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 17-22)

The Plan vs. Reality

Monday

• The Plan – Mexican Beef from Nom Nom Paleo with guac, salsa and something like cauli rice
• Reality – The Vietnamese Shaking Beef with arugula and carrot strings from last week

Tuesday

• The Plan – Tacos or tostadas with some of the leftover Mexican beef with an Asiany broccoli slaw on the side
• Reality – Monday’s Mexican Beef with a spiced cauli puree, guac and salsa

Wednesday

• The Plan – Enchiladas with the last of the leftover Mexican beef with something
• Reality – Tacos with no Asiany slaw because the broccoli slaw I just bought from Trader Joe’s was already smelling funky and looking slimy. Luckily, I had some leftover snow peas – enough for 1 serving – and the hubbs ate a late lunch and didn’t want dinner.

Thursday

• The Plan – Deconstructed Samosas from Nom Nom Paleo with curried broccoli
• Reality – Y-U-M, except for the overly-burnt broccoli, which I liked.

Friday

• The Plan – The second serving of Flat Iron Steak with some sort of rub and sweet potato fries
• Reality – Well, that didn’t happen. I ended up making sauteed carrots, a simple arugula lemon salad, and pulling out some of the Momofuku pork I still have in the freezer and reheating that. It was good, but not what I had intended.

Lunches

• The Plan – Nom Nom Paleo’s Egg Foo Young (2-3 lunches)
• Reality – Didn’t happen. I ended up eating leftovers some days and squash the others. And I ran out of eggs. I had leftover tacos on Thursday and leftover beef with cauli mash on Friday.
• The Plan – Salad of roast squash, sautéed pea shoots & shredded hard boiled egg with horseradish vinaigrette (2-3 lunches)
• Reality – I had half a roast squash with fried eggs and balsamic vinegar
• The Plan – Baked sweet potato with walnut and chive (and horseradish sauce)
• Reality – I had the rest of the squash with fried eggs, hot sauce and kale pesto

This Week: March 24-29

This week’s planned portion of meat from my big US Wellness Meats* order is: The rest of the London Broil, 2 nights of Flank Steak, 1 night of Sirloin Tip Steak, and the last of the Pork Chops.

*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: Bacon Apple Smothered Pork Chops from Nom Nom Paleo with broccolini
• Tuesday: London Broil with Meyer Lemon Roasted Carrot Strings
• Wednesday: Flank Steak fajita guts with Sweet Potato Fries
• Thursday: Flank Steak with Cauliflower Kung Pao
• Friday: Sirloin Tip Steak with Crispy Fried Brussels
• Lunch: Nom Nom Paleo’s Egg Foo Young (2-3 lunches)
• Lunch: Leftovers? Cruciferous crunch!
• Extras: No extras planned this week

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 $53.22 to spend, after taking out this week’s portion of the big meat purchase.

This week’s shopping went much more smoothly than last week. Mainly because I didn’t delete my shopping list. I estimated before I got to the store and planned shortcuts and things I could cut if needed – and I still had room in the budget to grab something a little exciting for myself for lunch.

Planned Meal Components

Eggs – $3 est ($2.99 @ TJ)
Cauliflower – $3 est ($2.49 @ TJ)
Colored peppers – 4 – $5 est – cheaper if possible ($5.60 @TJ)
Brussels sprouts – $3 est ($2.79 @ TJ)
Onion – $1 est ($0.79 @ TJ)
Steak Seasoning – $3 est – Cut if needed ($1.99 @ TJ)
Carrots – $1 est ($0.89 @ TJ)
Meyer lemon – $3 est – Cheaper if possible ($1.99 @ TJ)
Chicken stock – $3 set – Cut if needed – Cut because I couldn’t find a brand with no oil or added junk
Broccolini – $3 est ($2.79 @ TJ)
1 apple – $0.70 est ($0.69 @ TJ)
3 limes ($1.47 – est) (1 lb. bag – $2.79 @ TJ)

Smoothie Supplies

Kale (2 bags) ($2.29 x 2 @TJ)
Spinach (1 bag) ($1.99 @ TJ)
5 apples ($3.45 @TJ)
2 avocados ($1.39 x 2 @TJ)
Coconut water ($3.69 @TJ)
3 limes ($1.47 @TJ)
Ginger ($1.39 @TJ)
Cilantro ($2 ish @TJ) – ended up getting at PathMark for $1.79 because I thought we had it. I also forgot to buy celery this week – also because I thought we had it.

Incidentals/Snacks for the Hubbs/Shopping lunch for me

Frozen mac & cheese – in red package ($2.99 @ TJ)
And I bought myself a bag of cruciferous crunch (brussels, kale & cabbage) greens for lunch. ($2.29 @ TJ)

Total TJ: $47.92

Total PathMark: $1.79

Total WF: $0.00

Total For The Week: $49.71; $3.51 under budget. Whoo whoo! With the leftovers from this week, I will have enough leftover to purchase a side dish for Monday’s dinner – Monday is the last day of the month.

