Does the Paleo Diet work? Some men will answer that quesiton with a "Hell, yes!" Others? They're more skeptical.
But whether you've gone full Paleo, are simply dabbling in the diet, or know nothing more about it than its CrossFit association, one thing's for sure: Any gym-going dude is going to benefit from upping the protein and produce every once in a while.
So here, 18 healthy breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts built for the fit guy—courtesy of Dana Carpender, author of 500 Paleo Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes for Weight Loss and Super Health. Use them to fuel up tonight.
(Please note: All recipes adapted from the book; however, the photos you see here do not appear in the book.)
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 bacon slices
- 1 avocado
- 2 tbsp minced red onion
- 1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
- 1 dash hot sauce
- 4 eggs
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Cook bacon until crisp.
- While bacon is cooking, whack your avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Mash it up, but not too fine—a little texture is nice.
- Add onion and cilantro to avocado. When the bacon is done, drain it and crumble or snip it in, too. Stir it all up.
- Now make your omelets, one at a time. Use half the avocado mixture in each. Top with more hot sauce, if desired.
SERVES: 2
NUTRITION: 370 calories; 30 g fat; 17 g protein; 9 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber; 6 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 slices bacon, raw
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp horseradish
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Put big, heavy skillet over medium heat. Use kitchen shears to snip the bacon into the skillet. Fry it crisp, separating the bits as it cooks. While that’s happening, whisk eggs with horseradish.
- When the bacon bits are crisp, scoop them out of skillet to a plate and reserve.
- Pour off all but a tablespoon or so of the grease. Now pour in eggs and scramble until they’re almost set. Then add the bacon bits and scramble them in. Serve.
SERVES: 2
NUTRITION: 450 calories; 39 g fat; 20 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber; 2 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- ¼ diced red onion
- 1 medium tomato, ¼-inch dice
- ½ cup green bell pepper, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp red-pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In big, heavy skillet, over medium-low heat, start sautéing the onion, tomato, and pepper in the olive oil. Crush the garlic and throw it in, and stir in spices, too. Keep cooking, stirring often, until vegetables have softened and exuded juice into the mix—you want a coarse sauce.
- While veggies are cooking, crack eggs into a dish and whisk them.
- When you’ve got a nice sauce going in the skillet, pour in eggs and scramble until they’re softly set. It should be creamy.
- Scoop onto a plate, sprinkle with the parsley, and devour.
SERVES: 1
NUTRITION: 388 calories; 28 g fat; 19 g protein; 18 g carbohydrate; 4 g dietary fiber; 14 g net carbs per serving
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup flaxseed meal
- 2 cups shredded coconut meat
- ¼ cup sesame seeds (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- ⅓ cup honey (or more or less, to taste)
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup shelled pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup sliced almonds
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 250ºF.
- In big mixing bowl, combine the flax meal, coconut, sesame seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir together so everything is evenly distributed.
- In a 2-cup measure, measure water, oil, and honey; stir together. Pour this over dry ingredients and use a whisk to stir it till everything is evenly damp.
- Turn this mixture into an 11 x 13-inch roasting pan—you might want to line it with nonstick foil first. Press it into an even layer in the bottom of the pan and put it in the oven. Set your timer for 1 hour.
- When the hour is up, pull out your pan. Use the edge of a spatula to cut the whole thing into 1-inch squares, and then scoop up those chunks and stir them around in the pan. They’ll crumble somewhat, and you can cut into somewhat smaller pieces—maybe 1⁄2 inch.
- Now measure and stir in the nuts and seeds. Put the pan back in the oven and set your timer for 20 minutes. When time’s up, stir and turn everything and put the pan back in the oven. Repeat two or three more times, till the nuts and seeds are toasted to your liking, then remove from oven, cool, and store in a tightly lidded container.
- Serve with coconut or almond milk.
SERVES: 16
NUTRITION: 396 calories; 35 g fat; 10 g protein; 18 g carbohydrate; 8 g dietary fiber; 10 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- 2 large celery ribs, diced—include any crisp leaves
- 4 scallions, sliced thin—include the crisp part of the green
- 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- 6 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and chopped
- 6 tbsp Mayonnaise (See: Mayonnaise in the Jar Recipe)
- 1 tbsp brown mustard
- Salt and black pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Cut up your vegetables and your eggs and combine them in a mixing bowl. Stir together the mayonnaise and mustard, then add to the salad and stir it all up. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Eat as is, wrap in lettuce leaves, or stuff into tomatoes.
SERVES: 3
NUTRITION: 374 calories; 35 g fat; 14 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 4 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 lb fish fillets, cubed (get whatever’s freshest—shrimp or bay scallops work too)
- 10 limes
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
- 1 habanero chile or jalapeño
- 1 small red onion, sliced paper-thin
- Salt and black pepper
- 16 large romaine lettuce leaves
- 2 avocados, diced
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- Hot sauce
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Cube fish and place in a nonreactive dish.
