Ground Turkey or Ground Beef 3 Ways

One of the most important things I do (and refuse to put off!) every single week is Meal Prep.  I am committed to eating a PaleoPlus diet and it takes some work.  There is really no drive-thru or carry out service (that we can afford) that offers the type of foods we want to eat.

I have been a foodie for years and years.  I started cooking and experimenting in the kitchen over 30 years ago.  I owned one cookbook and 3 pans, but was blessed to have a fearless spirit around ingredients.  I have been creating recipes that satisfy my palette for most of those 30 years.  (To be perfectly honest, the very first thing I ever cooked was toast on an electric stove burner...I fashioned a wire hanger as "toasting rack"...I used a pair of socks as my my "hot pads" and butter & apple jelly that I had pinched from my local Bob Evans to make a lovely breakfast that first morning in my first apartment!)

I love food - and no amount of feeling good was going to make it okay to eat NOT good food.  If I hadn't been able to create wonderful dishes, many of them quick and easy, I might not have been as committed to Paleo as I am now.

A big part of having delicious food every single meal is preparing ahead of time.  It can be as simple as chopping your onions and garlic ahead of time (or buying them already chopped), grilling up a few burgers and freezing them or as time consuming as crafting a homemade marinara or a big batch of meatballs.

Most things fall in the middle.

Here is one of my favorite things to prep for the week.  It starts in one big pan and gets split into 3 different ones.  You can use ground turkey or ground beef for all of these recipes.

Step 1:  Brown your ground turkey or beef in a large non-stick skillet
Step 2:  Drain off any extra fat
Step 3:  Split the meat into 3 portions (recipes below assume you are using 3 pounds, split evenly)

Recipe #1 - Taco Meat

I make a big batch of this seasoning, because we use it a lot! - equal parts:

• garlic powder
• onion powder
• sea salt
• cumin
• paprika
• chili powder

For one pound of Taco Meat, add 2 T Taco Seasoning and 1/2 cup of warm water to the ground beef (in a non-stick skillet) and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Cool and store in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to a month.

Recipe #2 - Citrus Ginger Stir Fry

In a non-stick pan, melt 1 T of the fat that you drained off the ground meat (if the turkey is super lean, use 1 T. avocado or coconut oil) over medium heat.  Add 1/2 diced chopped onion, a "coin" of grated fresh ginger (or 1 t ground ginger) and 1 clove of minced garlic.  Cook until translucent (about 5 minutes).  Then add 1 T of 100% orange juice concentrate and 1 T of coconut aminos and stir to combine.  Add the ground meat to the mixture and let simmer for 10 minutes.  Cool and store the same as the Recipe #1.

Recipe #3 - Moroccan Spiced

This is another spice blend I keep on hand at all times.  This is also great sprinkled on cauliflower florets tossed in avocado oil and roasted in a hot oven.  It's a wonderful dry rub for chicken kabobs.

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
  
• 1 T smoked paprika
  
• 1 1/2 t ground cumin
• 1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
  
• 1 1/2 t sea salt
  
• 1/4 t ground black pepper
• Once you're done with squeaky clean - add 1 1/2 t coconut sugar for a PaleoPlus version

Sprinkle the spices (if you've made a big batch, use 2 T for 1 pound of meat) over the cooked turkey or beef, add 1/4 cup warm water and stir to combine.  Bring to a simmer and let cook for 10 minutes.  Finally, stir in the fresh parsley.  I love to use this ground meat in scrambles and frittatas, to top baked sweet potatoes and cauliflower rice.  Or in a pinch...in a big bowl with a spoon!!!  Cool and store the same as the other recipes

I prepped all of this in under an hour.  I used the Moroccan in my breakfast yesterday, it will be topping salad greens for my lunch today and I will probably use the rest on Friday in a stuffed sweet potato.  We used the Taco meat for sweet potato nachos last night with loads of homemade guacamole.  The Stir Fry went first - lettuce wrap dinner the day I made it.  It smells so delightful, I can never wait to eat it!

My point is - in under an hour I had really flavorful, warm, interesting, clean food at-the-ready in my fridge to make my life easier. 

I will be sharing other meal prep basic recipes and tricks every week throughout 2016.  I hope they make your life easier too!  Happy Clean Eating!