The Paleo/Primal Meal Plan and Recipe thread!

[the_alias]

I've gotten back on board the paleo/primal train and I find as a relatively new meat eater (only for a year) I struggle a bit with recipe ideas and combinations.

This thread is intended to be a place to post meal ideas and plans.

Yesterday I had:

Breakfast: Eggs and Stomach Bacon (unsmoked)

Mid morning snack: Apple

Lunch: Organic salad + avocado + white tuna and oliveoil.

Afternoon snacked on mixed nut.

Dinner (sorta cheated here) I had quorn curry which is a NON soy based protein - comes from fungus so I figured not so bad and it had been cooked so best not to waste. Also had some tomatoes, piece of cheddar cheese and a protein drink.

Today:
Breakfast; Egg and Bacon

Lunch: I got up early and cooked chicken breast and had it with broccoli and a homemade tomato sauce.

Dinner: I've a pork cutlet to eat just need a recipe!

I'd love breakfast suggestions!

[Septimus39]

Awesome idea for a thread!

My lunch is usually a salad I've taken to calling "The Costco Salad" since almost all the ingredients are from Costco.

1-2 handfuls of Organic Spinach/Spring Mix combo
1/2 handful canned olives
1/2 handful diced onion
1/2 handful sliced almonds
1 handful Bacon crumbles
1 hard boiled egg, sliced or crumbled
1/2 handful Kerrygold Dubliner cheese, shredded
Dressing to taste

I make my own dressing, too. Here's the recipe for that one:

Ratio 2:1 of oil and vinegar, so for me, it looks like this

4oz Organic Balasamic Vinegar
8 oz Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp local, raw, unfiltered honey
1 clove organic garlic, pasted (I have a little tiny grinding plate I use that makes it sort of mush, not sure what else you'd do)
1 Tbsp organic, stone ground mustard

Shake or blend to combine and store at room temp. I use one of these: Zyliss Shaker and it means I can mix and store the dressing in the same container. Fewer dishes makes me happy. I was storing it in the fridge, but it gets real thick and goopy. Also, nothing in it really needs to be refrigerated. It's all pretty shelf-stable stuff and you'll probably go through it in no time, because it's tasty.

[the_alias]

My Generic Stew recipe:

Ingredients:
Any cut of red meat - leaner the better. Bones are also good - give more flavour
Some vegetables - Eggplant, Parsnips, Tomatoes, Sweet Potato, Carrots etc

Dice the meat up roughly into chunks.
Cut up some onions. (optional)
Heat up a dutch oven/stew pot add some olive oil or lard or animal fat or butter. Pan should be quite hot.

Add the meat first and brown it all over. Carefully remove the meat and then add the onions and w.e selection of spices you desire. Cook the onions in the fat/oil.

Now add your vegetables and fry them for a bit - 10 mins or so. Add the meat back in and then I usually add some tinned tomatoes - a bit of water and let it simmer away for around 1-2 hours.

Season how you like.

[Septimus39]

Here are some posts I've made with recipes:

http://paleogeek.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/even-more-links-and-a-re-hash-of-a-previous-recipe/

http://paleogeek.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/more-links-and-a-recipe/

http://paleogeek.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/kale-chips/

The soup and the lasagna are freaking fantastic, if I do say so myself. Not super low-carb, but carbs are definitely a very small portion of the overall calories, what with the meats and cheeses. These are things I make for the pregnant wife when she's craving the foods I don't eat anymore. Since I do the cooking, it's pretty easy to make things at least lower carb and gluten free, so I try to stick to that as a minimum.

[Septimus39]

Super handy info here on which fats to use for what, and which to avoid entirely: http://www.realfooddigest.com/complete-guide-to-fats-and-oils/

[the_alias]

I'm going to be trying the soup at somepoint for sure - looks very good.

Cooked up mushrooms today in duck fat - that was super tasty.
Lunch was griddled chicken breast, chopped broccoli and red pepper cooked in some olive oil and pesto and half an avocado as a side.

I find the BBC has a great recipe website that one can look through for paleo meals.
www.bbc.co.uk/food

[the_alias]

So one of the things I like to do is to try and buy the discounted stuff - it saves money and adds an element of 'chance' into what you pick for dinner. Tonight for example I had fish because it was on special.

[Septimus39]

Very good idea! We get grocery store deal flyers all the time, and there are sometimes some really screaming deals to be had. That's why having a freezer is so important. You find a good deal and you just stock up and freeze it all. I'm still hoping for a sale on whole organic chickens from one of our stores so I can load up on them.

[the_alias]

No more Paleo eaters out there?

