Paleo diet primal weekly planning meal planning recipes-min

What Sundays Are All About

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With a bit of planning and organisation at the weekend, the entire week of Paleo meals can be planned, ingredients bought and almost all of the cooking done, leaving your weekdays easy and stress free.

Being organised like this is not only a far cheaper way of following your Paleo diet, but it also ensures you won’t come unstuck in the week – when a lack of time and imagination would otherwise make it far harder to make the right food choices.

Step One: The Weekly Planner

Are you going to be home every evening? Do you have friends over? Have you been invited out to dinner? Write out a plan of the upcoming week and work out how many breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks you will need.

Now it’s time to hit the recipe books for inspiration and decide what you would like to eat everyday! Bear in mind if you cook a large portion of a dinner recipe, you can either freeze the remainder to enjoy another day, or you can use it for lunch, or breakfast the following day.

If you have cooking facilities at lunchtimes, it’s a great idea to do some batch cooking, so you can have a quick, hot Paleo meal every lunchtime – with no cooking required

Paleo diet primal weekly planning meal planning recipes-min

Step Two: The Ingredients

Once you’ve decided on your weekly Paleo meal planner, you can make a list of all of the ingredients you need to buy and head to your local farmers market, butchers and grocery store/ supermarket to buy everything you need. No more shopping required for another week or two! It’s good to be flexible and prepared to swap ingredients, for example where certain vegetables are in season or on sale.

Step Three: Cooking & Preparation

Once you have your Paleo ingredients, recipes and weekly planner on hand, it’s time to get cooking! You can cook up big batches of one-pot recipes, such as soups, stews, casseroles and curries as these will freeze easily, ready to be reheated when you need them for lunches or dinners.

Many breakfasts, such as egg muffins can be cooked in advance and stored in the fridge for a quick grab and go breakfast.

You can also prepare vegetables in advance, ready to blanch, eat raw or throw in the steamer for the week’s dinners.

Step Four: Overcoming Potential Difficulties

This is also a good opportunity to call ahead any restaurants you may be visiting next week – or looking up their menu online. This way you can work out which Paleo options are available, or contact the restaurant directly and see how they can help.

What is your weekly routine? Do you spend time at the weekend planning for the week ahead?

Translating Paleo Cooking Terms-min

Translating Paleo Cooking Terms

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The first time I went to America, I was confused. The restaurant menus all had pages of entrée’s, but no main courses. Fortunately before too long, I realised entrée is American for main course, not a starter course, as I am used to the word. I was also excited to try a new herb I had read about in lots of cooking blogs, cilantro – before I found out it is just another was of describing coriander.

As a Brit, living in Australia, reading lots of American Paleo Diet blogs and books, I've noticed a lot of cooking and food terms with completely different names. Australian terms seem to be mainly British, but often American – and sometimes different again. The list below shows the most common terms on which our terms differ, not all Paleo related, but hopefully useful all the same:

American British English Australian
Appetizer Starter Starter
Entrée Main Course Main Course
Dessert Pudding/ Sweet/ Afters Dessert
Broiler Grill Grill
Grilling Barbecuing Barbecuing
Canned Tinned Tinned
Eggplant Aubergine Eggplant
Zucchini Courgette Zucchini
Argula Rocket Rocket
Rutbaga Swede/ Turnip Swede
Bell Pepper Pepper Capsicum
Cilantro Coriander Coriander
Ground Mince Minced Meat Minced Meat
Pork Rinds Pork Scratchings Crackling
Jello Jelly Jam
Fries Chips Hot Chips
Chips Crisps Chips
Parchment Paper Greaseproof Paper Greaseproof Paper
Stove Hob Hob
Crock Pot Slow Cooker Slow Cooker
Plastic Wrap Clingfilm Gladwrap
Candy Sweets Lollies
Licquor Store Off Licence Bottle Shop (AKA Bottlo!)
Popsicle Ice Lolly Ice Lolly

Of course, in addition to the different terms, American recipes use imperial measurements (pounds, ounces, tablespoons and Fahrenheit), Australian recipes are metric (grams, millilitres and centigrade) and British recipes never quite seem to be able to decide if they should embrace the metric system, or stick to the traditional imperial measurements.

