Happy Friday everyone…and welcome to our first-ever edition of FRUGAL FRIDAY! I am a firm believer in living a frugal lifestyle for MANY reasons, and only ONE of them is to SAVE MONEY. Frugal living unlocks a world of possibilities. Want to pay off all of your debts? Save for your kids’ college education? Save for retirement? Travel the world? You have more options when you adopt a frugal lifestyle….and life is more fun and rewarding when you have options.
So we hope you will enjoy this new offering on One Good Thing….and let us know how you like it!
Today we are focusing on saving on your grocery budget with my daughter-in-law/assistant Kaitlyn’s fabulously frugal recipe for Korean Ground Beef!
Meal planning is one of the best things you can do to cut down on your grocery budget. It seems like a simple enough concept but it tends to leave me feeling overwhelmed and frustrated! I have about a million criteria for the meals I choose to cook. Ok, maybe not a million but it seems that way sometimes. I want meals that are healthy, inexpensive, will fill up my 6’5″ tall husband, are easy to make, utilize ingredients I have on hand…and the list goes on and on.
So when I found this recipe for Korean Ground Beef on Lizzy Writes, I practically jumped for joy! With a couple of additions it fit all of my meal planning criteria. I was able to amp up the nutrition and the bulk by adding lots of broccoli and red peppers.
Since this is our first edition of Frugal Friday, I also wanted to make this meal as inexpensive as possible. So I turned to my absolute favorite meal planning tool, Deals to Meals. Check out this post: 4 Simple Steps To Cutting Your Food Budget In Half, to learn more about how to use Deals to Meals.
By buying store brands and price matching at Walmart I was able to get all the ingredients for this recipe for $6.43. It made about 4 big servings which means it was only $1.60 per serving! If you’d like to see a full price breakdown as well as ingredient substitutions check out my handy dandy chart at the bottom of the post.
I’ve made this recipe for dinner a few times now and I think it’s safe to say that it has earned a spot in my permanent meal planning rotation :)
Bonus Meal Planning Tip: I recently decided to make a recipe binder to help make meal planning a lot faster. Any time I find a new recipe I like it gets printed out, stuck in a page protector and put into the binder. Then when I sit down to meal plan I can flip through the binder to find recipes I like and that utilize ingredients I have on hand.
Korean Ground Beef
Makes about 4 large servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 bunch green onions, diced
- Brown Rice, cooked
- 2 heads broccoli, chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, chopped
Directions
Get your veggies ready before cooking the meat. You can either cook the broccoli and peppers in a sauté pan for a few minutes or steam them.
Brown the hamburger with the garlic in a pan over medium heat. Drain any excess fat. Add the brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper. (When I took the pictures for this post I made the mistake of adding the red peppers at this point as well. Do not do what I did! They add way too much water and end up ruining the sauce.)
More Ideas You'll Love
Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens a bit. Stir in the peppers and broccoli. Dish it all up over a bowl of brown rice and top with green onions.
What “go-to” recipes do YOU turn to when meal planning gets overwhelming?
Korean Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 bunch green onions diced
- Brown Rice cooked
- 2 heads broccoli chopped
- 2 red bell peppers chopped
Instructions
- Cook broccoli and peppers in a sauté pan until tender, then set aside.
- Brown hamburger with garlic in a pan over medium heat.
- Drain excess fat.
- Add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper.
- Simmer until sauce thickens.
- Stir in peppers and broccoli.
- Serve over brown rice and top with green onions.
