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Weekly Meal Plan

Sustainable Food – What, Why, and How

March 31, 2017 by Jackie Ritz Leave a Comment

One of this year’s hottest trends in food is changing our eating habits to a more sustainable food. In the last couple years we’ve seen huge corporations making recalls of unsafe packaged foods, like:

  • The recall of Blue Bell’s entire product line, which could be tainted with the Listeria bacteria.
  • Tyson’s recall of more than 132,000 pounds of fully cooked chicken nuggets that could have been contaminated with hard plastic.
  • Costco’s recall of its popular chicken salad because of the e.coli bacteria in it.
  • Lunchables ham and cracker stackables recall due to mislabeled allergens.
  • Target and Walmart’s recall of frozen veggies because of a potential listeria contamination.

With good reason, consumers have begun to understand the relationship between the food they eat and how it was produced. I want to look more closely at ways we can be certain that the food we choose to eat is of the highest quality. We want to eat sustainable food, which has been defined as:

“I like to say that sustainable agriculture is a production system that’s good for the environment and for people, that’s humane to animals and to food and farm workers, that supports thriving rural and urban communities. In other words, it’s the production of food, fiber, or other plant or animal products using techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare. It’s a way of food production that generates abundance while ensuring future generations can do the same.”[1]

To put it more simply…we want to eat food that we can vouch for. We want to know who grew it, that it grew in organic soil, with natural, safe, organic practices. We want it to be economical, safe, healthy, and freshly harvested when it reaches us. And we want it to promote better physical health for us and better ecological health for our land.

I want to look closer in this blog post at ways we can begin to give our families a more sustainable diet.

Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.

Why Eat Sustainable Food?

american guinea hogYou may wonder why learning to eat more sustainably really matters. There seems to be so many things we’ve done already to eat healthier food. We’ve tried to limit the amount of processed foods we buy so we can eliminate toxins, chemicals, and GMOs from our diets. We started concentrating on shopping the foods around the outside shelves in our supermarkets, rather than the inside aisles where heavily processed foods are found. We’ve begun to concentrate on buying organic foods whenever possible, even though they are often more expensive. We’ve even started buying some of our food at local farmer’s markets and food co-ops. Is the even deeper step into sustainable eating really all that important?

It is, and here is why. Sustainable eating is about more than just ourselves—it is also about the foods that are going to be available to our children and grandchildren, about the earth, and its ability to produce safe, healthy, food for the generations to come.

  • Most of the food in our grocery stores is the product of unsustainable farming. It is ever more increasingly destroying soil, contaminating water, and causing disease outbreaks.
  • Animal products are raised purely for profit, without regard for the proper care and health of those animals.
  • Our farmers are being paid by the government to monocrop—which is growing a single crop year after year on the same land, which damages the soil, depleting it of nutrients and requiring it to be heavily dependent on pesticides and artificial fertilizers.
  • Food is transported great distances, which uses large amounts of non-renewable resources, and greatly reduces the freshness of our food by the time it reaches us.

How Do We Begin Eating Sustainable Food?

We do this for our children!

So, how do we take that deeper step—move toward a more sustainable diet for our families? Here are ten steps you can take to eat healthier, shop smarter, and find great tasting sustainable food in your area:

  1. Educate yourself—do some research, talk to others, spend a little time learning about the food you are eating.
  2. Shop sustainable—don’t try to change everything overnight. Start with one item that you commit to buying organically, or at a local farmer’s market. (Find local sources here.)
  3. Ask questions—were pesticides used? What were the animals fed? How were they raised? What fertilizers were used on the plants?
  4. Eat seasonal—buy locally grown fruits and vegetables when they are in season.
  5. Grow your own—nothing tastes better than food you grow yourself, whether it be herbs on a windowsill, pots of food on a sunny patio, or an entire backyard garden.
  6. Cook—relearn (or learn) the joy of cooking. You can find great recipes online.
  7. Take back the tap—bottled water causes a lot of problems, from plastic leaching into the water to major environmental problems. Pledge to reduce your consumption of bottled water.
  8. Spread the word—help to educate others about the problems with industrial agriculture and the benefits of sustainable food.
  9. Enjoy—fresh, healthy, sustainable food from your local farmer simply tastes better.[2]