I'm sure there are many more, so please share the terms that have confused you, or that you have recently discovered, in the comments below. And if you’re in New Zealand – which versions of the terms do you use, mainly Australian, or a completely different term?

Translating Paleo Cooking Terms-min

Moroccan Pork & Dressing paleo lunch recipe-min

Paleo Lunch Recipe: Moroccan Pork & Dressing

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Further to her guest post yesterday, Stormy Sweitzer, owner of Maoomba, the Real Food for Active Lives blog, and author of Paleo Power Lunch: Easy, Filling & Delicious Workday Meal Strategies, has very kindly shared one of the recipes from her book.

This is the lunch that started it all. In the dead of winter, wanting something colorful to go with a leftover pork chop, I threw it together with a handful of berries, seeds, and avocado. It’s earthy, but light. Add a handful of raw mushrooms for more vegetables.

Moroccan Pork & Dressing
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Moroccan
Print
Ingredients
Pork
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 3 ounces pan-fried pork loin chop, sliced
  • ½ avocado, cut into chunks
  • ½ cup fresh blackberries
  • 2 Tbsp raw pepitas
Dressing
  • ⅓ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 tsp dry mustard powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • Black pepper to taste
  • ½ cup avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp chives, chopped
Instructions
Pork
  1. Layer all ingredients in a lunch-sized food storage container.
  2. Pack 3 Tbsp Creamy Lemon Chive Dressing in a separate container.
  3. Paleo Diet Lunch Recipe
Dressing
  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender, except oil and chives.
  2. Slowly drizzle in the oil while the blender is going.
  3. Stir in chives when done.

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For more Paleo lunch recipes and strategies, check out the Paleo Power Lunch book.
Moroccan Pork & Dressing paleo lunch recipe-min

Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe paleo diet dinner lunch spaghetti-min

Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe

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As I wrote about yesterday, I'm currently trying to avoid tomatoes and undertake a low-salicylate Paleo diet. I usually use a lot of tomatoes in my cooking, as they are a great base for sauces and meals. My favourite dishes, ragu, bolognese and chilli all use lots of tomatoes, so I've been experimenting to find an alternative.

Since tomatoes are a nightshade, this recipe will be helpful to those avoiding nightshades too. I've also just realized that tomatoes have quadrupled in price in the last few months – so this is also good for the budget!

I used carrots and beetroot to make the “tomato” sauce, which I then used exactly as I would a real tomato sauce with the rest of the ingredients in this bolognese. I'm not that keen on beetroot on it’s own but in this dish with all of the other flavours, it was a great addition.

Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe
Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Print
If you avoid salicylates or just don't tollerate tomatoes very well, this tomato-free bolognese recipe will meet your needs for a tomato based sauce - but without the tomatoes! It tastes great, and LOOKS very tomatoey!
Ingredients
  • Carrots (I used about 9)
  • Beetroot (I used 4)
  • Leek, diced
  • 3 diced onions
  • Parsnip
  • 7 mushrooms, sliced
  • Pork mince (500g)
  • Beef mince (500g)
  • Coconut oil
  • Coconut aminos
  • Garlic powder
  • Oregano
  • Cinnamon
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Ground chilli
  • Salt & Pepper
Instructions
  1. I peeled and roughly chopped the carrots, beetroot & parsnip and added them to a large pan of boiling water
  2. Meanwhile, in another pan I sautéed the onions in some coconut oil until they turned translucent
  3. Next, I added the mince and a splash of coconut aminos
  4. Once the meat had all browned, I added the leek, mushrooms and a small amount of each of the herbs and spices (I don’t use very much, but adjust according to how hot you like it – and how little you like beetroot!)
  5. I allowed the meat mixture to simmer on a low heat, stirring regularly, and adding water from the carrot & beetroot pan as it dried out
  6. Once the carrots and beetroot's started to soften, I turned the heat off and puréed in the blender
  7. With the tomato-free “tomato sauce” ready, I added it to the meat pan and allowed it to simmer for a few minutes before serving

If you have any suggestions for alternatives to tomatoes, please share in the comments below…

Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe paleo diet dinner lunch spaghetti-min

Coconut-Oil-Spray-Whats-The-Point-paleo-diet

Coconut Oil Spray – What’s The Point?