- Juice limes into a food processor. Squeeze them well, but avoid the membrane, which can cause bitterness. Add garlic and cilantro. Seed hot pepper, remove white ribs, and whack it into a few pieces; throw it into the processor. Pulse until garlic cloves and pepper are finely minced. Pour this mixture over fish. Slice onion and add it to fish.
- Refrigerate and let fish marinate overnight. Stir once or twice.
- Next day, drain off most of the lime juice, leaving enough to keep fish moist. Salt and pepper to taste.
SERVES: 8
NUTRITION: 221 calories; 9 g fat; 23 g protein; 17 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber; 14 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup diced cooked chicken
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 artichoke heart, cooked and chopped
- 2 scallions, sliced thin, including the crisp part of the green shoot
- 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
- ⅓ cup Lemon-Balsamic Mayonnaise (see below), or to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Cut everything up and put in a mixing bowl.
- Make the mayo (see below), add to the other ingredients, and toss to coat.
SERVES: 2
NUTRITION: 698 calories; 64 g fat; 24 g protein; 9 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber; 6 g net carbs per serving.
TO MAKE MAYO:
- Put 2 egg yolks, 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and ½ garlic clove (chopped) in the bottom of a clean glass jar. Add ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil.
- Submerge your stick blender, turn it on, and blend till it’s incorporated.
- Now, keeping the stick blender on, slowly drizzle in ⅔ cup light-flavored olive oil until the mixture is thickened and the oil starts puddling on the surface. Makes ¾ cup.
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp Sriracha, or to taste
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 avocado, diced
- 4 scallions
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- Salt and black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pour broth into big, heavy saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Stir in Sriracha.
- While broth heats, dice chicken into bite-size pieces; ditto the avocado. Slice scallions, separating white and crisp green parts.
- When broth is simmering, stir in chicken and white part of scallions. (Don’t just drop the diced chicken in without stirring! It’ll congeal into a lump in the bottom of the pot. Stir it in.) Crush in garlic. Bring back to a simmer, turn burner to low, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Salt and pepper the soup to taste. Ladle into bowls. Now divide avocado and sliced green scallion shoots among bowls, and serve.
SERVES: 4
NUTRITION: 277 calories; 13 g fat; 34 g protein; 6 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 4 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ lb shrimp, raw, peeled, tails on
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Put big, heavy skillet over low heat and melt coconut oil. Mince or crush garlic and throw it in. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes, keeping heat low— you don’t want the garlic to brown.
- Now throw in shrimp and sauté until pink through, probably 4 to 5 minutes, depending on how big they are. Stir in coconut aminos, fish sauce, and pepper. Sauté another minute or so.
- Plate shrimp and turn up burner under skillet. Heat combined oil and liquid in pan, letting it cook down for a minute or two. Pour over shrimp.
- Top each serving with a tablespoon of chopped cilantro and serve.
SERVES: 4
NUTRITION: 280 calories; 13 g fat; 35 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; trace dietary Fiber; 4 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 chicken legs (leg and thigh quarters)
- ½ cup almond meal
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 4 tbsp olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Cut drumsticks from thighs.
- On a rimmed plate, combine almond meal with seasonings.
- Rub each piece of chicken with a little olive oil, then roll in seasoned almond meal. Arrange in a roasting pan. Roast for an hour or so, until juices run clear when pierced to the bone, and the coating is crunchy.
SERVES: 5
NUTRITION: 405 calories; 30 g fat; 30 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber; 4 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 lb beef chuck
- Salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 medium tomatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp lard
- ⅔ cup beef broth, divided
- 2 bay leaves
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Sprinkle roast lightly all over with salt, if using. In a small bowl, mix together pepper, allspice, and nutmeg. Sprinkle over both sides of roast and rub in well. Stab it all over with a fork.
- Core tomatoes, cut in chunks, and put in food processor. Peel onion and cut it in chunks; throw in food processor with tomatoes. Pulse until chopped. Now add olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Run the processor till you’ve got a thin paste.
- Put roast in a big zipper-lock bag and pour in mixture from food processor. Seal bag, pressing out air as you go. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
- Pull out roast; drain and reserve marinade. In a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, melt lard and sear roast on both sides.
- Now add marinade, beef broth, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cover and let cook for a good 2 ½ to 3 hours, until the meat is fork-tender.
- Remove roast to a platter and keep warm. Now turn up heat and reduce juices in pot until they’re starting to thicken up. Pour sauce into gravy boat and serve with pot roast.
SERVES: 6
NUTRITION: 763 calories; 59 g fat; 50 g protein; 7 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 6 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 ½ lbs pork shoulder, exclusive of bone
- Water
- 1 tsp salt (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Trim any major layers of fat off your pork shoulder, but don’t try to get it too lean; you’ll need the fat later on. Cut your pork into chunks roughly 1 ½ to 2 inches.