Like so many things in life, eating sustainably starts with baby steps. You don’t have to change everything all at once. When you start to feel overwhelmed, focus on just one or two things. For example, if you can’t always afford to buy sustainably raised meat, find ways to serve meat less often. Plan your weekly meals in advance, and shop with a list so you don’t overbuy. Begin to cook in bulk and freeze the leftovers for lunches or when you are short on time. Just start!

Making plans for our 2017 garden!
Making plans for our 2017 garden!

Help Me Find Time for Meal Preparation

In our fast-paced modern lives we seem to have less and less time for planning and cooking meals at home. For many, a steady diet of fast foods or prepared processed grocery store foods has become a way of life.

Don’t let time be the main reason you don’t eat more sustainably. There are many ways we can learn to simplify meal preparation. Some of these include.[3]

  1. Sign up for Real Plans – It’s my favorite meal planning website and you can customize your meal plan to what you like and don’t like.  Click here to read more about Real Plans. 
  2. Make one-pot meals—one-pot cooking methods are simple and healthy. They can be steamed, sautéed, stewed or baked. Here’s my favorite book on one-pot meals. 
  3. Crock pot cooking—slow cookers can cook your meals for you while you are away from home during the day. There is little upfront preparation, and the end result gives you healthy, tasty food.
  4. Pressure cooker meals—one of the best kitchen appliance inventions for me has been my Instant Pot. Foods cook in a fraction of the time, and they are a healthier way to cook because water-soluble vitamins and minerals are retained better than in regular pot. This is my favorite Instant Pot cookbook. 
  5. Freezer-based meals—a well-stocked and managed freezer will help you plan delicious, balanced meals efficiently. You can take better advantage of special prices on food throughout the year, which allows you to stretch your budget. And one weekend of cooking can give you enough meals for nearly a whole month. There are many online sites to help you plan some freezer meals, including Once a Month meals! 

With just a little bit of effort, you will soon be a pro at providing your family with healthy, delicious meals made the sustainable way!

This magical, marvelous food on our plate, this sustenance we absorb, has a story to tell. It has a journey. It leaves a footprint. It leaves a legacy. To eat with reckless abandon, without conscience, without knowledge; folks, this ain’t normal.

—Joel Salatin

Can You Share a Couple Recipes?

I’m so glad you asked, because I love being able to pass on the recipes that have enabled me to provide our family with healthy, delicious, fresh and sustainable meals. We are so privileged to be able to homestead and grow and raise so much of our own food supplies. Let me share a couple recipes that you can use with your own family’s move to a more sustainable diet. These recipes are not so much specific ingredients as they are taking advantage of locally available fresh ingredients that can make a very tasty meal.

Breakfast Frittata

We’ve become experts in my home of creating delicious, healthy breakfast frittatas from whatever we have freshly harvested from our own gardens or from the local farmer’s market in our neighborhood. Here are some guidelines for you to get creating your own fantastic breakfast frittatas.

Ingredients

Here are some ideas for fresh ingredients you may be able to use

  • 4-5 fresh, pastured eggs (our free range chickens keep us supplied with delicious, fresh eggs every day.)
  • ½ cup or so of whatever herbs are fresh in your garden (parsley, basil, chives, mint, thyme, etc.)
  • Fresh bacon or sausage (found at your local farmer’s markets and supplied by organic farmers in your area who are raising pastured pigs)
  • 2-3 handfuls of freshly harvested spinach, kale, or other greens
  • 1-2 cups of freshly harvested veggies (peppers, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, mushrooms)
  • Your choice of shredded cheese (I often have my homemade cheeses to use)
  • 1 Tbsp or so of farm-fresh butter (Holly, my Jersey cow, helps us out here)
  • ½ cup of fresh cream if needed
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Melt your butter in a large pan and add your veggies, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes. Whisk your eggs together with your cream, and stir in about half of your shredded cheese. Spread your sautéed veggies in your pre-greased pan (we love bacon fat for this). Pour your egg mixture over the top and bake for about 30 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and broil if desired until browned. ENJOY!

