Healthy Beef and Other Meats
including Poultry on a Budget

I buy healthy beef in larger quantities from Costco and I divide it into family sized portions when I get home. In the case of steaks such as tri-tip, I trim the excess fat quickly before I put a one meal portion into a zip lock bag. I label the beef bag with the date and cut of meat and freeze these portions for later when I need them.

The USDA designates 29 cuts of beef as lean, and we prefer tri-tip, flank, and lean hamburger. I am able to buy these cuts at reasonable prices, but there are many healthy beef choices to match individual tastes with the price of meat. I like to take the handy wallet card with me to the market.

Download PDF file with wallet card here. In this wallet card, "lean" is less than 10g of total fat, 4.5g or less of saturated fat, and less than 95mg cholesterol per serving and per 100grams. Source: USDA, ARS, 2005. USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18. Based on cooked servings, visible fat trimmed.

If you are gleefully carnivorous, there is lots of good information at www.BeefNutrition.org. If you would like to learn more information about healthy beef ideas, click here to open a new window. Just in case, the wallet card is located in the section call Nutrient Graphic Handouts.

I buy frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts at Costco, unless my local supermarket offers a coupon price on fresh chicken. Frozen chicken breasts go directly from my freezer into the oven, into a boiling pot of water, or onto a stove top pan.

I buy chicken apple sausage and jalapeno chicken sausage bulk to divide into portions and freeze. Don’t forget to label the freezer bags – just ask my five year old what happened at “frozen dinner surprise” night.

I do buy some convenience foods of glazed teriyaki chicken breasts and healthy chicken nuggets that I can microwave quickly. Sadly, the dinosaur shaped nuggets have the wrong ingredients and nutrition. There are many nights when I would personally prefer to serve a T-rex for dinner, but my kids still like the “healthier” version.

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