- Put the pork in your big, heavy skillet—you want a single layer, but the pork cubes can be very close together. Cover with water, add the salt, if using, and put over a burner set to medium-high heat. Bring water to a boil, then turn burner down to low—you want to keep the water barely simmering.
- Now let your pork cubes simmer, about 3-4 hours. (If you happen to be wandering through the kitchen, turn the cubes over once or twice.)
- Let your pork simmer until the water has completely cooked away. Continue cooking, letting the pork cubes brown in the fat that has collected in the bottom of the skillet. When they’re crisply brown, they’re done.
- Serve over salad and topped with guacamole (See: Guacamole Recipe).
SERVES: 4
NUTRITION: 301 calories; 23 g fat; 22 g protein; 0 g carbohydrate; 0 g dietary fiber; 0 g net carbs per serving (of carnitas only).
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb Brussels sprouts
- 2 tbsp bacon grease (or lard or olive oil)
- Salt and black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Trim bottoms of stems and any wilted leaves off Brussels sprouts and halve each one.
- Put fat in a roasting pan, and if you’re using bacon grease or lard, put it in the oven for a few minutes to melt.
- Add Brussels sprouts to the pan and toss till they’re coated with fat. Salt and pepper and stir again, then put them in oven.
- Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring now and then. When they’re evenly browned, they’re done. Add a little more salt if they need it and serve.
SERVES: 4
NUTRITION: 103 calories; 7 g fat; 3 g protein; 9 g carbohydrate; 4 g dietary fiber; 5 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 4 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 apple
- 3 tbsp walnut oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise (See: Mayonnaise in the Jar Recipe)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Heat oven to 350ºF. Spread walnuts on a shallow baking tin and place in oven. Set your oven timer for 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, shred cabbage. Quarter and core apple, then cut in matchstick strips. Put cabbage and apple in a big mixing bowl.
- Measure the rest of the ingredients into a bowl and whisk them together.
- When the timer beeps, taste one walnut bit and see if they’re toasty. If so, add them to the mixing bowl. If not, give them another 2 minutes, then add to the salad.
- Now pour on the dressing and toss to coat. You can chill this for a few hours, but it’s awfully good freshly made.
SERVES: 6
NUTRITION: 183 calories; 17 g fat; 3 g protein; 8 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 6 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb unsweetened frozen strawberries
- 14 fl oz coconut milk
- ¼ tsp liquid stevia extract, or to taste
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS: Put everything in your food processor and run it until strawberries are ground up. (Note: This may require prying a strawberry off the blade a few times.) Keep in mind that if you have some left over, you can store it in a snap-top container in the freezer, but because of the lack of sugar, it will freeze rock-hard—so take it out of the freezer a good half hour before you want to eat it and let it soften a bit.
SERVES: 6
NUTRITION: 156 calories; 14 g fat; 2 g protein; 9 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 7 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- 14 fl oz unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp French vanilla liquid stevia, or to taste
- 5 eggs
- ⅛ tsp salt, scant
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Assemble everything in your blender and blend well, then taste. If you think it needs to be sweeter, add a little more liquid stevia.
- Pour into a greased 1-quart Pyrex casserole. Cover with foil and put it in your slow cooker. Now fill the space around the casserole with water, up to 1 inch from the rim of the casserole. Cover the pot, set to low, and cook for 4 hours.
- Turn off the slow cooker, remove the lid, and let the water cool till you can remove the casserole without scalding your fingers. Chill overnight before serving.
SERVES: 6
NUTRITION: 216 calories; 17 g fat; 6 g protein; 11 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber; 11 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tbsp minced red onion
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 avocados (little black ones, good and ripe)
- ½ lime
- 4 dashes hot sauce or to taste
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Have onion minced and garlic crushed—and in a bowl—first.
- Halve avocados and use a spoon to scoop the flesh out into the bowl.
- Use a fork to mash up the avocado. Don’t go for a super-smooth texture; leave some little lumps of avocado.
- Now squeeze in the juice of the half lime and add the hot sauce and salt and cilantro if using. Stir it up and serve immediately.
SERVES: 4
NUTRITION: 167 calories; 15 g fat; 2 g protein; 9 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber; 6 g net carbs per serving.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp wine vinegar or another tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 2 dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco
- 1⁄4 tsp salt
- 1 cup olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Put everything but oil in a clean old jar with a good tight lid (like an old salsa jar). Have oil measured and standing by in measuring cup with pouring lip.
- Insert stick blender all the way down to the bottom of the jar. Blend egg yolks with the seasonings.
- Keep blender running. Now slowly start pouring in oil; you want a stream about the diameter of a pencil lead. Work the blender up and down in the jar as you go.
- When you can’t get any more oil to incorporate, and it’s puddling on the surface, stop. You’re done. Any leftover oil can go back in the bottle. Cap your jar of mayo and stash it in the fridge. (Lasts one week to 10 days.)
SERVES: Makes 1 cup (about 8 servings)
NUTRITION: 255 calories; 28 g fat; 1 g protein; trace carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber; trace net carbs per serving.