Meat Alternatives

Looking for meat alternatives? If so, I can recommend a few.

TVP (texturized vegetable protein) is a good alternative. One pound of TVP yields so much more than one pound of ground meat. It isn't terrible tasting at all, either. You simply soak it in warm water (to change it from looking like cereal)- prior to using it in your recipe - and then use it as you would meat. You will need to season it, though, and it absorbs flavor very well. I have used TVP in spaghetti and even for tacos.

If you can find it in bulk form that permits you to purchase any amount of your choosing, that is best, and I recommend purchasing a pound. In bulk forms, you can most likely purchase it for $1.99/lb. - $2.99/lb.; however, if you have to purchase it in a box at a natural / organic store, it can cost much more. Please note that I did find TVP in bulk at the Whole Foods Market, if you have any near you.

Soy products are everywhere. Boca Burgers and the like are great. Find them in your grocer's freezer area.

Soy crumblers (frozen and looks like ground meat) are available either under the Boca name or similar brand. I have found bags of frozen crumblers at Publix grocery stores.

I am also a big fan of Loma Linda and Worthington Foods. They are canned dinners - just heat and eat, and their meat alternatives are absolutely incredible. While enjoyable, these items can cost more; HOWEVER, if you buy them online, and plan carefully, you could seriously order a month's worth of food (the "hotdogs", "breakfast sausage", "chicken patties" can be used at more than one meal) for right around $100.00! I know because we have done it. It is difficult to find these products at Whole Foods Market or other similar stores, and then when we have occasionally seen a can here or there, they were outrageously marked up! We did find them online at Vegefood, and it was well worth the shipping cost (which is very little, given all that they send you). When you consider the value of eating "clean", low-fat foods from healthy sources, the fact that these foods are free of any meat-related bacteria or "scares", and last but not least, all you have to do is open a can and heat and eat, each time we place an order and spend a few weeks or a month eating this delicious food, I feel like I'm getting away with something. Definitely get the canned version of ground meat - we use that can THREE TIMES! What a value!


Since I am a holistic, healthy individual, I always share with everyone here any health tips or concerns. So, one more word on soy products. Please be advised that soy raises estrogen levels. If you or someone who dines with you on a regular basis is at risk for cancer or has estrogen-sensitive cancer, soy is probably not a good choice as a meat alternative. I encourage anyone considering soy products as a staple in their diet to take an additional couple of minutes online and research soy and its effects on estrogen and cancer risks or cancer.

Cheaper Meat Alternatives / Save Money on Meat

I have also learned that anything you can do with one pound of meat, you can also do with half a pound.

Stay with me here, and I will show you how.

Many of you out there are probably just shaking your heads saying "The recipe calls for ONE POUND of ground beef . . ." (ground turkey, ground chicken, chicken breasts, whatever)

If you are a meat eater, you have noticed the outrageous increased cost of meat at the grocery store. You also do not want to go without it. You don't have to, but you do need to find a way to cut your costs when purchasing meat. First thing I want you to do when you make a trip to the grocery store, and meat is on your grocery list, is purchase some generic freezer bags. Why? Because from now on, whatever you have been using that meat in when preparing your meals, you are going to use HALF. When you get home, you are going to open up several of those freezer bags for your convenience and then open up each meat package and separate the meat - 1/2 of it in one freezer bag, and the other half in the other freezer bag. Provided that those meat packages are one-pound packages. If the packages of meat are heavier than one pound, then do the math, and separate meat into 1/2 lb. packages or as close as you can get.

Tacos? Go ahead and use a half pound of meat. It will work. Know how many tortilla shells you need to fill and keep that in mind as you mentally divide the prepared meat evenly into that number of shells. Supplement it with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, even sour cream or salsa, if you wish. It isn't noticeable when eating the tacos.

Meatloaf? Not a problem. Add bread, green peppers (yellow or red or a combination of any or all), uncooked oatmeal flakes, eggs, whatever else suits will stretch the meat sufficiently. About five minutes before you need to remove the meatloaf from the oven, shut the oven off and pour a can of mushroom soup over the top of it. Or ketchup. Whatever you wish. My favorite meatloaf recipe? For the bread, use rye. For flavor, sprinkle some garlic and onion powder and a light sprinkle of italian seasoning. Then use the mushroom soup over the top. It is wonderful.

Spaghetti? Use 1/2 pound of meat or less in your sauce. You will not miss the meat in your spaghetti.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole by Campbell's? We have gone from 3 -4 chicken breasts to using just a couple of what they call chicken tenders (much smaller, weighs much less) to even just one chicken breast that we cut up when the dish is finished baking. When the chicken is cut up and mixed throughout the entire casserole dish, this is still a delicious meal!

You get the idea now. Try it for a week. Be creative. Not only will you not be miserable at dinner time, but your checkbook will thank you.

Cheap, Low Calorie Salad Dressing

Salad dressing is very expensive, especially if you are eating a salad everyday (which I totally recommend as it is a healthy thing to do when cutting back on costs and it is very filling, which makes eating a less expensive meal more fulfilling).

