Weekly Paleo-Friendly Dinner Menu – 8/3 – 8/8

On July 20th, I began what I decided to call 30 days of focus.  One month of being intentional and consistent about my health goals.   I plan to continue these practices past 30 days, but concrete periods of time help me stay motivated toward the smaller goals I have set.

I do best with seeing visuals of my progress, so I have a large dry erase board with my daily and weekly goals that I can check off.  My five main areas of focus are resistance training along with daily movement, gratitude & prayer, hydration, detox, and nutrition. I figured I would share details on each of the five items this month in case you might be looking for some encouragement or motivation yourself.

On the nutrition side of things, I’m working to get to a healthy body fat percentage and reduce inflammation in my body, so I’m following a Paleo approach for nutrition for the time being.  If you’re not familiar, Paleo eliminates grains, legumes, dairy, and refined sugar and encourages you to avoid processed foods.  It is supposed to mimic how prehistoric humans may have eaten and is good for those trying to heal their gut, as it eliminates most inflammatory foods.  Note – it’s a good idea to be tested for food allergies if you’re having any gut issues, as even some Paleo foods may be something that you might be sensitive to or have a reaction to.

Here’s our dinner menu for the upcoming week.  I know some people actually meal prep on Sundays for the week ahead and put everything into containers but that’s just not me.  Maybe someday I’ll get that organized, but for now, just having the recipes planned out is progress for me 🙂

Monday

Lemon Lebanese Chicken with a side of Cauliflower Rice and Massaged Kale Salad with Cherries

Tuesday

Meatloaf with Moroccan Salad

Wednesday

Baked Salmon with Avocado Salsa

Thursday

Almond Chicken and Green Beans

Friday

Paleo Meatballs with Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts

Saturday

Sheet Pan Shrimp with Zoodles

The past 2 weeks, I haven’t planned out meals as far in advance like this, but I did stick with Paleo ingredients.  I’ve already noticed improvements in my energy and my sleep quality, and I’ve lost a sustainable 2-3 pounds per week since I started, so I’m feeling encouraged.

I’ve switched from having snacks that were mainly simple carbs and laden with sugar to eating more complex carbs like this snack of peppers with nutritional yeast!  The nutritional yeast adds a nutty flavor that I really love and is a great source of B Vitamins.

Though I’m mostly avoiding processed food, my one exception is this high protein snack from Kalahari!  When I’m looking for a crunchy and filling snack, these crisps are perfect.  20g of protein per bag, and no sugar!  Use code PLANKING for 10% off here!  They also offer delicious Biltong!

What do you think, is it helpful to see these weekly recipe ideas?  What is the biggest obstacle you face when trying to reach your health and fitness goals?  I’d love to hear your feedback!

Thanks for reading!

Emily