Instead of doing a day in the life, I have managed to keep track of some of our random meals over the last few days. You might see a common theme in some of our meals which is due to the abundance of seasonal veggies that I have been receiving each week from my CSA (can you say summer squash??) So let’s get started!
Here’s an example of a typical quick dinner.
For this dinner I cooked up 2 lbs of grass fed beef and seasoned it very much like I seasoned my recent Stuffed Zucchini recipe but without the eggplant. While the meat was cooking I roasted at 400 for about 20 minutes some baby zucchinis, japanese eggplant and okra all tossed in coconut oil. I also made a fast salad with diced cucumber, red onion, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar and we finished off some leftover mashed sweet potatoes.
I don’t have a picture of it but the next day I scrambled eggs with the leftover veggies for breakfast. We ate everything else the night before or I would have added in some of the leftover ground beef to the scramble as well.
This next meal picture is a brand new recipe!
Kale Meatballs
1 lb sausage of your choice (I used chicken Italian sausage that I buy from our local butcher who uses pasture raised chicken)
1 lb ground beef
1 bunch kale, tough stems removed and chopped finely in a food processor
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375, mix all ingredients together by hand and form into meatballs a little larger than golf balls. Fry the meatballs in a large skillet in coconut oil until all sides are browned. Move into a glass baking dish, cover tightly with tin foil and finish in the oven for 20 minutes.
We ate these meatballs with my No Potato Salad with some broccoli added to it and with baked sweet potatoes. All of us ate the leftovers the following day for lunch.
And now…
This dinner is yet again; roasted veggies in coconut oil but I added in some garlic cloves, and I sliced the eggplant thin like chips and I also roasted some cherry tomatoes and topped them with fresh diced basil. The kids did NOT like the roasted cherry tomatoes but they will eat them fresh by the handfuls! Our protein was leftover rotisserie chicken (I had bought 2 rotisseries from our health food store 2 days earlier) that was shredded up and sauted in grass fed butter with diced leeks along with some of the leftover baked sweet potatoes from the night before and seasoned with just a little sea salt and black pepper.
Here’s dinner from 2 nights ago. It was onions and cabbage sauted in grass fed butter with 1 lb of grass fed ground beef and 1 package of Applegate farms chicken apple sausages seasoned with a little bit of cardamom and caraway. Again we had roasted zucchini and this time I roasted some sweet potatoes and we ate left over No Potato Salad. This picture is actually form lunch the following day with the leftovers and some sauerkraut as well.
And here is last nights dinner!
Chicken and Kelp Noodle Stir Fry
1.5 lbs diced chicken breast
1 package Kelp Noodles
1 small yellow onion, sliced
4-5 small zucchinis, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
A few splashes of coconut aminos or wheat free Tamari
A few splashes of sesame oil
About 1 teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Saute chicken and onions in coconut oil until the chicken is almost done. Add in the rest of the veggies and saute until veggies are tender and chicken is not longer pink in the middle. Add the noodles and remaining ingredients, mix well until warm all the way through and serve!
Last but not least, here some school lunch ideas!
Pictured here is carrots, cherry tomatoes, apple slices, plantain chips, raisins, salami and ham from Applegate Farms and home made mayo.
Pictured here is ham from Applegate farms, carrots, tomatoes, and guacamole.
Last but not least is Tanka Bites, cherry tomatoes, honeydew melon and celery with almond butter topped with raisins.
All lunches packed in Planet Box lunch containers.
I hope this is helpful and as always, enjoy!
Thank you for showing just how easy it can be to throw dinner together (LOVE your book, BTW!). Where did you get those bento boxes? I would love one for my son starting kindergarten in a few weeks.
http://www.planetbox.com
We’ve used these for 6 months now and love them. (Bags aren’t as sturdy as I would like but the rest is awesome.) We are getting new lunch bags and magnets so it looks like a new lunchbox for the new year.
I have one of these bento boxes for my daughter and the cup holder tore from the lining after only 3 months of light usage. I sent a polite and informative email to them and they replaced the carry case within a week. So nice, and we love it either way!
http://www.planetbox.com is where I purchased the lunch box. They are great!!
I love your children’s lunches! They look soo tasty! how do you keep both the apple slices and guac from turning brown throughout the day before your children eat them? also, where did you get those boxes from?
