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 31 – April 4)

The Plan vs. Reality

Monday

• The Plan – Cauliflower risotto with chicken and leeks
• Reality – Yum.

Tuesday

• The Plan – Minute steaks with asparagus and herbed aioli
• Reality – The steaks were gross and dry, but we choked them down. The asparagus and aioli were a hit.

Wednesday

• The Plan – Meatloaf muffins with cauliflower mash
• Reality – Y-U-M

Thursday

• The Plan – Tuna meatballs with tomato sauce and zoodles
• Reality – Y-U-M

Friday

• The Plan – The last of the minute steaks with brussels sprouts
• Reality – Life happened and we ended up eating out tonight

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! The cruciferous crunch only stretched 2 days – and I had it with some rotisserie chicken left over from the weekend
• The Plan – Leftovers
• Reality – Leftovers happened this week. Yum.

Extras

• The Plan – Coconut lime chia seed puddings for snacks.
• Reality – Yick. My pudding didn’t set up as well as I wanted and the flavors were off. Disappointment.

This Week: April 7 – 11 

This week, I’m completely out of meat from my last big order, so I will be sourcing where I can and of the quality available. We are also throwing a gaming get-together in celebration of International Tabletop Day, so I expect to go over on the budget this week.

This Week’s Proposed Menu

• Monday: Big Meat – carnitas or shredded beef over some sort of puree
• Tuesday: Leftover big meat with some sort of side
• Wednesday: Nom Nom Paleo’s smashed steak with cherry bbq sauce & some sort of side
• Thursday: Harissa cauliflower rice with lemon-roasted chicken and fennel
• Friday: The last of the big meat on a pizza
• Lunch: Nom Nom Paleo’s Egg Foo Young (2-3 lunches) – hey, maybe it will happen this week
• Lunch: Leftovers
• For The Party: Zucchini hummus, red pepper dip, Magic Wonder Dough crackers, bacon jalapeno burger balls, sammitches, flourless almond cake and chocolate whiskey pot de cremes

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 for my weekly groceries, but I know I’ll be going over that budget for the party.

Shopping List

Hawaiian rolls – $4 est ($1.99 @ TJ)

2 bags kale – $5 est ($4.58 @ TJ)
1 bag spinach – $2.50 est ($1.99 @ TJ)
Some sort of good side – broccoli? – $3 est ($2.79 @ TJ)
Fennel – $3 est ($2.49 @ TJ)
Cilantro – $2 est ($1.79 @ TJ)
Dill – $3 est ($1.69 @ TJ)
Scallions – $2 est ($1.29 @ TJ)
Zucchini – $3 est ($2.29 @ TJ)
Side dish – something to go with steak skewers – brussels? something else? – $3 est (haricots verts $2.69 @ TJ)
Something to puree – root veg – $3 est (sweet potatoes $0.98 for 2 @ TJ)
Tomato – $1 est ($2.23 @ WF)
Lemons – 4 or so – $4 est ($1.49 for a 1 lb. bag @ TJ)
4 apples – $5 est ($3.45 @ TJ)
5 limes – $3 est ($2.79 for a 1 lb. bag @ TJ)
Onion – $1 est ($0.89 @ TJ)
Shallot – $1 est ($0.99 @ TJ)
Garlic – $1 est ($1.29 @ TJ)
2 avocados – $3 est ($2.78 @ TJ)
Ginger – $2 est Did Not Buy

Ham – $4 est ($3.99 @ TJ)
Ground beef – $6 est ($6.99 @ TJ)
Big Meat (pork shoulder, chuck roast, flank steak – whatever is big and looks good) – $40 est ($26.02 @ WF)
Flank Steak – $8 est ($22.76 @ WF)
Chicken – $6 est ($7.06 @ WF)

1 c. extra sharp cheddar – $5 est ($3.35 @ TJ)
Swiss cheese – $4 est ($3.99 @ TJ)

Harissa – $4 est ($7.99 @ WF)
Balsamic (cheapie) – $2 est ($2.29 @ TJ)
Roasted red peppers (jar) – $3 est ($1.99 @ TJ)
Coconut milk (2-3 cans) – $4.50 est ($1.49 (coconut cream) + 0.99 + 0.99 (coconut milk) @ TJ)
14-18 ounces dark chocolate – $10 est ($5.97 + $1.49 @ TJ)
Coconut water – $3 est ($3.69 @ TJ)

Cruciferous Crunch ($2.29 @ TJ) – Wasn’t On List
Bkn Fig/Pumpkin NP – No freaking idea what this was ($1.29 @ WF)
Brooklyn Brown Beer ($10.99 @ WF)
Uinta Baba Black Beer ($12.99 @ WF)
Key Lime Juice ($4.99 @ WF) – Wasn’t On List
Eggs ($3.49 @ WF) – Wasn’t On List
Navel Orange ($1.52 @ WF) – Wasn’t On List
Coconut Water ($1.50 x 2 @ WF) – Wasn’t On List
The hubbs’ mac & cheese for lunch ($2.99 @ TJ) – Wasn’t On List

Orange juice – $3 est – Did Not Buy
Apple juice (small is fine) – $1.50 est ($1.69 @ WF)
10 ounces frozen cherries – $3 est ($3.99 @ WF)

$162 estimated total (weekly + party groceries), minus beer – I’m estimating $30 for beer/wine.

Total TJ: $80.75
Total WF: $112.34

Total For The Week: $193.09; $93.09 over budget. I knew I was going over this week, and it was pretty much as bad as I thought it would be. I will try to recoup the cost if possible throughout the rest of the month, but if I can’t, I’m not sweating it too much – being able to share great food and games with friends was totally worth the overage.

Pantry/items repurposed from last week: fats, spices, cauliflower rice.