Holiday Hams & Turkeys Will Make You A Winner!

 

Hams and turkeys are at their best prices during the holidays so if you have the freezer space and the extra cash now is the time to pick up one or two extra to use keep hand and use during the year for some cheap proteins.  There are so many things you can do with either a ham or a turkey.  I have a couple old posts about how I make the most of both a ham and a turkey to get a lot of mileage out of them.

 

While I was raising my family I would always buy a whole turkey and a ham to use for making tons of low cost meals.  I would slice up turkey and ham for making sandwiches, cube it for adding to soups and casseroles, chunks that could be reheated and sliced up to serve alongside stuffing or potatoes and vegetables to make meals.  Thick slices of ham are great to fry in a pan for breakfast or supper.  Thick slices of turkey are reheated and served with gravy.  The bones were always saved and used to make broth.

 

Turkey

 

Hot Turkey Sandwiches

Turkey Pot Pie

Sliced Turkey w/Cranberry Sauce on a Croissant

Thick Sliced or Diced Turkey & Gravy over Mashed Potatoes

Turkey & Noodles

Turkey Soup

Turkey & Dumplings

 

Simple sheet pan meal

Ham

 

Ham Slices Glazed w/Cranberry Sauce

Dice Ham in Macaroni & Cheese

Scalloped Potatoes & Ham

Ham & Navy Bean Soup

Split Pea & Ham Soup

Sliced Ham Sandwiches

Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwiches

Homemade Egg McMuffins

Diced Ham in Scrambled Eggs

 

Split Pea Soup

Even if you can’t afford to buy an extra ham or turkey this year you can still benefit from those that are served at the holidays.  Leftovers are always a great way to get more mileage out of the main meal.  Don’t be afraid to ask the host of your holiday get-togethers for the ham bone or the turkey carcass as quite often they are tossed in the trash.  I’ve done that before and people are always happy to give it to you.

 

Turkey broth

Processing the ham and turkeys right away rather than freezing them whole allows you to put away the meat in the freezer a bit easier as they are less bulky.  Also, remember Easter is another time to watch for good deals on hams as well.  There are so many economical ways to feed yourself and your family especially when you take advantage of seasonal sales at the holidays.