I tried Plantain chips as an alternative to regular chips/crisps and they were very tasty. Will be treating myself to these everynow and then!

[Murph]

No more Paleo eaters out there?

I tried Plantain chips as an alternative to regular chips/crisps and they were very tasty. Will be treating myself to these everynow and then!

I just found that celery is a good stand in for chips for me. It's still got that crunch to it... Now if I could only get it to taste like Doritos.

[Septimus39]

Found some great paleo recipe blogs while cruising the interwebs. Here are links:

http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/

http://www.primal-palate.com/

http://fastpaleo.com/

http://www.paleoparents.com/

I just found these and haven't had a chance to make any of it yet, but just poking around a bit they all look pretty awesome. Hope it helps!

[Ripcode]

Tagged.

[the_alias]

Offal is something many paleo sites encourage you to eat - our cavemen weren't picky and ate all the animal. Indeed it is how inuits/eskimos survive on a total meat diet!

As some of you might know I'm only a recent meat eater (not even a full year yet) and I decided to try liver - not the delicacy of calf or lamb but pigs liver!

Here is the recipe:

Cook your onions over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes.

Take them out of the pot and put them on the side


Chop your liver into slices and season. Also I added a bit of flour (I know I know) but it was a tiny amount!

Fry the strips for 4-5 minutes then add back the onions and pour in some red wine


Tada an incredibly good for you meal! Wholesome and incredibly filling.

I quite liked the taste - found the sauce a bit rich after a while but the liver was ok. Reminded me actually of the veggie quorn stuff I used to eat

[Septimus39]

Looks pretty good! There are a few paleo staples i still haven't been able to get into my diet very often at all. Organ meat is one of them, and fermented foods is another. I really need to make more of an effort to do that, and this recipe sounds like a great way to get started. Thanks!

[Septimus39]

These sound amazing: http://glutenfreefix.com/bacon-wrapped-pineapple-bites/553/ I think I might have to make them sometime very soon.

Also thinking these could be pretty good: http://glutenfreefix.com/sweet-n-sour-meatballs/2223/

I'll try them soon and report back.

[Septimus39]

These also sound crazy good: http://www.health-bent.com/pork/paleo-bacon-wrapped-sweet-potato-fries

Really liking that whole blog, actually. Definitely going to source some recipes from them.

http://www.health-bent.com/pork/paleo-breakfast-casserole

http://www.health-bent.com/snacks/paleo-bacon-egg-biscuit

http://www.health-bent.com/sides/twice-baked-sweet-potatoes

I just keep finding more stuff I want to eat and each one sounds better than the last. This guy's paleo philosophy is also right up my alley, which I like. Hope you guys enjoy these as much as I'm planning to!

[Fenris]

I've been trying Primal for awhile, but can't say I've entirely made the switch. Bacon abd egg breakfasts with a side of carrots or broccoli is where its at though!

I tend to make rumaki about once a week. (those bacons wrapped bits of goodness.usually with stew meat or beef liver as the filling, with bell pepper, onion, or water chestnut to give it crunch. Bacon, shrimp, and pinapple or water chestnut is also awesome!)

I've heard that asparagus wrapped in bacon is wonderful too.

For frying your liver, perhaps coconut flour or quinoa would be preferable to wheat flour?

-Fenris-

Woops, forgot to mention, http://www.marksdailyapple.com is a paleo site I visit daily.

[Chantrea]

I lean towards Paleo but not strictly so.

That being said, my favorite comfort food at the moment is doing a pork shoulder (with minced garlic, onion, a little salt and pepper, mexican oregano, a couple of bay leaves, a bit of mild vinegar) in a slow cooker for about 5-6 hours, shred it once cooked, squeeze a couple of lime slices over it, and top my bowl with a couple of slices of avocado. If you do a big roast, you can use the leftovers in a salad or with eggs for breakfast of whatever. I think it tastes even better next-day. I don't remember where I wrote this down from but it was a paleo site of some kind.

[Fenris]

Oh my goddess, Chantrea, that sounds wonderful...

-Fenris-

[ninja-elbow]

Yum Nuea - spicy beef salad (Thai)

Cut of beef, steak style, to be grilled - I rub it with salt and garlic powder
lettuce, Romaine or red is my favorite, cut up as to be a salad
onion, both kinds - spring and sliced up bulb
for color - peppers, tomatoes, ... whatever you want
1/8 cup fish sauce (appx)
1/8 cup lime juice (appx)
red pepper flakes

Grill beef. Mix salad. Slice up beef nice and thin and add to salad (after it cools). Add dressing (and red pepper to taste) and toss (with your hands to be awesome). Normally served with a bit of rice but that can be omitted.

