Before Mr. and I started our Paleo journey, I was already a meal planner type person. A month into our journey we decided that Emeals' Paleo meal plan would be the best avenue for us to continue. During our first month, a coach and friend, at Crossfit Seymour did our meal plan. We followed it faithfully but when the next month came and we decided to adopt the paleo lifestyle we were at a loss at where to go from there. Originally I thought I would just follow the same meal plan every month but that seemed just as boring as having a chicken breast and broccoli every night for dinner. Mr. and I were recently reminiscing if we would have stuck with it after the first month if Coach hadn't programmed his favorite meals. Thanks Coach for getting us on the right track!
I think part of following the paleo journey is expanding and enjoying so many different foods. My kitchen is small and outdated but when I am cooking paleo meals I often feel like I am a gourmet cook. I haven't updated appliances or cooking utensils but yet it feels different. I did add one appliance after the first month that I had been wanting for a long time, a food processor. I had asked for a food processor for birthdays and Christmas many times and never got it. I am so happy I got it especially when I need to shred vegetables and fruit!
So if I weren't using Emeals for my meal planning, here are some steps I would take when starting my paleo journey.
1. Gather Recipes.
The first thing I would do is start a binder or something similar with my favorite Paleo recipes that I find by following Paleo food bloggers on Facebook, Pinterest, and allrecipes.com. I have a binder that I keep all my Emeals in but it also has printed our original month and recipes I stumble upon on line.
Before paleo I didn't have a binder. Many of the things that I made was ingrained in my head. I also would revert to my favorite cookbooks and the internet when needing to mix things up. It's important to remember your paleo food list when cooking from recipes online. I have found many pins that says it is a Paleo recipe only to read the ingredients and realize that it is not Paleo. I would also note that during our first 30 days Mr. and I didn't have any of the natural sweeteners (ie maple syrup, honey) that we sometimes incorporate now. We also would count out our nuts for proper serving size. We've definitely increased the amount of nuts we consume the past 6 months and that's why we've given them up for Lent. So be careful on both your fruit and nut consumption if you are on this journey to lose weight.
2. Write out your list.
The good thing about the paleo journey is that you will only be in a couple sections of the grocery store. When I did my own meal planning I simply went through my recipes I selected for the week and wrote the item I needed by category in the store. Subscribing to emeals has been a huge blessing because they have a grocery list provided with your meal plan for the week. This has saved me so much time! But you wouldn't have to subscribe to emeals to make your grocery list. If I was on the journey without it, I think I would make a spreadsheet similar to the one that they send me every week.
3. Plan your week.
I always take a look at our weekly schedules to decided what we will be having for dinner that night. On nights that I know that we will be out late with sports or meetings, I tend to plan meals that are in the crock pot during the day or our super fast to prepare. Then on the nights that I know we will be home and more relaxed I plan those meals that are more challenging to prepare. Then I write it on this wipe board that I've had for a LONG time. This helps me know when to thaw meat and also gives everyone including Mr. a heads up so if he is home before me he can help out with prep.
Prepaleo I would keep my meal plan on index cards. After I had accumulated quite a few I would start using them over again. This is what they look like (not sure why I have kept them).
You could do the same thing as you begin making your paleo meals so that in a month or two you could go back to a week you've already planned. I just held onto these in my cabinet with my cookbooks and would pull one out when I felt uninspired to meal plan.
4. Tackle the Grocery Stores.
Knowing what sales are happening can also help you in meal planning. I usually take a look at the sales ads when they come out and make notes of sales especially on produce. I've been able to save money by paying attention to those details. Also, don't forget you will spend 90% of your time on the outside aisles of the grocery store. That's where all the REAL food is kept :)
5. Plan enough for Leftovers!
We almost always eat leftovers for lunch. We sometimes have to double recipes in order to have enough for the next day. This is such a crucial part to Paleo. You should never be hungry. If you are hungry than eat something. Much of that comes in planning out your day. When I leave for work I always have two snacks and my lunch with me. I think I would be a hot mess if I didn't have to plan it out and I am sure that my journey wouldn't be as smooth. Every one's job is different so you have to plan your snacking and eating according to your work. Just do your best to not be hungry! It's one of the perks of Paleo :)
Here's a typical day of meals and snacks for me:
It took planning and prepping on my part to get everything ready but because of this I am on my way to healthy and yummy eating. I look at all I ate this day and then think back to so many conversations where people have been critical of my journey and I feel satisfied that I am giving my body the fuel it needs. Sure it'd be easy to snack on junk and to have a sandwich for lunch but this feels right to me. My body has continued to respond to the lifestyle that I've chosen and this is why I continue. It's a great reminder that Food is A Drug #Paleo!
