Primal meal planning

[greenmom4]

Anyone interested in sharing their weekly/monthly meal plans?  I'm hoping to get my kids and dh on the primal bandwagon - it's easy at dinner, not so easy at lunch and breakfast (what IS it about cereal?!?!).

I usually bring leftovers or liverwurst/celery and other snacky type stuff for lunch.  Breakfast is either coffee/cream or those egg muffin thingies, so I just plan out dinners...

7-Jan	Philly shroom burger, sweet potato fries
8-Jan	braised brisket, green beans, mashed cauliflower
9-Jan	Heroin chicken, roasted broccoli
10-Jan	Shwarma salad
11-Jan	Bigos
12-Jan	meatza, salad
13-Jan	BBQ pulled pork, cole slaw

I can always use inspiration for meals, so please play along!

[rhianna813]

We eat off and on Primal. This isn't this weeks menu but a good idea of dinners we eat all the time:

Ground beef sautéed with diced onion and homemade taco seasoning. Served in the summer over a green salad and in the fall/winter in the baked acorn squash half.

Ground beef with jar pasta sauce served over sautéed zucchini or spaghetti sauce.

Pork loins or chops with carmelized onions (and apples too) and a green veggie like beans or broccoli or asparagus.

Roasted whole chicken, carrots, sweet potatoes with a pan gravy.

Chicken or turkey (really good with leftover thanksgiving turkey/stock) Italian soup with stock, whole canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, bell peppers, zucchini, carrots and kale. I make a large pot and freeze the leftovers for lunch.

Curry chicken with coconut milk, asian style frozen veggies and whatever Indian spices you like.

Salmon patties (from Alaskan canned salmon) with coleslaw in the summer or bacon sauteed chard in the fall/winter.

I've definitely found inspirations for new meals reading posts here! Great idea!!!

[greenmom4]

Originally Posted by rhianna813 

Ground beef sautéed with diced onion and homemade taco seasoning. Served in the summer over a green salad and in the fall/winter in the baked acorn squash half.

Heh.  This is our dinner tonight w/ bison instead of beef! 

[craft_media_hero]

Meatballs in homemade green chile

Roast chicken and butternut squash

Lamb chops and veggie mash, maybe gravy tho I do not know how to make gravy without flour!

Spaghetti squash with meaty marinara sauce

Hearty beef and root vegetable stew (using super beef marrow bone broth!)



I need some ideas for breakfast/lunch, anybody? My fam loves eggs and bacon, but the hennies arent giving much, and bacon is expensive! We are big on salad lunches here using leftover meats to top the green leafies. Or we eat leftovers foor lunch pretty often, too.

Also, I have LOTS of squash to use up, so hit me with any squash ideas!

[greenmom4]

Originally Posted by craft_media_hero 

Meatballs in homemade green chile
Roast chicken and butternut squash
Lamb chops and veggie mash, maybe gravy tho I do not know how to make gravy without flour!
Spaghetti squash with meaty marinara sauce
Hearty beef and root vegetable stew (using super beef marrow bone broth!)
I need some ideas for breakfast/lunch, anybody? My fam loves eggs and bacon, but the hennies arent giving much, and bacon is expensive! We are big on salad lunches here using leftover meats to top the green leafies. Or we eat leftovers foor lunch pretty often, too.
Also, I have LOTS of squash to use up, so hit me with any squash ideas!

The meatballs in green chile sound really, really good. 

Lunch for me is almost always leftovers or a few "snacks" like avocado, liverwurst, celery, berries...stuff like that.  For breakfast today I'm having bacon and an avocado.  Other days it's just coffee w/ heavy cream.  I'm going to try and make a big batch of those egg muffins (recipes are everywhere, but it's basically 1/2 egg, 1/2 egg white and then whatever else you want in them - mushrooms, cheese, bacon, etc) pour into a muffin tin and bake.  They freeze well, reheat well and are an easy grab-n-go breakfast.  I actually get tired of bacon after awhile (gasp - blasphemy, I know).  On the weekends sometimes I"ll make coconut flour pancakes - my family likes them better than "regular" pancakes.  

[rhianna813]

Acorn squash makes a damn tasty dessert if you had some coconut oil and spinkle of cinnamon to the hollow part before baking. It's like pumpkin pie with no crust. Obviously, pumpkin would work too haha

Butternut squash soup is a good use, usually made with mushrooms.

[Chicky2]

Subbing because my oldest dd is ditching grains and sugars for at least awhile for her protocol for Aspergers.  I need to do it, too, but I don't wish to give up beer yet, lol.

