Many things about paleo eating are actually much easier than you might think. The first question I usually get when explaining this lifestyle to people is – so what can you eat?! My response – cutting out grains, dairy, sugar and processed foods actually opens your eyes to a wide variety of interesting foods (particularly vegetables and roots) that we otherwise ignore. I've become a much more creative cook as a result.
The next hurdle is finding time to cook. Eating paleo means you're most likely going to have to cook a lot – because that's the best way of making sure you know what's in your food (and what's not!). These are busy times and even for me, the thought of coming home from a full day at work and hours of commuting to cook a nutritious meal is not something I can realistically sustain day-in day-out. It's easier to grab some greasy take-away or throw some grains in some boiling water and top them with something out of a jar or can.
To successfully sustain a paleo lifestlye, you need to be prepared. You need to make it hard to reach for the unhealthy options. Enter meal prep. It's as simple as it sounds: taking some time to prepare several meals in advance. Lus and I do this at least once a week. If you plan it well and get several things on the go simultaneously, in 2 -3 hours, you can have a variety of meals cooked to cover you for at least half of the week, if not more.
In this post I share some photographs from a recent meal prep afternoon. On the menu:
- Roasted sweet mama squash
- A mustard green and onion frittata (cut in rectangles and voila – breakfast!)
- Korean beef stew (add raw courgette noodles when you're ready to eat!)
- Cassava (aka yucca) cooked in coconut milk and cardamom, with some red and yellow peppers
- A whole roast chicken
- Chard sauteed with onions and garlic
You'll notice minimal vegetables here. Vegetables are so quick to steam or saute and indeed, many are great raw so, we tend to leave a lot of them out of meal prep and prepare them on the day.
See the 'related' links at the bottom of this post for more information on paleo eating, my journey and recipe ideas.
(Frittata with mustard greens and onions – without the potatoes. Image at top of post: squash roasted with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper)
(Korean beef stew. I use this recipe and leave out the soy sauce and sugar)
(Cassava/yucca in coconut milk with cardamom and peppers. A recipe I learned from my mother, inspired by East African coastal cooking. Details to come …)
(A very easy, tasty and comforting roast chicken)
(Chard sauteed with onions and garlic)
Bon appetit! What's on your menu this week?
Photos by yours truly, with a little VSCOcam love. Search '#mealprep' on Instagram for some more, mostly paleo inspiration. And follow me while you're there – 'lulukitololo'
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