Pantry/items repurposed from last week: fats, spices, maybe stock starter, bacon.

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 10-15)

The Plan vs. Reality

Monday

• The Plan – Marinated minute steaks with Union Square Cafe’s Hashed Brussels Sprouts with Poppy Seeds & Lemon
• Reality – The steaks were fantastic; the brussels less so.

Tuesday

• The Plan – Skirt steak with chimichurri and plantains – maybe some callaloo
• Reality – Skirt steak with sauteed butternut squash and chimichurri. The grocery store I hit did not have plantains and callaloo was out of the budget for the week. Dinner was still tasty.

Wednesday

• The Plan – Pork chops with bacon, apple/brandy compote, butter mount and crispy sweet potatoes
• Reality – Yum. I forgot the bacon, but I’m totally sharing this meal with you guys soon.

Thursday

• The Plan – London Broil with Whole Roasted Cauliflower
• Reality – I used the lemon called for in this recipe earlier in the week, so the cauliflower was out. I made a curry lime cauli instead (recipe to come for this one, too) and my standard London Broil. It was a satisfying meal.

Friday

• The Plan – Vietnamese Shaking Beef with some sort of compliant noodle and arugula
• Reality – The hubbs was craving BBQ, so we went out for dinner instead.

Lunches

• The Plan – Nom Nom Paleo’s Egg Foo Young (2-3 lunches)
• Reality – Didn’t happen. I ended up eating leftovers all week.
• The Plan – Salad of roast squash, sautéed pea shoots & shredded hard boiled egg with horseradish vinaigrette (2-3 lunches)
• Reality – Still didn’t happen. Leftovers.
• The Plan – Baked sweet potato with walnut and chive (and horseradish sauce)
• Reality – Was this really intended, or just an option? Leftovers again.

This Week: March 17-22

This week’s planned portion of meat from my big US Wellness Meats* order is: 1 chuck roast (3 meals), 1 flat iron steak (1 meal), 1 pound ground pork (1 meal). For more on my big meat order, click here.

*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: Mexican Beef from Nom Nom Paleo with guacamole, salsa & something either pureed or cauliflower rice
• Tuesday: Tacos or tostadas with the leftover beef & a side of apple/radish broccoli slaw
• Wednesday: Enchiladas with the rest of the beef
• Thursday: Pork samosas from Nom Nom Paleo with curried broccoli
• Friday: Flat iron steak with some sort of rub and something I can turn into a fry
• Lunch: Nom Nom Paleo’s Egg Foo Young (2-3 lunches)
• Lunch: Salad of roast squash, sautéed pea shoots & shredded hard boiled egg (with horseradish sauce) (2-4 lunches)
• Extras: Playing with macadamia nut ricotta – lime/basil & orange/honey – awesome and recipes coming soon

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 $53.22 to spend, after taking out this week’s portion of the big meat purchase.

This week’s grocery shopping was a comedy of errors. I use Evernote to plan my menus and shopping lists and managed to somehow erase my grocery list about halfway through shopping. Needless to say, I was freaking out a little – in the crazy crowded grocery store – while worrying about staying within budget. Good times. And a few things didn’t get purchased. Oh, and then on the way home, my receipt went flying down the road in the wind storm.

Planned Meal Components

Limes (2 for home)
Lemons
Apple – did not get
Radishes – did not get
Cauliflower or parsnip – got cauliflower
Broccoli
Broccoli slaw
Cilantro
2 jalapeños – did not get
Guacamole – did not get
Salsa – got jarred only
3 onions – did not get
Sweet potatoes
Steak rub – did not get
Coconut oil
Coconut milk
Tomato paste
Diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce can) – got tomatoes + chiles in one
Red enchilada sauce (15 ounce can) – did not get
Diced chiles (4 ounce can) – did not get
Roasted salsa
Chicken stock – did not get
Eggs – did not get

Smoothie Supplies

Kale (2 bags) ($2.29 x 2 @TJ)
Spinach (1 bag) ($1.99 @ TJ)
5 apples ($3.45 @TJ)
2 avocados (I think he grabbed 4)
Coconut water ($3.69 @TJ)
3 limes ($1.47 @TJ)
Ginger ($1.39 @TJ)
Orange juice ($3 ish @TJ)

Incidentals/Snacks for the Hubbs/Shopping lunch for me

Frozen mac & cheese – in red package ($2.99 @ TJ)

Total TJ: $49.something

Total WF: $0.00

Total For The Week: $49; $4.22 under budget. Let’s see what I can cobble together with what I bought. I think I can make most of what I wanted; it will all just be a little plainer than anticipated. And last Friday’s projected meal is now Monday’s meal.

Pantry/items repurposed from last week: fats, spices, snow peas, squash, dinner from last Friday.