I make something very similar and often use ground chicken or turkey instead of the beef. I usually use a yellow onion (sliced), shredded carrots, zucchini and chopped sweet red bell peppers as the vegetables. I leave out the brown sugar my recipe originally called for, as the the Thai sweet chili garlic sauce and carrots makes it sweet enough for us. I serve it over Asian “sticky” rice or in lettuce wraps. Yummy! The recipe I modified is available at: http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/2012/11/family-style-asian-beef.html
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Patricia your recipe sounds divine! I’m going to have to try that one night :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Looks like a good, quick meal for busy times with simple ingredients. As for questions about WalMart, I can’t get over the fact that all the issues associated with that store apply to Target and others, but only WalMart is singled out. Seems WalMart has an image problem that Target doesn’t have. Certainly WalMart is richer than most but that itself doesn’t mean they should be singled out for doing exactly what Target is doing. Funny how we cheer those who live the American dream, then typically American, turn on them when they make it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I totally agree Deborah!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillee, I know some in your family have issues with gluten. Do you use a special kind of soy sauce with this recipe or is that something you don’t need to worry about? I’ve tried to steer clear of it, but am wondering what kind you use. I’m sure this recipe wouldn’t be the same without it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Marianne! If you look at the chart at the bottom of the post I included some substitutions for various allergies. Most soy sauces do have wheat in them so if you or your family members have gluten issues you will need to buy gluten-free soy sauce. Some soy sauces are labeled gluten free or you can just check the labels to find one without wheat in the ingredient list. A couple of other alternatives are Bragg Liquid Aminos: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006Z7NNQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0006Z7NNQ&linkCode=as2&tag=swedeabyjil-20
Or Coconut Aminos: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XB5LMU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003XB5LMU&linkCode=as2&tag=swedeabyjil-20
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Tamari is another alternative to Soy sauce. Still fermented soybeans , but I usually buy the organic version. That means the soy is not GMO and there is little or no wheat used. Tamari tastes more like soy sauce than Bragg Liquid Aminos to my family although I have occasionally used the liquid aminos when I am out of Tamari. Here is a link to the brand I use for my family. There is a certified Gluten-free option.
http://www.san-j.com/tamari.asp
I love the recipe, & because I had alk the ingredients at home I am cooking it, right now! Thanks, Jilee
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Looking forward to more frugal fridays
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love the idea, love the sound of the recipe!
If this is going to be a regular feature, would it be too much work to provide a printable format for just the recipe?
BTW – binders! I’ve been using binder with page protectors for years and they are so much fun! In fact I have one that I started bout 25 years ago for “holiday ideas” that I’ve added to over the years like a scrapbook, and now it’s our family Christmas Traditions manual! All our favorite, and ideas of new things to try in one spot!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Andrea! I think we are going to make this a regular feature and I love the idea of having a printable recipe. We’re actually working on a redesign for the site and I think we’re planning to include a tool that will make printing recipes a lot easier. But in the mean time I’ll talk to Jillee about making up a quick printable for recipe posts :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I hate to ask for anything that causes more work…but man, that recipe looks GOOD…LOL Would be so handy for a printable version, sort like what Pioneer Woman does, and we all know how successful her blog is!
I love your website and receive daily emails which I look forward to. I absorb nearly every article, pin them, share them and try the recipes and advice at home.
I’m always amazed however, when you mention buying items from Walmart. I admit I have an ingrained dislike of Walmart, but every reasoning thought makes me find alternatives the the conglomerate that ultimately causes so much harm. I’d rather pay 20 cents more for my items than add more to Walmart’s oversized pockets.
Just my humble opinion. Meanwhile…love the recipe : )
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Brooke! I can totally understand your opinion on Walmart. I try to support local businesses as often as I can but when it comes down to it, for most people Walmart is the cheapest option. If you only save $.20 or a couple of bucks on each item it can really add up in the long run.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Please explain how Walmart does so much harm.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Walmart is notorious for paying low wages, so low in fact that the majority of their full time employees also qualify for SNAP (and Walmart supplies the SNAP application in their Employee Welcome Pack). True they give a lot of money to the community, but IMHO, the community would not need the handout if the wages were better. To me, Walmart has become a twisted Robin Hood–they steal from the poor to give to the poor. They keep the poor people poor, so that the only store the poor can afford is the store causing the damage. Kind a like a modern “company town”–remember the cowboy song Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford?
Also–like Deborah says below–Target is not any better. The reason why Walmart gets the bad rap is because towns remember when Walmart opened up and how the town’s smaller businesses were driven out. Target does not usually build until Walmart has already driven out the little guy. So Target lets Walmart do the dirty work & then they move in. Target also gives money “back” to the community; my opinion is the same.
I only went off on this tangent because Laurie asked.
My advice: if your budget only allows for Walmart shopping–then buy their loss leaders only–do not pick up anything else that another store sells for the same price. Walmart depends on people doing the “one stop” shopping and impulse buying.
Thanks CTY. I could not have said it better myself. And I had never thought about the angle with Target’s role.
Sorry to be so preachy. I didn’t mean to make a big political statement here, but Walmart built it’s business by bringing American manufacturers to their knees and when they didn’t buckle, they went overseas and our jobs and economy are history. Oh, sadly, that rhymes : )
Meanwhile, I’m going to make up this wonderful recipe!
