Jump start me on Paleo - your easy tricks.

[Anonymous]

To start off - I am 20 pounds overweight on a very small frame - so I look 50 pounds overweight. I have a thyroid condition that makes losing weight a struggle.

What are your easy tricks that cuts out cooking time but makes paleo food available to you at all time? I have 3 kids and a stressful career and do not have much time on hand. I can swing grocery shopping but the thought of making something for me that the rest of the family will not eat (fussy eaters) is daunting.

I have usually failed in diets because I am tired and hungry and did not have anything healthy to eat, so I end up grabbing whatever is available (mostly bread and cheese). The thing that is in my favor is that I have the capacity to eat the most boring diet and I do not miss my favorites - just as long as I can have some ready to eat/assemble/tote/grab foods.

So - please help me and give me tips to lose this weight. I promise to follow your recommendations and good Karma for you will follow.

[Anonymous]

Boil a dozen eggs at the beginning of the week

Buy pre-made guacamole snack packs for snacking with vegetables

Cook a bunch of meat like chicken thighs (breasts are so dry) very basically. Have a bunch of salad vegetables pre cut on the weekend. Keep fresh romaine or whatever greens you like best for salad washed and ready to go. Easy to throw it all together for lunch. Make your own dressing from balsamic, olive oil and mustard.

Pre-bag nuts to throw in your purse or bag. A handful in each bag is the perfect amount.

[Anonymous]

I agree with pp.
(I am not sure if these are considered paleo, but)
I also always have cut up watermelon, strawberries, and blueberries on hand.
I always have plain Greek yogurt that I can mix with berries, cocoa powder, and/or fruit for a quick blast of protein.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boil a dozen eggs at the beginning of the week

Buy pre-made guacamole snack packs for snacking with vegetables

Cook a bunch of meat like chicken thighs (breasts are so dry) very basically. Have a bunch of salad vegetables pre cut on the weekend. Keep fresh romaine or whatever greens you like best for salad washed and ready to go. Easy to throw it all together for lunch. Make your own dressing from balsamic, olive oil and mustard.

Pre-bag nuts to throw in your purse or bag. A handful in each bag is the perfect amount.

We live parallel lives. this is exactly what I do. What ever protein the kids are eating, I put on my salad for dinner or I have tuna on top. I buy raw organic almonds and cashews in bulk at Moms. On Sunday I peel and cut a large amount of carrots for snacks all week.

Lara Bars. Check the ingredients, but the cashew ones are just cashews and fig. I eat one on the way to work.

Make a Quiche on Sundays for lunches during the week.

Almond butter and an apple is more filling than it sounds.

It's actually not as hard as it may seem if you just focus on fruits, veggies and nuts and adjusting your expectations on what you think a meal or snack should be. I've been known to have an avocado and a piece of fruit for lunch. Super easy and the avocado fills me up.

[Anonymous]

My daughter follows a paleo tweaked for non-celiac gluten intolerance and a wheat allergy. This morning for breakfast we had a sunny side egg with a couple slices of avocado and a slice of bacon. That's pretty common for her.

Once a week, I roast a cookie sheet of each of these: butternut squash, peppers, and onions. Then it is easy to throw together tacos and other quick dinners.

If you can follow Nom Nom Paleo because I learned all of my baby steps there. "Cauliflower rice" from her Cauliflower Fried rice became the base of many dishes and you can use it to make the crust for pizza or quiche.

[Anonymous]

I want to second the idea of getting in the habit of making a batch of hard boiled eggs to have on hand. My husband and I don't do paleo exactly, but eat high fat, low carb which ends up being similar to paleo.

We steam the eggs, instead of boiling. It seems much easier to me. Use whatever steamer set up you have - we use our asparagus steamer. Bring your water to a boil and then add the basket of eggs. Cover and steam for 9 or 10 minutes. Have an ice water bath waiting and dunk them as soon as your timer goes off.

At 9 or 10 minutes the yolks are still a little soft, which we prefer. If you want a fully cooked yolk, try 11 or 12 minutes.

Another tip - get used to eating more things with a fork. Like I made baba ganoush and we just ate it plain. I sometimes dip with carrots or cucumber rounds, but there are times you just have to fork it in.