Again, I recommend a visit to the past: When I was a child and growing up, no one used salad dressing that was purchased at the store in a bottle. It was always a combination of some kind of oil and another kind of vinegar - - just enough mixed up for that meal or enough mixed up for the entire week. Keep it in the fridge, of course, if you have mixed up more than you need for just one meal.

I couldn't remember for the life of me what my aunt combined for salad dressing (hers was my favorite), but I had no trouble remembering what it tasted and looked like. I knew it must be oil and vinegar. What oil? No idea. What vinegar? Haven't a clue. So, I went to the store and purchased a bottle of canola oil and a bottle of apple cider vinegar - - for the price of what ONE BOTTLE of generic ranch dressing would cost me. Not to mention that when eating a prepared bottle of salad dressing every single day, it lasts maybe one week. Maybe.

Well, after just one mixing of these two ingredients, I see that these two ingredients will last me several weeks. Maybe months. All for the cost of ONE BOTTLE of generic salad dressing that only lasted one week in my house.

For the recipe, I played it by ear - 3 ounces of apple cider vinegar to 1 ounce of canola oil. It just so happened that I had one of those pretty glass bottles with the white plastic lid that is specifically made for just this purpose. So, I combined my vinegar and oil and shook it really hard. Tasted it - - hmmm. Too bitter for my taste so I added some sugar, maybe 1 tsp (because I remember seeing my aunt sprinkle some sugar in the mystery salad dressing), and lo and behold - - I had it!

There are many vinegar and oil recipes out there on the web. Look for some and make them a part of your daily menu. I used that 4 ounces of salad dressing (kept it in the fridge) for five salads. Not small bowls, either.

By the way, there has been some controversy surrounding canola oil; however, I chose it over vegetable oil for obvious reasons and chose it over olive oil (because olive oil can become rancid over time, and I didn't want that worry). I also chose apple cider vinegar for health reasons. I have read many positive things concerning apple cider vinegar, one of which is that it regulates blood sugar (a good thing when we are all adding more carbs to our diets because they are cheaper than meat), AND lower blood sugar means weight loss. Some health nuts swear by a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar before each meal because they are losing weight this way.

So, experiment with homemade salad dresings that contain vinegar and oil. It is cheaper, better for you, and longer-lasting.

More Safe Alternatives to Flea Control in the Home

Two weeks ago, I came across two other alternatives to ridding your home of fleas:

Baby Powder

Sevin Dust

I tried both, and I noticed a marked difference after each use.

Baby powder is reported to work because the fleas "drown" in it. Sprinkle regular, cheap no-name baby powder (the kind you get at a dollar store - get a couple of bottles) on all carpeted areas and in your pets' bedding. Let it sit for at least a few hours. I recommend doing one room at a time so that you can keep your pets from walking around on it. Even though baby powder is relatively safe, it shouldn't be ingested (which is exactly what happens when a pet gets something on his/her feet - - they lick their paws, and it is consumed). Vacuum the treated area. Then move on to another area and do the same. Also, liberally sprinkle your own bedding between sheets with baby powder, and leave it. That last tip is a good one for those of you who are having fleas jump on you.

You can do the same with Sevin Dust; HOWEVER, do not put it in your bedding and only put it in pets' bedding under extreme circumstances, and be sure to cover your mouth and nose with a protective mask or just tie something around the lower part of your face (a folded bandana is perfect for this). If you do treat the pet bedding with Sevin Dust, pat the bedding to create a "dust" so that it isn't just sitting on the surface of the bedding.

WARNING: Be sure to read the Sevin Dust package carefully - - and only purchase the Sevin Dust that states one of the uses as being for pets. Other forms and strengths of Sevin Dust are not at all safe for pets or indoor usage.

You can find Sevin Dust near gardening supplies. The package should say it can be used on pets; however, I would not recommend it for the simple reason that pets clean themselves - and at the very least - their paws by licking. Licking means oral contact with chemicals, and it also means consumption and ingestion. Just because a label says "safe for" doesn't mean that we should not protect the health of our pets and all of those living in our home.

I used both of these items in the past couple of weeks, and I haven't seen a flea in a long, long time. They just seemed to disappear.

Then, as a precaution - VACUUM, VACUUM, VACUUM - - If you have a terrible flea problem, vacuum in the AM, and vacuum in the PM. This makes a huge difference. I know because I have done it and been doing it, just to remain flea-free now.

Fleas have difficult life cycle stages (difficult for us to control or halt); therefore, it is imperative that you vacuum at least ONCE PER DAY for several weeks. If you are going to beat fleas, you have to keep up the assault for a minimum of 30 days because of flea nests, flea eggs, mature, and young fleas. They are all in different stages, and that is why they are hard to get rid of. The biggest challenge for us is just staying with it - - it seems that once we no longer see the fleas, we quit, and that is where we go wrong. Keep it up.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Empty your bagless vacuum after each vacuuming session or at least put some tape over any hole or holes that fleas could escape from. If you are using a vacuum cleaner with a bag, put your vacuum outside or on a patio, balcony, or in a garage after each use, until the bag is full.