Not to be totally political myself (nor to be a Walmart cheerleader), but compared to fast food places (where the starting jobs are all at minimum wage), even the lowest paying job at Walmart (the cart picker uppers) receive more than minimum wage. I am not too fond of their “drive out the local business” business practices, but there are also ancillary businesses that it keeps in business (NCR who maintains their checkouts and electrical equipment in the offices). And, on the small business front, when I was on yearbook staff in high school, a lot of the small businesses that Walmart cut off at the knees were those same businesses that were so rude to me when I went around asking for ad purchases. Just because you are a small business owner does not make you a saint.
I found this recipe on Pinterest a while back and it’s become a family favorite. I started making it with ground turkey and no one knew the difference until I told them! It’s delicious, easy and I always have the ingredients on hand.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The “clean print” is right below the chart.
To cut the calories, eliminate the rice which is what I would have to do with all my disgusting dietary limits, or use riced cauliflower if you like it.
Good idea to try molasses instead of brown sugar.
Thanks for “frugal Friday”!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is going on my short list! I may try turkey or chicken with it. Asian food in general can be very healthy. Am I missing the printer friendly link for this recipe?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just found the “clean print” right below her price breakdown.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Corinna, it’s great with ground turkey! I regularly make this exact recipe with turkey instead of beef!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I adore Korean food and this recipe is so easy – can’t wait to try it! Will be great for the 2018 Winter Olympics – in the meantime, how about some Russian recipes for Olympic-viewing parties?? Here’s some gold medal winners:
http://constantlycooking.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/a-celebration-of-russian-food-for-the-2014-winter-olympics/
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing your post Paula! Those Russian recipes look delicious!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great idea Paula! I can’t wait to check out the link. Two summer Olympics ago the women in my family got together for the opening ceremonies on a Friday evening and we each brought a dish from a different country. It was so much fun! I made filled crepes, France.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love this idea! When the summer Olympics come back, my son will have just turned 6, so that will be a perfect time to teach him about different cultures and having different dishes from different countries!
Love the recipe Kaitlyn, thank you! I look forward to more frugal Fridays! Since the ground beef is on sale this week at Sprouts I definitely will be adding this to my meal plan for next week!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Don’t you just love Sprouts?? They always seem to have the best sale prices! I just checked Deals to Meals and they’ve also got peppers on sale for $.48!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This sounds really good — and easy! I’ll probably experiment with using molasses, honey, or coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great idea to use molasses or coconut sugar Denise! I don’t know why I didn’t think of that!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This looks and sounds delicious. I’m excited to try this one.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.There are 798 calories in 1 pound of Ground Beef (90% Lean / 10% Fat).
A half-cup of packed brown sugar — either light or dark — contains 418 calories.
There are 1364 calories in a 2 cup, dry, yields of Brown Rice.
All together 2580 cal. divide by 4 = 645 cal.
Just counting…I’m trying to get in shape.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for the breakdown Jenna! In the chart at that the bottom of the post I included some ingredient substitutions that would help cut down on the calories as well. If you don’t have a big appetite you could also cut down on the serving size.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) would make a great substitute for the brown rice. 172 calories in a 1/4 cup serving. 2.8 grams of fat, 1 mg of sodium, 31 g carbohydrates, 3 grams of sugar. http://www.quinoa.net for more info. :) Ground turkey is also a good sub for the ground beef. My hubby can’t tell the difference. lol
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This sounds so good, Jillee! And it’s just the ticket for subbing what I have in the freezer right now…boneless, skinless chicken thighs, frozen peppers and onion mix and frozen broccoli. I love it when you give us ideas that are practical jumping off points! Thanks
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What is price matching? Like with the red peppers in the above recipe.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Linda! Walmart allows you to price-match other stores’ sale prices. The Deals to Meals site organizes all of the week’s best sale prices so that you can go to Walmart and still get the great deals without having to drive to a bunch of different stores. You can read more about it here: https://onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2013/06/4-simple-steps-to-cutting-your-food-budget-in-half.html
And check out Deals to Meals here: http://dealstomeals.com/hits/incoming/51afab87-31bc-4b53-b9c0-2995327461c8
Ooo chicken would be delicious in this recipe!
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