Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking – Week of June 16 – 20

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. 

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The CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program I have joined runs through October, so I will be doing things a little differently with the vegetable portion of my meal planning for the next few months. My veggie-only share averages out to $25 a week, which will come off the top of my budget allotment and will comprise the bulk of my non-smoothie-related vegetable purchases. To see what I’ve been up to with my CSA shares, check out the posts labeled ‘What To Do With A Box Of Vegetables‘.

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Last Week (Week of June 9-13)

The Plan vs. Reality

Monday

• The Plan – Quick-pick meat from the grocery + CSA veggies
• Reality – I grabbed some bbq spice rubbed chicken breasts and the hubbs wanted something light, so I whipped up a chipotle/scallion/lettuce/arugula/cucumber/radish salad. Yum.

Tuesday

• The Plan – Meatball subs with braised rapini
• Reality – The rapini was on the salty side, but the dinner was a success. I had no roll, and it was still satisfying. The hubbs absolutely loved the meatballs.

Wednesday

• The Plan – CSA day, so something quick – quick-pick meat from the grocery + asparagus salad
• Reality – I grabbed a nice big sirloin steak from the grocery and we had that along with a mostly-raw salad of thin sliced asparagus, spring onion, balsamic vinegar and asiago cheese.

Thursday

• The Plan – Chicken with chipotle BBQ sauce and braised turnips & radishes
• Reality – Yum!

Friday

• The Plan – Quick pick meat from the grocery + whatever looks most appealing in the crisper
• Reality – a great plan.

Lunches

• The Plan – Salads & leftovers
• Reality – ALL THE SALADS – yum.

Extras

• The Plan – Nothing planned but fresh fruit for dessert
• Reality – And nothing made

 

This Week: June 16 – 20

This week is another vacation week, so I won’t be cooking for dinner (or shopping for groceries). We will pick this back up next week.

This Week’s Proposed Menu

• Monday: Travel day – I do hope to grab some healthy snack options so I don’t eat craziness on the road
• Tuesday: I’m hoping for pulled pork
• Wednesday: Hopefully something delicious but not crazy
• Thursday: Hopefully something delicious but not crazy
• Friday: Hopefully something delicious but not crazy
• Lunch: Hopefully something delicious but not crazy
• Extras: I’m sure there will be

Shopping List & Cost Breakout

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

Shopping List

None to speak of this week, though I intend to grab simple snacks – things like plain nuts, maybe some sort of fruit bowl, possibly a jerky, and I may make paleo banana/nut butter “muffins”

Total TJ: $0000
Total WF: $0000

Total For The Week: n/a

Pantry/items repurposed from last week: n/a.