Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I've been lurking for ages and gathering information on Paleo for a while now - trying to work up to the courage to 'rip the bandaid off' and do a 30 day challenge. The biggest obstacle I foresee is the amount of cooking. I'm not a great cook to begin with and have always relied on a lot of grains both for bulk and convenience. I have a toddler and a demanding full-time job, and I also care for an elderly relative who lives with me. NOT trying to lay out a lot of excuses but rather trying to recognize what the challenges are to this lifestyle change.

Thanks in advance for your perspectives and advice (and for the wealth of information I've managed to pick up so far.)

Cheers!

flag	asked Jun 11 2011 at 23:45 gailwore 21●1

A at Grain Free Diet · Answer 1 · 2011-06-11 23:58:40Z UTC

Get a crock pot and make it your new friend. Even for someone who is not a cook and has very little time, you can still put a pork roast in a crock pot, top it with sauerkraut, and come home to a finished meal 8 hours later. (Cook on low.) Or a pot roast in the crockpot. Steaks can take 10 minutes under the broiler and then you can serve with a salad. There are tons of recipes that take very little prep time and don't require the skills of Julia Child to pull off - promise.

Good luck!

Carl_Stawicki · Answer 2 · 2011-06-12 02:29:09Z UTC

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Meat -> Skillet -> Belly.

answered Jun 12 2011 at 2:29

Carl_Stawicki
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I totally love cooking and am rather good at it but with a baby most of our dinners consist of two sauteed veggies in butter or coconut oil in one skillet and a piece of steak in another skillet. Done and Done. – Aughra Jun 12 2011 at 4:52

PaleoMouth · Answer 3 · 2011-06-12 02:19:39Z UTC

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I cook every single one of my meals.

The only skills used.. Chopping, boiling water and frying meat. Max 20 minutes from start to eat.

My meals might be 'boring' but they are EASY and TASTY and FILLING!

answered Jun 12 2011 at 2:19

PaleoMouth
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Pretty much how I'm rolling these days, too. – ben61820 Jun 12 2011 at 2:35

miked · Answer 4 · 2011-06-12 00:30:19Z UTC

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YES! Paleo is perfect for a non-cook. Cook up some meat, throw it on some veggies and you're done.

answered Jun 12 2011 at 0:30

miked
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Jules K · Answer 5 · 2011-06-12 00:35:01Z UTC

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You can do it! Check out everydaypaleo.com- lots of recipes geared toward busy families.

answered Jun 12 2011 at 0:35

Jules K
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ben61820 · Answer 6 · 2011-06-12 01:29:17Z UTC

This is not rally an issue with paleo as much as it is with simply time-usage.

That being said what works for us is just cooking every piece of a meal - for instance the chicken for the protein piece of dinner, or the sweet potatoes etc - in larger quantities. Then just saving all the leftover pieces for tomorrow's or anytime piecing back together to a meal. So our fridge ends up full of chicken tin foil packets, baked potatoes, etc.

If you do dairy, well, of course yogurt and cottage cheese is ready-made

gilliebean · Answer 7 · 2011-06-12 02:45:39Z UTC

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Broil and steam. That's all I do. I broil a meat (7 to 10 minutes each side) and I steam a veggie (usually takes 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the veggie). Super simple.

answered Jun 12 2011 at 2:45

gilliebean♦
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whoa. is it just me or have you been quiet for a while? Good to see you. – ben61820 Jun 12 2011 at 12:45

Thanks Ben. :D - I've been doing a lot of voting but not answering. If someone's already posted an answer I like, I generally don't post my own answer. – gilliebean♦ Jun 12 2011 at 18:13

Vrimj · Answer 8 · 2011-06-12 01:14:57Z UTC

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There is cooking, but it doesn't have to be extensive and fancy

answered Jun 12 2011 at 1:14

Vrimj
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Leigh · Answer 9 · 2011-06-12 01:22:03Z UTC

Absolutely! I mostly just made protein-heavy salads or egg dishes since I couldn't cook when I first started Paleo... but then all of the yummy Paleo food made me want to learn how to REALLY cook, and now I love cooking! Best of luck with this!

Is Paleo do-able for someone who’s not much of a cook?

9 Answers