WEEK 1 BEGINNER MEAL PLAN

Transcription

1 PALEO LEAP CHEAT SHEET WEEK 1 BEGINNER MEAL PLAN - 1 WEEK 1 BEGINNER MEAL PLAN NEW TO PALEO? YOU RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE! HERE S A PLAN THAT S SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR BEGINNERS: Simple recipes: no complicated cooking techniques required. Familiar flavors: think more chili and burgers, less duck tongues and kombucha. Work-friendly: the plan assumes that you ll need breakfast and lunch on the go for 5 days a week. If you don t, the breakfasts and lunches described will still work. Shopping list included (with tips and hints) Skills and habits: as well as cooking, the plan gives you tips for good cooking habits that make Paleo easier. THE MEAL PLAN is written for two people; size it up or down, depending on your family size. If the instructions ask you to halve or double something, then the shopping list automatically reflects that. JUST AS A REMINDER, here s the basic idea of what Paleo is: YES to meat, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and small amounts of nuts and seeds; NO to grains, legumes, and sugar; dairy is a gray area that everyone has to figure out individually.

2 PALEO LEAP CHEAT SHEET WEEK 1 BEGINNER MEAL PLAN - 2 NOW ON TO THE FOOD! SUNDAY COOK-UP DAY Today, you ll be making grab-andgo breakfasts for the rest of the week. Make a double batch of these mini frittatas (if you don t like broccoli, you can substitute any other vegetable). You can make the frittatas at any point during the day. Each batch will make four servings (so you ll make 8 servings in total). Divide the frittatas into individual servings and stash them in the fridge. Habit tip: Make-Ahead Breakfasts. Cooking weekday breakfasts in advance makes the morning rush so much more manageable. Make it a Sunday ritual, and you won t be left running out the door hungry later in the week. - Flourless banana pancakes. For two people, make twice the recipe as written. - Fresh berries on the side, to taste (pick your favorites!) - Taco Fries. For two people, make half the recipe as written. - Prep tip: Dinner is a recipe that can be done in the slow-cooker. If you re going to use a slow-cooker, put the meat in early this afternoon so it ll be done by dinnertime. - Cuban shredded beef (make the full - Mint zucchini (the second recipe on this page). Make the recipe as written: it serves two. Habit Tip: Cooking Double Cooking double at dinner gives you leftovers for an easy lunch tomorrow. person packed and ready to grab. serving of leftover shredded beef per person, packed with carrot sticks, pepper strips, and cherry tomatoes (or your favorite fingerfood vegetables) MONDAY DID YOU GET HUNGRY BETWEEN AND? This evening, bake one sweet potato per person in the microwave: just poke some holes in the skin with a fork and microwave until soft. Put the potatoes in with your breakfast for tomorrow and see if that helps. - Leftover shredded beef - Carrot sticks, pepper strips, and cherry tomatoes (or your favorite finger-food vegetables) DID YOU GET HUNGRY BETWEEN AND? If you re packing lunch, throw in a handful of olives for a healthy mid-afternoon snack. - Gingered beef salad (make the full potato for anyone who got hungry this morning. serving of leftover gingered beef salad per person, plus half an avocado sprinkled with sea salt and balsamic vinegar. And don t forget that handful of olives if you got hungry this afternoon TUESDAY - Leftover gingered beef salad (it s good hot or cold!) - Half an avocado per person, sprinkled with sea salt and balsamic vinegar.

3 PALEO LEAP CHEAT SHEET WEEK 1 BEGINNER MEAL PLAN Mustard balsamic baked chicken (make the full recipe as written. Eat half tonight and - Oven-roasted garlic cabbage (make half the recipe as written) Habit Tip: Packing Dinner Get in the habit of packing up lunch while you serve dinner then you won t forget and be left scrambling in the morning.tomorrow. potato if that worked for you today. serving of leftover mustard balsamic chicken per person, with your favorite finger vegetables (carrots, cherry tomatoes, pepper strips, or whatever else). Olives if you do better with a snack in the - (if you ll be at work all day tomorrow) Shrimp defrosting in the fridge, ready to put in the marinade for dinner tomorrow before you leave for work. WEDNESDAY - Leftover mustard balsamic chicken - Finger vegetables (carrots, cherry tomatoes, pepper strips, or whatever else). - Sweet lemon shrimp (make the full - Asian stir-fried Brussels sprouts (make half the recipe as written, and eat it all tonight). potato if that worked for you. - (if you re packing lunch) Leftover shrimp, tossed with salad greens and all packed up to go, plus half an avocado per person with salt and balsamic vinegar. Olives if you do better with a snack in the THURSDAY - Sweet lemon shrimp salad: leftover shrimp tossed with your favorite salad greens. - Avocado slices sprinkled with sea salt and balsamic vinegar (1/2 avocado per person or one whole if you have a big appetite!) - Steak skillet with bell peppers (make the full recipe as written. Eat half tonight and save half in the fridge for tomorrow.) - Zucchini cakes (if your grocery budget is tight, leave out the almond flour). Make a half recipe and eat it all tonight. Also tonight, very quickly hardboil 3 eggs for each person (or 4 if one of you has a big appetite); this will be for breakfast tomorrow. Three hard-boiled eggs per person packed and ready to grab, with a piece of your favorite fruit. - (if you re packing lunch) Leftover steak with bell peppers, packed up and ready to go. Olives if you do better with a snack in the FRIDAY - Hard-boiled eggs (3-4 eggs per person), and a piece of your favorite fruit. - Leftover steak with bell peppers (it s good hot or cold). - Portobello pizza (cut the recipe in half and eat it all tonight) - Tomato soup (make a full recipe and save the leftovers for lunch tomorrow)

