This is it, the last 2 days of the Meal Planning Boot Camp! I am going to survive this…
Day 9
Okay, for this challenge I really had to think, what are 5 other meals I can make from one or two basic meals or “cooking events”? Like roasting a chicken and using the meat in other meals later in the week. But the truth is, I don’t really cook like that.
Contrary to what a lot of folks think eating paleo is, I don’t usually start with making some big piece of meat. If I do, it’s a treat or because it was on special somewhere. I might slow cook a pot roast I eat with vegetables the first night and then shred in soups or salads later, but I can’t remember the last time I did that.
Even when I make soups, I start with broth and veggies and the meat is an afterthought. Not because I have anything against meat but quality meat is expensive and I try to avoid buying it unless it’s grass-fed or pastured (with a few exceptions). Plus, I try to vary my protein sources and use nuts and seeds. Their nutritional profiles aren’t as good as meat but they do offer vitamins and minerals just the same.
For me, the things that I make that I know I can repurpose during the week are more likely to be sauces or vegetables with a small amount of meat. So, my 6 “meals” would be a mix of these:
- Mayonnaise: I make mine from scratch with a recipe from Everyday Paleo and have it in the fridge all the time. It is great for making other dips like ranch but I often just use it straight up for veggies, coleslaw and topping on salads or burgers.
- Almond Thai Ginger Sauce: Yum, yum! If I make my Almond Ginger Chicken Satay, I will double the sauce and use it for salads and dips during the week. It is, also great on fish tacos!
- Pumpkin Hummus: Works great as a dip and dressing if thinned done with olive oil.
- Peeled sweet potatoes: If I am going to go through the work of peeling sweet potatoes, I am going to do a big batch and prep several kinds like cube, shreds and noodles. Then, I can enjoy mashed potatoes, sautéed shreds with my eggs and steamed noodles with the sauce from the Thai Basil Chicken on them!
- Turkey patties: When I make a turkey burger to go on a big bed of spinach salad, I will cook a few extra to slice or cube up for future snacks or salads. They great dipped in any of the sauces already mentioned.
Day 10
The final day was wrapping it all up by planning for the next week and using the tips learned so far. I’m not sure how that was actually supposed to work because if you are 10 days in you are already in the middle of the next week but I’m rolling with it! It worked out better because of my schedule just to skip ahead to the following week for my planning.
- Do the inventory of my pantry, fridge and freezer
- Create a new 7 day meal plan
- Think about meals that can be used later in the week
- Think about what I can double batch
- Write up my grocery list
I know I am going to busy next week AND away hiking on the Olympic Peninsula on the weekend, so I tried to keep it really simple. Plus, the meatballs on Sunday will travel well later in the week. I also chose these meals because I already have most of the ingredients: ground turkey, a fish filet, green beans (for the Paleo Ugly Fries) and vegetables and broth for the soup.
Similar to the last menu, I will probably make some hummus and egg muffins for my trip. I did take some ripe bananas out of the freezer to make banana bread, which also travels well. If there aren’t enough leftovers from the meals I plan to make, I still have 5-6 frozen ones I can pull from as backup. My grocery shopping this week will include zucchini for the zoodles, salad fixings like shredded cabbage and kale for lunches and some veggies and fruit for snacking.
As I was going through my cupboards and planning my week, I realized I had some very ripe plantains to use up and it would need to be something sweet. Knowing I had frozen raspberries from this summer, coconut cream and cocoa nibs made this dessert just fall in to place! I boiled the plantains and poured the cream over them, then topped with fruit and chocolate. What a tasty reward for using what I had on hand…
Can you see why I just LOVE meal planning? It takes all the guess work out of meal preparation and leaves me feeling so less stressed when I start my week. Have you tried any of the ideas I talked about the last 10 days? What was successful and what didn’t work so well? And if you are a backpacker, did you get any meals dehydrated? Let me know in the comments below!
For the first post in this series, visit Meal Planning Boot Camp: Preparation & Day 1. For the previous post, visit Meal Planning Boot Camp: Day 7 & 8 Plus Paleo On The Go.
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