Beef Tips

Commercially manufactured red meat can be bad for you, but who doesn’t love a juicy steak, tender pot roast, or big, fat burger once in a while? Buying locally raised, grass-fed beef is a lot healthier, but trying to find affordable beef that’s actually good for you can be a challenge! Our family is on a tight grocery budget, so we completely understand the strain of wanting to eat healthier beef, but not always being able to afford it.

A couple of years ago, we started buying Collins Farm Fresh Beef. Not only did we save money on steaks, roasts, and ribs, we even saved money on ground beef! We buy a half cow at a time and keep the meat in our standing freezer. Our beef has no added hormones, and it comes from cows who have been out grazing in the pasture, right here in Tennessee.

Not everyone has a big freezer, though, to store all that extra beef. If that’s the case for you, consider finding a local meat co-op or a local farm co-op. Sometimes these co-ops will give you a share of different kinds of meats, vegetables, and even dairy for a weekly or monthly fee.

If you can’t find an affordable co-op in your area, watch for sales on healthier meat at the grocery store. Certain brands abstain from adding hormones.  You might even be able to ask your grocery store’s meat manager for tips on when they mark down their meat. When you do find a great sale, stock up!

One delicious dish we like to make with beef is Beef Tips. The original recipe, which I’ve adapted from Simply Delicious, calls for beef tips (thus, the name!) but I cut up sirloin strips, round steak, or just about any kind of beef I have on hand. The slow cooker makes it so tender, it really doesn’t matter what kind you use.

We serve ours over whole-wheat egg noodles, but you could also serve it over brown rice or even faux-tatoes for a delicious meal.

Beef Tips

Ingredients:
1 pound cubed beef (beef tips, sirloin strips, round steak, etc.)
2-3 carrots, chopped, or 5-6 ounces shredded carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1-2 cups beef broth
2 tbsp. (or so) arrowroot
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Thicken to desired consistency with arrowroot. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or until vegetables and meat are tender. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, add more arrowroot, if necessary, to thicken. Pour beef-vegetable mixture over whole-wheat noodles and serve.

Note: See the post, Chocolate Pudding, for a note on using arrowroot.