First, I take inventory.
Typically, I'll have ground beef (grass fed, of course), chicken breasts, tilapia, eggs, bacon, and breakfast sausage. For veggies, bell peppers, onions, garlic, kale, romaine lettuce leaves, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and a couple of sweet potatoes. And finally for fruit, watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges, and a container each of blueberries and strawberries.
That's plenty of food to keep me going for the next couple of weeks, no problem. What IS an issue is that sometimes I have no idea what to do with any of it. For a long time I wasn't big on cooking, and on top of that I was bad at it. Which is mostly why I preferred to eat out so often before switching to Paleo to lose those extra pounds and save some extra money. But let's admit it: eating out is expensive! It took me a while, and some not so tasty mistakes, to realize Paleo (or anything really) doesn't require anyone to be a 5 star chef. All it takes is a little bit of thought and effort. But I digress.
Second, I figure out what I want.
Its summer
(finally!) so on Sunday night, I was feeling burgers[1]. Awesome! Let's start there. So I set the ground beef aside. What goes with burgers? Fries! Sweet potato fries! I set the sweet potatoes aside. Since we Paleos don't do grains--and therefore buns--I set aside some romaine lettuce leaves for a wrap. But no meal is complete without some greens though, too, right? Right. So I set aside whatever greens or other veggies sounded good, in this case, it was green beans, bell peppers, and onions. There. Done. Now what to do about all the other food.
TIP #4: FREEZE IT OR STORE IT
(Yes, I realize I'm skipping #2 & 3, but we'll come back to those!)
If I'm not going to eat fish or chicken tomorrow, I freeze it. If I have no plans other than to only saute the kale but not going to have any tonight, I freeze it. Whatever veggies or fruits I'm not using are stored in the fridge asap. If you don't already, figure out a way to keep that produce as fresh as possible for as long as possible. Personally, I've invested in special bags that keep produce fresher for longer, which helps a lot if I'm not going to be using it in the next couple of days. Whatever system you have to keep food fresh for as long as possible, use it. 2 weeks is a long time.
So all we have left out is our burgers. Not feeling fancy? No worries. I wasn't either. Below is the little recipe I used that is quick and easy to follow. I didn't have a grill, and no, you don't either.
Ingredients:
2 lbs lean ground beef
1/2-1 cup diced onion
2 cloves mashed garlic
2 tbsp Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence
Salt & Pepper to taste
1) In a large bowl, mix the beef, onion, garlic, and spices until evenly distributed.
2) Form 2"-3" patties (should make about 6)
3) In a non stick frying pan, let cook for about 5-7 minutes on medium-high heat, then turn over and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until cooked all the way through
That's easy, yeah? If you prefer other spices or ingredients in your burgers, try them and leave a comment about what you made!
And the best part? Left overs!
The average container of ground beef is about 1-2 lbs, if not more. I don't know about you but I'm no Adam Richman, so there was no way I was going to eat all 1-2 lbs of meat in one sitting. So those patties I didn't eat? That's right: Froze 'em or kept 'em for lunch (and dinner) over the next couple of days.
So don't go out and buy a burger and fries at a restaurant for a one time meal of $10 or so. Make your own burgers for under $10! And have plenty for later!
What's your spin on this simple burger? Let me know below!
[1] I had some leftovers on Friday, then was out of town Saturday, which is why I’m fast forwarding to Sunday.
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