Ground Beef

My ground beef also comes from Sam's. I can get 90% lean for $2.05/lb. That is of course after the 10 cents off per lb. for buying 10 lb. chubs. I know, that is a lot of beef, right? Well, this was my first great freezer idea: Buy lots of beef, separate into 1 lb. ziplocs and freeze. I won't have to thaw the entire thing when I want some. That was several years ago. Then one day, I realized that if I browned all 10 lbs., I could still freeze it in 1 lb. portions. TA-DA! It takes 3 min to thaw in the microwave and how long to brown? No time at all! Here's how: 3-4 lbs. at a time will fit in your big soup pot. Stir til brown. You may want to start with a tsp. oil on the bottom of your pot. You can also do it in the oven, 5 lbs. per cookie sheet, 350*, breakup and stir every few minutes til done. I haven't tried this way because the other works fine for me. Strain it (90% is nearly fatless) and bag it in 2 1/2 c. portions. Make sure to mark with a good sharpie that it is browned beef and not just ground beef and also date of freezing. Squash the air out and press the bag flat like a book. Now your bag is stackable.
If you want to make half of it into taco meat, go ahead, that freezes too.

Taco Salad:
1 lb. taco meat from freezer
most of a head of lettuce, torn to bite size pieces
1 cup grated yellow cheese
2 roma tomatoes, chopped (seeded if you like)
1/2 red onion, diced (when eating raw onions, I find red ones to be less bitter)
Let taco meat thaw the night before or heat it if you like (this may wilt your lettuce more than is pleasant). Toss all together. We used to add crunched up fritos, which is good, but not too healthy. Husband and I top our salad with a mix of fake brown sugar and hot sauce (like Frank's) heated together until the sugar dissolves, then a bit of sour cream stirred in to make it thick. My children, who will not eat ranch dressing (your guess is as good as mine) prefer Italian dressing on theirs.

Stuffed Meatballs:
1 1/2 c. uncooked instant rice
1 onion, chopped fine
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt, pepper
10 oz. pkg. frozen brussel sprouts
2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 c. water
1 tsp. dried thyme
Combine first 6 ingredients. Shape scant 1/4 cupful around each frozen brussel sprout to form a meatball. Place meatballs in 9 x 13. Combine tomato sauce, water, & thyme. Pour over meatballs. Bake covered at 350* for 1 hr. 15 min. Serve on cooked rice. If you like prepared horseradish, mix some into your rice! This secret ingredient makes it super-fantastic, except to a four year old.
This is one of my freezer meals. When I buy my huge chubs of beef, I double the recipe and freeze in ziplocs, 12-15 meatballs per dinner. One recipe will make two dinners for us (2 adults, 2 eating children).