Get Back-To-School Ready With Canadian Turkey

With the end of summer here, we're all getting ready to adjust to new habits and back-to-school routines. Making the transition from relaxed days, later bedtimes, sleeping in and weekend fun to schedules, routines and healthy habits can be tricky for busy families. With so much on the go, it's no wonder that one of the biggest challenges for parents is getting good quality meals on the table. Come September, tips and tricks that help you get organized are essential, so you can deal with getting kids ready for busy weekdays packed with school, activities, sports, and homework.

On top of the to-do list? Getting prepped for back-to-school breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks! In addition to regular meal demands, many parents have to juggle picky eaters, dietary restrictions, and a variety of eating schedules. Everyday meals need to balance these considerations while making sure meal choices deliver good quality nutrition, all on a budget, too. With these everyday challenges, anything you can do to make your cooking routines easier and healthier is a big win, starting with meal planning.

Canadian Turkey is here to teach you to cook smart by creating 'meal starters' that you can cook once and then use as a base to create multiple recipes later on. Make our Meal Starter Turkey Ragu, in multiple portions and then you have a base on hand for quick meals during busy weeks. Use this meal starter to create soups, pastas, casseroles, chili, and rice dishes. Do the heavy lifting once and make cooking multiple healthy and nutritious dinners super quick and easy!

MEAL STARTER TURKEY RAGU

Prep time: 25 mins.

Cook time: 30 mins.

Serves: 10-12

Makes: 12-14 cups

Ingredients: 

3.5 – 4 lbs. ground Canadian turkey

2 turkey sausages, removed from casing (optional)

3 cups white onion, minced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1 tbsp. ground Italian seasoning

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp. tamari sauce

2 jars (2 X 680 ml) pureed tomatoes

3 cans (3 X 398 ml) diced tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil and sauté onions over medium heat.
2. Cook until onions are lightly browned and caramelized, 6 – 8 minutes. In the last 2 minutes, add garlic and mix to incorporate. Do not let garlic or onions burn or they will make your sauce bitter.
3. Add turkey meat and sausage if using. Stir occasionally so meat cooks evenly.
4. Add garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, Worcestershire and tamari. Cook for 8 – 10 minutes until no longer pink and cooked through.
5. Add tomato puree and diced tomatoes.
6. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes until flavours incorporate.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Some tomato products do not come seasoned)
8. Divide into desired portions, approximately 1 cup per person, and freeze until ready to use.

TIP: To add big flavour, make sure to follow these tips. Cook onion slowly until caramelized, but not burned. For best tomato flavour, use a premium brand of canned tomatoes. To add a large punch of flavour, buy butcher made sausage and remove from casings.

5 TIPS TO GET BACK-TO-SCHOOL READY WITH CANADIAN TURKEY

1. Scale Up

Turkey is a great option when planning to double or triple your favourite recipes. Scale your recipes so you can cook once and then freeze extra portions to have on hand when you need dinner or lunch in a hurry.

2. Foolproof Favourites

Develop a series of go-to recipes that you know are easy to prepare and that your family will love. The Canadian Turkey website is packed with kitchen-tested recipes that are both healthy and tasty too. Turkey is so versatile and comes in so many cuts that you can find something for everyone’s taste and preference.

3. Plan Ahead

Try to cook with recipes where you can do some prep work ahead of time or plan to pre-cook some or all of the ingredients. Meal planning up to a week in advance is a great way to save time during busy weeknights.

4. Keep it Healthy

Turkey is a great source of protein and important minerals and nutrients. Both dark and white meat is lean, so you can feel good putting turkey on your plate without having to compromise on taste and flavour.

5. Change It Up

Turkey adapts to all of your favourite flavour profiles and spice combinations, and with so many cuts to choose from you can find choices that please the whole family. Turkey is a delicious option for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can serve it hot or cold, and it tastes great the next day, too!

Put Canadian turkey on your plate every day and feel good knowing that you are feeding your family healthy and nutritious food that will get everyone through their days filled with energy and good-for-you fuel!

Looking for additional tips, recipes and HOW TOs? Visit canadianturkey.ca for all your cooking inspiration.  The recipe section is filled with delicious recipes for full meals, snacks, appetizers and kids favourites. And there are WHOLE TURKEY AND TURKEY CUT HOW TOs that provide everything you need to know to get tasty, nutritious and versatile turkey on your table every day!

Giveaway: 

One person in Canada can win a $75 prepaid Visa gift card to get back-to-school ready with Canadian Turkey. This giveaway ends on September 20th. Please enter through the giveaway tool below. Leave comments, answer the poll, and follow the social media networks to be eligible to win.
Update: The winner is Nicky

Entry-Form

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Canadian Turkey. Please note that all opinions and thoughts expressed are my own. All rights reserved on the opinion of the written content Createwithmom © 2010 - 2018. Please Ask First