A squeeze of lime or lemon juice in the guac and a squeeze of lemon juice over the apples keeps them from turning brown. : )
These look fabulous! I love the way you use lunch trays to create a sort of “lunchable” made from real food.
Just had great success with a random assortment of CSA and grass fed beef collective ingredients: burgers using eggplant as the buns!
The whole recipe is at primalinapinch.com
I too would LOVE to know where I could get my hands on those lunch trays. Not sure if they would work for my kids, but I’d love to get away from many little containers and baggies!!! But I am thinking the lid could be hinder-some for the lunch tables.
Also, thanks for the school lunch post. Love your blog and all you do for our community!
Thank you!
Robyn, you beat me to the punch about the bento boxes. I was going to ask the same thing. They are great!
I was wondering about the Bento boxes as well … they’re very cool!!
Purchased from http://www.planetbox.com Love it!!
This will be the first year sending my kids back to school primal. We already have the Planet Box boxes so I *loved* seeing photos of what’s possible. Just got your cookbook and loving how it makes me inspired to come at this lifestyle change from a total family perspective.
wait…those aren’t regular bento boxes..what are those??
It’s a Planet Box! Found at http://www.planetbox.com
Wow. I love the boxes but ouch on the price. Any other similar boxes out there without the price tag?
Hey! I’ve been wanted to try and make eggplant chips to serve with a tuna tar tar. How did they turn out? Crispy? soft? Thanks!! See you tonight at x-fit!
The were not that crispy actually but they tasted delicious!!
I’m echoing Joann here but thanks so much for sharing your school lunch ideas. First year sending my kids with paleo meals so this is really helpful. Keep ’emxoming!
So, I always bring my lunch to work, though at least I have access to a microwave. But I’m always bringing 3 or 4 different tupperwares of stuff. Do you think those boxes would fit enough food for an adult also? If so I might buy one for myself 🙂 Your idea are also helpful for my lunches as well, and quick to prepare in the morning rush. Thanks!
I just bought one for both my kids and they love their Planet boxes. They got 2 magnet sets each which are so cute!
I thought about trying to pack my food in it for work one day. The square spot is the size of a sandwich so great for your main meal. I think it would work if you don’t eat a lot for lunch. I love the little dipper containers that comes with it for my oil and vinegar.
I think you might need something different for yourself, I know I eat more than what the planet boxes would hold but check these out for TONS of grown up options!! http://lifewithoutplastic.com/boutique/food-storage-c-66.html
Sarah – you should get a commission for all the business you’ve sent them. They are now selling them at pottery barn kids too but don’t have the magnets.
I agree! I bet they have no idea how much business I have sent there way over the last couple of years…. Ha ha!!
Where do you find kelp noodles??
I buy them here locally at Chico Natural Foods but you can order them as well! http://www.kelpnoodles.com/products_seatangle_noodles.html
Sarah – I always get amazing ideas from your site and your book so THANK YOU. One question I have is in regards to Tanka Bites. In looking up the nutrition of them I noticed the cranberries are made with sugar. How do you rectify that? Thanks for everything!
hey sarah—
Just stumbled on your site last week. I made kale meatballs the other day but sauteed my onion & kale together in coconut oil before adding it to the food processor to puree with the meat. these were phenomenal! the kids gobbled them up!
So glad you liked the meatballs Becca and that you found my site! : )
Someone ping Jamie Oliver!
Thanks for all the inspiration. I bought some Goodbyn lunch boxes for my kids and I’ve been really pleased with them.
I have made meals for my girls that are just like this. Minus the nuts. In Canada our schools are nut free, or at least in Ontario. My problem is they are left feeling hungry still. What else could I put in there lunch boxes to make them feel full?
Is this an entire 3 oz package of Tanka bites?
Can you suggest a replacement for the eggplant used in the ‘kale meatballs?’
We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our planet boxes! I just wish the big dipper could hold warm stuff without sucking down and sealing the lid. What do you use when you want to send them with something warm like soup or leftovers? Since weather is going to turn soon I’d like to send them with warm meals.
Amy, I haven’t done this, but I read recently where someone warmed a ceramic tile and placed it next to the lunchbox in the lunchbag. They said it worked great!! Wish I could remember where I read that…..they used the Planet boxes too.