Slow Cooker Chicken Vegetable Soup

Fresh chicken vegetable soup make with sustainable veggies and farm-fresh chicken is another easy meal to create for your family. If you have leftover turkey from your Thanksgiving dinner, it is even better! Here’s some ideas to get you cooking.

Ingredients

Here are some suggested ingredients for your soup

  • Freshly made chicken bone broth (follow my recipe here)
  • Cut-up chicken (if desired, use an antibiotic-free rotissiere chicken from a grocery  store)
  • 2-3 diced carrots
  • 2-3 diced potatoes
  • 2-3 stalks of celery
  • Diced onion
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Fresh kale or spinach
  • 2-3 minced garlic cloves
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Add all your ingredients except greens to a large slow cooker, and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours. Add the greens in for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve hot. This delicious home-made soup can be frozen in single-serve servings if desired.

Grilled Grass-fed Meats

Our family is fortunate enough to have the magic twosome for healthy grilling—our own harvested grassfed beef and poultry, and our own grillmaster, my husband, Frank. We have had so many delicious grilled meats since he got his own Green Egg for Christmas a couple years ago. Grilling is one of the best ways to cook your fresh, grass-fed meats. Just remember these simple rules:

  • Be careful not to overcook your meet. Grass-fed meat requires less time to grill than grain-fed meat.
  • It is best grilled medium rare to medium.
  • Check the internal temperature in the thickest part. At 145-155 degrees farenheit it will be medium-rare to medium.
  • Let the meat rest a few minutes after grilling to redistribute the juices inside.
  • Don’t forget that freshly harvested vegetables are also so tasty when grilled. Just brush them with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill.

Get Started

So, what was that reason why you haven’t started moving your family toward a more sustainable diet? Eating this way may take a bit more effort, but the rewards—for your family and their future—are just too big to pass up.

I love and trust, Real Plans meal planning service. You can pick what kind of diet you eat (traditional, paleo, vegetarian, etc) and the meal plans are seasonal and use real food ingredients. CLICK HERE to learn more about Real Plans! 

He who knows what sweets and virtues are in the ground, the waters, the plants, the heavens, and how to come at these enchantments, is the rich and royal man.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sustainable Food

Sources

  1. https://www.simplebites.net/10-tips-for-sustainable-eating/
  2. https://www.sustainabletable.org/568/do-you-have-to-eat-100-local-sustainable-and-organic
  3. https://eartheasy.com/eat_simplify_meal_preparation.html
  4. https://www.simplebites.net/10-tips-for-sustainable-eating/

 

[1] Anna Lappe, author and sustainable food advocate, in: https://www.marthastewart.com/1076115/beyond-organic-just-what-sustainable-food

[2] Information included in these ten steps adapted from: https://www.gracelinks.org/media/pdf/ten_steps_to_eating_sustainable_ho_20090416.pdf

[3] This section adapted from: https://eartheasy.com/eat_simplify_meal_preparation.html

Filed Under: My Recipes, Natural Living, Nutrition, Weekly Meal Plan

30 Low Carb Pressure Cooker Instant Pot Recipes

December 30, 2015 by Jackie Ritz 5 Comments

The new year is just around the corner and many of us are reminiscing on many things. One of them may be the scary thought of how many pounds you put on this past year. I try to stay low carb and when I’m really serious, I stick to a ketogenic diet. My favorite and most useful kitchen appliance is the Instant Pot pressure cooker. It’s a modern-day pressure cooker, that cooks your food in less time and keeps the meat moist and delicious. So, as I go into January of 2016, you can bet your booty that I’ll be making more low carb pressure cooker instant pot recipes for my family! 

