Since changing over to grass-fed beef only, it has been a challenge to stay within my grocery budget, but still afford to purchase the very best. I have become an expert at stretching my grass-fed ground beef, so I don't break the bank. All of my boys are meat & potato guys, so the trick is to spread the meat as far as I can, but to still leave them feeling like they had a meat meal. This can really be a challenge at times. The grass fed beef we purchase costs us $4.00 per pound, so I try very hard to keep our dinner's meat portion to 1 pound or under. This allows us to purchase the healthier grass-fed beef, while still keeping us on budget. The guys are willing go with less meat, as long as it's tasty, filling and helps us to stay on budget. Here are some of my families favorite ground beef stretching recipes.

Susan's Stir Fry Stuff

1 lb. grass fed ground beef
Organic celery, chopped into 1/2 slices
Organic green bell pepppers, cut into rings
Organic onions, cut into slices
Organic carrots, cut into thin slices
Organic broccoli, cut into florets/spears
Organic garlic, finely diced
1/4-1/2 cup Organic naturally fermented soy sauce
1/4-1/2 cup Organic worchestershire sauce

Okay, I don't really measure for this, I just add enough veggies to fill up a large stockpot and I use what I have on hand or what is in season. In a large stockpot (I don't have a big enough wok), brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic. Add in all the remaining veggies and the soy sauce and worchestershire sauce. Stir fry until veggies are crisp tender. Serve alone or over brown rice cooked in the Nourishing Traditions way.

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Lentil Chili
Originally, I posted this recipe using 1 pound of ground beef. Since then I've tried making it with 1/2 a pound of ground beef and the guys didn't notice a difference. I just wanted to note that you can use 1 pound if you'd like, but I'm now fixing this recipe with 1/2 pound ground beef

1 lb. Organic Lentils
6 cups filtered water
6 tbsp. whey
1/2 lb. Ground grass-fed beef
6 cups organic chicken broth or water
1 (15-oz) can organic tomato sauce
1 can organic diced tomatoes, undrained
1 organic onion, chopped
1 tbsp. organic chili powder
1 tbsp. organic taco seasoning
1 tbsp. organic dried garlic
sea salt & pepper to taste

Place the lentils in a bowl and cover with filtered water and whey. Let soak for at least 12 hours. After the soaking period, drain off the liquid. In a big stock pot or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef until no longer pink. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes, until lentils are done all the way through. Chili is best the next day because flavors have a chance to mingle. I like to serve this with Nourishing Traditions cornbread or soaked grain biscuits. It's also good served rolled up on sprouted grain tortillas.

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Spaghetti

1/2 lb. grass-fed ground beef
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can organic diced tomatoes (you can also use 1 pound fresh diced tomatoes)
1 can organic tomato paste
1 (16 oz.) can organic tomato sauce
1 organic green bell pepper, diced
1 organic onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 cloves organic garlic, diced finely
1/2 tsp. organic black pepper
1 tbsp. dried organic oregano
1 tbsp. dried organic basil
beef stock (optional)
Sprouted grain spaghetti, sun-choke flour spaghetti, or spaghetti squash

In a skillet, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic. Add the ground beef mixture into a crockpot. Add all remaining ingredients and cover. Turn crockpot on low and let cook until dinner time. I usually start this first thing in the morning and cook until dinner time. Add beef stock a little at a time if mixture gets too thick during the cooking time. Add just enough to make it the consistency you like. Serve over spaghetti or spaghetti squash. I like to serve this with a fresh green salad.

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Stuffed Cornbread

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
2 tbsp. organic taco seasoning
1 can organic diced tomatoes with chilies
1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 recipe cornbread (I use Nourishing Traditions recipe)
1 pkg. grated organic or raw cheese

Make cornbread according to instructions in Nourishing Traditions. Brown the meat in a skillet along with the garlic and onion. Add the taco seasoning and canned tomatoes with chilies. Heat through. Spray 1 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Pour 1/2 the cornbread mix into the bottom of the dish. Pour in meat mixture. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Top each pan with remaining cornbread mixture. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake at 425 for 25-3- minutes, until top is golden brown. Serve with beans (Nourishing Traditions Style) and a green salad.

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Susan's Shepherd's Pie

1 lb. ground grass fed beef
2 cup hot, freshly mashed potatoes (also good with mashed sweet potatoes or mashed sun-chokes)
4 oz. organic or raw yogurt cheese
1 cup organic or raw cheddar cheese, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups organic frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup beef broth, thickened with arrowroot

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, brown the beef. In a separate bowl, mix together the potatoes and yogurt cheese. add 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese and garlic; mixing well. Into the meat, stir in the mixed vegetables and thickened beef broth. Spoon into a square casserole dish. Cover with the potato mixture and then sprinkle with rest of the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. I like to add a green salad or cole-slaw

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Pizza Rice Casserole

2 cups Nourishing Traditions cooked brown rice
1 lb. grass-fed ground beef
1 organic onion, chopped
1 can (16 oz.) organic tomato sauce
1 tbsp. organic garlic, diced
1 tsp. stevia
1 tsp. sea salt
dash organic pepper
1/4 tsp. organic dried oregano
1 tsp. organic dried parsley flakes
1-1/2 cup organic or raw cottage cheese
1/2 cup organic or raw shredded cheese

Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Add the tomato sauce, galic, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley flakes. Cover and let simmer 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cottage cheese and rice. Put 1/3 of the rice mixture in a buttered 2 qt. casserole. Top with 1/3 of meat-tomato sauce. Continue to alternate layers, ending with tomato sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 325° for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. I like to serve with a green salad. (Adapted from a recipe in More With Less Cookbook)

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Beef & Bean Burritos

1 lb. organic dried beans cooked according to Nourishing Traditions, drain and rinse.
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 can organic diced tomatoes
1 organic onion, chopped
1 tbsp. organic garlic, diced
2 tbsp. organic taco seasoning
sprouted grain tortillas
organic or raw grated cheese

In a skillet, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic. Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas and cheese) and cook until heated through. Mash all ingredients together (I run through the blender). Serve rolled up in tortillas topped with cheese.

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These seven recipes use only 5 1/2 pounds of ground beef, which end up costing us about $22, which isn't too bad! They allow us to use the healthier grass-fed ground beef and still be able to stay within our budget. But, most importantly, my family loves these recipes and they are very filling. Which is really important when are feeding a bunch of guys with hollow legs!