Primal Tacos

Before Going Primal my family had tacos at least once a week. I think Tom and the kids would have eaten them three or four times a week if I would let them. 

As for myself, I didn't care much for them since I had developed a ground beef intolerance (gag) after pregnancy number two. (And I may have also been scarred from all the Hamburger Helper I was force fed as a child. Just kidding, Mom!)


Anyway... the family has missed taco night so I've tried to think of ways to put it back on the menu. 


A few weeks I tried taco bowls. Ground beef and all the fixin's in a bowl. It was okay, I guess, but the chips/corn shells were really missed. 


Last night we tried Taco Night again, but instead of a bowl we used very crisp romaine lettuce leaves. It worked better than the bowls, but it is messy, so you'll probably need a fork.A friend of mine (thanks, Kim!) sent me a link to making taco shells out of bacon, which sounds great to me, but I have to think of something that would work to shape it correctly.Although... I wonder if the texture of the bacon would work with the texture of the ground beef?


When I was growing up the ground beef was prepared by browning it, draining the grease, and then adding in some spices. 


I've found this way makes it much better tasting and gives it a nicer texture. 


Take your ground beef (the organic beef has a much softer texture to begin with) and brown it. Now, brown it, don't cook the heck out of it! Many people make the mistake of overcooking it. Just cook it until it is brown throughout... don't leave it on for another ten minutes after browning "just in case".  


Once it is thoroughly browned, drain off the grease--as much as possible (grease will hinder the ability of the spices to stick to the beef)--place the beef back on the stove and add in 2/3 cups warm water. And stir.  Now add in your favorite spices. I use: garlic powder, onion salt, chili powder, salt, pepper, and whatever else I feel like that day. Incorporate well. 


Next you will want to incorporate a thickener. I used to use a tablespoon of flour, but now I use arrowroot. Mix this into the ground beef and water/spice mixture. Keep the heat high enough so that the water mix is simmering, and allow it to stay this way for 3-6 minutes, just until the water begins to thicken.


We used this stuff:

To make this:

Sour cream, beef, tomatoes, cheese

Greek style:

Greek yogurt, beef, tomatoes, goat cheese

Cooking Day

Sundays are pretty lame in terms of food, since we're out of just about everything by Saturday night.

Breakfast is mainly nuts and fruit (for the kids) and maybe some cheese.

Then we head to Mass (only I was at home with a very irritable baby).

After Mass... well, we still haven't gotten into a routine after going Primal. Today Tom picked up Chipotle meals for him and me. And he brought home beef and broccoli for the kids since they aren't fans of Chipotle.

Then I went grocery shopping. Woohoo. I got lots of stuff to make pot roast, chicken soup, squash soup, pork ribs, hamburgers, pork chops, and carne asada. Some fruits, some nuts, milk, eggs, and lots of vegetables. My grocery bill was $303.47, which comes to about $7.22 per person/ per day.

Our kitchen sink has been leaking for a few days so doing dishes has been very difficult. This is not helpful when cooking a week's worth of meals, let me tell you. Also, our hot water heater went out (again) so it's been a barrel of laughs around here.

There I was chopping vegetables, searing meat, and boiling soups while the plumber sat on my kitchen floor fixing the sink.  Fun times.

Dinner was turkey and raw vegetables with olive oil. And then a few squares of dark chocolate. Yum yum.

Right now I'm waiting for the potroast and the soups to cool off so I can store them in the fridge.

By the way, when you make pot roast, do NOT forget to put the broth in the pot before you stick it in the oven. It's not good. Not good at all. D'oh.

My feet hurt. And I have to fold laundry.

Sunday

This morning I had cheesecake for breakfast.  I won't make a habit out of it, but it was so good and one decent-sized (not huge and not super small) piece kept me full for a good three hours!


After Mass, Regina and I (Tom was in Seattle) went to Jason's Deli and had a salad bar with an extra side of protein. Chicken for Regina, and turkey for me. Yummy yummy. 


Then I went to the grocery store, brought in the groceries, washed the produce, cooked the meat, and chopped the vegetables. Whew.  Sunday is our day of rest around here, so I went at my own pace, and had fun doing (most of) it. I really enjoy cooking and being creative. However, I do hate the cleaning that comes with it.  Good thing I have a wonderful husband who cleans up for me (when he's in town).


By the time I finished all of that, I was so hungry the hole in my stomach was starting to eat through to my back. So I snacked on some leftover ham, and then made a salad with olive oil and nuts on top. 


Tom had been traveling all day, so as far as I know he had a fruit and cheese tray this morning, and a seafood salad for lunch (blech). He seems to be coming down with a virus the kids had this week, so he hasn't eaten much else. He does say about every three minutes "oh, it's so cold in here!" when really it is not. He should go eat some of the chicken soup I just made. 


I've decided the kids will start packing their own lunches for the school. They seem to like this idea, and it's fun to see what they pick out. 


Amy packed: carrots, one slice of roast beef, some grapes, and trail mix. 
Regina packed: carrots (the ones I was saving to stew), roast beef, and "four or five clementines". Uhh... 

Veronica forgot to pack her lunch. Hopefully she remembers tomorrow morning. 

They will be starving tomorrow, but eventually they'll learn how much they need, and that Mom is not crazy when she gives them particular foods in order to keep them full. 


Let's see... what else?  Hmm.  I had to use a squash (butternut) and some tomatoes before they went bad, so I made squash fries, and baked tomatoes. Both turned out decently, and the kids (at least 3 out of 4) like them.

halved tomatoes, topped with salt, pepper, basil, oregano

Squash fries