[ninja-elbow]

Green papaya salad - ubiquitous SE Asian dish

The hardest part - shredded green papya. I'm lucky that I have a good Asian community and shredded green papaya can be bought in bulk, and my Mother taught me to make this stuff in the restaurant. Get a green papaya.
fish sauce
lime juice
handful of chopped and realy krispy green beans (optional)
some thin sliced tomatoes (optional but recomended)
dried shrimp or salted crab (optional - I love dried shrimp)
red pepper flakes
omit peanuts and sugar

Mix first 3 ingredients and you have your base "salad". Add the other stuff depending on taste and presentation. I like the tomatos though I am allergic to fresh fruit, so I add enough for color. I love to have the dreid shrimp on top with a ton fo red pepper flakes. I REALLY love to eat this with SE Asian "beef jerky" which is just dried beef (in the sun) that is then fried in hot oil prior to serving.

[Septimus39]

Hey everyone! I figured I'd post this up here, since it seems an appropriate venue. I contacted Mountain house to ask them about allergens in their meals, and they sent me a full list of ingredients for all of their products. I won't post everything (the full list is 8 pages) but I'll post the things that might be at least sort of paleo/primal friendly. I'm mainly trying to avoid wheat with this list, so these might still have some sugar, starch, beans, dairy and soy in them. Everything will likely have some artificial ingredients, more salt than you'd like, etc. This is not going to be great paleo/primal food, but it might be good enough for camping or for emergencies. Use your best judgement.

Seafood Chowder (53143, 30143):
INGREDIENTS: Cooked Clams and Clam Juice, Potatoes, Cream, Onions, Nonfat Dry Milk, Pacific Shrimp, Celery, and Contains 2% Or Less Of The Following: Modified Corn Starch, Butter (cream), Salt, Yeast Extract, Maltodextrin, Worcestershire Sauce (distilled vinegar, molasses, corn syrup, caramel color, sugar, anchovies, tamarind), Cultured Whey, Spices, Corn Oil, Onion Powder, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Potato Starch, Safflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Calcium Disodium EDTA.
CONTAINS: Clams, Milk, Shrimp, Anchovy.

Mexican Style Rice & Chicken (53144):
INGREDIENTS: Kidney Beans, Tomato Puree, Cooked Chicken, Instant Brown Rice, and contains 2% or Less of Black Olives, Green Peppers, Seasoning (spices, hydrolyzed soy protein & safflower oil, dextrose, onion powder, maltodextrin, beef fat flavor, nonfat dry milk, caramel color, spice extractive, turmeric extractive), Red Peppers, Modified Cornstarch, Dried Chicken Broth, Onions, Chicken Fat, Chili Powder (chili pepper, spices, garlic powder), Salt, Sugar, Jalapeno Pepper Powder, and Red Pepper Powder.
CONTAINS: Soy, Milk.

Potatoes & Cheese with Broccoli (53162):
INGREDIENTS: Potato Flakes, Cheese Blend (cheddar, granular & blue cheeses [milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], buttermilk solids, whey and whey protein concentrate, maltodextrin, butter, salt, sodium phosphate, citric acid, sunflower, lactose, modified corn starch, enzyme modified cheddar cheese powder [cheddar cheese{milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, calcium chloride, nonfat dry milk, disodium phoshate}, natural flavors, modified corn starch], mono & diclycerides, natural flavors, lactic acid, yellow No 5, yellow No 6, sodium acid pyrophoshate), Nonfat Dry Milk, Maltodextrin, Milk Protein, Broccoli, Onions, Butter Flavor (modified corn starch , whey solids, nonfat dry milk, dehydrated butter, natural butter flavor, salt, sugar, xanthan gum, lactic acid, tumeric and annatto [for color]).
CONTAINS: Milk.

Chicken and White Bean Chili (53199):
Freeze Dried Chili: Chicken White Meat, Onions, Diced Tomatoes (tomatoes, tomato juice, calcium chloride, citric acid), Tomatillos, Chili Peppers, Sour Cream (grade A cultured cream, milk, whey, modified food starch, sodium phosphate, guar gum, carrageenan, calcium sulfate and locust bean gum, active cultures: Lactococcus cremoris, Leuconostoc cremoris, Lactococcus lactis), White Wine, Green and Red Bell Peppers, and contains 2% or less of: Jalapenos, Modified Corn Starch, Spices, Garlic Puree (garlic, high maltose corn syrup), Ancho Chili Powder, Lemon Juice Powder (corn syrup solids, lemon juice solids, natural flavors), Tartaric Acid, Sugar, Disodium Inosinate, Orange Peel, Citric Acid.
Freeze Dried Great Northern Beans: Great Northern Beans, Salt.
CONTAINS: Milk

Scrambled Eggs with Bacon (53447, 30447):
INGREDIENTS: Freeze Dried Precooked Scrambled Eggs: (whole eggs, egg yolks, nonfat dry milk, modified corn starch, corn oil, salt, yeast extact, sunflower oil and smoke flavor, xanthan gum).
Freeze Dried Bacon: Bacon (cured with water, salt, sugar, sodium phosphates, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, and smoke flavor).
CONTAINS: Eggs, Milk.

