Planning Paleo meals can be hard, especially if you’re used to grains or beans as staple foods. The basic concept looks like this:
- A huge pile of vegetables – at least half the plate.
- 1-2 palm-sized servings of animal protein (or 3-4 eggs).
- Some healthy fat, like olive or coconut oil.
- Optionally, some starchy vegetables, fruit, or nuts.
Here’s why that particular meal template works. If that sounds a little strange or hard to plan for, here’s a two-week sample meal plan with a printable grocery list so you can see how it can work on a day-to-day level. You can download the grocery list for week 1 here and week 2 here.
Notes about the menu:
- The plan assumes you’ll be eating 3 meals and a snack every day. It’s fine to skip the snack, or even one of the meals, and just eat larger amounts at the other two meals. It’s also fine to add more food if you’re hungry.
- The meal plan is sized for two people. Adjust up or down for your household size.
- Lunches are written to be portable if necessary, for people who eat at work/school. Most snacks are also portable. Breakfasts are fast and usually portable.
- You can download one PDF with printer-friendly versions of all the recipes for Week 1 here, and for Week 2 here.
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2-Week Paleo Diet Meal Plan
Week 1
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack |
| Breakfast Casserole with Sausages (makes 2 days of breakfast; save the leftovers for tomorrow) | Portable salad: grab a can of tuna and an avocado with some salad greens, oil, and vinegar, and mix it all up. | Butterflied roasted chicken with wild mushroom soup. (Make stock with the chicken bones) | Piece of fruit |
| Leftover breakfast casserole | Salad with leftover roast chicken, dried cranberries, pecans, apple slices, and vinaigrette. | Ham and Pineapple Skewers with oven-roasted tomatoes (makes 2 servings; save leftovers for snacks) | Carrot sticks with mustard and/or mayo |
| Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon | Leftover roast chicken (cold or hot) inside lettuce wraps with mustard, mayonnaise, or your favorite other condiments | Greek-style meatballs (makes 2 days; save leftovers for lunch tomorrow) with roasted cauliflower | Leftover ham and pineapple skewers (they’re great cold!) |
| Ham and Butternut Squash Hash (cut recipe in half) | Leftover Greek-style meatballs on top of a big leafy salad with almond slivers and balsamic vinaigrette. | Chicken Pad Sew Ew (makes 2 days; save leftovers for lunch tomorrow) | Banana with almond butter |
| Egg and Vegetable Muffins (makes 2 days; save leftovers for tomorrow) | Leftover chicken Pad Sew Ew | Beef Cubes with Roasted Carrots and Mushrooms (makes 2 days; save leftovers for lunch tomorrow) | Handful of nuts or trail mix |
| Leftover egg and vegetable muffins | Leftover beef cubes with carrots and mushrooms (add more vegetables on the side if you like) | Garlic Roasted Cod (make ½ recipe) with green beans. | Handful of olives |
| Onions, mushrooms, and spinach fried up with bacon or sausages. | Salad with canned salmon, mustard vinaigrette, | Maple Braised Chuck Roast (makes 2 servings; save leftovers for lunch tomorrow) with roasted zucchini | Piece of fruit |
Download the printer-friendly versions of all the recipes for Week 1 here.
Download a shopping list for week 2 here.
Week 2
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack |
| Apple and Onion Scrambled eggs (make ½ recipe for two people) with some extra fried onions and mushrooms | Leftover maple braised chuck roast | Simple sausage casserole (makes 2 servings; save leftovers for breakfast tomorrow) | Carrot sticks with mustard and/or mayo |
| Leftover sausage casserole | Portable salad: grab a can of tuna and an avocado with some salad greens, oil, and vinegar, and mix it all up. | Beef and Winter Vegetable Soup with oven-roasted eggplant | Frozen berries with a drizzle of coconut milk (and honey if you like) |
| Breakfast stuffed peppers (makes 2 servings; save leftovers for breakfast tomorrow) | Leftover beef and winter vegetable soup | Grilled chicken breasts with zucchini (save half the chicken for lunch tomorrow) | Beef jerky |
| Leftover breakfast stuffed peppers | Leftover grilled chicken breast on top of salad greens with vinaigrette | Spicy Pork Chili (makes 2 days; save leftovers for lunch tomorrow) with pan-fried Brussels sprouts | Piece of fruit |
| Cabbage and onions fried up with bacon | Leftover pork chili with baked sweet potatoes | Pistachio-crusted salmon (makes 2 servings; save leftovers for breakfast tomorrow) with roasted beets and sweet potatoes. Roast a double batch of vegetables so you have some for lunch tomorrow. | Hard-boiled egg |
| Leftover pistachio-crusted salmon served over wilted spinach | Hard-boiled eggs (roughly 3 per person) with leftover roasted vegetables. | Spicy Indian Chicken Stir-Fry with riced cauliflower | Handful of nuts or trail mix |
| Cherry Tomato and Basil Quiche with extra fried onions | Leftover chicken stir-fry and cauliflower | Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet (make ½ recipe for 2 people) | Half an avocado sprinkled with sea salt and balsamic vinegar |
Of course, it’s totally fine to modify the meal plan – these are suggestions, and there’s more than one way to do Paleo.
