Bi-Lo Bargain Meal of the Week: Turkey - It's Not Just For Thanksgiving!

This week's post is a little different, since I'm not really bringing you a single meal. 
I really want to help you save money, and one of the ways I save is by buying when things are on sale.  So I decided I'd share with you a few different recipes for turkey so that you'll be able stock up while it's soooo cheap this week.  Meat is one of the most expensive things on my grocery list, so I'm always looking to find a great deal.  You will be able to buy it cheap and then use if for several different meals in the future.  

I'll be buying a turkey for our our Thanksgiving dinner this year, as well as a turkey to cook and freeze.  The meat can be frozen for up to six months.  I freeze the meat in one to two pound portions, with about a half cup of broth (keeps it from drying out).  

Turkey Tetrazzini

This one's easy  and you probably already have all of the ingredients in your pantry!  (I also make this with chicken and sometimes tuna - it's great.  I could probably make it with cardboard and my family would eat it - it has TONS of cheese and they love it!)

What You'll Need:

16 oz spaghetti noodles

1/2 medium onion (diced very small)

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups turkey or chicken broth

1  cup milk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I use Italian style, but plain would be good too.)

2 cups cooked turkey

olive oil

Cook spaghetti noodles as directed.  While the noodles are cooking, saute the onions and garlic until they are tender.  Add butter.  Once it's melted, slowly add flour while you are stirring constantly (you're making a roux - so don't let it get lumpy!!).  Cook just until the mixture turns a light brown, and then stir in chicken broth and milk and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and 1/4 cup of the Mozzarella.  Combine the mixture with spaghetti noodles and pour into a greased casserole, then top with breadcrumbs and remaining cheese.  Bake at 350° for 20 - 25 minutes.  

EASY BARBECUE TURKEY SANDWICHES

What You'll Need:

1 1/2 - 2 lbs cooked turkey

1 onion diced

1 cup ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar

salt & pepper to taste

red pepper flakes (optional)

1 tbsp white vinegar (optional)

This is better if it sits for a while, and it's perfect for the day after Thanksgiving when you're too tired to think about cooking.  Throw everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for a few hours (2 at the least).  Serve on buns.  *You can use bottled sauce to really make it easy on yourself!*

TURKEY TACOS

This one is pretty self explanatory, but I had not even heard of it until last year.  Just use the leftover cooked turkey like you would chicken or beef for tacos.  This is a great way to use up all of the breast meat since it's close to the same texture as chicken.  The water that you mix in with the seasoning keeps it from being dry!  It's also very budget friendly, since we can always get the Old El Paso or Taco Bell taco kits for just a few cents when they're on sale!