My plans moving into the new year are: 

  1. Exercise more! We have a treadmill, a TV for workouts, and we just purchased a Peloton spinning bike. I can’t wait to join live spinning classes in NY city from my home gym in North Carolina! 
  2. Get back on my Ketogenic meal plan! 
  3. That’s it! I’m more focused on being healthy, than being skinny. 

I do plan on making more Instant Pot recipes and I’ve included some of the ones I love and plan on trying in the New Year! All of them are low-carb and keto-friendly! 

Pork 

Proscuitto-Wrapped Asparagus Canes from Hip Pressure Cooking

Paleo Egg Roll Soup from Predominately Paleo 

Pressure Cooker Bone-In Pork Chops from All Recipes (eliminate potatoes for keto) 

Low Carb Pressure Cooker Pork Roast with Mushroom Gravy by Health Starts in the Kitchen

Pressure Cooker Kalua Pig by Nom Nom Paleo 

Pulled Pork Carnitas Lettuce Wraps from Hip Pressure Cooking 

Pressure Cooked Tandoori BBQ Pork Ribs from Hip Pressure Cooking (use sugar-free BBQ sauce for Keto) 

Beef & Lamb

Braised Beef Short Ribs from Fresh Tart

Pressure Cooker Indian Curry Lamb Short ribs from Nom Nom Paleo 

Beef Stew from Mark’s Daily Apple 

Pressure Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage from Gutsy By Nature

Pressure Cooker Mocca Rubbed Pot Roast from Nom Nom Paleo 

Pressure Cooker Lamb Stew from The Paleo Mom

Pressure Cooker Mexican Beef by Nom Nom Paleo 

Pressure Cooker Chili from My Heart Beets

Steak Stew Pressure Cooker Recipe from Finding the Healthy Road

Chicken

Cauliflower & Smoked Cheddar Soup from Island Vittles 

Pressure Cooked Chicken and Proscuitto Rolls from Hip Pressure Cooking 

Pressure Cooker Chicken Cacciatore from Whole 9

Low Carb Pressure Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup from Health Starts in the Kitchen

Pressure Cooker Bone Broth from Autoimmune Paleo 

Lemon and Olive Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipe from Hip Pressure Cooking

Lemon Garlic Chicken by Predominately Paleo 

Chicken Tortilla Soup from Play Paleo 

Fall Off the Bone Pressure Cooker Whole Chicken from Healing Gourmet

Chicken Soup from Mark’s Daily Apple 

Pressure Cooker Chicken Enchilado Soup from Against the Grain (omit potatoes for keto) 

Eggs

How to Cook & Peel Farm Fresh Eggs from The Paleo Mama 

Veggies

Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Squash from Nom Nom Paleo 

Pressure Steamed Artichokes from Flavorred

I hope you enjoy some of these recipes and this round-up list of some of my favorite bloggers, help you stay on track in the New Year. 

Happy New Year, friends! I wish you the healthiest and happiest year! 

30 low carb pressure cooker instant pot recipes

Filed Under: Budget Shopping, Grassfed Beef, My Recipes, Round Up, Weekly Meal Plan

Paleo Weekly Meal Plan on a Budget #4

November 17, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 5 Comments

mealplan4

I’m going to try to get better about sharing what our Paleo weekly meal plan is for the week. This is free…people pay big bucks for this stuff, but since I love y’all, and I want the best for you, I want you to succeed at eating Paleo, here is a free version. Probably not as pretty, but it is CHEAP. We eat Paleo on a budget…well, kinda. Our budget is $200 a week for a family of 4. This includes ingredients I need for homemade cleaners, detergents, dog food, and office supplies. It doesn’t include our farm supplies though!

If you don’t like this week, feel free to check out the other weekly meal plans I have shared. CLICK HERE. I,also, want to add that we are pretty boring when it comes to food. I don’t make a lot of fancy things…hey, I keep it real. I, also, don’t spend hours in the kitchen. I need quick things to make that are budget-friendly. So, here ya go!

