The Paleo diet, which is also described as the "Cavemen" diet, is based on products our ancestors used to eat millions of years ago. Key products in this meal plan are meat, fruits, and vegetables. You focus on whole foods, avoiding processed products that come up after the agricultural era. The idea is to make simple meals that contain all the needed components, including fiber, omega-3, vitamins A, B, C, and D, and other micro-elements essential for your body. For example, you use olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, seeds, and nuts as sources of healthy fats.
So, what's on the menu? Let's discuss several meals you can cook for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Some of them may not be popular, but you can try them. We will show the meal prep process and explain why these meals were selected for our compilation.
Paleo Diet Recipes for Breakfast
As the most important meal of the day, breakfast must give you enough energy to start the engine of your body and stay active till having a snack or the next big meal. The first option for breakfast is egg, cheese, and bacon. This meal usually comes as a sandwich, but in the version of a paleo diet, it will be a bunless version. Use jar lids to shape your "sandwiches" and crack eggs in the center. Pour some water around and add cover to the pan. When the eggs are ready, cover one of them with a slice of cheddar. Wait for the cheese to melt and remove both eggs from the pan. Put eggs one on another and add cooked bacon and avocado on top. This is a good option for the keto diet as you have a solid portion of protein and fats with no carbs.
Another option we recommend to try is a sweet potato waffles recipe. When you are on a paleo diet, you take almost no starch, but this meal will let you have some. Cook 1 large sweet potato and mash it in a bowl. Mix it with 2 eggs, add some sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Cook your meal on a preheated waffle iron. You can add some honey on top of your waffles or eat them with no topping. Anyway, it will be a nice paleo meal that gives you enough calories for the rest of the day.
Lunch Options for Those Who Follow a Paleo Diet
For lunch, you should have a balanced meal with all key components (protein, fats, and carbs). To make digestion more comfortable for your stomach, it's essential to have enough vegetables. The first option we offer for lunch is sweet potato chili. Warm, soft, and easy-digestible meals will warm your body and give you enough calories to stay active. The classic version of sweet chili comes with Italian sausage, but you can replace it with ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground beef (expect to have more fats with the last one). If you follow a vegetarian diet, take the meat out of the recipe and keep it up with vegetables and sauce.
At the starting point, cook bell pepper and onion in a large pot. Do it for around 5 minutes, add garlic, and cook for 1 more minute. At this stage, add meat and cook it until there are no pink parts left. At this stage, it's time to add spices: oregano, garlic powder, and salt with pepper. Next, sweet potato, broth, tomatoes, and broth go into the pot as well. When everything is added, reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let the meal simmer for around 15 minutes. When it's cooked, serve the meal on large plates and enjoy! If you follow a weight maintenance meal plan and want to make sure you get a balanced lunch, this option is right for you.
The second option for lunch is veggies baked with shrimp on a sheet pan. When you are busy and don't have time to cook large meals, this sheet-pan meal is a thing that saves the day. All you need is to wash and cut vegetables, prepare shrimp, put everything on a baking sheet, and add some spices. For this recipe, take garlic, parsley, red bell pepper, onion, broccoli (cut it before cooking), and peeled shrimp. For spices, combine, red pepper flakes, garlic, parsley, and olive oil. On the sheet pan, toss vegetables, season them with salt and pepper, and add some olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes, then add a layer of shrimp, and roast again for 5 minutes, so the seafood is no longer pink. Serve it asap, so the meal won't lose its heat.
Dinner Meals on a Paleo Diet
Last but not least, a dinner. When people come back home or simply wait for their remote working day to be over, they want something simple and light to avoid feeling uncomfortable. Omelette with prawn and broccoli is considered one of the simplest meals for dinner as it's easy to cook and easy to digest. You get a solid portion of protein, but due to a huge amount of vegetables with fiber, it will satisfy you enough. For more flavor, add some lemon juice to the beaten eggs. Set this mix aside and prepare other ingredients. Heat sunflower oil on a pan, add broccoli, prawns, chili, and garlic, and cook till broccoli is prepared. Remove everything on a plate and clean the pan. Add more oil and spill half of the egg mix on a pan. Cook it from both sides to make an omelet. Do the same with the second half of your egg mix. Add half a prawn-broccoli mix to the omelet and roll it. Serve these rolls on plates and enjoy the meal till it's warm.
The second option for dinner is Thai squash soup. It can be cooked in a single pan, where you cook lemongrass, chili, and some lime juice. Cook it for 15 minutes and blend with a hand blender. In the second step, add the coconut milk and return the mix to the heat to warm it slowly. Put your meal into bowls and serve with coriander.
How to Make an Easy Paleo Diet?
First, decide what best paleo diet recipes you want to have in your diet plan. Make a list to ensure you have tasty meals that satisfy you and give you enough energy to keep going through the day. Second, remove all processed foods from the meal plan. Cookies, cakes from stores, fast food, and other junk food should be avoided. Finally, look for alternatives in case you can't cook or don't have time to do it. Our meal plans include a large variety of meals for any situation. If you work 24/7 and can't cook yourself, choose your meal plan and satisfy yourself with high-quality meals.
FAQ
Is pasta allowed on a paleo diet?
Pasta, rice, beer, bread, and cereal are not allowed on a paleo diet.
Can you drink coffee during the paleo diet?
Originally, the paleo diet does not allow coffee. However, modern versions of this meal plan make exceptions and allow individuals to have coffee.
Do you need to count calories on a paleo diet?
Since the paleo diet is very limited in products and makes you avoid processed foods, you don't need to count calories for every meal.
