Tips for some quick Paleo meals

Time is a precious commodity for Josh and I - we seem to always be running out of it.  Very frustrating.

We especially have very little time Monday - Thursday when I work 10 hours a day.  When we first started our Paleo lifestyle, we spent hours each night cooking and cleaning.  Not exactly the most relaxing thing to do after 10 hours of working.

Then suddenly, one day out of a mixture of sheer desperation and curiosity (and a desire to actually make use of the appliances we have), I decided to throw some food in the oven.  I think I threw in something really easy, like a meatloaf (1 lb of ground beef, half an onion, salt and pepper) and POOF -  we suddenly had time to work out.  We had time to be together.  We had time to do something other than cooking and cleaning the kitchen.

Angels sang and saints wept.  It was a beautiful moment of why didn't I think of that before, dang it!?

So if you're thinking about going Paleo or maybe already are and are getting a bit burnt out with the same old time draining routine of cooking entire meals, try using your oven or crockpot, and try to prep veggies, spices, etc. ahead of time so you always have something quick on hand to grab and throw in the oven.

Need some ideas for what to fix ahead of time?

Onions - having a bag of chopped onions in the freezer ready to go is a HUGE time saver.  Just designate maybe a half an hour one day to chopping up as many as you can, and store them in your freezer.  Perfect for throwing into chili, meatloaf, stir fry, soup, stew, or anything else you can think of!

Peppers - if you're not avoiding nightshades (eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, etc.), dice up some peppers and throw in the freezer.  Again, a great food for so many dishes, and it's so nice to just grab it out of the freezer and toss it in whatever you're cooking.

Carrots - I'm thinking I might throw some in the food processor and freeze it so I can use it for carrot breads and stir fry.

Sweet Potatoes - I haven't actually tried this, but it sounds like a pretty good idea.  Cut up some fries, then toss them in a ziplock bag, and you can bake them whenever.

Zucchini - I think you're getting the idea here...


Recipe time!  If you're low on time, give this recipe a go.

Paleo Meatloaf

1 lb grass-fed beef
1/2-1 small onion (to taste)
1/2 diced bell pepper (unless you're avoiding nightshades)
salt and pepper to taste

Put the oven on 375.  Grab a baking dish and mixing bowl.  Dice onion and pepper and toss in the mixing bowl with the beef.  Salt and pepper as you'd like, and mix everything together thoroughly.  Place the hunk of meat in the baking dish, and put it in the oven for at least 30 minutes.  Basically, take it out of the oven whenever you want - I happen to like medium well beef, so I look for the bit of pink color, and then I take it out.

Aren't I an amazing recipe writer?  Yeah...just oozing talent.

Anyways, play around with the recipe - is there a specific spice you love to throw into all your beef dishes?  Give it a go!  I love this very simple one; it's fast, easy, and versatile.  Sometimes I toss some minced mushrooms in, which is really tasty.