Tonight is turkey veggie soup.  That's it 'cause I'm tired.

[craft_media_hero]

Originally Posted by rhianna813 

Butternut squash soup is a good use, usually made with mushrooms.

Mmm, can you tell me more about you make that? I've never thought to make it with mushrooms, tho that sounds really good!

We had the roast chicken (a tiny one that barely made dinner, going to start cooking two at a time now!), so now I will scrape every bit of meat off of it to make Chicken and veggie soup, then use the bones for broth.

Not sure for dinner tonigh, though, there's still a lot of the beef stew left, so probably leftovers.

Question, what is your stand in for rice, everybody? I'm adjusting to grain free, and have a hard time rounding out meals and feeling full. Just more vegetables?

Like the meatballs in chile, they scream "pour over rice" to me! Maybe potato?

[greenmom4]

I usually grate a head of cauliflower and saute in butter.  My kids didn't know it wasn't real rice until I told them!  You could also shred or grate cabbage and do the same thing.

[craft_media_hero]

Help me make menus with the following:

local fruits some frozen, some preserved in honey

leg of lamb, small

2lbs ground beef

2 whole chickens

1lb ground sausage

lots of beef bones

chicken bone broth

1doz eggs

milk kefir, water kefir, kombucha

herbal tea, black tea, coffee, raw milk

spice cabinet, honey

homemade, cultured raw cheeses: feta, plain and herbed chevre

green and red chile, copious amounts

raw walnuts, 1lb

butternut, spaghetti, turban squash

2 heads lettuce

plenty of root vegetables

okra/pepper vegetable hash mix

plenty of onions

coconut milk, canned

frozen sliced bell peppers

frozen green beans 

coconut oil

cultured greek salad

sauerkraut, kim chee, bubbies pickles

a few avocados

olive oil

frozen cooked greens

I can get more of other items if there's any glaring omissions. I have been craving pizza and chips or crackers with hummus  my dd is craving brown rice grits and carb crashing hard.

Any ideas? This is our first week grain-free. We are (obviously) keeping cultured dairy and fruit is not really limited right now. I might reduce those later, but I am trying to ease in one thing at a time. Ideally heading toward GAPs intro diet and then slowly adding stuff back in as tolerated.

I appreciate any insights, since I am so used to planning meals with breads, rice, beans and trying to round it out so everything is appealing, everyone is full, and no one in the family is feeling any huge differences as far as being pushed out of their comfort zones.

We are used to probiotic foods and I have been really good about adding a cultured side or condiment with each meal, so I'm going to continue with that but not add in any kind of supplements yet. We have a blender but no food processor, a cheapie juicer, crockpot.

I am thinking kefir smoothies with frozen fruit for snacks or breakfast (maybe add in some DE?), eggs/cheese or eggs/sausage, cheese/fruit for breks. How do we do those pancakes? That might save dd right now.

DD wants hot dishes, and I want crunchy. Family of four that eats a lot and is extra hungry from ditching the grains!

Edited by craft_media_hero - 1/11/12 at 8:47pm

[greenmom4]

CMH -

There are recipes on www.primal-palate.com for a paleo hummus.  Or wait, it may be in the "Make it Paleo" cookbook.  In any case, I think they sub zucchini for the chickpeas but keep the rest pretty much the same.  Haven't tried it yet, but it looked pretty good.  And for pizza you could make a meatza - there are recipes all over the net; I like to use a mix of ground beef or buffalo and italian sausage as the "crust."  It's actually a pretty good replacement.  You've actually got a lot to work with.  Check out the primal-palate website and also www.modernpaleowarfare.com and the marksdailyapple.com - lots of recipes there.  Also Nom Nom Paleo www.nomnompaleo.com.

You could do shredded barbecue chicken in the crockpot, roasted lemon green beans, curries, gratins w/ your root veggies, or just mash them or fries.  Lots of different soups, shwarma salad. You could make "pasta" out of the butternut and other root veggies.  Walnuts w/ fruit and honey in some coconut milk or cream for dessert.  Or chop up the walnuts and heat it up w/ some butter and coconut milk for a hot breakfast a la oatmeal. 

[craft_media_hero]

Greennmom4, thanks for the ideas. I think I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed and already getting some carb withdrawal/die off stuff happening. But I'm going to keep pushing through!