I think part of following the paleo journey is expanding and enjoying so many different foods. My kitchen is small and outdated but when I am cooking paleo meals I often feel like I am a gourmet cook. I haven't updated appliances or cooking utensils but yet it feels different. I did add one appliance after the first month that I had been wanting for a long time, a food processor. I had asked for a food processor for birthdays and Christmas many times and never got it. I am so happy I got it especially when I need to shred vegetables and fruit!
So if I weren't using Emeals for my meal planning, here are some steps I would take when starting my paleo journey.
1. Gather Recipes.
The first thing I would do is start a binder or something similar with my favorite Paleo recipes that I find by following Paleo food bloggers on Facebook, Pinterest, and allrecipes.com. I have a binder that I keep all my Emeals in but it also has printed our original month and recipes I stumble upon on line.
 |
| My paleo recipe binder |
Before paleo I didn't have a binder. Many of the things that I made was ingrained in my head. I also would revert to my favorite cookbooks and the internet when needing to mix things up. It's important to remember your paleo food list when cooking from recipes online. I have found many pins that says it is a Paleo recipe only to read the ingredients and realize that it is not Paleo. I would also note that during our first 30 days Mr. and I didn't have any of the natural sweeteners (ie maple syrup, honey) that we sometimes incorporate now. We also would count out our nuts for proper serving size. We've definitely increased the amount of nuts we consume the past 6 months and that's why we've given them up for Lent. So be careful on both your fruit and nut consumption if you are on this journey to lose weight.
2. Write out your list.
The good thing about the paleo journey is that you will only be in a couple sections of the grocery store. When I did my own meal planning I simply went through my recipes I selected for the week and wrote the item I needed by category in the store. Subscribing to emeals has been a huge blessing because they have a grocery list provided with your meal plan for the week. This has saved me so much time! But you wouldn't have to subscribe to emeals to make your grocery list. If I was on the journey without it, I think I would make a spreadsheet similar to the one that they send me every week.
 |
| Emeals Grocery List |
3. Plan your week.
I always take a look at our weekly schedules to decided what we will be having for dinner that night. On nights that I know that we will be out late with sports or meetings, I tend to plan meals that are in the crock pot during the day or our super fast to prepare. Then on the nights that I know we will be home and more relaxed I plan those meals that are more challenging to prepare. Then I write it on this wipe board that I've had for a LONG time. This helps me know when to thaw meat and also gives everyone including Mr. a heads up so if he is home before me he can help out with prep.
 |
| Weekly Menu Plan |
Prepaleo I would keep my meal plan on index cards. After I had accumulated quite a few I would start using them over again. This is what they look like (not sure why I have kept them).
 |
| My pre paleo index card system |
You could do the same thing as you begin making your paleo meals so that in a month or two you could go back to a week you've already planned. I just held onto these in my cabinet with my cookbooks and would pull one out when I felt uninspired to meal plan.
4. Tackle the Grocery Stores.
Knowing what sales are happening can also help you in meal planning. I usually take a look at the sales ads when they come out and make notes of sales especially on produce. I've been able to save money by paying attention to those details. Also, don't forget you will spend 90% of your time on the outside aisles of the grocery store. That's where all the REAL food is kept :)
5. Plan enough for Leftovers!
We almost always eat leftovers for lunch. We sometimes have to double recipes in order to have enough for the next day. This is such a crucial part to Paleo. You should never be hungry. If you are hungry than eat something. Much of that comes in planning out your day. When I leave for work I always have two snacks and my lunch with me. I think I would be a hot mess if I didn't have to plan it out and I am sure that my journey wouldn't be as smooth. Every one's job is different so you have to plan your snacking and eating according to your work. Just do your best to not be hungry! It's one of the perks of Paleo :)
Here's a typical day of meals and snacks for me:
 |
| I like to get my veggies in at breakfast. Yellow pepper, red onion, and mushroom egg scramble with a side of avocado. |
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| Morning Snack: Red peppers and celery. Gluten free/preservative free deli ham. |
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| Leftovers for Lunch Moroccan Pork Roast with Cilantro Cauli Rice |
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| Afternoon Snack Tomatoes, celery, carrots, and leftover steak |
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| Dinner Moroccan Chicken Breasts with Napa Carrot Salad |
It took planning and prepping on my part to get everything ready but because of this I am on my way to healthy and yummy eating. I look at all I ate this day and then think back to so many conversations where people have been critical of my journey and I feel satisfied that I am giving my body the fuel it needs. Sure it'd be easy to snack on junk and to have a sandwich for lunch but this feels right to me. My body has continued to respond to the lifestyle that I've chosen and this is why I continue. It's a great reminder that Food is A Drug #Paleo!
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