4 PALEO LEAP CHEAT SHEET WEEK 1 BEGINNER MEAL PLAN - 4 SATURDAY - Cauliflower and Bacon Hash (make half the recipe as written, but leave out the fried eggs) - Fried sausages: Pick your favorite brand of Paleo-friendly sausages (no soy, no wheat) and fry them while the hash is cooking. (If your sausages come 4 or 5 to a pound, fry up 1 per person; if they re bigger or smaller, adjust accordingly). - Canned sardines topped with mustard (or salt and pepper, or hot sauce, or your choice of other toppings). Plan on 1-2 cans of sardines per person, depending on the size of your cans. - Leftover tomato soup from yesterday - Spicy pork chili. This one takes a while to cook, so start it early. And if you make a full recipe, you ll have leftovers from this meal to start off your lunches next week! - Sweet potato fries (The recipe calls for 2 lbs of sweet potatoes, which is roughly 4 medium-sized potatoes. You can cut the quantity down a little if it looks too big to you) CHECK-IN: HOW DO YOU FEEL? Were your meals too big, too small, or just right? Did you get hungry during the week, did you ever feel uncomfortably over-full, or did you mostly do just fine? If you noticed any problems, how could you modify your meals for next week to fix them?

5 PALEO LEAP CHEAT SHEET WEEK 1 BEGINNER MEAL PLAN - 5 MEAT FRESH MEAT 1 lb. beef sirloin steak 2 lb. boneless beef chuck. 1 lb. flank steak ½ lb. ground beef 8 boneless chicken thighs 4 1/4 lb. boneless pork shoulder (you won t eat this all this week; some of it will be left over) SEAFOOD 1 ½ lb. shrimp 2 dozen eggs 1 small carton liquid egg whites (or 8 more eggs, if you have something to do with the yolks) Salami and/or pepperoni About 2 cups of cooked ham 3 slices of bacon (it s OK to just buy a package and freeze the rest). ½ a pound of sausages (it s OK to buy a one-pound package and save the rest for later). PRODUCE VEGETABLES 16 ounces salad greens 1 head lettuce (for making rolled sandwiches: pick a kind with flexible leaves) 2 small heads broccoli 1 red bell pepper 8 more bell peppers (any color) 2 small zucchini 2 Roma tomatoes 6 more tomatoes, any kind. SHOPPING LIST WEEK 1 Beginner Meal Plan To go along with the beginner meal plan, here s a shopping list conveniently organized by sections of the grocery store. 1 package cherry tomatoes 2 Portobello mushrooms 1 bag carrots 1 head cauliflower 1 small green cabbage ½ pound Brussels sprouts 13 sweet potatoes (you may not need them all, but if you don t, they ll keep for next week). 3 red onions 1 bag cooking onions (any color) 1 white onion 4 shallots 1 bunch green onions 1 head of garlic FRESH HERBS 1 knob fresh ginger Fresh basil Chives Fresh rosemary 2 chili peppers Fresh oregano Fresh parsley FRUIT 1 orange (to juice for the shredded beef) 1 lime 2 lemons 2 pieces of your favorite fruit for eating with breakfast. 3 large ripe bananas (theyshould already have somebrown spots) Berries (fresh or frozen) 2 avocadoes (1 that s almost ripe for Tuesday and 1 that s still a little green for Thursday) CANNED FOODS 1 can tomato paste 1 can full-fat coconut milk 28 oz. can diced tomatoes; 1 can olives (or if you can get them, the 100-calorie packs of olives are pricier but really convenient) SPICES Salt Pepper Cumin Chili powder Smoked paprika Cayenne pepper Cinnamon OIL & VINEGAR Rice wine vinegar Extra-virgin olive oil Red wine vinegar Balsamic vinegar Coconut oil Note: many of these items are pantry staples; if you already have them, there s no need to buy a bunch more. Lemon and lime juice Almond flour (forget this if your budget is tight) Baking powder Coconut aminos 1 1 box chicken or vegetable broth. 2 1 box beef broth 2 Fish sauce Vanilla extract Maple syrup or honey (optional) Dijon mustard 1 Coconut aminos are a wheat-free, soy-free Paleo substitute for soysauce. Look for them with the Asian food. 2 Make sure to check the ingredients very closely and be sure there s no soy in there. Or make your own with this recipe it tastes so much better and it s much more nutritious!