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Initially I was really impressed when I saw Coconut Oil Spray for the first time in Coles, my local grocery store.

But on reflection, Coconut Oil spray seems to be a bit of an oxymoron, don’t you think?

Why Spray Cans?

Spray cans of cooking oil became popular to enable the low-fat brigade to cook in as little oil as possible. The spray tin enables you to coat the bottom of the pan, using far less oil than you’d use if you poured it in. But we've moved on from low-fat, haven’t we? Chances are, given that you’re reading this blog, you’re careful to incorporate decent amounts of fat in your diet. Coconut oil is probably the most popular cooking oil amongst those who follow a Paleo diet. Most of my Paleo friends will use generous amounts of coconut oil in their cooking – and then pour the oil from the pan onto their plate when they've finished. You can’t so this with a spray can of coconut oil!

Added Ingredients?

The ingredients also include butane and propane which are obviously required to enable to spray mechanism to work – but I wonder if this has any impact on the oil – and whether there is any residue in the oil when it makes it onto your plate? Another reason I’d prefer to spoon my pure coconut oil straight into the pan, and not take the chance that any of the propellants come into contact with my food. The cans are also highly flammable, another plus for the humble jar of coconut oil!

Coconut-Oil-Spray-Whats-The-Point-paleo-diet

Who Buys It?

I find it odd that this particular store only stocks the spray and not the oil in normal jar form (my other local supermarket, Woolworths, stocks jars of coconut oil, but not the spray, which is far more useful). Given the choice, I'm sure almost everyone would opt for a jar of coconut oil, rather than the spray?

I can’t really see who the coconut oil spray is aimed at. Compared to the nasty seed oil sprays, it’s far higher in fat (this is a good thing); surely the conventional wisdom junkies would steer clear? And of course those of us in the know about coconut oil would find the small delivery of coconut oil frustrating? So who is it for? Answers in the comments, if you can offer some suggestions…

I can see that the can is convenient – but a jar of coconut oil and a spoon is hardly inconvenient?

Would you use Coconut Oil in spray form? I’d also be interested to read your comments (below) as to whether coconut spray is widely available where you live too?

Paleo kombucha recipe scoby brew ferment fermented-min

Kombucha Recipe

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Kombucha is a fermented tea drink that is full of good bacteria – so great for your digestive system. It's really easy to make too…

Ingredients: –

• 3 litres of distilled water
• 125g Sugar
• 4 tea bags (try Pekoe, Oolong, Black or Green)
• Kombucha mushroom (also known as a Scoby) – buy this dehydrated or find a friend who can give you some!

Paleo kombucha recipe scoby brew ferment fermented-min

Kombucha Method: –

1. If your Scoby is dehydrated, rehydrate it (this may take some time)
2. Boil water and reduce to a simmer; add sugar and tea bags.
3. Steep the tea for a few minutes, remove the tea bags and leave the tea to cool to room temperature
4. Add to Scoby and cover the container (but make sure it isn't air tight)
5. Leave the mixture for five days to a month somewhere warm (not in direct sunight)
6. It's up to you when it's ready to drink! Either test for a pH of 2.6 – 4.0 with testing strips, or try it! The longer it brews for, the lower the sugar content.
7. You can use the film that has developed on top of the liquid to cultivate a new Scoby.

Have you tried Kombucha? I'd love to hear what you think of it – and if you make it in the same way I do?

80 paleo breakfast ideas primal diet network suggestions recipes-min

80 Paleo Breakfast Ideas

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If it wasn't for struggling to come up with different Paleo Breakfast Ideas, I'm sure more people would make the transition over to Paleo. Unfortunately, Breakfast seems to be associated with cereal, toast, bagels, crumpets and sugar laden foods.

Breakfast doesn't have to equal grains! tweet this quote

I think a lot of people also get stuck in a breakfast rut making the same dish every day. Well, it’s time to break it up – try something new for breakfast tomorrow!

My biggest tip is to get used to seeing breakfast as fuel – it’s just another meal! And who wants to start the day off with a big sugar crash?

