Delicious!

So normally when someone promotes a specific diet, I kind of look the other way. I don't like "diets." They don't work. Lifestyle changes, however DO. I humored this particular person and checked out a site for a primal diet they have switched over to. It's definitely an interesting concept, but I seriously doubt we'll go full steam ahead on all of it. For one, it requires a bit of prep work and cooking. Neither I am good at. But, I picked out a few recipes that had similar ingredients. Things that I could cook a big batch of and freeze, then piece together later.

The first was just an ordinary cobb salad. I *love* cobb salads. Always have. But, I've never made one for myself. I baked a full package of bacon. Bacon can be frozen after it's cooked, then just pop a strip or 2 in the microwave for 30 seconds and bam! Yumminess all the way. You can also make hard boiled eggs ahead of time. My problem is once boiled and shelled, it's hard for me not to just sprinkle with salt and pepper, then nom on them right then and there. That may or may not have happened to my extra 2.

The next recipe I tried was a bacon, chicken, avocado sandwich. Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
8 slices bacon
2 ripe avocados (they should feel firm, but yield to gentle pressure)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
1 medium red onion, sliced
2 large tomatoes, sliced
8 slices of spinach bread

Method:
Place chicken strips in a lightly greased shallow casserole dish (large enough so that the pieces don’t touch so that they can cook evenly) and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a preheated 375 degree oven and cook until the juices run clear when pierced and the chicken begins to brown (about 30 minutes depending on your oven).

Once the chicken is in the oven, line a baking tray completely with foil (including the sides… trust us, it makes cleaning up a heck of a lot easier!). Place bacon strips on foil and place on top shelf of oven. Bacon is cooked when it crisps up and turns brown.

While all that is cooking, take each avocado, cut in half and, using a spoon, scoop the flesh out of the skins. Discard skins. Using a fork, mash the avocado until smooth. Add finely chopped basil to give it a flavor kick and lemon juice to prevent browning.

Assemble all the ingredients between the bread – 2 slices of red onion, 2 slices of tomato, a quarter of the chicken, 2 slices of bacon, and a quarter of the avocado mixture – and dig in! Serves 4.

Nutrition Analysis:
Calories per serving: 692
Fat: 36.3 grams (46% calories from fat)
Carbs: 23.6 grams (13% calories from carbs)
Protein: 68.4 grams (41% calories from protein)

First of all, I don't know how much chicken this person is putting on their sandwich, but this will make WAY more than 4 sandwiches. I've had 3 between lunch and dinner and there's still 2 of the 3 BSLS CB left in my tupperware. Secondly, I also couldn't find spinach bread, so I got cranberry walnut bread. I love cranberries, chicken and avocado together for some reason.

This was just a really yummy sandwich. One of which I'll be having tomorrow for lunch and dinner again since there's so much. I'm trying to get Brian to take some of the chicken to work because frankly, I don't think I'll be able to eat all of this. Note to self for next time: only make 1 BSLS CB and freeze the rest for later use.

So, my week of living off of $50 worth of groceries is going well. So well that I'll have food for the weekend and we won't have to scrounge around. I haven't even made many snacks because I feel more full having better meals.

I'm a bit more excited about all this.