A week (or 3) in review – what we ate

I hear frequently that people hate meal planning and trying to find good paleo recipes to make. So I thought doing a weekly (this one turned into 3 weeks) round up of the recipes I cooked and how I liked them might be helpful. About half of what I cook comes from recipes and the other half is just a recipe in my head I throw together. I added links to all the recipes and for the others I tried to give basic explanations of what I did.

My biggest meal planning tip is Pinterest. On Sunday when I plan my meals for the week I just scroll through my paleo board and I have hundreds of recipes to choose from. I like that I have the option to make comments on each “pin” so that after I make it I can note any changes I made or how I liked it. Hopefully you can use this post for inspiration and to help you to plan for your own meals. If you’re on Pinterest, you can follow my paleo board here.

Week 1:

1 – Pizza with cauliflower crust (primal) – I’ve tried many cauliflower pizza crusts and one that is crispy and not soggy still eludes me. This one was by far the best I have tried. It actually was NOT soggy like the others I’ve tried, but was still too “flimsy” for lack of a better word to pick up and eat with your hands. However, the flavor was great and it was easy to make. Much lower carb than my favorite tapioca flour pizza crust. Despite having to eat it with a fork, I will make this again.

2 – Smashed and loaded sweet potato – this was delicious, but almost ruined my pan with burnt sweet potato remnants – definitely use NON STICK and a lot of butter / coconut oil.

3 – Mexican Lasagna (primal) – my creation and the recipe is coming soon. Just need to make time to get it posted.

4 – Salmon Cakes – I used the one from the Practical Paleo cookbook, but this one from her website is similar.

5 – Sundried tomato spaghetti squash – I can’t vouch for the deliciousness of this recipe yet, but it looks really good. I bought all the ingredients and then the night I planned to make it I forgot I was supposed to be following a recipe and on autopilot just made my usual marinara meat sauce. Oops. I plan to try it again this coming week!

6 – Flank steak – grilled & served with roasted vegetables

Week 2:

1 – Nacho Pot Pie – I was so excited about this, but it was really disappointing and bland. I don’t recommend – sorry!

2 – Stir Fry – Any meat and veggies sautéed with butter, garlic, red pepper flakes and then tossed with coconut aminos (the paleo version of soy sauce) and sesame oil after cooking (you don’t want to heat seed oils, but the sesame oil adds a great finishing flavor).

3 – Flank Steak – grilled. Roasted brussels and carrots on the side. Simple and tasty.

4 – Chili – Kyle’s creation. Google paleo chili and you’ll find 1000 recipes. We keep it really simple with ground beef, bell peppers, onions, diced tomatoes and spices.

5. Fettuccine “Alfredo” – The recipe I’ve linked to is obviously not paleo, as she uses pasta. But the Alfredo sauce made from avocados IS paleo compliant and I love it. The avocados mimic the creaminess of dairy so well and the roasted tomatoes add a ton of flavor. This time, I served mine over Capello’s grain free pasta but in the past I’ve also used spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles.

Week 3:

1 – Grilled Ham & Cheese sandwiches with leftover chili – Surprisingly the grilled cheese was pretty tasty and easy to make. If you can handle dairy, give them a try.

2 – Paleo “Cheesy” Chicken Casserole – I LOVED this. When I was a kid I always added green peas to my mac & cheese so this felt like the ultimate nostalgic comfort food to me. This actually has no dairy, but the butternut squash gives it a very creamy, cheesy texture. I left off the shredded coconut (that flavor/texture seemed like an odd addition to me).

3 – Taco Salad – Super esay for when I’m being lazy. Brown 1 lb of ground meat. Drain grease and add 2 TBSP of my taco seasoning and a little water. Simmer for a few minutes and then add over salad, to lettuce wraps, in a bowl, etc. Top with sliced avocado, cherry tomatoes, hot sauce, cheese (if you do dairy) and any other toppings you like.

4 – Flank Steak and Sautéed brussels with bacon and onions – Kyle’s creation. Steak was just simply grilled. For the side dish – fry bacon in skillet and remove. Then sauté your onion and brussels in bacon grease and top with the crumbled bacon. AMAZING.

5 – Sweet Sriracha grilled chicken drumsticks – Another Kyle creation. Season drumsticks with salt & pepper and grill. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan melt butter and add honey and sriracha to taste (Kyle doesn’t measure – sorry!). Toss chicken in sauce and serve immediately. He served them with a side of roasted carrots.

Hope a few of these inspire you! If you have any questions, leave them in the comment section.

– Alima