I know turkey is the quintessential Thanksgiving meal, but who says it has to be stuck there?  I can’t believe it took me so long to figure this out, but I finally realized that if I buy a couple frozen whole turkey breasts a year, I’m doing something very healthy and very frugal (even if it’s NOT November!).  Here’s why:

1. Turkey is a Super Food – read its awesome nutritional profile here.
2. It’s actually really easy to roast a turkey, not something you need to relegate to a “company meal”.  Just follow the directions on the package (having a meat thermometer helps though).
3. You get style points from the family for serving what looks like a super-fancy meal, but actually it takes less prep time than a lot of from-scratch casseroles and soups. Choose a Sunday or a random surprise day to serve the roast turkey.
   Meal Stretcher Tip:  Serve with lots of sides to encourage big eaters to take less turkey; then you have more leftovers for sandwishes!
4. At $2/lb (or even less, sometimes down to 99 cents/lb) on sale, the turkey breast is less expensive than a lot of other cuts of meat. Why think of it as a luxury?
5. Who needs lunchmeat?  Leftover turkey breast, first of all, makes FAR superior sandwiches compared to processed meat.  Plus, no matter how you buy your lunchmeat (deli counter or packages), you’re still going to spend around $3-5/lb on the stuff.  Remember that the little packages are often less than half a pound, so even though it may only be $1.67 or something, you have to do the math to compare pound for pound.  (And might I add that turkey off the bone is real food, whereas lunchmeat is processed with salt and nitrites, a known carcinogen.)  Our family uses a lot of leftovers for lunches, whereas I know a lot of families, especially those wtih schoolchildren, rely on lunchmeat regularly.  I can’t recommend heartily enough using real meat, either chicken or turkey, to cut down on your kids’ nitrite/nitrate load.  Train their palates to appreciate real food, and try to cut down on the processed stuff whenever possible.
6. Yes, you’re paying for the bones.  But I’ve learned to use ANY bones around to make stock, which is so easy and packed with nutrients.  Just toss the carcass in the pot immediately after picking the meat off the night of your supper.
   I don’t usually use turkey broth as a base for soups, since people expect the familiar taste of chicken broth, but it’s perfect for cooking a rice dish or going half/half with chicken or beef broth for soup.  I also freeze it in ice cube trays, and I can use it in recipes that call for a half cup or cup, as well as to bulk up leftovers that need a little moisture for reheating.
   Added Bonus:  This little step of making broth really makes the turkey worth it – free broth!

Watch for turkey breasts to go on sale, especially after the fall/winter holidays as stores are trying to get rid of their overstock, and around Easter time.

Now I want a turkey sandwich.  With Farmer’s Market lettuce and homemade mayo.  Mmmm, drooling on my keyboard.  I better go have breakfast instead!

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Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money.  If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.

More on turkey:

• “Homemade” Turkey Sausage
• Turkey-Chili-Topped Turkey Burgers
• Why is Turkey so Good for Me?

Other How-To Posts that may interest you:

• How to Use and Store Flax
• How to Buy Safe Salmon
• How to Read a Bread Bag for Whole Grains

Photo source:  FotoosVanRobin