Q2 Food Benchmark

Prep: 10 minutes   Cook: 50 minutes  Total Time: 1 hour 

Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
• 1 cup onion chopped
• 1-2 cups vegetables - (corn, peas, chopped carrots)
• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. potatoes (3 big potatoes)
• 8 tablespoons butter 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 jar of Heinz Beef Au Jus Gravy
• 1 can of Campbell’s French Onion Soup 
• Ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400º F. Spray an 8x8 inch or 11x7 inch baking dish with cooking spray. 
2. Peel and cut the potatoes. Boil in water until tender (about 20 minutes).
3. While potatoes are being cooked, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large frying pan. 
4. Sauté onions and carrots in butter over medium heat. Add the corn and peas to the pan and let the vegetables cook until the onions begin to brown.
5. In another pan, cook the ground turkey. Stir to brown. Cook until meat is cooked through. Add salt, pepper, gravy and soup. Mix. Add this mixture to the vegetables.
6. Mash the potatoes in a bowl, and use the remaining butter. Add extra seasoning if necessary.
7. Place the ground turkey and vegetables in the baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes on top. 
8. Cook until the potatoes begin to brown (about 30 minutes). Allow time for cooling before served. 

Note:

Instead of using mashed potatoes, you can use sweet potatoes. You could also use ground beef instead of ground turkey. 

The ground turkey is semi-processed. It's gluten free, all natural, and is 65% less fat than ground beef. The vegetables aren't really processed, because they're organic.This meal is about 390 calories per serving. The only ingredient that could cause possible health issues is the butter. Too much butter can lead to different health issues like high coronary artery disease, stroke, and other issues do to the blockage of arteries. However, with this recipe there is no need for excess butter, so these issues aren't anything to worry about. The ingredients for this recipe are all from the United States. Jennie-O's farm locations are in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the potatoes are from Idaho. So, the potatoes traveled the farthest. Corn and peas can be grown anywhere in the country, as long as the growing conditions are fine. Carrots are primarily grown in California. The food that traveled the farthest, were the carrots. The meal cost under $10 for the full recipe. At fast food restaurants you can get a bit more for about $10 than this. But, this meal has some vegetables and it also has meat for protein. So, it's healthier even though it might be a little less than what you can get in the drive-thru. The farmers and the turkey corporation (Jennie-O) made money off of my meal. 

    It's kind of hard to point out what my actual role is in the larger food system, because I think we have so many. There are many different ways that people can and have contributed to the food system. We're consumers for the most part, but some people are producers, farmers, or business leaders in the food system today.

      Our biggest problems with our food system is the lack of knowledge about things that are grown or produced in our country or around the world to be consumed, and the rapidly increasing obesity rate in our country. There are so many people who don't have access to "healthy" food due to their financial status and their location. There are also so many people that just eat terribly, and are causing their health to deteriorate. The obesity rate years ago wasn't as bad as it is now. Obesity affects adults as well as many children. These obesity rates can come from the amount of food eaten, lack of exercise and lack of important nutrients in a person's diet. If more and more people gain knowledge about how to improve their health and to eat right, we could see the obesity rate lower.  

      For the most part, I eat pretty healthy on a daily basis. My mom makes healthy, home cooked dinner each night. And, I don't like sugary drinks (I dilute all of my juice), and I try to steer clear of soda. So, I guess the change I want to make isn't much of a change but more of a continuation of the lifestyle I lead now. If I continue to eat right, and exercise and stay healthy then I think I'll be fine.