For any of you red meat eaters out there that haven’t jumped on the bison bandwagon yet, I have some recipes and facts to (hopefully) get you on board!

I don’t post a lot of red meat recipes on the blog simply because I don’t eat a lot of it. In fact, these days I’ve been eating vegetarian at least 4-5 days/week. While there are many health benefits to loading up on veggies and plant-based proteins (that’s a whole post on its own), when I do splurge on red meat I usually go for grass-fed bison.

4 reasons why I choose bison over beef:

1. The top reason is that I simply think it tastes better. Bison has a sweeter, richer flavor than beef – just be careful not to overcook it as bison has much less fat than beef.
2. That brings me to the second reason: bison is a lean protein (most cuts). A 3.5-oz portion of lean bison contains about 109 calories and just 2 grams of fat. The same amount of lean beef contains 291 calories and 24 grams of fat – that’s a big difference! What’s a lean cut? Top sirloin is a great choice as it’s low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
3. Most bison is grass-fed, meaning higher amounts of omega-3’s. Unlike beef, bison is considered “wild game” by the USDA, meaning they get to live outside and eat their natural diet. Federal regulations currently prohibit use of hormones in raising bison, regardless if it’s grass-fed or not. Why is grass-fed important? Well one, it tastes better, but the main reason is the improve nutrition quality of the meat.
4. Bison is an excellent source of many nutrients, including B vitamins (important for increasing energy levels, maintaining cognitive health, and managing the effects of stress at the cellular level), zinc (essential for a strong immune system), iron, and selenium (which acts like an antioxidant and helps prevent oxidative stress).

This post was inspired by our upcoming weekend at the cabin, as Grand Lake is hosting it’s annual Buffalo Days festival. Two days filled with all sorts of buffalo (but really bison) food options, a 5k, pancake breakfast, a parade, and, most importantly, a huge water fight in the center of town. In addition to a couple water guns, we will have 100 water balloons filled and ready to go. As much as I love city living, the charm of being in a small town just feels summery.

Okay, so if you don’t have a festival with a bunch of bison food options, here are some healthy recipes to try at home:

Juicy Bison Burgers

Simple Bison Chili

Healthier Bison Meatloaf

Whole Wheat Bison and Green Chili Pizza