I really like this thread!! It took me some time to read it but like it.
We have a Winco here. I shop there for the bulk items. I love the spices, they are really cheap! The granola is great, rice, and pasta are cheap too! They have meat on sale quite often for a good price. I don't like their ground turkey though. I buy that at Costco.
It is just my husband and I so when we use a package of ground turkey it is too much for one meal. I like to mix it up for meatloaf, we have part of it for the meat loaf one night, and I make the other into meatballs. I put the meatballs on a cookie sheet on parchment paper in the freezer. When they a frozen individually I put them in freezer bag and then I can use how many I want. I add them to soup, or cook some in sauce for meatball sandwiches, or spaghetti.
They are really good with a small amount of pasta, homemade sauce, add a little water and the meatballs. Put all of the ingredients in a baking dish, sprayed with cooking spray, cover and bake until the pasta and meatballs are done. Top with a little cheese.
I find that I can make meat go farther if I add beans, or corn, or other veggies, or pasta. I add corn to my taco meat, and canned tomatoes, throw in some taco seasoning and beans. I can make 1 pound of ground turkey feed 8 to 10 people, depending on how hungry they are. Or save the remainder for othere meals.
I make pasta sauce ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator or you can freeze it. This summer I'm going to can it! When the season starts I will shop all of the local fruit stands for what I don't have as well Bernie!