Weekly Food Prep for Paleo (Part 2 of 2)

This post is a followup of my post on the weekly tasks that I do for preparing food in my Paleo lifestyle.  If you haven't read the previous post, it is HERE. When folks ask me about my Paleo lifestyle, I first tell them about what I eat. The next thing they ALWAYS say is "that sounds too hard" or "it's way too hard to prepare and cook food everyday"! I agree, it is too hard to prepare and cook food everyday. The trick is to prepare the food ahead of time and keep the recipes easy enough to prepare in minutes. So, here are the rest of the weekly tasks that I do.

7) Make a fresh fruit salad

Fruit salad is a must in my house. There are so many benefits that I can't even count them all! For me, fruit acts to keep my digestive system regulated. One small fruit cup (about 6 oz) does the trick. My fruit salads consist of many:

3-4 organic apples (Red/Golden Delicious, Rome or McIntosh)
2 oranges (Valencia or Navel)
1 cup of some type of berries (We like blueberries, blackberries, strawberries.)
1 organic banana (optional)
 
8) Make "protein" entrees - I like to make a few small protein entrees to eat from during the week. We use chicken breast strips (I like the Tyson ones), cooked shrimp, sliced mushrooms / peppers for breakfast with egg frittatas, meat toppings on my green salad and meat-fruit mixtures.

9) Make a "trail mix" blend - I trail mix is a good snack for the afternoon with fruit or cold cuts. An easy trail mix for me contains:

Nuts (raw almonds, chopped walnut, pecans)
Seeds (pumpkins, shelled sunflower seeds, chia seeds)
Raisins
Popcorn (for more crunch)

*I like to place the nuts in a Ziploc baggie and use a hammer to crush them. Then I combine them with the seeds, raisins and freshly made popcorn. Finally, I place the mixture in a container with a 1/2 scooper on top.

10) Boil some eggs - Hard-boiled eggs are a great source of protein. They give you instant energy! While many Paleo diet versions do not allow for diary; in my diet, eggs are allowed. If you have a history of heart disease in your family, I would suggest eating the yolks 2-3 days a week to minimize the cholesterol from the eggs. The rest of the time eat the egg whites. I actually scoop out the yolks and make an egg salad out of them at the bottom of the week. We make about 6-10 eggs every other week. Oh yes, don't forget to by organic eggs and cage-free. I prefer Heartland's Best.

So, my weekly routine is not too bad under Paleo. Just make sure that you have the foods you need available in your fridge and pantry. See the list of foods that I keep in stock at all times. The foods I prepare ahead of time keep us eating healthy meals, snacks and drinks. Most importantly, it helps us avoid the pitfalls of choosing junk food simply because it is convenient.