What is the easiest Paleo meal?

Eggs with avocado, or a tray of chicken thighs and broccoli at 200C. Both take under ten minutes of actual work.

Can I do Paleo without cooking at all?

Almost. Pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, canned tuna, boiled eggs, salad bags, fruit and nuts cover a whole week with a kettle and a knife.

How do I make Paleo easier on busy weeks?

Cut variety, not quality. Two breakfasts, two lunches and three dinners on repeat is far more sustainable than seven different recipes.

Are frozen vegetables Paleo?

Yes. Plain frozen vegetables with no sauces or additives are the same food, usually cheaper, and remove all the prep time.

Easy Paleo Meal Plan for People Who Do Not Want to Cook Much

The most common reason people quit Paleo is not willpower — it is the cooking. This plan is filtered to meals that take 15 minutes or less and use a handful of common ingredients.

Goal

Duration

Max cooking time

Budget

People

Estimated 1657 kcal and 110 g protein per person per day. Figures are rough planning estimates, not measured values.

Your 7-day Paleo meal plan

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snack
Monday	Hard-boiled eggs + fruit	Chicken & roasted sweet potato box	Pork chops & apple slaw	Leftover chicken strips
Tuesday	2-ingredient banana pancakes	Ground beef taco bowl	Paleo meatballs & zucchini noodles	Banana + almond butter
Wednesday	Sweet potato & sausage hash	Egg salad plate	Turkey & vegetable chili	Tuna on cucumber rounds
Thursday	Make-ahead egg muffins	Chicken & vegetable soup	Beef & roasted vegetables	Celery + almond butter
Friday	Eggs & avocado	Beef patties & slaw	Roast chicken & root vegetables	Beef jerky + fruit
Saturday	Coconut chia pudding	Chicken salad bowl	Baked white fish & greens	Carrots + guacamole
Sunday	Spinach & mushroom omelette	Turkey lettuce wraps	Sheet-pan chicken thighs & broccoli	Olives + walnuts

Grocery list

Scaled for 2 people across 7 days.

Meat & Protein

Beef jerky (no added sugar) — 80 g
Beef steak or stewing beef — 320 g
Canned tuna — 1 can
Chicken breast — 1040 g
Chicken thighs — 4 thighs
Eggs — 35 eggs
Ground beef — 900 g
Ground turkey — 300 g
Pork chops — 2 chop
Pork sausage (no additives) — 200 g
Turkey breast — 280 g
White fish fillet (cod) — 340 g
Whole chicken — 0.5 chicken

Vegetables & Fruit

Apples — 5 apple
Avocado — 4 avocado
Banana — 4 banana
Bell peppers — 4 pepper
Broccoli — 2 head
Cabbage — 0.8 head
Carrots — 6 carrot
Carrots — 8 carrots
Celery — 2 stalk
Celery — 4 stalks
Cucumber — 1.6 cucumber
Frozen berries — 1 cup
Garlic — 4 cloves
Lemons — 1.5 lemon
Lettuce (romaine) — 1.2 head
Mixed salad leaves — 8 handfuls
Mushrooms — 120 g
Onion — 1.5 onion
Spinach — 4 handful
Spinach — 4 handfuls
Sweet potatoes — 6 medium
Tomatoes — 2 tomato
Zucchini — 3 zucchini

Pantry

Almond butter — 4 tbsp
Chia seeds — 6 tbsp
Chicken broth — 3 cups
Coconut milk — 1.5 cup
Coconut oil — 2 tsp
Crushed tomatoes — 2 can
Ground cumin — 4 tsp
Olive oil — 14 tbsp
Olive oil — 6 tsp
Walnuts — 50 g

Fridge & Extras

Olives — 100 g

Sunday 60-minute meal prep

Cook these components once and the rest of the week is assembly.

1. Hard-boiled eggs + fruitBoil eggs 9 minutes in a batch on Sunday; grab with a piece of fruit.
2. Chicken & roasted sweet potato boxAssemble from Sunday prep: chicken, roast sweet potato, roast broccoli.
3. Leftover chicken stripsSliced cold roast chicken from the Sunday batch.
4. Ground beef taco bowlBrown ground beef with cumin and paprika, spoon over shredded lettuce and salsa.
5. Paleo meatballs & zucchini noodlesBake beef meatballs bound with egg, simmer in crushed tomatoes, serve over zoodles.
6. Banana + almond butterSliced banana with a spoon of almond butter.

