Carbs and comfort food

When I finally made the switch to primal (and even now as I vacillate somewhat between strictly primal and more lenient versions thereof), it wasn't a huge change. I was never much of a white bread/white rice-eater and, armed with (mis)information about the benefits of whole grains, I had already switched from regular pasta to brown rice pasta and whole wheat bread to brown rice tortillas. I felt healthier, but still found that I tended to binge on carbs. That may have been the first indicator that something was up; if you can eat 2+ servings of pasta or oatmeal without feeling remotely full, then something is up.



Sticking to a strict meat-and-veggies diet has definitely shown me the light in terms of how I should be eating and how I should feel after a meal, but of course that doesn’t always mean it is how I do eat. I’m still working on the courage to turn down a friend’s homemade baked good when it’s offered to me, or to keep away from the never-primal snacks available at my university’s weekly coffee breaks. I tell myself that it’s okay because I am eating well the rest of the time, but I know deep down that it isn’t. And more importantly, my stomach knows a few hours later, when I’m sitting at my desk feeling like hell.

Oddly enough, though, the things I miss the most when I stick to my diet aren’t the cookies or pretzels or oreos; what I miss are the small, but essential, components of the comfort meals I grew up with. The spaghetti in spaghetti-and-meatballs, the mashed potatoes on shepard’s pie, the tortillas for burritos, the brown rice with stroganoff, and the taco shells for tacos. As a result, I get perhaps disproportionately excited when I discover a really great substitute; julienne zucchini as pasta was a REVELATION. And these cave tacos were the same, though perhaps to a slightly lesser extent (an epiphany?). Delicious, if somewhat messy, they definitely satisfied my taco craving.

Cave tacos

• Taco seasoning
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp oregano
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp orange chipotle spice mixture (bought from a farmer's market. not essential, but tasty.)
• ¼ tsp crushed red peppers
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• ½ onion
• 5 oz. ground turkey
• 1-2 tbsp white vinegar
• Romaine lettuce leaves
• Salsa, cheese, sour cream, etc.

1. Fry up the onion in some olive oil
2. When the onion is translucent, add turkey and chili powder.
3. Cook until turkey begins to brown
4. Add vinegar to deglaze the pan and coat everything with delicious chili flavors
5. Serve in lettuce leaves with your favorite taco toppings