Making a Non-Paleo Lunch Menu Paleo diet healthy ideas replacements-min

Making a Non-Paleo Lunch Menu Paleo

I went out for a farewell lunch with my team today.  We went to a bar in the city centre, with a fairly typical bar menu. So – a Paleo Lunch?

I'm quite happy to go almost anywhere to eat, with the knowledge that on most menus, with a bit of staff interaction, a Paleo meal can be put together.

I start by ruling out any predominately grain based meals, such as pasta, pizza, pies and sandwiches.  Of the remaining dishes I'm usually left with a few meaty options, of which I’ll try to identify the least likely to be fried (typically in vegetable oil), processed, coated (gluten), or marinated (often in sauces containing ingredients like gluten and sugar).  Unless the menu is extremely limited I also rule out salads and vegetable based options, as I don’t find them filling and they often have many ingredients I wouldn't eat (like dressings, sauces, cheese and croutons).

At this stage today I was left with these options: –

  • Slow braised lamb shanks served with minted rich gravy & mash
  • Surf & Turf. 200g rump steak, prawns sautéed in garlic served with chive butter, fries and salad.
  • Grilled Barramundi fillet with creamy mash & asparagus served with a hollandise sauce.
  • Lamb Cutlets served with creamy mash, olive pesto & wholegrain mustard cream

I generally look at all of the menu options and mix and match my chosen meat with the vegetable and salad sides on offer with other meals.  I've not yet been to a restaurant unable to accommodate my Paleo mix and match requests.  Had there not been so many good options, I would have also considered things like the burger (without the bun, fries or sauces).

Paleoising-Lunch mix match making paleo

My Mix and Match Paleo Lunch

I went for the lamb shanks, as I knew they should be unprocessed and not fried.  I asked for the lamb to come without the mash and sauce, but with plain vegetables instead.  It arrived with roasted eggplant, capsicum, zucchini & mushroom (luckily I've not started my nightshade elimination experiment yet), which was a perfect Paleo meal.

I find pubs, bars and steak houses the easiest places in which to eat out, where there is usually a lot of reasonable options to choose from.  A good Indian restaurant is often a surprisingly good choice too.  I always ask the staff exactly what is in each dish, and there are often tomato based sauces or dry cooked meats, which are a great Paleo option.  In my experience Chinese and Japanese can be a bit more testing.  Quite often I actually find it easier to say I'm allergic to soy and gluten and ask for the staff to help me find a suitable option.

One of the things I enjoy about going off-menu, is the inevitable discussions it provokes from my pasta-eating dining companions – an excuse to talk Paleo is always welcomed.

How do you get a Paleo meal from a non-Paleo option?  Do you find some types of restaurant better than others?  I’d love to find out what tricks I'm missing!

Making a Non-Paleo Lunch Menu Paleo diet healthy ideas replacements-min

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6 replies
  1. Tricia
    Tricia says:

    I would have chosen the lamb shanks also, but perhaps with steamed vegies with some butter? I find some Indian restaurants have very oily meat dishes, no doubt, most would use vegetable oils. I agree……..steak houses and Korean BBQ places are great also. I used to think thai was a good option, but have since learnt a lot of palm sugar is used, even in their coconut milk dishes, as well as a lot of sauces with soy or gluten. Lebanese restaurants are great……..lots of dry meats, that are tasty…….

    Reply
  2. Roberto
    Roberto says:

    I agree pubs are always easy as they always have a steak on their menu, and you can usually have some vegetables with it.

    What’s your take on Japanese restaurants? I am a sushi addict (I haven’t had it since I switched to Paleo though)… I guess if you REALLY had to slip, white rice is not that bad, but I rather have a nicer solution. I hear some people have the chef make some rolls with cucumbers instead of rice, or focus on sashimi..

    Reply
    • Suz
      Suz says:

      Some Japanese things aren’t too bad, the problem is soy seems to go with everything! Sometimes you get really nice sashimi with salad though, which could be a good option. And like you say, white rice seems to be the least toxic grain.

      Reply

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