[craft_media_hero]

Lamb stew with carrots, onion, turnips, home canned tomatoes in slow cooker

Fried chicken skins, raw carrots, guac dip (maybe a lunch dish)

Chicken and veg soup

Whole tilapia, steamed brussel sprouts and carrots

Grilled salmon, salad, cauliflower rice

Bacon and avocado for breakfast, side of apples and onions sauteed inthe bacon grease

Grilled Chicken salad w lf carrots and raisins, homemade dressing

Tuna salad on lettuce or with carrot dippers-good for lunch

Beef broth---what to do with it besides just drink?-my fam is not too crazy for just drinking the broth.

Uhhhh having a hard time thinking of other dinner ideas, that's it for now!

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by greenmom4 

I usually grate a head of cauliflower and saute in butter.  My kids didn't know it wasn't real rice until I told them!  You could also shred or grate cabbage and do the same thing.

Genius.

I'm trying to ease all of us into this lifestyle also, and can't afford to buy any books right now.  Plus I have to use what we have while slowly replacing things w/primal stuff.

can someone tell me why beans aren't ok?  I'm not sure we'll completely ditch them because our budget needs them and I'd rather be able to use them sometimes for a filler.

What do ya do for tacos?  I've thought about making tostadas but instead of corn tortillas on bottom, using cheese chips (made from frying the cheese in a pan until crispy--we eat these for snacks sometimes but haven't tried them w/toppings). 

I made my first grain free pizza recently and used the recipe on the Healthy Home Economist's site for coconut flour pizza crust.  Uses eggs, coconut flour, spices, and parmesan cheese.  Topped w/red grapes, caramelized onions, and swiss chard.  It was totally doable for me, who loves me a good yeasty wheat crust. 

The other night I cut up a green cabbage, some smoked sausages, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and carrots.  I added some worch. sauce (a couple of Tbsp), garlic, sea salt, cardamom, and caraway.  Served over brown rice for everyone but myself and my dd.  Last night was rotisserie chicken over a green salad and feta.

BTW, I gave up beer and am on day 3 of primal/paleo type (not sure which, and don't care as I don't follow rules well, lol) eating.  I feel just fine so far.  The one and only thing I won't give up is my hazelnut coffee creamer twice a day.  When would I expect to start feeling die off?  I did the South Beach Diet years ago, except with all whole foods, and lost 40 lbs in about 3 months.  I felt horrible for the first week (by day 3 I was foggy headed, and weak).  I was sick yesterday, but I *think* it was a stomach virus--lots of tummy pain, diarrhea, threw up once, and bad headache, and still have the headache in the background.  Is this some die off?  Not sure what to be expecting.  My dd only had a bit of fogginess and weakness for a couple of days before the energy spike hit.

Oh, and I have access to an enormous amount of bones, so I use bone broth daily.  Not organic, but wild ones, so I'm quite sure they're healthy.

[orangefoot]

We had pork tenderloin with cilantro pesto from the MDA readers primal recipe book last night and it was out of this world tasty.

I'm planning to cook at least one meal from the book each week to break up our cooking rut. I haven't made a plan for this week yet but the book is downloadable for free if you sub to the MDA newsletter and well worth a look if you are stuck for ideas.

[craft_media_hero]

	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Breakfast	Bacon, fried apples & onions	Grain Free Granola	Scrambled eggs & veggies	Primal Pumpkin Pancakes	Omelet	Sausage, fried apples & onions	Primal Pumpkin Pancakes	Scrambled eggs & veggies
Snack	Cup of bone broth	lunch meat, avo, kraut	Home canned peaches, coconut cream, nuts	bone broth	carrot, pb, raisins	flax crackers, pb, raisins	lunch meat, kraut, veggies	Home canned peaches, coconut cream, nuts
Lunch	Nut & veg stir fry	Cuppa bone broth, egg drop style, salad	lunch meat, kraut, bb	Carrot and broc dip in tuna salad	Manhattan clam chowder	Cuppa bone broth, egg drop style, salad	leftover pancakes w/ extra nut butter	Chicken soup
Snack	Boiled egg, kraut	carrots, peanut butter, raisins	Raw veggies, guac, nuts	pear sauce	Home canned peaches, coconut cream, nuts	lunch meat, kraut, veggies	flax crackers, boiled egg salad	Raw veggies, guac, nuts
Dinner	Pan-seared salmon, steamed veggies, caulif rice	Leg of lamb, turnips, carrots	Lamb & veg soup	Stir fried veggies / eggs	rib steak, salad, steamed veggies (or dinner out)	Lamb chopss, steamed squash, mashed turnips	Roast chicken	Grilled whole tilapia, steamed broccoli and carrots
Food Prep	prep granola, crockpot lamb	prep lamb soup	prep pancakes	gather chowder ings, marinate rib steak	mix up flax crackers, dehydrate	prep pancakes, crock pot chicken	prep fish marinade, freeze fish bits, thaw meat	pull off meat for soup, start chik bone broth