80 paleo breakfast ideas primal diet network suggestions recipes-min

I've come up with lots of great Paleo Breakfast Ideas for whatever your Paleo situation (no time, dislike eggs, want to drink breakfast, child friendly, SAD substitutes, vegetarian/ vegan or keen to impress) – there are certainly lots of options.

To prove the point, here is a HUGE list of 80 Paleo Breakfast Ideas to inspire you. And if you want even MORE, check out my very own Paleo Breakfast Recipe book, with over 100 pages of beautifully photographed step-by-step recipes.

Easy Paleo Breakfast Ideas

Here are some Paleo Breakfast Ideas for when you have a little bit of time in the morning:

1. Bacon, eggs, avocado, mushrooms & tomato

2. An omelette with your choice of meat, vegetables and of course – egg yolks as well as whites

3. Make a frittata with your favourite veggies, meats and cheese (if you’re more Primal than Paleo)

4. There’s nothing like steak and eggs for breakfast!

5. For a nutritionally dense Paleo Breakfast Idea, chop up chicken liver and scramble with eggs, mushroom, onions and capsicum (bell peppers)

6. Scrambled eggs mixed with diced bacon and avocado (my personal favourite!)

7. Soft boiled eggs and wilted spinach

8. Lots of nations wake up to soup – make a soup with bone broth – or try coconut milk and leftover meat and veggies

9. Sweet potato, sardines and a poached egg

10. Try substitution bacon for skirt steak and serve with pumpkin

11. Bake an egg in an avocado

12. Bone broth with an egg whisked in

13. Smoked salmon and fried eggs for a great protein boast

14. Smoked haddock with poached eggs and wilted spinach

No Time?

When you need a good, quick Paleo Breakfast and have no time to cook and prepare, here are some fast ideas:

15. Paleo Breakfast Casserole – the night before put your choice of ingredients in your slow cooker – and wake up to an instant hot breakfast

16. Egg muffins – cook these up with your favourite veggies and meat in a big batch – and help yourself from the fridge all week

17. Make up a batch of salmon and zucchini croquettes to dig into all week

18. Black Coffee

19. Got a couple of minutes? Scramble an egg in a mug in the microwave

20. The day before, roast some sweet potatoes, and some chicken and have waiting in a container ready for breakfast

21. Make up a breakfast salad the night before with nuts, olives, avocado – and dress with extra virgin olive oil to serve

Grab & Go/ Travel

With no time to eat at home, these are some Paleo Breakfast ideas you can have on the go, eat on the road or perhaps at work.

22. Take a can of tuna/ mackerel/ kippers/ sardines and some pre-cut raw veggies

23. Make a Paleo trail mix with your favourite nuts and dried fruit

24. There’s nothing wrong with beef jerky for breakfast!

25. Hard boiled eggs travel well and can be prepared in advance

26. Make a BLT sandwich using capsicum (bell pepper) as the “bread”

27. Coconut yoghurt

28. Take a halved avocado and a spoon

29. Pork scratchings/ crackling/ rind (whatever you like to call it!)

30. Make up nut balls with nuts, seeds, spices and coconut oil and store in the fridge

SAD Substitutes

If you’re missing your old SAD breakfasts, there’s a Paleo Diet grain-free equivalent for almost everything…

31. Make a Paleo cereal with your favourite nuts, berries and seeds in a bowls of almond milk

32. Or try a Paleo cereal using dried fruit, seeds and nuts and serve with coconut milk and a pinch of cinnamon

33. Paleo granola can be made up from your choice of nuts and served with coconut milk

34. Make up banana bread with almond meal – and bananas!

35. A coconut muesli with nuts, seeds and coconut flakes served in coconut milk

36. Make up a noatmeal – or a Paleo porridge substitute using ground nuts, seeds, eggs and coconut milk

The Paleo Recipe Book

Leftovers

These deserve their own category! Make sure you cook up extra dinner the night before – and you have a ready made breakfast. What’s wrong with steak for breakfast? tweet this quote

37. Sauté onions and mushrooms – and last nights leftover meat and serve over poached eggs

Something Fancy

If you have the time, there are some great Paleo Breakfast Ideas that are perfect for an occasional treat. I very rarely use nuts and nut flours, but they are great for special occasions – and especially good for showing your SAD friends just what is possible when you go grain-free:

