Paleo Meal Planning

This is how I rock the Paleo Meal Planning.  I've got 6 simple steps lined out for you plus some great tips! 

Here's my first post on this topic.

And another good one.

A few additional tips before we get to the act of planning:

  • I buy farmers market veggies and eggs whenever possible.  
  • I also get a weekly CSA box.  
  • Always check the weekly coupons at your local grocery store.  I typically pick/plan based on what meats and veggies that are on sale after I go to the farmers market.
  • See what items you're okay with purchasing from a value grocer.   I found things like organic onions and garlic are much cheaper at Vons (and by value I mean cheaper than Whole Paycheck).  Check out the clean 15 and the dirty 12. 

STEP #1: First and foremost you'll need to get out a fresh piece of paper (ugh, MOM- I sound EXACTLY like you right now!!) and sit the eff down.  Yes, meal planning takes time but it's time well spent!

STEP #2: Write out the days of the week for your dinners (I usually do just 3-5 days because one way or another Jer and I end up at a friends house, out to eat or having leftovers).   The key with integrating the dinners and lunches is to pick dinners that will give you leftovers or will serve for both meals.  

STEP #3:  Pick a protein.  Try to mix up poultry, fish, beef, pork etc to keep things interesting.  From there you can  click on my recipe drop down to find recipes for each protein category.  Or you can literally google "Name of Protein_Paleo Recipe" and come up with just about 4 million hits now a days.  

STEP #4: Pick a veggie side.  You can do one hot, one cold or just a big serving of one type of veggie.  Think about if you'd like to have any sauces or particular way of cooking the veggie and from there, find your recipe.  

DINNER:

STEP #5: Plan for brekkie, lunches and snacks!  Keep in mind that ANYTHING is acceptable as a breakfast food.  Leftovers are always on the list and I add a few more options to make sure my husband and I stay on track.  

LUNCH/BREKKIE:

  • Salad with sliced steak
  • Tuna salad sandwiches with apple slices as "bread"
  • Slow cooker chicken lettuce wraps with salsa
  • Hard boiled egg, tomato and bacon bowl
  • Cole slaw w/ hard boiled egg and shredded chicken
  • Leftover sketti with a cucumber salad
  • Leftover burger
  • Salami with cucumber and deli mustard
STEP #6:  I separate my list by meat, veggies and other (what else is there really!?).  Make sure you go through each meal and write down what you'll need in your list.  Rather, just disassemble each recipe and write 'er down in the respective column keeping in mind that you may already have some of the ingredients in la casa.  
 
Meat:
  • 1/2 lb lamb
  • 1 lb bison
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 lb venison
  • 1 free range whole chicken
  • 4 lb pork butt
  • 2 lb grass fed ground beef
  • 2 lb grass fed skirt steak
  • 1 lb bacon
  • 1 log salami
 
Veggies:
  • 4 bell peppers
  • 3 onions
  • Asparagus
  • Sketti squash
  • Salad lettuce
  • Radishes
  • Kale
  • Brussels
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Sweet taters
  • Wrap lettuce
  • Avo
  • Shrooms
  • Tomato
  • Cucumbers
  • Limes
  • Fresh herbs
 
Other:
  • Eggs
  • Mineral water
  • Grapefruit juice
  • Mustard
  • Grass fed ghee
  • Etc..
So as you can see, I've got the weekly meal plans and shopping list all squared away.  I'd say this would absolutely feed a family of 2-4 for about $150-$200.  I painted my fridge with chalkboard paint and write down the meals and whats in there for snacks and update every week :)  Good luck and let me know if I can help! 
 

Live to Thrive,
Lauren