This Week’s Menu
Monday
Breakfast: Green smoothies
Lunch: Leftover Spicy Tuna Cakes + sauteed cabbage
Dinner: Mexican Meatza
Tuesday
Breakfast: Green smoothies
Lunch: Pulled pork + sauteed cabbage
Dinner: Lazy Mexican bowl
Wednesday
Breakfast: Green smoothies
Lunch: Pulled pork & Cruciferous Crunch
Dinner: Caramelized onion & apple turkey burger with roasted brussels/broccoli/sunflower seeds
Thursday
Breakfast: Green smoothies
Lunch: Leftover caramelized onion & apple turkey burger with roasted brussels/broccoli/sunflower seeds
Dinner: Pork verde with cauliflower rice
Friday
Breakfast: Green smoothies
Lunch: Leftover caramelized onion & apple turkey burger with roasted brussels/broccoli/sunflower seeds
Dinner: Out
Sunday
Breakfast: Out
Lunch: Out
Dinner: Out
This Week’s Grocery List
Big pork ($24.93 at Whole Foods)
Salsa verde ($1.99 at Trader Joe’s)
orange ($0.69 at Trader Joe’s)
onion ($1.58 for 2 at Trader Joe’s)
brussels ($2.49 at Trader Joe’s)
broccoli ($1.99 at Trader Joe’s)
sunflower seeds ($1.99 at Trader Joe’s)
ground beef ($7.49 at Trader Joe’s)
green pepper ($0.99 at Trader Joe’s)
chicken breast ($7.69 at Trader Joe’s)
pork rinds – Couldn’t find yet again
cauliflower ($2.49 at Trader Joe’s)
sweet potatoes ($0.98 for 2 at Trader Joe’s)
Smoothie Supplies
Ginger ($1.39 at Trader Joe’s)
Coconut water ($3.69 at Trader Joe’s)
5 Apples ($3.45 at Trader Joe’s)
1 lb. limes ($1.49 at Trader Joe’s)
4 Avocados ($5.56 at Trader Joe’s)
Bagged kale (2) ($2.29 x2 at Trader Joe’s)
Bagged spinach ($2.29 at Trader Joe’s)
Impulse Buys
Roasted cashews ($6.99 at Trader Joe’s)
Jalapeños ($1.69 at Trader Joe’s)
Lara bar ($1.29 at Trader Joe’s)
Cruciferous Crunch ($2.29 at Trader Joe’s)
Realsticks Chipotle Jerky ($1.99 x2 at Whole Foods)
Asian seasoning blend ($2.50 at Whole Foods)
Budget Breakout
This week, I spent $96.49; $4.51 under budget. If you apply this week’s underage to last week’s overage, I’m going into next week only $0.2 in the red budget-wise. Note to self: stock up on pork rinds the next time I happen to see any. I can’t find them anywhere around here.
Leftovers From This Week
At the end of the week, I have chicken breasts and carrots left over. I need to incorporate these items into my menu for next week.
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Think eating healthfully is too expensive for you? Think again. According to the USDA, to ensure a nutritious diet as of December 2014, a family of two aged 19-59 years should spend between $388.90 and $776.10 on food per month, or $89.80 – $179.30 per week. Source
For my family of two adults, I spend roughly $400 a month on groceries or $100 a week – and we eat well. Not caviar and lobster well, but I do manage to serve a predominately paleo diet with little to no processed foods, and I get to throw in a few luxuries here and there (like expensive snacks for the hubbs and the occasional ridiculously expensive bag of coffee). We even manage to buy “good” meat (grass fed beef and free-range chicken) most of the time – and I make this budget work even on the weeks we pay for convenience by getting delivery groceries. I make: 10 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 10 dinners a week – plus enough snacks to satisfy and fuel two active adults.
I’m hoping that this series will help shed a little light on the day-to-day things a “paleo” person really eats — and how that way of eating can work on a budget. I want to nudge anyone sitting on the fence right over the edge by showing that it *can* be done and that you don’t just eat meat, meat, meat and more meat.
Gastography 