38. Paleo pancakes with almond meal take a bit more time, but are well worth the effort

39. Or try sweet potato pancakes

40. Waffles can be made with coconut flour or almond meal and served with a berry sauce

41. A Paleo NoOatmeal is far better than the SAD equivalent and can be prepared the night before, and cooked up in the morning

42. Raspberry Crepes made with coconut flour or almond meal served with fresh raspberries & whipped coconut cream – and a pinch of cinnamon

43. Scotch eggs; coat hard-boiled eggs in Paleo Sausage mixture, cover in almond meal and baked – amazing with poached eggs

44. A Paleo platter with a selection of fruits, cold meats, pickles, olives, sun-dried tomatoes & blanched veggies

45. Make bacon baskets using a cake case as a mould and bake eggs in them

46. My salmon burgers

47. Stuff capsicum (bell peppers) with salmon, mushroom and tomato and top with pine nuts

48. Sliced onion wrapped with smoked salmon on a bed of lettuce

49. Your favourite seafood & veggies

50. Serve scrambled eggs in an orange half

No Eggs!

It’s easy to make every Paleo Breakfast include eggs – and it can be easy to get fed up of eggs! Here are some egg free Paleo Breakfast Ideas:

51. Kippers and dried figs

52. Paleo Sausages and kimchi

53. Pan fried zuchinni served with guacamole

54. Stuffed portabello mushrooms

55. Sautéed minced (ground) beef, greens, onions and carrots

56. Sausages with sauerkraut & stir fried veggies

57. Trout with mushrooms and tomato

58. Fry kidneys and serve with broccoli

all without eggs!

Intermittent Fasting for Breakfast?

Since I've been Paleo, I quite often skip breakfast altogether – have you tried skipping breakfast?

Eat Stop Eat

Paleo Breakfasts For Kids (and big Kids alike!)

If your family has recently gone Paleo, here are a few suggestions your children and toddlers will love!

59. Egg & roasted vegetable soldiers

60. Make berry muffins with eggs, coconut flour, nuts and berries

61. Raw or blanched veggies served with nut butter, guacamole and salsa dips

Paleo Vegetarian/ Vegan Options

If you still can’t face meat in the morning, how about these ideas? Or you could always try a smoothie!

62. Poached eggs and sweet potato (or even yam) hash browns

63. Sauté some greens, squeeze on some lemon and add an egg

64. Fry eggs in a capsicum (bell pepper) ring or onion ring

65. Steamed broccoli with sweet potatoes

66. Mash up a hard-boiled egg with avocado

67. Try scrambling eggs with mushrooms, onions and a home-made tomato salsa

Fruit Friendly?

It’s common to minimise fruit intake on a Paleo Diet, due to it’s high fructose content. If you're targeting weight loss, it can be a good idea to minimise fruit and nuts. However, if you’re all for fruit, here are some fruity Paleo Breakfast Ideas. Remember berries have a lower fructose content and are loaded with antioxidants.

68. A nice simple fruit salad – served with whipped coconut cream

69. Even easier – a piece of fruit and a few berries

70. Make a warm fruit custard with eggs & coconut milk on the stove, nutmeg, cinnamon, berries a banana and some nuts

71. Chop up a kiwi fruit in coconut cream (or heavy cream if you do dairy too)

72. Wrap cubes of melon in prosciutto

Primal Breakfast Ideas

If your diet is more Primal than Paleo and you include some dairy, here are a few Primal Breakfast ideas for you.

73. Greek yoghurt with nuts, berries and your favourite spices

74. Apple and cheese is a winning combination!

75. Try the paleo cereal suggestions in raw milk instead of coconut

76. Bacon and tomato wrapped in cheese and lettuce wraps

Drinkable Breakfasts

A nice alternative – or something hand to have on the go is a smoothie or shake. There are some good options. Make sure you add in fat, perhaps an avocado or some coconut oil and enjoy your breakfast drink!