Those paleo meatballs were amazing. I used spicy turkey sausage and ate them over a bed of tomato and zucchini. Yum!
Great idea for meatballs! My husband was thrilled how tasty Paleo Diet can be… And I was pleasantly surprised how easy and quick a lot of delicious meals are done! Salad turned out very nice also with a home made Paleo Mayo!
Ms. Sarah, Thanks sooooo much!!! You are an inspiration for me! =)))
The Kale Meatballs were AWESOME! We are only in our second week of paleo and I was positive that there had to be better paleo options that straight meat and veggies. I stumbled across your website and have made so many of your recipes. Even my 2 year old loves (most) of your recipes. These meatballs were a hit with every family member. Thank you for making the transition to Paleo easier.
Thank you Katie for your kind comment and I’m so glad that you are enjoying the recipes!
I made the kale meatballs the other day and my family loved them! I switched up the meat in the recipe for ground bison and spicy italian sausage (that’s what I had in the fridge) and they were so delicious. I’ll definitely make them again. They were also really good reheated the next day for lunch.
Warning: the Tanka bites are made with sugar. It is really easy to make similar on your own using grass fed beef. Just cut my jerky recipe a bit thicker. Try your own ideas as far as marinade. Mine uses maple syrup, probably could be completely sugar-free if you wanted to. see http://nutritionalkitchen.wordpress.com/about/herky-jerky/
I love your ideas. I, literally am on day 2 of researching Paleo diet and am enjoying it so much. My only thing is it seems to me that your lunches for school include a lot of processed meats- natural albeit, but still processed. I think thinly slicing chicken breast, or london broil may be a better option. Just my 2 cents.
I am so excited that I found this blog!! I am a beginner Paleo-dieter…just bought The Paleo Diet Cookbook, and although the recipies look delicious, it seems so time consuming. The recipies you have here on this page are so simple and easy, now I’m not scared of the time it will take me to make this food. I can’t wait to eat real food all the time and feel better than I have ever felt in my life!! Thank you so much for your tips and recipies and for this awesome blog!!!
Thanks Geniece! So glad you found me also! I also have a cookbook that might help as well if you are interested you can check it out here on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Paleo-Sarah-Fragoso/dp/098256581X/ref=la_B0060U8PNS_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339807272&sr=1-1
Hi Sarah – I have recently found your blog and am new to Paleo eating. I love your recipes and kid lunch ideas. So far it’s only me eating Paleo but I would love to get my husband and two little girls eating this way more. Do you have any advice on how to get my four year old to eat vegetables? The only vegetable she’ll eat is cucumber! Will not touch any other! I’ve tried to be creative but she’s so smart it doesn’t work. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks and I’m looking forward to trying all these amazing recipes! Pam
If you can’t do nuts, then coconut flour cookies are a good idea. You can add different ingredients each time to make them interesting. How about making chocolate pudding using a milk substitute, eggs, gelatin and stevia or honey? You can use dark chocolate or cocoa powder, or just add vanilla extract and make it vanilla flavored. Sunflower seed butter is also nut free and paleo as well. We buy Sunbutter when we can find it at a reasonable price.
My dr. just put me on the Paleo Diet, and I am researching like crazy. I’m reading many websites, but yours is the most practical. I have ordered the original books on Amazon, but I think your recipes may suit my tastes and time even better. The hardest things for me may be no grains (I’ve worked so hard for years to add whole grains to every meal I prepare, and my husband still needs them for his cholesterol); dairy (no cheese!); and no sugar. Other health conditions mean I can’t eat lettuce, dark greens except once a week, and certain fruit juices. But just from your site, I see I will have many choices. Thanks, Sarah!
Thank you Jewell and best of luck to you! Please let us know how else we can help you along the way!
Hi! Thank you so much for the inspiration! I am a mom of two (very!) fast growing boys who is struggling to switch to a paleo lifestyle… I gradually tried preparing grain free lunch boxes for them, but when they came home they complained that they had been hungry all afternoon, especially as they play lots of sports. Should I just put more food in their lunch boxes or would there be particular combinations of foods that would fill them up better? Like certain levels of fibers etc to get from different ingredients for example…?
How do the tanka bites taste? Is it like beef jerky?