, rice, noodles and others can make your main meat go much farther.

For instance, last night we made steak salad. I actually had less than 1 lb of steak for four people. But when you add romaine lettuce, grilled onions and fajita peppers and a side of tortillas – you have a whole lot more!

Add half a pound of meat and two cans of kidney beans to chili instead of a whole pound. Make vegetable lasagna and sprinkle in the other half pound of your ground meat.

Make your side dish your main dish. Meaning, focus on those veggies. Fill your plate up with more vegetables and make the meat the side dish.

There are many hearty vegetables out there that could really take center stage on your dinner plate such as portabella mushrooms, eggplant or broccoli and rice dishes. Get creative with those veggies.

Don’t forget about beans. I’m not talking just a plain can of beans – spice them up a bit. There are a ton of variations you can do with them and they pack a lot of nutrients for under a $1 a can!

See how you can make meat take backstage to other ingredients. You may find you savings taking front stage!

For more money saving tips, check out GroceryMama.com