Workweek lunches can break the bank. While working away from home recently, I felt a pinch in the wallet and in my clothing as I started to gain weight. After one particularly expensive week, with almost $50 gone from the paycheck on lunches, I had to get a plan, and fast.
I turned immediately to our file of Big Batch Recipes and fell in love with the flavors of Big Mexican Beef Tips all over again. It's an easy tried-and-true recipe that we had somehow forgotten to share in our cookbooks and columns. While this old favorite is perfect for dinner just served over rice, the large quantity and adaptability make it great for future lunches (or dinners).
Here's a short list of the possibilities for the moist, flavorful beef for lunch at the office or dinner.
• Over shredded lettuce for taco salad (with or without the shell and all the normal taco fixings)
• As a filling with Monterey Jack cheese for quesadillas
• As a topping for nachos or tostadas
• Filling for burritos or tacos (soft or crunchy)
• As a filling for a "Mexican version" of a Philly cheese-steak sandwich paired with Monterey Jack cheese
You can freeze the beef for up to three months or refrigerate the leftovers and nibble on them all week in different recipes. For way less than the cost of a fast-food lunch and only 76 calories and 3 grams of fat per 1/4-cup serving, your wallet and your waistline will thank you.
Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross are co-authors of "Cheap. Fast. Good!" Reach them at www.desperationdinners.com.