[craft_media_hero]

Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Grain-free Granola	Omelet	Sausage, fried apples & onions	Primal Pumpkin Pancakes	Scrambled eggs & veggies	Grain-free Granola	Omelet
bone broth	Home canned peaches, coconut cream, nuts	raw veggies & dip	flax crackers, beef pate, kraut	Home canned peaches, coconut cream, nuts	bone broth	carrots, pb, raisins
Carrot and broc dip in tuna salad	beef pate, kraut, bb	Cuppa bone broth, egg drop style, salad	scrambled eggs w/ leftover veggies	Carrot and broc dip in tuna salad	Leftover Cave Man Chile	leftover beef and veggies
pear sauce	fresh fruit	fresh fruit	carrot, pb, raisins	Raw veggies, guac, nuts	pear sauce	Home canned peaches, coconut cream, nuts
eggy noodles, stir fried veggies	Teriyaki Chicken, caulif rice, steamed squash	Nut & Veg Stir Fry	oyster stew	Cave Man Chile	Roast beef and vegetables	Grilled whole tilapia, steamed broccoli and carrots
make beef pate, marinate de-boned chicken		start fish stock and set out oyster stew ings, prep pancakes	prep chile ings	prep roast ings

There's two weeks for your viewing pleasure! I am new to grain-free/primal meal planning, so if you see any gaps (har har) that could be filled in, please let me know. I tried to vary it some but not get too crazy to where I'm consantly overwhelmed in the kitchen. I spent about $130 not counting most of the meat (which is in the freezer) for the ingredients for these two weeks. I am making a big batch of guac, adding lemon to prevent browning, and freezing it since I got a bunch of avocados on sale. I expect I will have to re-up veggies toward the second week and will be getting a Bountiful Baskets (around $20) for those fruits and veggies. The oyster stew will be adapted using coconut milk instead of dairy cream. Eggy noodles are simply eggs beaten with seasonings and sesame oil (you can add milk if you like), then poured thin on a hot griddle, sliced into noodles when cooked. :)

I don't usually meal plan ahead as precise as this or for two weeks, but we are on a tight budget until dh gets paid, so I wanted to know that our meals and snacks were covered since we have been eating so much and grazing constantly ever since we went grain and dairy free.

I didn't write in beverages or fermented condiments--I put ginger carrots on salad, and we drink kombucha daily. We haven't been getting as much fermented/cultured foods since we cut dairy and lost milk kefir and raw cultured cheese (which we relied heavily on). :( Is water kefir okay on GAPS? I should culture some mayo and the guacamole . . . meant to pick up a jar of Bubbies pickles, too, but I forgot and the bill was getting high at the hfs.

Edited by craft_media_hero - 2/4/12 at 7:41am

[motherhendoula]

One thing i rely heavily on is turkey burgers  - i have a 16 yr. DD and 17 mo. DS and they BOTH adore these:

ground turkey - mix with one egg, chop up spinach or kale very fine, finely chopped garlic, finely chopped onion - grated cauliflower or carrots will also go very well - and grated zucchini adds needed moisture to the meat. - i pan fry them in coconut oil - they last forever, freeze great - perfect for lunch.

we also do a a few tray fulls of roasted veggies every week - and a turkey burger with left over veggies is great.

I also have a sweet potato pancake recipe - grate raw sweet potato - on the smallest setting - mix with egg, add enough coconut flour to make it 'workable' - add cinnamon and nutmeg - drop by rounded teaspoons onto hot griddle - i fry in fake butter - but coconut oil or ghee would work too

[Millie Ivy]

thats amazing!   I love your menu, yummola. 

I should post mine

[craft_media_hero]

Originally Posted by Millie Ivy 

thats amazing!   I love your menu, yummola. 

I should post mine

Yes, do!

We just had the lunch meat, avo, kraut combo--I did them like rollup with guac inside and then half of the rollups ginger carrots, half purple kraut and the kids devoured them! Even my neice here who eats pretty SAD didnt say anything about it but just nommed it up

Good idea abt turkey burgers, I wish I wouldve thought of that last night; I got a roll of ground turkey cheap and we just cooked it all up ground and ate it mixed w cooked veggies. Next time, though!