Five Paleo Dinners to Cook Next Week #91

It’s our 1-year anniversary in Prague, and I honestly find it hard to believe a whole year has passed since the first time I had to cook on my apartment’s @$#*% electric stove. There were so many tears that first week! And so much burnt food. I destroyed a lot of unsuspecting ingredients—especially eggs—while I was getting to know my stove, but we’ve reached a detente. Now I know that it likes to warm up the pan on 8 for a few minutes before being turned down to 6 for browning, 4 for heating, and 2 for simmering. And thanks to the farmers market and deliveries from Rohlik.com, my kitchen is running pretty smoothly. I’ve yet to find sunflower seed butter that’s as good as Sunbutter, and I’m thinking I might need to add a mandolin to my kitchen arsenal—but overall, we are settled in and eating well.

I know the weather in the States is a hodge-podge of warm pockets and some surprising cold snaps, so this week’s collection of recipes is a bridge between seasons: salads and burger balls to remind you that warm weather is coming, and chili and stew to comfort you in case you’re trapped in still-winterish. Happy cooking!

Dinner Ideas (Whole30 compliant)

Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad

Cookup Tips: Make the dressing, poach the chicken, and chop the vegetables in advance, then when it’s time to eat, just toss it together and dig in.

Recommended Sides: This recipe includes protein, veggies, and fat, so you don’t need to add a thing. But if you want to, Crispy Sweet Potato Fries are a yummy choice.

Chicken Paillard with Onion-Pepita Relish

Cookup Tips: This is so fast, you don’t need to do anything in advance. How awesome is that?!

Recommended Sides: This recipe from Well Fed Weeknights includes veggies and protein in one, but if you want to add another veg on the side, parsnip fries would be pretty awesome.

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.

Cincinnati Chili

Cookup Tips: Chili tastes even better on day 2 or 3, so let this simmer on the back of the stove during your Cookup and enjoy it later in the week. (Pro tip: This is pretty great for breakfast with a fried egg on top.)

Recommended Sides: You’ll want to roast a spaghetti squash to use as a bed for the chili. (And here’s a how-to video so you can cut the squash without mishap.)

Beef Stew Provençal

Cookup Tips: This is a great one to make on the weekend and eat all week. I love to have stew for breakfast: It’s warm, comforting, and very filling—guaranteed to help you power through your morning. And this is one of my all-time favorite recipes; I’ve been making it since my college days.

Recommended Sides: A fresh tossed salad is the best with this—and maybe with some homemade Ranch Dressing. The flavors of the herbs are very complementary.

Treat (Not Whole30 compliant)

Spiced Nuts

Cookup Tips: These take about 20 minutes to make and are the perfect picker-upper for salads, or alongside some fruit and protein for a snack.

WANT TO GET A NOTIFICATION OF MY “5 PALEO DINNERS TO COOK NEXT WEEK” SENT TO YOUR EMAIL EVERY THURSDAY? SIGN UP HERE!

NEED MORE DETAILED MEAL PLANNING HELP? ALL OF THE WELL FED RECIPES ARE AVAILABLE ON REAL PLANS!