Every now and then, our schedule becomes hectic, and taking an entire Sunday to prep meals for the week becomes a luxury we cannot afford. On these days, we opt for what we have come to call our “Easy-mode Paleo Prep Days.” This allows us to still get our meal prep done but in the most effort-free way possible.

Our Easy-mode Paleo Prep Day consists of the following:

Smoker

This is a fire and forget method of cooking. We take either brisket, ribs, chicken, fish, or pork shoulder and add a rub (typically salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders) and use pecan wood and leave in the smoker for the appropriate amount of time at the appropriate temperature. This is very easy to do, and there is a lot of leeway in the times, so if you’re going to be out of the house for a long time, you can opt for a slow-smoke for very delicious food. (Some Paleo guides, websites, and adherents don’t think smoking is Paleo due to the carcinogens in smoke. My wife and I have weighed the risk and we accept smoking into our diet)

Slow Cooker

Another great all-day no-touch cooking method, prepare a soup, stew, or chili and let it cook all day. When you get back home, you’ll find your food ready to be put into containers for the week (and sneak some for dinner, too!).

Instant Pot

This one is very useful if done first. While cooking in the Instant Pot, you can prep the meat to be smoked and the slow cooker. Then, before you wrap up in the kitchen, you can package whatever was in the Instant Pot. Then, you can use the Instant Pot as a slow cooker and put something else in it to cook all day. Double duty!

Using easy-mode doesn’t eliminate the time to prep food for the week; it only reduces it greatly. I would say that a couple of hours at most in the morning would be necessary and then an hour in the evening to package everything up. Teaming up and having someone cut up ingredients while the other puts everything together decreases prep time considerably as well.