The Dinner Diaries, episode 7

Tonight on the menu we have: Cheddar/Worcestershire Sauce Cheeseburgers and Coleslaw .

Ingredients

(2 lbs) Ground beef (whatever % lean you prefer), (2) yellow onion, (1) bag of Kraft Philadelphia Three Cheddar Cheese, (1) head of cabbage, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mayo, garlic powder, pepper, and salt.

Directions

Personally, I feel that preparing the coleslaw is the best first, but if you can prep veggies super fast, you can reverse the order of which you make first.

Start by cutting the head of cabbage into quarters.

Using a mandolin, or a really big sharp knife, shred the cabbage into thin strips and put into a big mixing bowl. The mandolin is perfect for this, but it is definitely possible–just be patient! (And super careful!)

Cut 1 of the yellow onions in half, then also shred it into thin long strips, and then add it to the mixing bowl as well.

Add a good heap of mayo into the cabbage and onions.

Pour in just a small amount of red wine vinegar; it’s meant to give some mild bite (at least my favorite kind), but you can add as much as you want.

Mix all these ingredients together with a big spoon.

Add more mayo and vinegar if you feel you need.

Season with garlic (super important), pepper, and salt to taste.

Once you have your coleslaw how you like it, put all your raw ground beef into a big mixing bowl.

Chop up the 2nd yellow onion, into as small of pieces as you wish, and add them to the meat n the mixing bowl.

Put 2 handfuls of cheddar cheese into the mixing bowl.

Add as much garlic powder as you like.

Last, pour in the Worcestershire sauce to taste. (Remember, this has a strong flavor–a little goes a long way).

Mix all of these ingredients together by hand.

Form the mixture into your preferred burger size.

On medium heat, place 4 cheeseburgers at a time into a non-stick skillet and cook them to your desired temperature.

Bon appetite!

(Hamburgers easily makes 7-8 hamburgers; coleslaw easily makes 8 servings)

The Dinner Diaries, episode 6

Here’s another primal dinnah for ya: Carolina Mustard Chicken and Collard Greens!

Ingredients

(4) boneless chicken breasts, (1) bottle of Carolina Mustard Marinade, (2) bunches of collard green leaves, (1/2) stick of butter, 4 cups of water, salt, and pepper.

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place all 4 chicken breasts onto a baking pan, and season them to your liking with salt and pepper.

Pour the Carolina Mustard Marinade over all 4 of the chicken breasts.

Put the chicken in the oven for roughly 35-40 minutes.

Once your chicken is in the oven, start on the collard greens!

With a sharp knife, cut off the stalks of the leaves. Just be sure to cut off the thickest parts as they’re tougher to cook than the rest. You don’t have to completely remove the stem if you don’t want to. Personally, I think it’s a waste of time. But if you like completely stemless leaves, have at it.

Chop up the remaining leaves into bite size pieces. They don’t have to be super small–again, it’s up to whatever you like.

After you have removed enough of the stem for your liking and have chopped the leaves to the size you like, melt the stick of butter in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

Once the butter is melted and bubbling, add in two cups of water.

Add all of the collard green leaves into the butter/water mix.

Put a lid on your skillet, or anything that will cover the top (I use a plate), to allow the greens to stem.

Remove the lid and stir the greens every few minutes to ensure they all get a chance to boil in the water.

Add in the last two cups of water once the liquid in the skillet runs low.

Continue steaming and cooking the greens until they are limp and have turned a dark yellowy-green.

Drain the water.

Serve up the chicken and collard greens on a plate and season with extra salt and pepper as needed!

Enjoy!

Makes 4-6 servings.

(Side note: Depending on how you work, sometimes prepping the collard greens before the chicken goes in the oven is best. It really depends on your preference for sogginess of the collard greens.)

The Dinner Diaries, episode 5

Today for dinner we have: Primal Chicken Philly (an absolutely amazing alternative to the Chicken Philly Sandwich from Big Daddy’s in Burlington, VT)

Ingredients

(4) boneless chicken breasts, (1) green pepper, (1) red onion, (1) jar cheese sauce, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Directions

Cut up the defrosted, boneless chicken breasts into bite size pieces. You can really make them any size you want, depending on your personal preference.

Cut the green pepper in half, and core out the seeds from both sides. Cut it into thin strips diagonally.

Cut both ends off the red onion and then cut it in half, and remove the outer flakey later. Cut up the rest of the onion into thin strips.

In a non-stick skillet, heat up a thin coating of olive oil.

Add the green peppers to the skillet. Let them cook until they start to go limp. You’ll be able to tell when this happens by picking a piece up with a pair of tongs.

Once the pepper starts to cook, add in the red onion.

Let the onions carmalize for a few minutes.

Add the chicken pieces into the skillet. Let them cook until completely white on the outside.

Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Add in the cheese sauce of your choice. Let it cook for no more than 5 more minutes.

With a ladle, scoop into a bowl and enjoy.

Easily makes four servings.

The Dinner Diaries, episode 4

Today on the Primal Lifestyle Menu: Pork Chops and Spaghetti Squash.

