Great Dinner Ideas

Most of the time when you grab a flyer at the store, it ends up just being tossed in the trash (or the recycle bin, hopefully!). 

However, the flyer at Whole Foods is so awesome! It of course has a ton of coupons, and on the back on the current issue-TONS of meal ideas! 

  This week has been really stressful for some people, trying to figure out if they were going to get their paychecks etc. So, I found these ideas really helpful, because they are inexpensive, and they only have a handful of ingredients. They have ideas for making your meal: Irish, Cajun, Asian, Tex-mex, and Italian.
Hopefully this is easy to read-the link wasn't working so I just had to type it out. I like how it also tells you how much it costs per serving. It's nice to think about, if you went to Chik Fil A or your choice of fast food, and got a meal-you can compare how much you're spending. You're getting a great home cooked meal, sitting down at the table with your family-for a great price! Now, these prices are based on shopping at Whole Foods-so I think that makes this EVEN better! Healthy, grass fed beef meals, for under $5.00/serving! Can't get much better than that! 

grass-fed beef skillet dinners for four

family-friendly, budget-friendly, quick and easy

These are great for weeknight meals or in simple homage to events such as Mardi Gras or St. Patrick’s Day. Each one begins with a pound of ground grass-fed beef. Feel free to substitute ground turkey or, for vegetarian versions, replace the beef with tempeh and a little canola oil.

    Seasonings: 

SEASONING

Irish : 1 cup chopped onion + 1⁄2 cup lager or pilsner beer (after browning meat and onion)

Cajun: 11⁄2 tsp salt-free Cajun/Creole seasoning

Asian:  2 TB soy ginger sauce + 2 TB water

Tex-Mex: 1–2 TB chili powder

Italian: 1 TB Italian seasoning + 8 thinly sliced oil-packed sundried tomatoes

Veggies: 

Irish:  2 cups thin-sliced organic green cabbage

Cajun:  1 cup chopped onion + 1 cup thinly sliced celery + 1 thinly sliced red bell pepper + 11⁄2 tsp more salt- free Cajun/Creole seasoning

Asian:  1 cup pineapple chunks + 1 chopped red bell pepper + 6 thinly sliced green onions

Tex-Mex: 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes + 1 (15 oz) can rinsed and drained black beans

Italian:  1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes + 1 bunch thinly sliced lacinato kale (tough stems removed) + 2 tsp chopped garlic

TO SERVE

To Serve: 

Irish:   spoon over 4 baked potatoes and top with 1⁄4 cup grated Irish cheddar

Cajun:  toss with 4 cups cooked brown rice + 1 (15 oz) can rinsed and drained kidney beans + 1 tsp more salt-free Cajun/ Creole seasoning

Asian: toss with 2 cups prepared and drained rice vermicelli noodles and serve in lettuce cups

Tex-Mex:  ladle over squares of cornbread from our bakery, top with diced avocado and serve with lime wedges

Italian:  spoon over or toss with 3⁄4 lb pasta, cooked and drained

COST PER SERVING*

Cost Per Serving: 

Italian : $3.73

Cajun : $2.66

Asian : $3.99

Tex-Mex : $3.68

Italian : $3.18

GO ORGANIC!

Go Organic! 

Irish : only about $1.19 more per serving using organic potatoes

Cajun : only about 33¢ more per serving using organic red bell pepper and rice

Asian : only about 28¢ more per serving using organic red bell pepper

Tex-Mes : only about 32¢ more per serving using organic tomatoes, beans, avocado and lime

Italian : only about 27¢ more per serving using organic sundried and diced tomatoes, and pasta