Cutting Down on Protein Expenses

There are a couple of ways that you can cut down on how much you spend each month on meat. One method is to watch the advertisements for stores in your area and stockpile when the meats you use are on sale. All you do is repackage the meet in the serving sizes you would use it in and freeze it. Then when you're ready to use it, you just thaw it out and cook it like normal. Another method is to browse the discounted meat section. You might not always find a good deal, but every once in a while you'll find expensive cuts of meat at a fraction of the price.

Because both of these ideas deal with sales or clearance, let me remind you that just because it's on sale doesn't mean the meat is at it's lowest price. To find out, check out the other stores in your area or keep an eye on the price of the meat each week. Soon you'll know what the low and high prices are.

The last tip I have for you is by far my favorite. It is to use meat stretchers in your recipes. For example, if you're making tacos, you could combine 1 can of rinsed, canned black beans with the browned ground beef before adding the seasoning in. You'll have almost twice as much protein than you would have had before adding the beans. Vegetables work great as fillers when you want to stretch your protein, but when you don't want to add produce, you could serve bread, pasta, or rice with smaller portions of meat to help fill the empty stomachs you are feeding.