Scrambled Eggs with Ham and Red & Green Peppers (53425, 30425):
INGREDIENTS: Freeze-Dried Precooked Scrambled Eggs: (whole eggs, egg yolks, nonfat dry milk, modified corn starch, corn oil, salt, yeast extract, sunflower oil and smoke flavor, xanthan gum).
Freeze Dried Ham: (ham, salt, dextrose, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium erythorbate, smoke flavor, sodium nitrite), Freeze Dried Red and Green Peppers.
CONTAINS: Egg, Milk.

Raw Egg Mix – Butter Flavored (30431):
INGREDIENTS: Whole Eggs, Nonfat Dry Milk, Salt, Butter Flavor (propylene glycol, and natural flavor). - Requires Cooking
CONTAINS: Egg, Milk.

Sliced Strawberries:
INGREDIENTS: Freeze dried strawberries.

Sliced Bananas:
INGREDIENTS: Freeze dried bananas.

Diced Beef (30122):
INGREDIENTS: Cooked Beef (beef, salt, natural flavor).

Diced Chicken (30142):
INGREDIENTS: Chicken Meat, and Salt.

Ground Beef (30227):
INGREDIENTS: Beef, Flavoring, and Salt.

Garden Green Peas (53305, 30305):
INGREDIENTS: Peas and Salt.

Garden Green Beans (53306, 30306):
INGREDIENTS: Green Beans.

Buffalo Style Chicken (53116):
INGREDIENTS: Cooked Chicken White Meat, Hot Sauce (distilled vinegar, aged cayenne red peppers, salt, canola oil, paprika, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate [as a preservative], natural butter type flavor and garlic powder), Cream Cheese (pasteurized milk and cream, cheese culture, salt carob bean gum), Modified Corn Starch, Natural Flavors (contains partially hydrogenated soybean oil).
CONTAINS: Milk, Soy.

Chicken Fajita Filling (53182):
INGREDIENTS: *Seasoned Chicken White Meat (chicken breast meat with rib meat, seasoning [maltodextrin {corn, potato tapioca}, spices, salt, garlic powder, yeast extract, carrageenan, paprika, onion powder, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, tapioca dextrin, modified corn starch, natural and artificial flavors, inactivated yeast, chicken powder, grill flavor {from sunflower oil}, dehydrated chicken broth, chicken fat, trehalose, smoke flavor, and less than 2% silicon dioxide and soybean oil aded as processing aids], modified food starch, sodium phosphate), * Red and Green Bell Peppers, Black Beans, * Yellow Onions, Seasoning Packet (spices, salt, dehydrated onion, dehydrated garlic, tomato powder, chipotle pepper, sugar, torula yeast, maltodextrin, paprika, grill flavor [from partially hydrogenated soybean/cottonseed oil], modified food starch, soybean oil, corn syrup solids, lemon juice solids, citric acid, natural flavor, BHA, and no more than 2% silicon dioxide to prevent caking). *Freeze Dried
CONTAINS: Soy.

Chicken Salad (53183):
INGREDIENTS: *Cooked Chicken White Meat, Seasoning Blend, (high oleic sunflower oil, buttermilk, whey, maltodextrin, salt, dijon mustard [distilled vinegar, mustard, white wine, citric acid, tartaric acid and spices], modified corn starch, onion, natural flavor, xanthan gum, vinegar powder, chives, sugar, spices, citric acid disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate and less than 2% sunflower oil added to prevent caking), Roasted Pumpkin Seeds [pumpkin kernels, soybean oil and/or cottonseed oil], *Sliced Cranberries, *Red Onions. * Freeze Dried
CONTAINS: Milk, Soy.

Hope it helps!

[ninja-elbow]

Roxxors, my fiance, has Celiac's. All packages of MH hae listed on them what allergens exist in them; right under the ingredients.
Will say:
Contains milk, wheat, nuts...

or whatever.

This summer I am experimenting with buying #10 cans for my stock and making my own "trail meals" from that stock.