The rules that make Paleo easy

Easy Paleo comes down to a small number of repeatable patterns rather than a big recipe library. Pick a protein, pick a vegetable, add a fat, add an acid. That is dinner.

Cook proteins in batches, not per meal
Buy pre-chopped or frozen vegetables without apology
Use one pan or one tray whenever possible
Repeat breakfast — it removes a decision every single morning
Keep three no-cook snacks in the house at all times

A realistic weeknight rhythm

Breakfast is eggs or a smoothie. Lunch is assembled from something you already cooked. Dinner is one tray or one pan. If dinner takes more than 30 minutes on a Tuesday, it is the wrong recipe for this plan.

Every meal in the easy pool

Eggs & avocado

breakfast · 10 min · 20 g protein · ~420 kcal

Fry or scramble 3 eggs in olive oil, serve with half an avocado and sea salt.

Eggs, Avocado, Olive oil

Hard-boiled eggs + fruit

breakfast · 10 min · 19 g protein · ~330 kcal

Boil eggs 9 minutes in a batch on Sunday; grab with a piece of fruit.

Eggs, Apples

Berry protein smoothie

breakfast · 10 min · 22 g protein · ~380 kcal

Blend frozen berries, banana, almond butter and coconut milk until smooth.

Frozen berries, Banana, Almond butter, Coconut milk

Sweet potato & sausage hash

breakfast · 15 min · 26 g protein · ~520 kcal

Pan-fry pre-roasted sweet potato cubes with sausage and onion until crisp.

Pork sausage (no additives), Sweet potatoes, Onion, Olive oil

Spinach & mushroom omelette

breakfast · 10 min · 21 g protein · ~350 kcal

Beat 3 eggs, cook flat, fold over wilted spinach and mushrooms.

Eggs, Spinach, Mushrooms, Olive oil

Make-ahead egg muffins

breakfast · 15 min · 24 g protein · ~360 kcal

Whisk eggs with chopped veg, bake in a muffin tin 20 min, refrigerate up to 4 days.

Eggs, Bell peppers, Spinach

Smoked salmon & scrambled eggs

breakfast · 10 min · 32 g protein · ~450 kcal

Soft-scramble eggs, fold through smoked salmon and chives off the heat.

Smoked salmon, Eggs, Olive oil

Coconut chia pudding

breakfast · 10 min · 10 g protein · ~340 kcal

Stir chia into coconut milk the night before; top with berries in the morning.

Chia seeds, Coconut milk, Frozen berries

2-ingredient banana pancakes

breakfast · 10 min · 16 g protein · ~400 kcal

Mash banana into beaten eggs, cook small pancakes in coconut oil.

Banana, Eggs, Coconut oil

Steak & eggs

breakfast · 15 min · 45 g protein · ~600 kcal

Sear a thin sirloin 2 min a side, rest, serve with two fried eggs.

Sirloin steak, Eggs, Olive oil

Chicken salad bowl

lunch · 10 min · 40 g protein · ~480 kcal

Toss pre-cooked chicken with salad leaves, cucumber, olive oil and lemon.

Chicken breast, Mixed salad leaves, Cucumber, Olive oil, Lemons

Turkey lettuce wraps

lunch · 10 min · 35 g protein · ~420 kcal

Fill romaine or butter lettuce leaves with turkey, avocado and grated carrot.

Turkey breast, Lettuce (romaine), Avocado, Carrots

Tuna & avocado boats

lunch · 10 min · 34 g protein · ~430 kcal

Mix canned tuna with lemon and olive oil, pile into avocado halves.

Canned tuna, Avocado, Lemons, Olive oil

Ground beef taco bowl

lunch · 15 min · 38 g protein · ~550 kcal

Brown ground beef with cumin and paprika, spoon over shredded lettuce and salsa.

Ground beef, Lettuce (romaine), Tomatoes, Ground cumin

Chicken & vegetable soup

lunch · 15 min · 32 g protein · ~380 kcal

Simmer shredded chicken with carrot, celery and broth; freezes well in portions.

