sometimes i misjudge our budget & overspend (because as we all know, to be human is to not be perfect).

such was the case for april. by mid april, i had about $50 left for groceries (oops!) & about two weeks left to make that money stretch. thankfully, in those moments, i often feel a surge of creativity.

i opened up our freezer & started digging. ahhh… the frozen turkey purchased post-thanksgiving on major sale. 

with a bit of encouragement  & instruction from my foodie friends, i cooked that baby right up.

so in honor of #MaySpendingFreeze, i thought i’d share how i made our dollars stretch & used up that turkey for a delicious week of meals! 

1. homemade broth

once i roasted my turkey & pulled off the meat (to be stored in a container in the fridge), i placed all the bones in my crockpot along with fresh sage, salt & pepper. i covered the bones & herb mixture with water. i put my crockpot on low & allowed it to simmer overnight. in the morning, we woke up to a delicious smell! i drained my golden broth & poured it into large-mouth mason jars to be used for soups & stews.

2. jambalaya

using the pulled turkey meat & broth, i made a delicious jambalaya! i used this recipe, substituting the chicken breast for turkey & omitting the shrimp. 

3. turkey quesadillas

i love using leftover protein at the end of the week to make quesadillas. a mixture of vegetables, meat, cheese & tortillas on the stovetop makes for the perfect sunday dinner!

4. turkey pineapple lettuce wraps

as recommended by a friend, i combined pineapple & turkey meat to make a delicious lettuce wrap paired perfectly with salsa & tortilla chips. i made up our recipe as i cooked, but this recipe is a close fit to our dinner. 

5. fresh grilled turkey salad

for lunch most days, we harvested fresh salad greens from the garden & topped them with a homemade salad dressing & grilled turkey. it made for a delicious lunch & one that could also serve as a balanced dinner option!