How many meals can a family of six get out of one and a half pounds of ground beef?

No, that is not a trick question. One? Two? Three? Four? What do you think?

I usually get two or three meals from about one and a half pounds of beef or chicken. I was thinking about this recently, and I feel it is an important thing to pay attention to in meal planning. Over the years, my cooking has changed dramatically from meat-focused meals to meals where the meat is more of a flavor or part of a dish. I am an unabashed omnivore. I like meat, and I have no problem with the ethical issues of eating animals. I do like to be sure that the vast majority of our meat comes from local sources and is raised in conditions that I feel are ethical and sustainable, but other than that, I have no problems at all with eating meat.

However, over the years, my cooking has changed. We may occasionally have steak or meatloaf for dinner, but it is becoming rare. I am much more likely to take one pound of steak and turn it into two meals - veggie heavy stir fry, fajitas with veggies and rice, kabobs, fried rice, soups. All stretch the meat while providing a filling meal. That one and half pound package of ground beef is likely to be turned into spaghetti with meat sauce and a side of bread, sweet and sour meatballs with lots of peppers, pineapple and rice, and chili with cornbread. Perhaps it will become beef and bean enchiladas with mexican rice, pasta pie with garlic bread, and two cheeseburger pizzas. Three hearty, satisfying meals for a family of six, one package of ground beef. A single 3 or 4 pound roasting chicken will easily become four meals for us - chicken quesadillas, stir fry, fried rice, fettuccine alfredo with chicken and broccoli and more.

This is important to think about because of the state of the meat industry in the US today. Researching the conditions in which factory farmed meat is raised and processed is enough to turn anyone's stomach. When we eat meals with less meat, we are able to spend the extra money on locally raised, natural meat processed in small, local processing plants. I like to know that I am not supporting the factory farming industry with the vast majority of meat that we purchase. We are not perfect; I still buy deli meat on occasion or kielbasa, but I can feel good knowing that probably 95%+ of the meat that we eat is treated humanely.

Like so many other good things, change can start in the kitchen. There is power in the stove and wooden spoon. Tie on your apron, pull out a cookbook and try a new recipe, something where the meat is part of the dish, not the entire focus. Do you have a good recipe to share? Send me a link, please! I am always looking for new ones, especially Mediterranean or Asian ones.