Do you follow the Paleo diet? Are you often pressed for time, and looking for some ideas for quick Paleo snacks or Paleo meals? Some days you may have time to prepare a gourmet meal, and other times you may be lucky to even grab a banana and a cup of coffee! Here are 10 Quick & Easy Paleo Snacks and Meals, along with some even quicker alternative options, for the busy Mom.

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1. Pancakes with Strawberry or Blueberry Topping

These pancakes are a staple in my home. I make them at least once a month, and my husband devours them.

Here is the recipe I use [from The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf]

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients and stir until you have a uniform batter.
2. Grease pan with a little coconut oil, and spread pancake batter in pan.
3. Cook over medium heat and devour!
4. If you like, sprinkle raw walnuts or sliced almonds and drizzle Grade B maple syrup on top.
5. You can also try simmering fresh or frozen berries over low heat, then mash with a wooden spatula for a warm fruit topping.

Quick Alternative:

1 apple, raw almonds, and a hard boiled egg.

May also like 10 Healthy Breakfast Ideas That Aren’t Porridge

2. Sunny side Up

Eggs are always a great source of protein and you can also incorporate breakfast sausage, ham, or any other meat you like.

• 2 eggs to your liking (I prefer over medium)
• Sweet potato hash browns – peel then grate sweet potatoes, form into patties, cook in olive oil.
• Lightly wilted arugula with your favorite seasonings(garlic, salt, lemon)

Quick Alternative:

• 2 hard boiled eggs(boiled in advance)
• Slice of ham
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce

3. I Feel Like Chicken Tonight

I could eat chicken just about every day. It is so versatile and easy to throw on the grill, and whip up a quick and painless dinner.

• Grilled or baked chicken breast with your choice of seasonings
• Sweet potato cubes cooked in coconut or olive oil
• Greens(aparagus, broccoli, spinach, arugula, etc.)

Quick Alternative:

Shredded chicken breast over raw kale or spinach.

May also like 25 Super Scrummy Easy Chicken Recipes

4. Stuffed Bell Pepper

I find stuffed bell peppers to be such a simple, yet delicious dish. The preparation and bake time is somewhat time consuming, but yields such a fun meal. Almost like soup in a bread bowl, but not.

Method:

• Cut off the top of a bell pepper(green, yellow, or red) and scoop out the seeds and ribs.
• Stuff pepper with prepared ground beef cooked with onions, garlic, celery, mushrooms, tomato sauce etc., and place bell pepper lid on top.
• Bake in a shallow pan with about a 1/4 inch of water at 350 degrees, until peppers are tender.

Quick Alternative:

Ground beef with tomato sauce over shredded zucchini or zucchini “noodles.”

There is a great kitchen tool called a veggie spiralizer that will transform boring veggies into “noodles.” If you don’t have one, a good old-fashioned grater will suffice.

You can buy Veggie Spiralizer on Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk.

5. Shake it Up

I invented this paleo shake recipe as I do most of my meals. Sometimes my son is in my arms, sometimes he’s babbling in his jumperoo. Either way, I like to make this shake whether he’s squirming in my arms, or playing by himself adjacent to the kitchen, as it’s just the right kind of (liquid) meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

• 8 oz coconut water
• A splash of unsweetened pineapple juice, orange juice, or even a splash of Grade B maple syrup
• 1/2 banana (frozen)
• Handful of kale
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• Raw Vegan protein powder(Sunwarrior is my go-to protein powder)

Quick Alternative:  Chocolate Banana Shake

• 10 oz almond milk
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tbsp 100% cacao powder

6. Under the Sea

• Grilled salmon
• Grilled asparagus
• Baked sweet potato fries

 Quick Alternative: Tuna cucumber boats

• Cut a cucumber in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the center.
• Prepare tuna with lemon juice, garlic, salt, and the seasonings of your choice.
• You have successfully made a tuna cucumber boat!
• You can also try canned pink salmon or chicken.

May also like 50 Easy Family Dinners

7. Burger, Hold the Bun

Paleo burgers are just the thing to make you feel that you are not on any kind of restricted diet – just hold the bun!

Hamburger patty with red onion rings, tomato slices, over greens. And there are lots more great paleo burger recipe ideas in this Paleo Grubs Blog.

Quick Alternative:

There is no quick alternative. This is quick enough :)

 8. It’s a Wrap!

High in healthy, anti-inflammatory fats and packed with nutrients, avocados are one of the most nourishing plant foods you can add to your diet. And they’re super easy to prepare too.

Mash half an avocado and spread it on a paleo friendly wrap (or on a leaf of kale), fill with shredded chicken breast, red onions, other condiments of your choice.

9. We don’t have any vegetable jokes, so if you do, lettuce  know…

Maybe you don’t want meat today and want to load up on veggies?

Try steaming an array of vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots. You could even make some cauliflower rice and grilled asparagus. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and seasonings of your choice.

Then of course, there is a good old salad that you can combine a whole bunch of grilled or raw veggies – Tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, zucchini, green beans, squash, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, olives, and even sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on top.

10. Becoming a Vegetarian is a “Missed Steak”

Some nights you just fancy a steak! Here is my take on on paleo style steak.

• Steak of your choice
• Mashed sweet potatoes
• Sautéed mushrooms

Preparation is Key – My Handy Tips

I have found that preparation is key to maintaining a healthy way of eating, especially with an infant.

Pick a day of the week where you have help from a friend or family member, or when baby is sleeping, and you are able devote a few hours in the kitchen prepping food for the week.

• Boil some eggs to have hard-boiled eggs handy. I have one carton of fresh eggs, and another carton for hard-boiled eggs.
• Boil or grill several chicken breasts and freeze or refrigerate for easy meal prep. I like to shred some chicken in advance which makes for great use in wraps, egg scrambles, or even salads.
• As for my shakes, I like to peel a bunch of bananas and freeze in advance.
• I also buy 5 pound bags of kale, separate in gallon-size bags, and freeze. This way I can easily grab a handful of frozen kale for my on-the-go shakes and the kale won’t go bad if I don’t get to it in time.
• Make meat sauce for the week. I cook about 1/2 pounds of grass-fed beef with onions, garlic, salt, etc., and freeze half.
• I like to make a huge pot of soup for the week as well, especially during winter months. If you don’t think you will get through it all before it goes bad, freeze half of it for later…

Over to you! Let us know your favourite paleo snack or meal ideas in the comments below?