Are you trying to lose weight and feel better by adopting the Paleo diet? Good idea. But are you stuck finding paleo lunch ideas for helping that weight loss? These paleo lunch ideas and tips will help.
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Paleo Lunches can be tricky
For me, one of the hardest parts about starting the Paleo diet was figuring out my Paleo lunches.
If I didn’t have a lunch prepared or even know what I was going to eat, I’d find myself scrambling for food in the afternoon, and that is when my will-power is at its lowest. Suddenly that cinnamon-raisin bagel looks like a really good idea.
A couple months back I completed a 30 day Paleo Challenge which was a strict Paleo regimen inspired by Chris Kresser’s book, “The Paleo Cure.” (Click to see it on Amazon.)
I was surprised by some of the results, but most importantly was my increased energy level. If you’re unsure on what Paleo is, check out my “What is the Paleo Diet?” article.
But lunches were a weak spot.
Here are my tips and Paleo lunch ideas to help with your weight loss and increased energy.
Paleo Lunch Idea #1 – Eat Leftovers
I highly recommend that you make enough dinner to have leftovers to eat for lunch.
There it is…my number #1 tip. Lets turn off the lights and go home.
Check out this list of 11 Mouth-watering Belly-Slimming Paleo Dinner recipes.
But making enough for leftovers isn’t always easy.
Sometimes dinner tastes so darn good that your family eats more than expected. Or you simply don’t make enough.
So it is good to have some Paleo lunch ideas for those “just in case” days.
Paleo Lunch Idea #2
Have some cooked meat in the fridge dedicated to lunches.
Paleo Lunch Ideas for Cooked Meat
- Chicken breasts – bake some chicken breasts in the oven, then store in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can quickly cube the cooked chicken and serve over salad with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil salad dressing.
- I bake chicken breasts at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes, then flip and cook for another 10-13 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature has reached 165-degrees F.
- Season those little beauties with favorite spices and they’ll be delicious…just don’t overcook or you’ll dry them out
Image by Matthias Lipinski from Pixabay
- Ground beef – we like to add some taco seasoning to the ground beef and cook it up. Then once cool, you can eat it with some salsa and guacamole over top of a delicious green salad. It makes a quick paleo lunch that is satisfying and will fill you up.
- Ham – You can come up with some clever ham wraps. I sliced up some pickles lengthwise and then wrapped them up in a slice of ham for a quick Paleo lunch (well more like snack but have it with a salad or handful of nuts and you got yourself a lunch).
Paleo Lunch Idea #3 – Tuna & Cucumber Salad – A quick Paleo Lunch
This is a a quick Paleo lunch that takes only a couple minutes to prepare. Tuna is a large fish and may accumulate mercury in its muscles, so that is why I try not to eat tuna too frequently.
But it is an inexpensive source of protein and this is easy and fast to make.
You can also use canned salmon, and since salmon are smaller fish they don’t bio-accumulate as much mercury.
Ingredients:
1 Can of Tuna
1/2 Avocado
2 Stalks of Celery
1/4 Cup of Red Onions
Pinch of Sea Salt and Pepper
Half of a Cucumber
Substitution and Omission: you can use canned salmon instead of tuna. And I have a Paleo mayonnaise made from avocados that I use. And if you’re really short on time you can omit the celery and red onions, and then serve the tuna mixture over top of a green salad.
Instructions:
- Drain the can of tuna and put it in a mixing bowl.
- Select a ripe avocado, slice in half, scoop out half of the avocado and add it to the mixing bowl. Mix the tuna and avocado together.
- Chop up the red onion and celery and add to the bowl, stir it in to the tuna and avocado mixture.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- You have options for the cucumber. You can cut it into slices and use as “chips” to scoop out the tuna mixtures, or you can cube the cucumber and mix it right in with the other ingredients.
- Enjoy your quick and easy lunch.
If you prefer Salmon, I found this Paleo Salmon cakes recipe online [quick and easy].
Paleo Lunches Tip – Veggie Platters
You’ll eat lots of veggies on a Paleo diet.
It is best to plan ahead and have some vegetables washed and chopped up ready to eat.
They are the ultimate Paleo fast food.
Image by Rebecca Humann from Pixabay
Vegetable platters like the one above will help you avoid “bad” cravings.
Instead of reaching for donuts or cookies just out of habit, you’ll need to train yourself to reach for your chopped up veggies.
And I know with my kids they don’t go out of their way to eat veggies…but if I have them chopped up the whole platter will be gone.
If you want some quick Paleo smoothie recipes check out my 7 Paleo Smoothies recipes article.
I hope my Paleo lunch ideas will be helpful for your weight loss goals.
I think they’ll help you get through what I found to be the trickiest meal of the day.
If you have a favorite Paleo lunch feel free to comment below. I’m sure other readers would love to hear it.
Thank you, Tim.
Up Next:
7 Proven Paleo Pancake Recipes for a tasty Paleo breakfast
Need help meal planning to keep your Paleo diet on track? Check out this free printable weekly meal planner template.
Want some Paleo Desserts ideas? Check out 8 Tasty Chia seed pudding paleo desserts