The Paleo Mama Meal Plan On a Budget #4

Monday

  • Breakfast: Local eggs, bacon, and side of fruit. (reserve the bacon grease for Thurs dinner)
  • Lunch: Deli Meat Rollups, sliced cucumbers, and olives.
  • Dinner: Whole Roasted Chicken with Roasted Winter Vegetables (save the bones/organs to make stock for soup on Wednesday. CLICK HERE to see how to make stock following my simple method). Save the leftover chicken for the soup on Wednesday, as well.

Tuesday:

  • Breakfast: Pumpkin Pie in a Cup Smoothie with egg yolks (I throw raw egg yolks in the smoothies for protein. The eggs are from a local pastured farm so I don’t worry about it)
  • Lunch: Nitrate Free Hotdogs, avocado slices, and sliced carrots.
  • Dinner: Ground Beef Stroganoff over “Zoodles” (I use this to make zucchini noodles) and side of fruit. Grab a little of the stock you should be making for soup to go in the stroganoff.

Wednesday:

  • Breakfast: DIY Omelets – Omelet Bar. Kids get to pick what they want in their eggs. Easy peasy!
  • Lunch: Leftover Beef Stroganoff
  • Dinner: Smoky Roasted Butternut Soup with homemade Almond Bread. Top the soup with leftover chicken or boiled eggs for added protein. 

Thursday:

  • Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and sausage with a side of fruit or avocado slices.
  • Lunch: Leftover Soup
  • Dinner: Hard Cider Braised Brats with  Sauerkraut (or you can make your own.)

Friday:

  • Breakfast: Quickie Monkey Smoothies 
  • Lunch:Leftover Brats
  • Dinner: Salmon Patties with Creamy Cucumbers

Saturday: 

  • Breakfast: Bacon and Tomato Quiche and side of fruit/or smoothies
  • Lunch: We eat out.
  • Dinner: Leftovers from the week

Sunday:

  • Brunch: Mexican Breakfast 
  • Dinner: Apple Cider Pork with Rosemary and sautéed apples (to make sautéed apples: peel apples and cut into chunks. Saute in butter, ghee, or coconut oil till soft. Throw walnuts in the pan and toast lightly with the apples. Top with cinnamon!)

>>>CLICK HERE to print the shopping list!<<<

 

I hope you all have a wonderful week…filled with health and love! 

 

-Jackie

 

Filed Under: Weekly Meal Plan Tagged With: budget meal plan, gluten free meal plan, paleo meal plan, primal

The Paleo Mama Meal Plan #3

June 4, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 7 Comments

I hope you are enjoying these weekly meal plans. They should be making your life a little easier in the kitchen. I know the challenges of switching to Paleo. It can seem very overwhelming, at first. I try to pick out easy meals to make that are also favorable with kids.

The dinners I picked out this week should fit your budget and make your taste-buds very happy! You have the option of making the meal #1 in the crock pot and, also, I included a meal-on-the-fly in case you find yourself too busy to cook. Just prep them beforehand and grab them when running out the door!

The Paleo Mama Meal Plan #3

**Bookmark this page to reference it throughout the week**

Meal #1 (optional crock pot meal) : Thyme Roast Chicken with Roasted Root Veggies – This recipe is so simple yet so delish! Throw the chicken in the crock pot if you choose and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Thyme Roast Chicken
Thyme Roast Chicken

Meal #2 : Balsamic Chicken and Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts – I rave about this dish to everyone! It’s also *that* dish that I make to impress. It’s the most tasty chicken I have ever had!!! Don’t skip the brussel spouts because you don’t like them OR think your kids won’t eat them. Mine LOVE brussel sprouts! We call them Monster Eggs and pretend we need to eat them before the monster hatches!

Balsalmic Chicken
Balsamic Chicken

 

Meal #3 : Butternut Squash Lasagna – I just love this dish and I also love that it has veggies already in the dish, so no extra side is needed!

