A number of people I know are completely flabbergasted when contemplating sticking to a budget while eating a primarily “paleo” diet. I’m hoping to shed a little light on that issue for those of you on the fence about eating healthfully in this manner – it *can* be done – and done well – without spending all the money. All it takes is a little planning. 

A little background: I live in Brooklyn, NY, and the grocery prices here are definitely not the same as what you will find in other areas of the country. If you live in say, Raleigh NC for example – you may very well be able to cut this grocery bill by a third, depending upon where you shop. For where I live, where I shop and what I buy, $100 a week is a doable budget without having to sacrifice the quality I want too much. My DH thinks $130 is probably more realistic with our morning smoothie supplies, but I want to shoot for $100. I aim to make 4-5 dinners for two and 5 lunches per week, plus two smoothies per day six days of the week with my budgetary allowance and update you all weekly on what’s going on. Let’s see if I can make it. 

Last Week (Week of March 24-29)

The Plan vs. Reality

Monday

• The Plan – Flank steak fajita “guts” with onions & peppers and sweet potato fries
• Reality – Yum.

Tuesday

• The Plan – Sirloin Tip Steak with Crispy Fried Brussels
• Reality – Not bad. The crispy brussels are ok – need a little work

Wednesday

• The Plan – Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops from Nom Nom Paleo with broccolini
• Reality – Y-U-M

Thursday

• The Plan – London broil with Meyer Lemon Roasted Carrot Strings
• Reality – Y-U-M

Friday

• The Plan – Leftover flank steak with Cauliflower Kung Pao
• Reality – The flank steak didn’t stretch as far as anticipated, and I ended up serving Flat Iron steak that I thankfully had left over from earlier in the month. Yum.

Lunches

• The Plan – Nom Nom Paleo’s Egg Foo Young (2-3 lunches)
• Reality – Still didn’t happen for me. Leftovers.
• The Plan – Some sort of salady thing with the cruciferous crunch mix I bought
• Reality – Yum! I made salads 3 days with some leftover Momofuku pork from the freezer + Meyer lemons – they were simple salads, but good.
• The Plan – Leftovers – preferably using the Arugula that is on death’s door
• Reality – Leftover Mexican beef – 2 days! 1 with arugula, 1 with a couple tortillas + butternut squash

This Week: March 31 – April 1

This week, I will be using up the very last of my big US Wellness Meats* order (whose cost has already been deferred – so yay, “free” meat!), supplemented by the best meats my budget and grocery store choices will allow.

*No, I’m not being paid by US Wellness meats for advertising, nor do they know I exist as anything other than a customer number in the system. I happen to like their quality and think their prices are reasonable, compared to comparable quality items in my area.

This Week’s Proposed Menu

• Monday: Cauliflower risotto with chicken and leeks
• Tuesday: Meatloaf with garlic mashed cauliflower
• Wednesday: Tuna meatballs with tomato sauce and zoodles
• Thursday: Minute steaks with asparagus and herbed aioli
• Friday: Flat iron steaks with some sort of side dish – whatever looks good
• Lunch: Nom Nom Paleo’s Egg Foo Young (2-3 lunches)
• Lunch: Leftovers?
• Extras: Coconut lime chia pudding

Shopping List & Cost Breakout

Grocery Store Key: TJ = Trader Joe’s, WF = Whole Foods, O = optional item if the budget allows

This week, I have $100 to spend, because the cost for the leftover meat from the big order has already been covered.

This week’s shopping was a success! Since I wasn’t buying much meat, I came in happily under budget – and even had enough left over to buy some wine. Win!

Shopping List

Rice vinegar ($1.99 @ TJ)
Pistachios for the hubby to snack on ($7.49 @ TJ)
Bacon ($4.49 @ TJ)
Onions (2) ($1.58 @ TJ)
Cauliflower (2) ($2.49 x 2 @ TJ)
Frozen Mac & Cheese for the hubbs ($2.99 @ TJ)
Coconut Milk (2 cans) ($0.99 x 2 @ TJ)
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs ($6.60 @ TJ)
Zucchini (18 oz) ($2.29 @ TJ)
Asparagus (12 oz) ($2.99 @ TJ)
Carrot juice ($1.99 @ TJ)
Leeks ($2.99 @ TJ)
Shaved brussels sprouts ($2.79 @ TJ)
Zico coconut water ($3.69 @ TJ)
Celery hearts (2) ($1.79 @ TJ)
Cruciferous Crunch salad mix ($2.29 @ TJ)
Cilantro ($1.79 @ TJ)
Almonds for my snacks ($5.99 @ TJ)
Granny Smith apples (5) ($3.45 @ TJ)
Grass fed ground beef ($6.99 @ TJ)
Avocados (3) ($4.17 @ TJ)
Albacore tuna ($1.69 @ TJ)
Kale (10 oz bag) ($1.99 @ TJ)
Ginger (4 oz) ($1.39 @ TJ)
Limes (1 lb bag) ($2.79 @ TJ)
Rosemary ($1.69 @ TJ)
Pinot Grigio ($4.49 @ TJ)

$76 estimated for essentials

Buy: tea ($6), nuts ($5), rice vinegar ($3), wine ($10) if budget allows

 

Total TJ: $85.65 (main trip) + $4.89 (wine trip)

Total PathMark: $0.00

Total WF: $0.00

Total For The Week: $90.54; $9.46 under budget. Whoo hoo! Second week in a row my mental estimation paid off at the store – and it was very good to know that grabbing a few snacks wouldn’t put us over budget. And wine!

Pantry/items repurposed from last week: fats, spices, stock starter, 2 nights’ worth of meat.