77. Green smoothies; try adding in Kale and spinach for a vitamin boast

78. Make an anti-oxidant berry smoothie with coconut milk

79. A veggie juice with coconut milk, carrots, broccoli and celery

80. A banana smoothie made with frozen bananas , coconut milk and almond butter

I hope I've given you some inspiration! If you're after even more, please check out my very own recipe book, the Paleo Breakfast Recipe Book with a recipe to suit every single paleo breakfast situation! I’d love to hear your favourite Paleo Breakfast Ideas in the comments below! What's on your menu?

7-Day Paleo Diet Menu Plan-min

7-Day Paleo Diet Menu Plan

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I've got a friend coming to stay next week, so I've planned a 7-day Paleo Menu Plan to showcase my Paleo diet. It’s all too easy to eat similar meals over and over, so I'm looking forward to a week of lots of variety. I'm going to over-make everything, so I have lots of left-overs to freeze and enjoy again later.

I've just written my first recipe book on Paleo Breakfasts, so will be showcasing some fantastic, but also quick and easy breakfast recipes on my menu plan!

So this is my Menu Plan for my week of Paleo meals:

Monday

Breakfast: 

Paleo Salmon Burgers

Lunch:

Blanched veggies with guacamole and nut butter dips

Dinner:

Chicken and Vegetable Kebabs

Snack:

Macadamia Nuts

 

Tuesday

Breakfast:

NoOatmeal

Lunch:

Big Salad with tuna, eggs, nuts, leaves, tomatos, olives, avocado, capsicum and extra virgin olive oil

Dinner:

Lamb-chops, Roasted Parsnips, Onions and pumpkin

Wednesday

Breakfast:

Bacon, Eggs and Avocado

Lunch:

Turkey Nori-wraps

 

Dinner:

Porterhouse Steak, Egg, Mushrooms and greens

Dessert:

Paleo Ice Cream

Thursday

Breakfast:

Egg Muffins

Lunch:

Capsicum ham sandwiches (using flat-cut capsicum for the “bread”)

Dinner:

Tuna, Asparagus and Cauliflower Rice

Snack:

Jerky

7-Day Paleo Diet Menu Plan-min

Friday

Breakfast:

Red onion, ham and mushroom omelette

Lunch:

Paleo chilli with zucchini noodles

Dinner:

Paleo Pizza

Dessert:

Strawberries dipped in dark chocolate

Saturday

Breakfast:

Paleo Pancakes with Berry Sauce

Lunch:

Chicken Soup with side salad

Dinner:

Barbecue with selection of meats and salads

Drink:

Glass of red wine

Sunday

Brunch:

Full English Breakfast (eggs, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, sautéed sweet potato, home-made tomato relish, Paleo sausages)

Dinner:

Sunday Roast; Roast beef, sweet potatoes, home-made gravy, broccoli and carrots

Dessert:

Coconut Yoghurt

What do you think of my proposed Menu Plan? I’d love to hear your favourite Paleo dishes! Do you create a weekly Paleo meal Plan?

Paleo Breakfast Salmon Burgers recipe mushrooms-min

Paleo Breakfast: Salmon Burgers Recipe

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I've been trying out lots and lots of new ideas for Paleo Breakfast Recipes (more on that soon!) and was particularly pleased with Sunday's creation. I could eat eggs every day, but I know a lot of people get fed up with eggs – and believe it or not bacon, so this Recipe is something different.

For more breakfast recipes, check out my brand new Paleo Breakfast Recipe Book – I hope you love it as much as I do!

With just three “main” ingredients, it couldn't be much easier to make either.

Ingredients: –

Two large Portabella mushrooms
Two large tomatoes (as close in size to the mushrooms as possible)
Salmon (I used two pieces from the fishmongers, about 500g)
Coconut Oil
Salt (I used Celtic seat salt)
Fresh Lime
Paprika

Method: –

• I preheated the oven to 200C (400F) whilst I washed the tomatoes and mushrooms.

• I cut the stalks off the mushrooms – carefully – and set them aside (to add to a batch of Paleo Chilli; waste not want not)

• I then cut the mushrooms into two slices. Once I’d cut off the top and bottom, I cut the tomatoes into four slices each.

• I had intended to use a biscuit cutter, but I actually found it easier to use a large glass (similar in diameter to the mushrooms), to cut 8 rings out of the salmon.