Chicken breast, Carrots, Celery, Chicken broth

Salmon & greens salad

lunch · 15 min · 38 g protein · ~520 kcal

Flake leftover roast salmon over greens with cucumber and olive oil.

Salmon fillet, Mixed salad leaves, Cucumber, Olive oil

Egg salad plate

lunch · 10 min · 24 g protein · ~400 kcal

Chop boiled eggs with avocado instead of mayo, serve over leaves.

Eggs, Avocado, Mixed salad leaves

Shrimp & zucchini noodles

lunch · 15 min · 34 g protein · ~400 kcal

Sauté shrimp with garlic, toss through spiralised zucchini for one minute.

Shrimp, Zucchini, Garlic, Olive oil

Chicken & roasted sweet potato box

lunch · 15 min · 42 g protein · ~560 kcal

Assemble from Sunday prep: chicken, roast sweet potato, roast broccoli.

Chicken breast, Sweet potatoes, Broccoli

Beef patties & slaw

lunch · 15 min · 36 g protein · ~540 kcal

Grill seasoned patties, serve with cabbage slaw dressed in olive oil and lemon.

Ground beef, Cabbage, Carrots, Olive oil

15-minute beef stir-fry

dinner · 15 min · 40 g protein · ~540 kcal

Hot pan, thin beef strips 2 min, add peppers and broccoli, finish with coconut aminos.

Beef steak or stewing beef, Bell peppers, Broccoli, Coconut aminos

Baked white fish & greens

dinner · 15 min · 38 g protein · ~420 kcal

Bake cod 12 min with lemon; wilt spinach in the same pan juices.

White fish fillet (cod), Spinach, Lemons, Olive oil

Garlic shrimp & cauliflower rice

dinner · 15 min · 38 g protein · ~450 kcal

Sauté shrimp in garlic and olive oil; fry riced cauliflower alongside.

Shrimp, Cauliflower, Garlic, Olive oil

Apple + almonds

snack · 10 min · 6 g protein · ~250 kcal

One apple with a small handful of almonds.

Apples, Almonds

Carrots + guacamole

snack · 10 min · 4 g protein · ~220 kcal

Mash avocado with lemon and salt; dip carrot sticks.

Carrots, Avocado

Two hard-boiled eggs

snack · 10 min · 13 g protein · ~160 kcal

From the Sunday batch, with salt and pepper.

Eggs

Beef jerky + fruit

snack · 10 min · 20 g protein · ~260 kcal

Check the label for sugar and soy; pair with an apple.

Beef jerky (no added sugar), Apples

Berries + coconut flakes

snack · 10 min · 3 g protein · ~180 kcal

A cup of berries with toasted coconut flakes.

Frozen berries, Coconut flakes

Celery + almond butter

snack · 10 min · 6 g protein · ~210 kcal

Two celery stalks filled with almond butter.

Celery, Almond butter

Tuna on cucumber rounds

snack · 10 min · 22 g protein · ~200 kcal

Half a can of tuna spooned onto thick cucumber slices.

Canned tuna, Cucumber

Leftover chicken strips

snack · 10 min · 30 g protein · ~190 kcal

Sliced cold roast chicken from the Sunday batch.

Chicken breast

Olives + walnuts

snack · 10 min · 5 g protein · ~240 kcal

A small bowl of olives with a handful of walnuts.

Olives, Walnuts

Banana + almond butter

snack · 10 min · 6 g protein · ~280 kcal

Sliced banana with a spoon of almond butter.

Banana, Almond butter

Frequently asked questions

What is the easiest Paleo meal?: Eggs with avocado, or a tray of chicken thighs and broccoli at 200C. Both take under ten minutes of actual work.
Can I do Paleo without cooking at all?: Almost. Pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, canned tuna, boiled eggs, salad bags, fruit and nuts cover a whole week with a kettle and a knife.
How do I make Paleo easier on busy weeks?: Cut variety, not quality. Two breakfasts, two lunches and three dinners on repeat is far more sustainable than seven different recipes.
Are frozen vegetables Paleo?: Yes. Plain frozen vegetables with no sauces or additives are the same food, usually cheaper, and remove all the prep time.