Getting the Most from Organic Meat

One of the hardest items to eat organically is Meat.  It's so expensive!  I bought organic, grass fed beef and it was $7 a pound!  Obviously, this is not something we can have often when trying to eat healthy on a tight budget.  The problem is my husband wants meat, meat, meat.  He's a big fan of the Paleo diet, mostly because of Rich Froning Jr.  He's the two time crossfit champion and my husband's pretty much obsessed :)  So, because good ole Rich eats tons of meat, Doug feels like he has to as well.  I've been trying to tell him that beans are a great source of protein as well, but he's not really going for it.  So, how are we supposed to have meat, still eat clean and stay on budget?  Well my answer is Bulgar.

Bulgar is basically a version of whole wheat with all of it's health benefits.  It is low in fat and high in fiber and minerals.  It is not gluten free however, so if you're moving towards a gluten free diet, then this is not for you.  I was very intrigued when I came across it and read that it was a meat extender.  What?!?  So, I had to try it out.  I decided to make taco salads.  Here's the original recipe that I slightly tweaked.  I bought 1lb of grass fed beef and Doug browned it up.  I also cooked up one cup of Bulgar.  Once they were done, we combined them.  It more than doubled the amount of "meat" we had.  We did have to end up adding more of the spices since the first amount used was geared toward 1lb of meat.  It was a ton of Bulgar, however.  So, next time, we'll use 2lbs of meat for the cup of bulgar.  That will give us probably 3 1/2lbs of taco meat the next time.

You could tell a difference in the taste, but my whole family liked it.  I think it will be even better when we up it to 2lbs of meat.  That will also allow me to freeze half and have an easy dinner ready another time. I'm excited to see how it might work for grilled hamburgers as well.  So, $7 for one pound of meat.  You get a bag of Bulgar for under $4.  If I double the meat, add the Bulgar, it will even out to around $4 a pound.  That's what I was paying for 90/10 hamburger anyway.

What else did we put on our salads?  Well, the base was leaf lettuce.  I left them whole for a pretty picture but would definitely tear them up next time.  Much easier to eat! Also layered on top were organic black beans - rinsed, organic corn - rinsed, diced avocado (my very first one I've ever eaten and it was good!), organic diced tomatoes, shredded organic cheese and organic salsa.  It was so yummy!

A few comments.  I do not endorse the Paleo diet.  I don't think any diet that's based just on meat alone is good.  You need a nice healthy balance of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and so on.  I also know a lot of people don't eat red meat.  We eat it in moderation and will probably continue to do so.  I'm pretty much of the mindset that if our ancestors didn't eat it then we shouldn't either.  I'm against all the new processed foods.  Cows have been eaten for 1,000 of years, so I guess I'm OK with eating them as well.  If I come across other information on this journey, then maybe I'll rethink my position at that time.

Newbie tips:
1. If you can't afford organic cheese at least buy the blocks and shred them yourselves.  Shredded cheese is highly processed so that it won't stick together in the packaging.
2.  Don't buy taco seasoning.  You never quite know what's in it.  Make your own, it's cheaper and healthier.    Check out this blog for a great recipe!
3.  Try making the base of your salad with spinach.  It won't taste different but offers a ton more nutritional value.  I will be doing that the next time!