The biggest issue that faces many people when it comes to their diet is not motivation, but planning! Sticking to a diet - any diet- can be tough work. Everything seems so simple at the beginning, but as busy lives take over and schedules go awry, quick and easy convenience food can often creep back in to your diet. This is no different with the paleo diet. However, by planning ahead carefully and batch cooking, you can ensure that your paleo diet won’t be ruined by a hectic day.
Assuming that people understand the basics of batch cooking (the number one hint is to pick something that is easily cooked in a large quantity!), let’s consider what constitutes a paleo meal. You are going to have your source of protein, your source of fat, your source of vegetables and possibly some small carb element. What are the main issues in planning these meals and making sure you are well prepared for the week ahead?
First of all, your protein is generally the most time-consuming element of the meal to prepare, and if you are to pre-cook any part of your meal, it is probably going to be the protein. So how best to batch prepare your protein? One of the biggest challenges you will face is boredom of your food. You might love beef, but do you want to have beef for 5 days in a row? Probably not. So why not cook one large batch of beef and one of chicken, and then half each? That way you can alternate your protein each day and have the other halves frozen for use the following week!
What about your vegetables? Salads are a popular choice for paleo diet eaters, and one way to batch prepare your salads is to make jar salads. Jar salads are all about the layering of the salad. Carefully construct your layers so that dry elements are on top where they can stay dry! Add your dressing on the day and you’re good to go with a pre-prepared healthy lunch!
You might also consider trying some new recipes that better lend themselves to batch cooking. Soups, chilli’s and other one pot paleo wonders can not only introduce you to some wonderful recipes, but they are the height of convenience when batch cooked! Be creative with your batch cooking, and in no time at all you can build up a choice selection of delicious paleo meals that can be batch cooked well in advance.