Busy Mom's Super Fast, Super Easy, Ground Beef Meals

Beside, travel & sewing I love to cook.

I was a stay home Mom until my youngest started 3rd grade. I know first hand how difficult it is to work, take care of a family and keep all the activities going.

This idea is not only a great time saver but helps you provide, healthy home cooked meals in minutes. Or have dinner ready by using the ground beef for your favorite crock pot recipe.

This is a really simple idea but I have only met one person who does the same thing that I have been doing for years. It was a cashier at a grocery store, who buys the ground beef on sale and pre-cooks it for her daughter. (My girls have to cook their own:)

Start with 3 or 4 pounds of ground beef. (I sometimes use a combination of  ground beef & venison-this time I am using 2 beef & 1-vension).

To have less calories and save money, you can also mix ground turkey or chicken with the beef.

Take the beef, frozen or fresh and put it in a pan, cover with water. You can do it on the stove top or in the oven the same way you cook a roast.  Let the meat cook until completely done.
Stir, to keep from sticking and to break up the meat. I use a hand chopper to chop the beef really fine after I drain it.

DO NOT PUT ANY SEASONING IN THE MEAT. NOT EVEN SALT AND PEPPER..SINCE YOU ARE FREEZING THE MEAT, WHEN YOU TAKE IT OUT YOU WILL KNOW IT IS JUST COOKED MEAT.

This is what it look like when it is almost done.

Once it is completely cooked put it in a stainer and rinse with warm water to get as much grease out of the meat as you can.  Let it completely cool and drain.

Put the meat in quart size freezer bags. I put about 1 pound in each bag. Date and label the bags.

Now here comes the fast and easy part.

Spaghetti
Take 2 jars of your favorite sauce and 1 bag of frozen ground meat in a crock put on low for 8 hours or high for 4.
(My girls will tell you when they where growing up we had this once a week!)
Add noodles and a salad or vegetable and you are done.

Chili
Use one bag of frozen meat with you favorite chili recipe. Use your crock pot. I like to serve the chili on spaghetti or baked potatoes.

Sloppy Joe's

Use on bag of meat, a can of sloppy Joe mix, I add a small can of baked beans and put on a open face hamburger bun. Add slice of cheese, then put in the over for a few minute to melt the cheese~~wonderful!

Mexican- Anything- you can make Tacos, Burritos Nacho's.
Take the ground beef, add you favorite seasoning to make your favorite Mexican dishes.

 I would love to have you share your ideas or recipes that you could use pre-cooked ground beef in.

Next time you see it on sale try this idea and see how much time it can save you and it is .......so easy! Plus you only have the pan and stainer dirty once for 5 or 6 meals.

Enjoy!