Using TVP to Save Money by Stretching Out Your Other Meats

If you are not a wealthy person, chances are spending $200 - $400 a month on grocery shopping (depending on your family size is not easy). In fact, it probably hurts somewhat when you get to the register. Yet still, you know you have to do it, but you just wish that it didn't have to cost so much.

One part of the grocery shopping that always hurts is buying the meat. If you don't eat meat, this article wouldn't pertain to you; even though I am discussing a staple of the vegetarian diet.

If you have never been a vegetarian, you might not know that TVP (short for Texturized Vegetable Protein) is a staple in many vegetarian diets. You may not even know what TVP is. TVP is derived from the soybean and it comes in a dehydrated form. When you soak it in hot water, it will increase in size and take on a very meat like texture.

I know if you are buying for two meat eaters, it is very possible that when you go to the grocery store, you spend between $75 and $120 just on meat alone to feed the two of you for 3 to 4 weeks. That's a lot of money. Well, TVP can help you in that regard. Not only does TVP have a meat like texture, but the stuff takes on the flavors of whatever food it's cooked in or with. So if you cook it with ground beef; it will taste exactly like ground beef; no joke. If you saute slices of it with chicken breast slices, it will taste like chicken. It will blend almost seamlessly into any meat meal. This means you can almost double the meat that you've purchased at the grocery store. This is easy. You would make one half of your dinner with regular meat and add TVP for the other half wherein you would normally use all meat.

In order to prepare:

*Grab the TVP you want to prepare
*Boil Water (enough to cover the amount of TVP by 1/2 inch)
*Season the water in the flavor direction you'd like the TVP to go. This is the tricky part. You don't want to flavor the water too heavily. Just slightly. This way you can season the TVP later to taste. The TVP is very absorbent and too much seasoning or sauce in the water can make it too salty. Too little will make it bland. (Lightly use Lawry's Seasoning salt for beef and pork recipes, and Goya with NO MSG for chicken recipes.)
*Soak the TVP in the water for at least an hour. If it's not ground TVP, I prefer to soak it overnight.
*Drain of the water, and cook the TVP with the meat of your choice in the way you want it prepared.

Using TVP instead of meat will have obvious benefits. Your meals will be lower in calories and lower in fats etc. There is evidence however that too much soy intake is not good for you. For the most part people seem to warn against direct soy supplementation as opposed to soy foods. But, anything in excess is not healthy. Soy is known to have chemical compounds that once ingested in high doses can cause problems in the body. The same hormones present in soy that are said to be good for women, can be too much for a weak thyroid. So, moderation like anything is key. But, this is only my opinion and you have to do what's right for you.

I've found TVP to be helpful addition in saving money in my household and I just love the taste of it, as I do tofu and other soy products. I try to moderate my use of soy until more definite information becomes available regarding its safey.