Weekly Meal Plan, including freezer meals that are Paleo/Primal Friendly and Gluten Free

Today was productive. This whole weekend was, actually. I was able to get most of my grocery shopping done on Saturday, which allowed for Sunday to strictly be spent in the kitchen. Well, not all day. I still have three kids. But not having to add grocery shopping to the mix today, I had more time to spend in the kitchen to get a variety of things together, as well as time to actually go through my refrigerator to use the random things I have taking up space in there.

Another cool thing about this weekend was I got to go to Trader Joe’s. It’s been a while since I’ve stocked up there. The store was PACKED! I was able to get in and out in a matter of 30 minutes and was able to find everything I wanted except their Raw Almond Butter. I got nuts, 2 loaves of sprouted bread, hummus, flaxseed tortillas, 4 lbs of natural meat, 2 jars of coconut oil, olive oil, sun butter, cereal, 3 bags of almond flour, avocados and some fruit. And I barely spent $100. Score! Then I also hit up my two other grocery stores and was able to get almost everything on my list.

I found that in getting freezer meals together, it’s easier for me to get the marinades/rubs done first, and then add the meat. I put all the ingredients for the marinades in individual bowls, mixed them up, and taped the label on the side of the bowls. Then I get the meats together. You can do this vice-versa too, especially if you don’t know what meats you have on hand. Then combine the meats with the marinades in a large freezer zip lock bag, and tape the label on the front. It makes it easier for me this way because I can have a big mess of spices, herbs, oils, and broths out at once. I can get all that done, get it cleaned up, then have counter space and some sense of organization to move on to getting the meat divided up and cut if necessary. It just seems to save me some more time, rather and doing one whole recipe top to bottom, then moving on to the next.

Before I started my freezer bags, I also had some eggs boiling in water, two different kinds of noodles boiling in water, and sweet potatoes baking in the oven. I find it’s always easy to have hard boiled eggs on hand. Same with sweet potatoes. I baked two large sweet potatoes that I will cut up into about 6 servings. They are always good to have on hand, too. I also make a few batches of pasta for quick lunches for the kids. It never seems to last long, but it’s a go-to, easy meal that they all enjoy. And it’s also very easy to pick up gluten free pasta these days. Try to whip those three things up to have on hand and see how much it comes in handy if you need a quick meal/snack.

So, after all my prep is done, here’s what our weekly meal is looking like. I’ll list it separately for us, with the kids underneath.

Monday–
Breakfast: Eggs, bacon, fresh fruit
Lunch: BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches (Josh), BBQ Pulled Chicken on a bed of spinach (me), Sweet Potato Fries
Dinner: Spicy Mustard/Lime Chicken, Steamed Broccoli
Tuesday-
Breakfast: Chicken/Apple Hash
Lunch: Leftover Spicy Mustard/Lime Chicken with a tomato/avocado salad (baby spinach with cherry tomatoes and avocado, topped with a squeeze of lemon)
Dinner: Meatloaf, Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Green Beans
Wednesday:
Breakfast: 2 Hardboiled Eggs, Paleo Cereal with coconut milk topped with ½ banana (sliced).
Lunch: Coconut Breaded Fried Chicken, Sweet Potato, Steamed Broccoli
Dinner: Sesame Beef with Cauliflower “rice” and Roasted Carrots
Thursday:
Breakfast: Eggs, Sausage, Fresh Fruit
Lunch: Bolganese Pasta (Josh), BLT with avocado (no Mayo) (me)
Dinner: Spicy Honey Chicken, Steamed Broccoli
Friday:
Breakfast: Hardboiled Eggs, Paleo Chocolate/Blueberry/Pumpkin Bread, Watermelon
Lunch: Coconut Breaded Fried Chicken, Sweet Potato, Veggies
Dinner: Salmon Cakes with Sweet Potato Fries
Saturday:
Breakfast: Eggs, Paleo Pumpkin Muffins, Fresh Fruit
Lunch: Leftover Sesame Beef with Cauliflower “rice,” Steamed Veggies
Dinner: Steamed Shrimp, Tomato/Avocado Salad, Sweet Potato Hash (maybe Paleo Biscuits if I’m feeling up for it)
Sunday is Easter, so I haven’t planned today yet. I’ll probably do a brunch with some leftover items, and do Turkey for dinner.