Ingredients

(4) boneless pork chops, (1) spaghetti squash, (1) jar spaghetti sauce, Parmesan cheese, fresh thyme, fresh cilantro, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375.

Place the four pork chops on a baking sheet.

Chop up the fresh thyme and cilantro up into small pieces.

Sprinkle the two herbs evenly on each piece of meat.

Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste to each piece of meat.

Cut the spaghetti squash in half length wise. (This can be difficult so be sure to do it carefully. There are other methods of cooking the squash that you can find on google, but this is the easiest way–in my opinion)

Place both halves on a different baking sheet, rind side up.

Bake both the spaghetti squash and the pork chops for 30-40 minutes.

About 15 minutes before the meat and the squash are done cooking, pour the spaghetti sauce into a pan, and heat it on the stove top over medium to high heat. Make sure to watch for bubbling so you don’t burn the sauce.

Once the spaghetti squash has cooked, carefully flip the halves over.

With a fork, scrape the inside of the squash lengthwise creating strands. Continue doing this until there is no flesh of the squash left to scrape.

Serve the squash just like normal spaghetti. Add the sauce and Parmesan cheese to taste.

Bon appetit!

Makes four servings.

The Dinner Diaries, episode 3

Today we’re cooking up some: Steak & Pan-Fried Cabbage.

Ingredients

(4) NY Strip Steaks [or any type that you prefer/can afford], (1) head of cabbage, (1) stick of butter, salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder.

Directions

Cut off the stem of the head of cabbage. Cut the cabbage head in half, and then quarters.

After doing this, cut the quarters up into small pieces. There’s not right or wrong way to do this. Just make the pieces a size you feel is comfortable to eat.

In a non-stick skillet, melt half the stick of butter at medium-high heat.

Add all of the cabbage to the pan.

Mix and stir the cabbage around, making sure all has a chance to sit on the pan surface.

Add more butter to the cabbage as needed to prevent burning.

Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Cook the cabbage until lightly brown. (Or longer if you like it slightly darker).

While your cabbage is cooking, preheat your oven to broil.

Place all the steaks on a baking pan, and season with: salt, pepper, garlic, and chili powder. (The chili powder isn’t very spicy and gives the meat a nice flavor).

Place in the oven to broil, for 5-6 minutes depending on thickness and your desired temperature (rare, medium rare, medium, or well done).

Plate, serve, and enjoy!

(Side note: 1 Head of cabbage easily gets four servings)

The Dinner Diaries, episode 2

Tonight on the menu we have: Primal Tacos! (Everyone lovesss tacosss!)

Ingredients

 (1) head of Heart of Romaine lettuce, (1.5) lbs of ground beef, (1) package low sodium taco mix, (1) green pepper, (1) yellow onion, (1) 16oz container of sour cream, (1) package of shredded Mexican cheese, and (1) jar of Pace mild chucky salsa.

Directions

Wash and pat dry the Hearts of Romaine lettuce. With a knife, cut the end of the stalks off to allow all the leaves to be seperate.

Wash and pat dry the green pepper. With a knife cut the pepper in quarters and then empty it of the seeds. Once it’s clean, cut the 4 pieces into thin strips.

In a 6″ skillet add enough oil to slightly coat the bottom of the pan. Once completely heated on 6.5 heat, add your green peppers. While they are starting to cook, cut up and peel the yellow onion. Cut it into strips as well.

Once you can feel the peppers getting soft, add in your yellow onion pieces. Allow them to cook through until they’re golden brown. Add more oil to the pan as needed to prevent burning.

In a 10″ skillet, heat up just a drop of oil on 6.5 heat. Once completely heated, add the 1.5 lbs of ground beef. Cook this in the skillet until there is no pink left.

Follow the directions on the taco seasoning packet to finish of the flavoring of the meat. (Stirring in 2/3 cup of water and the mix, letting it come to a boil, then letting it simmer for 3-4 minutes).

Once these two things are completely cooked, take some meat in a bowl, add shredded cheese and sour cream, and mix together.

Place two spoonfuls of meat/cheese/sour cream mix in the natural crease of the lettuce leaf. Add a few pieces of peppers and onions to the top, and a spoonful of salsa.

Wrap up the side of the lettuce and enjoy your Primal Tacos!!

Easily serves two!

The Dinner Diaries, episode 1

For dinner tonight we have: Chicken Ceaser Salad.

Ingredients

(1) Perdue pre-cooked chicken strips, (1) bag of organic Italian lettuce, (1) container of shredded parmesan cheese, (1) package of garlic cheese croutons (I know! I’m cheating, but I need the crunch of croutons in this salad. I can’t help it. It’s just not the same without them. Sue me. Butttt if you folks are truly going Primal, skip the croutons), and (1) jar of Maries Creamy Ceaser dressing.  

Steps

Take a good sized handful of Italian lettuce in a bowl.

Cut the Perdue chicken strips into smaller, bite-size pieces. Place these on top of the lettuce.

Add as much desired parmesan cheese and croutons.

Top with about 2-3 tablespoons of salad dressing.

Enjoy!

Makes 3 meals.