If your kids love hamburgers, it is a great way to get protein in them, and you can make them healthier by using extra lean ground beef or even chicken or turkey instead of ground beef. Plus, you get to control the seasoning and the extras your kids put on burgers. And yes, as a busy parent, it can be extremely tempting to buy those boxes of 20 or 40 frozen pre-made hamburgers simply because it is quick and convenient. But are you paying a lot extra for that convenience?
Yes! Compare the weight of the hamburgers you want to buy, then head over to the meat section and check out the price of the ground beef for the same weight. Chances are pretty good that it will be far less than half the cost – and if you pick up ground beef on sale, you can save even more. Add some bread crumbs (save those end pieces of bread to use as bread crumbs, if your family doesn’t like to eat them) and egg, and some seasonings as you wish, and you have burgers!
You can also buy a large amount of hamburger and make a large batch of hamburgers, shape them into patties and then freeze them, adding pieces of parchment paper between each burger to keep them separated. Want some freezer friendly hamburger recipes? You can find a variety of hamburger recipes that are freezable in our Freezer Cooking Recipe section… and it’s an easy way to get your toes wet in the whole “once a month cooking” idea, if you are tempted to start.
Here are some of our favorite recipes for frozen patties:
- Pesto Burgers
- Chicken Salsa Burgers
- Salsa Joes (not quite hamburgers, but similar idea and kids love them!)
So next time you are tempted to buy those convenient pre-made frozen hamburger patties, remember how much extra you are paying for that convenience, and pick up some ground beef to make your own instead.
That said, don’t forget to check for coupons with sales for boxes of hamburgers – sometimes you can find that awesome deal which makes them remarkably cheap.
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