Kids Menu:

Monday-
Breakfast: Egg Muffins made with shredded carrots, spinach, sliced bananas, oat muffin
Lunch: Pulled BBQ Chicken, veggies, quinoa
Dinner: Cottage Cheese, fresh fruit
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Egg Muffins made with Green Peppers, Tomatoes, Cheese with plain toast and fresh berries
Lunch: Spicy Mustard/Lime Chicken, Avocado’s, Steamed Cauliflower
Dinner: Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Sliced Tomatoes
Wednesday-Breakfast: Hardboiled Eggs, Paleo Cereal (Aerie), Organic O’s (similar to Cheerios) (boys), sliced bananas
Lunch: Paleo Pizza Bites, Cherry Applesauce
Dinner: Sesame Beef with Cauliflower “rice,” Roasted Carrots
Thursday-
Breakfast: Egg Muffins made with shredded carrots, spinach, crumbled sausage and fresh fruit
Lunch: Organic (whole milk) yogurt with flaxseed and berries, topped with flaked coconut
Dinner: Bologanese Pasta, avocado
Friday-
Breakfast: Egg Muffins made with Green Peppers, Tomatoes, cheese, oat muffins, watermelon
Lunch: Paleo Pizza Bites, Cherry Applesauce
Dinner: Shredded BBQ Chicken, Sweet Potato Hash, Veggies
Saturday-
Breakfast: Egg Muffins made with Green Peppers, Tomatoes, Cheese, fresh fruit, toast
Lunch: PBJ Sandwiches, Sweet Potato Fries, Watermelon
Dinner: Steamed Shrimp, Sweet Potato Hash, Avocados, Paleo Biscuits (maybe)
Sunday-
Same as our Sunday

Snacks for Josh usually consist of fresh fruit (mainly bananas, oranges, apples), fruit bars, nuts, paleo pumpkin muffins or paleo blueberry bread.

Snacks for me usually consist of hardboiled eggs, berries, any leftover protein, paleo pumpkin muffins, protein shake after my workouts.

Snacks for the kids consist of: Full Fat String Cheese, Hardboiled eggs, Fresh Fruit (Aerie is really loving oranges lately, boys love anything), Whole Milk Yogurt, Muffins, Homemade trail mix, Smoothies, Homemade Frozen Teething Biscuits for the boys, Homemade Popsicle’s (can make a variety of any blended fruits/veggies you wish and freeze them in popsicle molds).

Remember, you can make your individual smoothie packs ahead of time. They are perfect for a quick, on the go breakfast or snack. I usually do these for breakfast on Thursdays because of Aeriella’s early gymnastics class, but they are on break this week so we can have a normal, sit down breakfast.

Now let’s take a quick look at the things that don’t “look” Paleo.
Pasta– There are a lot of gluten free options available. They may not necessarily be “Paleo,” but they are still Gluten Free
Bread- A quick google search will reveal some recipes for homemade Paleo Bread. I have tried a few and honestly don’t like the taste. Julian’s Bakery has Almond Bread and Coconut Bread available to order on their website. There are also Gluten Free Breads available in the grocery store.
Milk/Cheese/Yogurt- I feed my children more of a Primal diet, which means they eat (full fat only) dairy. After a lot of research, I personally feel this will be better for them until they are 5 years old. They do not have any allergies, sensitivities or intolerances to any foods. Organic, whole milk yogurt is readily available in any grocery store, as is milk. Whole Foods has a great selection of hormone free, full fat cheese.

If you’re not super strict with your Gluten Free eating, or if you just want to clean up your current plan, you can choose whatever type of bread, pasta, cheese, etc. that you wish. We don’t always do completely grain free, and I also add quinoa and beans in occasionally for the kids.

Please take into consideration the age of your child when introducing higher allergen foods. Speak with your pediatrician and do your own research to decide the right time to introduce these things. Not all foods are appropriate for all children, so please be mindful.

As always, if you have any questions, please ask! I hope you enjoy!