Butternut Squash Lasagne
Butternut Squash lasagna

Meal #4 : Salmon with Cherry Tomato Salsa and Asparagus – we make ourselves eat a seafood dish or two every week. It’s good to give kids a taste for fish early in life. Both my kids (4 and 1) devour fish. I will say, they do not like Ahi Tuna, but Salmon, Tilapia and Shrimp don’t last long in our house!

Salmon with Cherry Tomato Salsa
Salmon with Cherry Tomato Salsa

Meal #5: Dinner-on-the-Fly: Meat & Spinach Muffins with a Mason Jar Salad : These muffins have been a long-standing favorite among my family. They are easy to make and so delicious. These are great to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Mason Jar Salads
Mason Jar Salads

The Mason Jar Salad that my friend, Dusti, guest-posted about has been a LIFESAVER for me! It’s a genius way of making salads and they really do keep for up to a week! I included the ingredients in the shopping list to get your started on making your first mason jar salads! You can omit this if you do not want to make it and just throw a salad together for this meal instead.

 Hope you enjoy this week of healthy, Paleo eating!

Print out your shopping list HERE!

***Per Your Requests*** (and because I love you all!)

Breakfast Ideas: If you are stuck and not sure what to make for breakfast, or just getting tired of eggs and bacon, check out my Pinterest page here (for egg-y dishes) and here (for non-egg).

Need snack ideas? Check out this board on my Pinterest page and this one also.

Filed Under: Weekly Meal Plan Tagged With: budget paleo, dairy free, gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, paleo meal plan, primal

The Paleo Mama’s Weekly Meal Plan #2

May 25, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 10 Comments

Please forgive me for being a few days late posting this. I was at the Florida Parents Educators Association Convention for the past 2 days with my husband. It was awesome! It’s an annual state convention for homeschoolers… loaded with workshops, exhibits, and encouragement for homeschooling families.

However, I’m making time tonight for you all!!! I want you to have this for the coming up week. The first meal will be Memorial Day themed, followed by 4 other simple, budget-conscious, Paleo meals.

I included two crockpot meals because I know this is a busy week for everyone. Many families are running around crazy trying to wrap up the end of the school year for their kids. I hope this week’s meal plan makes your life easier!

Hope you have a Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to those who have served this wonderful country and for those who have given their lives. I am forever thankful.

Weekly Meal Plan #2

***Bookmark this page so you can come back over the week to find the recipes you need***

Meal 1 (Memorial Day): Spanish Burgers  & Sweet Potato Wrapped Bacon Bites.

DSCN6255

If you are going to a party and you want to impress your friends with some Paleo food, the Sweet Potato Wrapped Bacon Bites are AMAZING! We call them “Little Bites of Heaven” because you just want to savor every bit of it.

There are a few additional things you can add to the Spanish Burgers if you want to get fancy. The recipe has a caramelized onion chile relish and a roasted red pepper sauce you can make to go with them. I know it is Memorial Day and having “Spanish” burgers may sound silly, but they are really good and we use them as our regular burger recipe now. If you don’t like chorizo, you can use ground pork or just some more ground beef.

Meal 2 (Crockpot): Chile Cilantro Lime Crockpot Chicken & Tomato, Avocado, Cucumber Salad

paleopot

***see note below on saving the bones and making homemade stock***

I just love easy crockpot meals! Paleo Pot put together a golden recipe with this one! Add in the delicious salad and you have a simple meal for those days when you don’t have time to cook dinner!

Don’t forget to marinate the chicken overnight!

***Save your bones from the whole chicken and make stock according to my method here. Save the stock for meal 5 in this plan***

Meal 3: Salmon Patties with a Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce & Faux-Tato Salad

salmon patties

This meal is a little bit more intricate. Make this meal on a evening you have enough time for all the prep work. Savor your extra work…it will be worth it. I’m always trying to find more frugal ways to get seafood into my family’s diet!

Meal 4: Green (or Red) Chile Pork Taco-Salad

312382_469448466452019_118780127_n

With all the veggies in this, no need for a side dish. Pile your salad high and enjoy the simplicity of it! It’s one of our best pork dishes!

