Honestly, the best way to add variety to your diet is to get in the kitchen and get your hands dirty. Make a goal to try at least "1 a week"- 1 new vegetable, 1 new recipe, 1 new preparation...just something!! Stalk out as many recipe site as possible- it doesn't have to be paleo, any blog worth it's salt will have loads of recipes for veggies and meats. Try curries, soups, stir fries, salads, and just keep on trying. Sure, everything might not taste great, and I guarantee you will make mistakes and feel out of your element when you start. After a while though, you get the hang of it- you learn what you like, and what you don't like. You start navigating the store and market a bit better, and it gets easier.
If you need help kickstarting, I always tell people to sit down with 3 pieces of paper at the beginning of the week. On one piece of paper, write down your meals you want to have for the week. Browse blogs, pick out recipes, and put it down in ink that you are eating that item at that time on that day. Be realistic- if you have a little more time on some evenings than others, pick those for a more elaborate dish or new meal approach. Once you have a schedule of what the week is going to look like, make a grocery list from this plan. Take the 2nd piece of paper and write down every item you will need for that weeks meals that you don't have. You don't have to get all the groceries at once- it looks like a lot of food when you are cooking every meal, but just make sure you have a solid plan to get all those groceries at the appropriate time throughout the course of the week. Now for the 3rd piece of paper, and this ones important: make a prep sheet. This is how restaurants run- nothing moves if the prepwork isn't done, and the same things will happen in your kitchen if your on a tight schedule. Think of what can be done ahead- does something need a marinade? Can you roast some vegetables ahead of time and just reheat them before dinner? Can anything be peeled/chopped/sauteed/steamed in advance? Can you make up casserole dishes or ramekins that are ready to be thrown in the oven when you want dinner? Do you have all your lunch items in the containers ready to go? This is the key to saving time, reducing stressed (don't have to freak out there is nothing defrosted or ready), and using food efficiently (if you know what is going to happen to every item in your fridge, food waste is hugely reduced).
Making food for yourself isn't just what happens in the kitchen- it is having the right ingredients on hand in the right state so that you can prepare them with ease in a way you know in advance. As you get more comfortable with your kitchen and eating schedule, it won't be as big a deal. However, I have lots of experience cooking and preparing food since I became interested in food when I was really little, and as soon as my life starts to get really busy and hectic, I snap right back to this 3-lists system. It is a savior!