• I arranged the mushrooms, tomatoes and salmon onto a baking tray and brushed with coconut oil, then topped with a little salt.

• I cooked for about ten minutes, then assembled the burgers, starting with the bottom slice of the mushroom, alternating the tomato and salmon – and ending with the mushroom top.

• I served with a squeeze of lime, a pinch of paprika (and some spinach leaves).

This was a really simple breakfast to make, but looked impressive and was very filling.

If you give it a try, I’d love to hear what you think of the Recipe, below! What do you think about fish for breakfast?

Paleo Breakfast Salmon Burgers recipe mushrooms-min

21 Paleo Diet Lunch Ideas Primal Paleo Network recipes-min

21 Paleo Lunch Ideas

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I've had a few emails in the last couple of weeks asking for Paleo lunch ideas, so I thought I’d make some suggestions in this blog post. I've also written the “Paleo Lunch Recipe Book“, so take a look if you'd like lots of lunch recipes to brighten up your lunchtimes!

21 Paleo Diet Lunch Ideas Primal Paleo Network-min

Here are 21 suggestions that you can mix and match to come up with an unlimited variety of Paleo lunches:

1.  Make kebabs with your choice of meat and vegetables on sticks. Easy finger food and delicious cold.

2.  Take in cold meat and veggies – and pour over a hot bone broth from a thermos just before serving.

3.  A big salad with your favourite meat, avocado, eggs, leaves, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Keep the dressing and “crunchy” ingredients separate and mix them together just before you eat. Try extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice or mashed up avocado for the dressing.

4.  Olives

5.  Lettuce wraps – instead of bread, use lettuce to wrap your sandwich filling

6.  Invest in a good thermos/ flask and bring in a hot, ready to eat soup, chilli or stew

7.  Bag up last nights leftovers

8.  Make up a crustless quiche or fritella

9.  Blanch some veggies

10. Make up nori wraps with your favourite meats and vegetables

11. Raw veggies with a almond butter or guacamole dip

12. Breadless sandwiches using cold meat or flat capsicum (bell pepper) for the “bread”

13. Hard boiled eggs

The Paleo Recipe Book
14. An avocado and a spoon

15. Beef – or even kangaroo jerky (make your own to make sure it’s Paleo)

16. Cold cuts of roast meat

17. Mashed sweet potato, pumpkin or parsnip

18. Make a batch of egg muffins with your favourite ingredients

19. Make a trail mix with nuts, shredded coconut and jerky

20. Take in frozen prawns/ shrimps, which should be nicely chilled by the time lunch comes round

21. Or you could take it as an opportunity to Intermittently Fast…

Try buying a bento box with lots of small compartments to encourage lots of variety in your lunch.

Reheat?

If you've got access to a fridge and microwave as a minimum, your options are numerous. You can make batches of stews, soups, Paleo chilli or casseroles, freeze them and simply reheat at lunchtimes. A microwave enables you to reheat last nights leftovers – or even cook a sweet potato.

Buying Lunch

Food courts, café's and restaurants all provide Paleo options, especially where you’re able to make a few substitutions. All day breakfasts are a good choice (think bacon, eggs, avocados or omelettes), roast dinners, salad bars; at a pinch I've even ordered a sandwich – without the bread (but with a few confused looks). The problem with buying lunch is the price – and you can’t always be entirely sure about all of the ingredients.

Emergency Paleo Food Stash

Despite your best intentions, there’s always that day you forget to bring in lunch – or worse still your money – so it makes sense to have an emergency Paleo stash at work. This way when there are no good options around, you can always put together a Paleo snack. Things like tinned mackerel, sardines, salmon and tuna, jars of olives, nuts, seeds, dried fruit and jerky will store for a long time and could be good options.

Brown-Bag Lunches

For a lot of people kitchen facilities aren't available and eating out isn't an option at lunchtime. Which leads to the question, what can you put in a Paleo Packed Lunch? Just because you can’t heat food, definitely doesn't meant you can’t keep it Paleo.

What’s your favourite Paleo lunch? I’d love to hear any tips and Paleo Lunch Ideas that you have – particularly for quick and easy Paleo lunches!