Five Paleo Dinners To Cook Next Week #7

I’m in the home stretch of recipe testing for Well Fed Weeknights (coming to you November 1, 2016!), so our meals vacillate between a random assortment of new dishes that make no sense together and My Favorite Lazy Dinner: roasted chicken breast, Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup, and Crispy Plantains.

But with Thanksgiving on the way, I also have Velvety Butternut Squash on the brain, and since there are still two weeks ’til the big day, I’ve included it in this week’s recommendations. It’s never too soon for comforting casseroles with pecans!

I’ve also included four more paleo and Whole30 compliant dishes you could make for dinner next week, along with a fresh-tasting salsa that makes anything special (even My Favorite Lazy Dinner). Plus, a Whole30-approved dessert ’cause maybe you’d like something a little sweet.

Dinner Ideas (Whole30 compliant)

Citrus Pork Carnitas

Cookup Tips: This can be made over the course of a lazy weekend day, then turned into kickass meals all week long. It requires almost no hands-on work, and it’s crazy good.

Recommended Sides: I know I’ve been pushing plantains a lot lately, but pork+plantains is such a delicious equation. And it’s choose your own adventure: you can go for Crispy (green) or Sautéed (yellow). For Crispy, you can boil the plantains in advance, then crisp-up just before eating. The carnitas are also awesome with the Cucumber-Pineapple Salsa listed below and Cauliflower Rice with your favorite salsa.

Velvety Butternut Squash

Cookup Tips: The squash for this recipe gets cooked twice, so you can roast it during your cookup and finish it later, or complete the whole shebang and reheat before eating.

Recommended Sides: This casserole is a great source of quality carbs and fat, but it needs protein. I recommend roasted chicken thighs (boneless, skinless; 425F oven for 25-30 minutes) or pan-fried pork chops (or rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, if you’re in a pinch).

Pickled Eggs and Beets (not Whole30 compliant)

Cookup Tips: These are perfect for Cookup day because they take very little hands-on time, make a big batch, and taste better as time goes on. That’s my favorite trifeta!

Recommended Sides: I think a dinner made solely of pickled eggs would be weird (although, if you do it, I really want to hear about it). Instead, how about a salad plate made with either Firecracker Tuna Salad or Waldorf Tuna Salad with some raw veggies, pyour favorite pickles, maybe some olives, and fresh fruit.

Jalapeño-Bacon Burger Balls

Cookup Tips: Meat “dough” can be made 1 day in advance then cooked—or you can cook the meatballs during your Cookup and re-heat just before eating. They’ll stay fresh and tasty for 5-6 days after cooking. They also freeze like champs!

Recommended Sides: You kinda really need some oven fries with these. You can go for Crispy Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries, Herb Parsnip Fries, or Classic Diner-Style Home Fries—don’t forget the Kickass Ketchup! You can prep all the potatoes in advance, then throw them in the oven with the meatballs just before eating.

Crispy Spiced Chicken Livers

Cookup Tips: These really taste best when you make the just before eating, but they’re pretty quick—and the crispiness makes up for the fact that they can’t be part of your Cookup.

Recommended Sides: I like these with Simple Lemon Spinach, Cauliflower Rice, or boiled potatoes with ghee and parsley.

Condiment (Whole30 compliant)

Cucumber-Pineapple Salsa

Cookup Tips: You can make this during your Cookup in, like, 10 minutes, and then spoon it onto anything you eat during the week that needs a little razzle-dazzle. It’s fantastic with pork and grilled chicken. You could also sauté peeled shrimp in olive oil or ghee, then toss with this salsa and pile the whole thing on Cauliflower Rice. This is also really good tossed on top of Plantain Nachos.

Treat (Whole30 compliant)

Fried Apples (Whole30 compliant)

Cookup Tips: This takes just a few minutes to make, so I recommend that you make this “to order” for maximum bacon crispiness and freshness.

Want to get a notification of my “5 Paleo Dinners To Cook Next Week” sent to your email every Thursday?
Sign up here!