Meal 5 (Crockpot): Creamy Chicken Tomato Soup with Almond Bread

We just had this soup tonight for the 10th time, or so, and it’s so delicious. The Almond Bread recipe is another family favorite! We love dipping the bread into soup and stews. The Almond Bread is much like cornbread.

My family enjoys soup on, even, the hottest days! It’s just a healthy, frugal way to utilize all that stock that you are making if you are following my simple recipe.

<<<Printable Shopping List>>>

Are you enjoying these meal plans??? Let me know!

 

Filed Under: Budget Shopping, Weekly Meal Plan Tagged With: budget paleo meal plan, dairy free, gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, primal

YOU ASKED FOR IT: Paleo Weekly Meal Plan #1

May 16, 2013 by Jackie Ritz 12 Comments

meal plan collage

 

Ok people, I’m giving in. You asked for it…here it is. I’ve decided to post a weekly meal plan for you all who are in such dire need. Trust me, I’ve been there. It’s overwhelming. You just don’t know where to start. You don’t know how to afford real food. You don’t know how to cook real food. You just don’t have time. Start here…start fresh. Take a deep breath. You can do this.

I’m going to post a weekly meal plan every Thursday. This meal plan is going to be VERY budget friendly with the options of upgrading the meats to something else more expensive. I will menu plan for 5 meals and on the bottom is a printable shopping list! This way you can save one day for leftovers and another for eating out or choosing your own recipe.

Serving size for all these recipes is 4-6 servings.

 

Paleo Weekly Meal Plan #1

***Bookmark this page so you can come back over the week to find the recipes you need***

Day 1: Creamy Chicken Skillet Over Spaghetti Squash (recipe is on the bottom of blog post)

_MG_4728

Make a whole chicken using my crockpot method. You will use the meat for 2 meals.  Go see my guest post on Paleo Parents on how to crockpot cook your whole chicken and then immediately make chicken stock. This first meal uses 1/2 the chicken.  Reserve the other half of the chicken for Day 4’s dinner. Three cups of the stock will be used in tomorrow’s dinner; freeze the rest of the stock or sip on it throughout the week like I do!

Day 2: Italian Meatloaf with Green Bean Amandin

_MG_4776

Your stock should be done by this evening so just scoop out 3 cups of the fresh stock out of your crockpot to make the Green Bean Amandin with. Freeze the rest of the stock or drink it throughout the week.

Day 3: Beef Kabobs with Grilled Peaches

 IMG_5352

For those who need to watch their budget, ask the butcher to cut roasts into steaks for savings! Then you may use these cuts for the kabobs. Usually roasts are cheaper per pound than steaks. If you can afford it, buy sirloin.

Cut peaches in half and remove the pit. Grill on both sides while grilling the Kabobs.

Day 4: Asian Lettuce Wraps with Coconut Rice with fresh Pineapple

Asian Lettuce Wraps
Asian Lettuce Wraps

My recipe calls for raw ground. Just ignore that part and stir in the reserved 1/2 chicken meat with the cabbage and red bell pepper.

Day 5: Salmon in a Bag (or Tilapia) with Mexican Coleslaw

002

If your budget allows, then get Salmon.  If not, grab some Tilapia (not from China) or other fish you prefer!

The Mexican Coleslaw is a family favorite with us. The kids LOVE it! I have had much success using Broccoli slaw instead of cabbage. Also, add some cilantro to your Salmon bag to bring the flavors together!

Please come back and tell me how you enjoyed these meals!

<<<Printable Shopping List>>>

 

 

 

Filed Under: Weekly Meal Plan Tagged With: budget paleo meal plan, dairy free, gluten-free, grain-free, meal planning

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Hi, I'm Jackie Ritz and welcome to The Paleo Mama! I'm a published author, certified herbalist, and voracious researcher of natural medicine and nutrition. I'm glad you're here and I hope you stick around for awhile!

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