Some people have problems coming up with ideas of what to eat. They may be in a rut, are new to Paleo, or just want some fresh ideas. Are you one of those people? If so, read on! You’ll get a week’s worth of Paleo meals plus a simple grocery list to help you with your planning.
Generally, for fat loss or just general health, your meals should follow a basic structure: between four and eight ounces of lean protein, several servings of vegetables of different colors, plus some fats. If you’re trying to lose weight, Robb Wolf says to limit your fruit to one to two servings a day (and eat mostly melons or berries). You should also watch your nut intake (eat 10 almonds, not a handful at a time!)
So, with no further ado, here is a week’s worth (for one person) of meal ideas! If you are feeding two people, simply double the grocery list.
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Sunday:
Breakfast: Breakfast sausages with blueberries and steamed spinach
Lunch: Tuna salad in a lettuce wrap with avocado or mayo
Dinner: Roast chicken, roasted carrots, onions, and parsnips (roast two chickens at once)
Monday:
Breakfast: Leftover steak, two or three eggs, and ½ cup cantaloupe
Lunch: Spinach salad with your choice of protein on top (eggs, fish, chicken)
Dinner: Broiled steak, sautéed mushrooms, steamed broccoli, and a baked sweet potato with butter
Prep: make a pot of chicken stock
Tuesday:
Breakfast: omelet, half an avocado, ¼ cup blueberries
Lunch: Chicken salad in lettuce wraps
Dinner: Roast beef, beets, and green salad
Wednesday:
Breakfast: Bacon and eggs
Lunch: Grilled salmon with a coconut curry sauce, bamboo shoots, asparagus
Dinner: Chicken stir-fry
Thursday:
Breakfast: Salmon, steamed broccoli
Lunch: Chicken soup with your choice of vegetables in it
Dinner: Beef stir-fry over zucchini “pasta”
Friday:
Breakfast: Eggs, steamed spinach, fresh fruit
Lunch: Chicken Caesar salad
Dinner: Hamburger patties with mixed steamed vegetables
Saturday:
Breakfast: Paleo pancakes, bacon, fresh fruit
Lunch: Shrimp stir-fry
Dinner: Steak and mushrooms with a green salad
As you can see, all of these meals are really very simple to make. One major thing you may not have noticed is that a lot of them require you to cook in advance and then use leftovers for the rest of the week (roasted chickens, roast beef). This reduces your cooking and prep time and gives you more options when it comes to what to eat. Instead of eating boring chicken breasts, broccoli, and sweet potato every night, you can have roast chicken one night, chicken salad in lettuce wraps, chicken soup, chicken Caesar salad, and a chicken stir-fry on other days.
When it comes to the vegetables, the quickest and easiest way to cook broccoli is to steam it. A steamer basket over a pot full of boiling water works the best, and preserves the vitamins for you. Don’t overcook! Asparagus is great grilled, but you can always sauté it and then drizzle it with lemon juice, olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper. As for beets, you can either roast them or boil them; either way, melt some butter and dash some salt and pepper over top when they’re done and you have a beautiful and delicious root vegetable to add to any meal.
Stir-fry meals are quick and delicious, particularly when you’re using meat that is already cooked. Just throw your veg into a pan, add a tiny bit of oil, and sauté it on high heat until they are just tender. Add your pre-cooked meat and lower the heat a bit. Cook until the meat is heated through and serve by itself or over a bed of zucchini “pasta” (use a mandolin or spiralizer to make the noodles). This meal is even faster if you use frozen mixed vegetables, because it takes away all the washing and cutting time.
One of the best ways to cook salmon is to lay it on a bed of lemon rounds, cover it with a couple pats of butter, salt and pepper, and wrap it in foil. You can put that on the barbecue or in your oven at 325F for about 25 minutes. You can cook pretty much any fish this way. Try adding fresh dill on top of the butter!
Grocery Shopping List
This list will assume you have a basic spice pantry (onion powder, garlic powder, curry powder, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, celery salt, steak seasoning, red pepper flakes, poultry seasoning, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. You should also have baking soda, vanilla, butter, coconut oil, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and other condiments.
Otherwise, you will need:
Produce
One bunch asparagus
One bag of prewashed spinach or one head of spinach
One pint of blueberries
One lemon
One pint of strawberries
One cantaloupe
Two bunches broccoli (or one bag frozen broccoli)
Three zucchini
One head of lettuce suitable for making wraps
One package of mixed greens
One head of romaine lettuce for Caesar salad
One avocado
One banana (for the pancakes)
White/button mushrooms
Bag or bunch of carrots
Two large parsnips
Two cooking onions
One pound beets
Two sweet potatoes
One each green, red, and yellow sweet peppers
Meat
Two roasting chickens
One beef roast
One pound ground pork or turkey (for the breakfast sausages)
Two steaks
Four to six frozen salmon fillets
One pound bacon
Two dozen eggs
Frozen
Bag of frozen peas
Bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables
Canned Goods
Can of coconut milk
Can of bamboo shoots
Can of tuna fish
Carton of almond, rice, or coconut milk
¼ cup coconut flour
¾ cup almond flour
Of course, you can go as high-quality as you want with these ingredients. If you have the money to afford it and have access to pastured, grass-fed beef and chicken, pastured chicken eggs, and naturally raised pork, go for it. If you can get organic produce at a reasonable price where you live, then do that, too. It’s up to you and your budget. Just eating a well-rounded, balanced diet full of healthy meats and colorful vegetables will make you far healthier than any person eating a standard American diet any day.
For tons of other Paleo meal ideas, check out the Paleohacks cookbook here. [author_bio name=”yes” avatar=”yes”]
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