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.
—
My CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares are going strong, so I will be doing things a little differently with the vegetable portion of my meal planning for the next few months (until October). My 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. If you’re curious to see how I use my CSA veggies up, check out my What To Do With A Box Of Vegetables posts.
Last Week (Week of July 14 – 18)
The Plan vs. Reality
This week’s meal planning was efficient – I ended up making pretty much what I set out to make.
Monday
- The Plan – Coconut zoodles with ground poultry + kale + garlic scapes
- Reality – This was so-so.
Tuesday
- The Plan – Zucchini & meatballs + kale + garlic scapes
- Reality – This was so-so as well (and I forgot the kale).
Wednesday
- The Plan – Zoodles with avocado cream sauce & chicken + spring garlic
- Reality – This was pretty good.
Thursday
- The Plan – Bratwurst with CSA veggies
- Reality – I made zucchini fritters and they were fantastic.
Friday
- The Plan – Eat out
- Reality – That happened.
Lunches
- The Plan – Salads & leftovers
- Reality – Lunches this week were light on salads – I just couldn’t face them this week – and heavy on leftovers. I ended up wasting a head of lettuce because of it.
Extras
- The Plan – Nothing.
- Reality – Nothing made.
This Week: July 21 – 25
I have leftover CSA veggies this week and $75 to spend on groceries.
This Week’s Proposed Menu
- Monday: Meat crust quiche with zucchini, carrots, kale & leek
- Tuesday: Zucchini soup & garlic scapes with a meat side
- Wednesday: Zucchini salsa verde with spiced pork chops
- Thursday: Meat with CSA veggie
- Friday: Meat with CSA veggie or dine out
- Lunch: CSA veg salads, leftovers
- Extras: Zucchini chips if I have enough leftover
Shopping List & Cost Breakout
Grocery Store Key: TJ = Trader Joe’s, O = Optional if budget allows
Shopping List
Coconut oil – TJs is having a run on coconut products and was out of this as well as coconut milk
Cilantro – ($1.79 @ TJs)
lime – (1 lb. bag – $1.69 @TJs)
onion (2) – ($1.78 @ TJs)
sweet potatoes – ($1.47 @ TJs)
jalapeño – ($1.69 @ TJs)
basil – ($2.69 @ TJs)
Country sausage or Italian sausage – ($4.45 @ TJs)
Steaky or meaty something – (tri-tip steak $8.59 @ TJs)
Steaky or meaty something – (Korean short ribs $7.71 @ TJs)
Extras: I had enough leftover, so the hubbs got a snack – cheese ($6.92) and I got butter ($3.19), sunbutter ($4.99) and blueberries ($2.99).
Total TJ: $71.71
Total For The Week: $71.71; $4.29 under budget. Whoo hoo! I love the weeks when it’s easy to come in under budget. This only really planning 3 meals + living off of what I have for 1-2 is working well for the grocery budget.
Pantry/items repurposed from last week: fats, spices, CSA veggies, pork chops.
Gastography 