Two recipes in one. Beefy Lettuce Tacos for lunch and Beefy Eggs for breakfast!
Lately I have been really busy at work and with moving. I workout, go to work, sleep, and repeat the cycle. I choose not to cook anything that would take more than 30 minutes since I rather use that time to sleep. But I still want to eat Paleo and have some food variety throughout the day. There is only so much takeout Mexican food I can eat before totally getting sick of it. The other problem with eating out is they don't give you enough meat and the meat quality is probably not the best.
One day when I was driving home from work, I was brainstorming quick recipe ideas I can make with some of the pre-chopped food at Whole Foods. Since most of my cooking time is spent prepping, I might as well try to minimize that.
So for the busy, the lazy, the picky, or all, this recipe is for you. It takes 30 minutes to make, absolute max. The base is minced seasoned ground beef that can be used for at least two of your meals during the day, depending on your appetite. Beefy eggs in the AM, and lettuce tacos for lunch! The two dishes have a great balance of protein, fats, and carbs, while maintaining variety.
One day when I was driving home from work, I was brainstorming quick recipe ideas I can make with some of the pre-chopped food at Whole Foods. Since most of my cooking time is spent prepping, I might as well try to minimize that.
So for the busy, the lazy, the picky, or all, this recipe is for you. It takes 30 minutes to make, absolute max. The base is minced seasoned ground beef that can be used for at least two of your meals during the day, depending on your appetite. Beefy eggs in the AM, and lettuce tacos for lunch! The two dishes have a great balance of protein, fats, and carbs, while maintaining variety.
What I like to do is go to Whole Foods after work and buy all the ingredients. I go home and make the beef base that night so that all I have to do the next morning is cook the eggs and pack the remaining beef base to go.
Tools:
- Large Pan
- 2 Bamboo/Wooden Utensils to mince the beef
Ingredients for the Beef Base:
- 1lb Organic Grass-Fed Ground Beef
- 1 Small Onion, diced (about 2 of those little containers at Whole Foods, or 1 big one)
- 1 Jalapeno, finely chopped (optional, for those of you who like spicy)
- 1.5 Tsp, Garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp Macadamia Nut Oil
(or whatever oil you prefer)
- Salt and Pepper
- Cayenne (Red) Pepper (optional)
- Crushed Red Peppers (optional)
- Hot Sauce (optional)
Ingredients for Beefy Eggs:
- ~1/2 beef base from above
- 6 Eggs
Ingredients for Beefy Lettuce Tacos:
- ~1/2 beef base from above
- 1 small container of pre-packed fresh Guacamole
- 1 small container of pre-packed fresh Salsa (I love the mango one)
- 1 bag of pre-washed lettuce (I used 1 head of butter lettuce in the pictures since I had time to wash them, write this post and such)
Instructions for the Beef Base:
- Gather all ingredients. Buying the garlic and onion pre-chopped is cheap, ~$3, and saves you from washing that food processor (annoying). Pre-made for the guac and salsa is a little more expensive but it saves sooooo much time. Together those two were ~$6. I normally like getting my beef (95/5) at the Farmer's Market but I ran out of my stash and had no time to restock. Whole Food sells 90/10 Grass-Fed Ground Beef at $6.99/lb.2. Ingredients for both meals.
- In the large pan, heat the Macadamia Nut Oil
3. Diced red onion and jalapenos. - Still over high heat, add the beef and using your 2 wooden cooking utensils, break the the beef as much as you can.
4. Cooking the beef. - When the beef is almost cooked, add in the garlic. Season with salt, pepper, and any additional seasoning (red pepper, crushed red pepper, hot sauce). Total cook time is ~5-7 minutes. Set aside.
5. Finished beef base.
Instructions for the Beefy Eggs:
- Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat it with some salt and pepper.
- In the same large pan with all the grease, pour beated eggs into the pan over high or medium high heat.6. Cooking eggs.
- Add ~1/2 the beef base (comes out with a lot of beef), or whatever proportion you want while the egg is cooking, but not fully cooked yet. I eat 6 eggs for breakfast so about 1/2 the mixture is good. On days where I make the beef mixture the night before, I microwave the beef base portion I want to use for about a minute (while the oil heats up).
7. Beef base added to eggs. - Flip it, chop it, mix it, whatever. Cook your egg however you want. Breakfast is done!
4. Beefy Eggs for Breakfast!
Instructions for the Beefy Lettuce Tacos:
- With the remaining beef base, scoop some onto a lettuce leaf. Add some guacamole and top it off with some fresh salsa. I also had some leftover tomatoes so I added those on too.2. Beefy butter lettuce tacos for lunch!
Two different, quick, and easy-to-make meals using the same beef base. A great meal to make for those who are busy but still want to eat a tasty meal with plenty protein from quality meat!