Then I took it to another level when I became a full-time stay at home mom. I planned meals for a week, two weeks and even a month at a time. I admit that I don't do that much planning now with my active eight month old baby crawling around; plus I'm traveling more in the car with my five year old's preschool and gymnastics classes. However, I do try to plan a few days in advance. I shop fresh and local whenever I can. I bulk buy when I can too. My deep freezer is my best friend.
Since I was doing a sugar detox in December (and I'm doing another one now actually), I've been writing down all the foods I've eaten. Unfortunately I don't have time to blog every day on what I'm eating; however, I thought it would be helpful for both me and anyone who happens to read this what I consume in a month's time. It will help me see what my family enjoys the most and what helped me stay lean and full-of-energy. Plus a few weeks from now when I feel stuck for a meal idea, I can come back to this page and look at my list. I'll review my plan and say, Oh yeah, I need to make that again!
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So here we go: Here is a sample monthly meal plan of foods that my family and I have eaten:
Sample Monthly Meal Ideas
Breakfast ideas:
1. Honestly my breakfast meals will be boring to most. Why? Because we eat Eggs! Eggs! And More Eggs! Plus meat and veggies.
2. But once a week or so, I make my Giant Pumpkin Custard Pancake and we'll enjoy that too.
Maybe once a month I will make something sweet like this:
3. Paleo Waffles
4. Blueberry Clafouti or
5. Banana Cinnamon Pancakes.
But that's about it. We love eggs. It fills us up. We mix it up by using different vegetables and meats and making omelets but it's our staple!
Lunch ideas:
1. Lunch is typically leftovers for my husband and me.
2. Or we have salads.
3. Or just hot dogs by Applegate Farms wrapped in lettuce.
4. Or if I'm not real hungry, I will just eat a handful of almonds and my SCD Yogurt that my husband makes for me. Often my eggs from breakfast fill me up until 2 or 3p.m. and I'll skip lunch and just have a snack.
However, here are a few other ideas for lunch for you:
5. Eggplant Personal Pizza - I eat on this for two days!
6. Skillet Salmon Burgers
7. Cucumber Sub Sandwiches
8. Deli meats (chicken, ham, turkey) topped with cheese, tomato, avocado and wrapped in lettuce
9. Sausage and Acorn Squash Stuffing
10. Easy, Creamy Tomato Basil Soup - from my old food blog, before I went grain-free, sugar-free and free from processed foods. You can omit the dairy and use coconut milk in place of butter and creamer here!
Dinner ideas for a month:
1. Chicken from the barbecue pit or grill with roasted veggies or kebobs - we marinate our chicken in olive oil, garlic and spices for a few hours. Then my husband grills until done. We do kebobs with onions, bell peppers and squash.
2. Sloppy Joes - like this delicious Grokky version recipe with broccoli chips and side salad
3. Sausage and Peppers with tomato sauce over "spaghetti" (spaghetti squash that is)
4. Blackened or grilled fish in the skillet with steamed mixed veggies - my husband makes this every Friday night for us. He uses a fish rub and cooks the fish (usually Tilapia or Trout) in butter. It's divine!
5. Pepperoni Pizza Pot Pie/Casserole - this is the best! We eat with green beans usually.
*Note you can split the spaghetti squash between meals for day 3 and 5 to stretch your foods!
6. Leftover Buffet - you must have some leftovers at least one night a week. Just enjoy it. Sometimes the second time or third time eating it tastes even better after the flavors have sat awhile. We try to make it seem more fun by serving it in colorful plates or different dishes. Put on some fun music and enjoy the family time at the dinner table!
7. Balsamic Vinegar Pot Roast (I tweak this recipe) and serve with carrots and a sweet potato
8. Creamy, Sun-dried tomato chicken with mixed veggies and side salad
9. Meatloaf with a side of zucchini carbonara
10. Leftover Buffet again - wear some silly hats or create a theme to have the meal be more fun!
11. Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry with egg drop soup
12. Mexican Meat and Squash Casserole with green beans
13. Slow Cooker Lime Chicken Fajitas (omit the sweetener) served with guacamole and carrot chips
14. Sausage and Spinach Bake with spaghetti squash noodles - omit kale and use spinach
15. Blackened or grilled fish in the skillet with steamed mixed veggies - yes, again! You should strive to eat fish once a week or a few times per month!
16. Burgers wrapped in lettuce, asparagus and side salad - I make my burgers different each time. I use different meats but I always season it with onions, garlic, coconut aminos and other organic condiments. However, I will work on a recipe to post soon!
17. Chicken Marsala severed over cauliflower rice with a side salad and broccoli chips
18. Dinner Out - you've earned it! Look for a meat-friendly or fish-friendly establishment that is top quality. Stick with oil and vinegar for your salad and order some great veggies too.
19. Slow Cooker Primal Pumpkin Chili topped with cut up hot dogs and a side salad
20. Big Mixed Meat Salad - choose your favorite leaves; I like spinach and lettuce. Then I load it with every meat I have in the house - deli meats, hot dogs, leftover beef or chicken, whatever I can find in the fridge. I mix it up! I top with tomatoes, onions, peppers and more. This is loaded with so much meat you don't need a side!
21. Unstuffed Peppers Casserole with sweet carrots and green beans
22. Paleo Chicken Nuggets from Eat Like a Dinosaur cookbook and serve with sweet potato fries
23. Slow Cooker Jambalaya Stew over cauliflower rice, serve with side salad
24. Mexican Meatza with side salad
25. Orange chicken with steamed veggies
26. Skillet Sausage with sweet potato and spinach
27. Steaks (or make burgers again) with carrot fries and side salad
28. Dirty rice with sausage and green beans
29. Avocado and Cilantro Chicken Salad with sauteed yellow quash
30. Crab Cakes with asparagus and roasted veggies
31. Homemade Pizza using this pizza crust recipe - put your own sauce and favorite toppings!
32. Skillet Garlic Shrimp with cauliflower rice and mixed vegetables
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So that is a sample of the kinds of food we eat over a month. I hope this helps you discover some new dishes to serve your family. If you've got other ideas that don't resemble anything I've posted here, please share them in the comments.
We don't have access to a lot of game animals. My husband and I aren't much for eating a ton of pork or on-the-bone meats. He doesn't eat salmon either. Yeah, he's crazy! Therefore our meal plan will look differently than some other Paleo enthusiasts out there. But they work well for our family and they feed our growing girls!
Happy Meal Planning!
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