Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking – Week of February 9 – 15

This Week’s Menu

Monday

Breakfast: Green smoothies

Lunch: Leftover meatloaf & cabbage from last week

Dinner: Thai Brussels Crunch Salad with Chicken

Tuesday

Breakfast: Green smoothies

Lunch: Leftovers from last night

Dinner: Sweet & Spicy Oven Roasted Pulled Pork Tacos with Broccoli Slaw

Wednesday

Breakfast: Green smoothies

Lunch: Leftovers from Monday + leftover pork from last night

Dinner: Paleo Butter Chicken with Broccoli

Thursday

Breakfast: Green smoothies

Lunch: The last of Monday’s big salad + the last of last week’s meatloaf

Dinner: Leftover Pulled Pork with Baked Sweet Potatoes and some of the dressing from Monday’s dinner

Friday

Breakfast: Green smoothies

Lunch: Paleo Butter Chicken

Dinner: Out

Sunday

Breakfast: Sweet Potato & Jalapeño Hash with Eggs

Lunch: Out

Dinner: Ground Beef with Broccoli & Balsamic Vinegar

 

This Week’s Grocery List

2 lemons ($1.50 @Amazon Fresh)
Boneless pork shoulder roast ($14.99 for 3 lbs. @Amazon Fresh)
Red grapefruit ($1.29 @Amazon Fresh)
Just BARE boneless skinless chicken breast filets ($5.25 for 14 oz. @Amazon Fresh)
Organic broccoli slaw, 9 ounce bag ($2.25 @Amazon Fresh)
Baby spinach, 9 ounce bag ($1.99 @Amazon Fresh)
Just BARE boneless skinless chicken thighs ($5.49 for 20 ounces @Amazon Fresh)
5.75 inch white corn tortillas, 30 ($1.69 @ Amazon Fresh)
Black peppercorn grinder ($1.22 @ Amazon Fresh)
Once Again organic sunflower seed butter ($4.99 for 16 ounces @ Amazon Fresh)
Organic white sweet potatoes ($2.46 for 2 @ Amazon Fresh)
An item with no label on the receipt ($2.09 @ Amazon Fresh)
Yellow onion ($0.59 @ Amazon Fresh)
Hunt’s tomato sauce, 8 ounce can ($0.44 @ Amazon Fresh)
Sun Luck hoisin sauce, 8 ounce bottle ($2.49 @ Amazon Fresh)
Cento crushed tomatoes, 28 ounce can ($1.78 @ Amazon Fresh)
Native Forest organic unsweetened coconut milk, 13.5 ounce can ($1.86 @ Amazon Fresh)

Smoothie Supplies

4 avocados ($4.49 @Amazon Fresh)
Bag kale ($5.99 for 16 ounces)
Baby spinach ($1.99 for 9 ounce bag @ Amazon Fresh)
Simply Orange orange juice, 59 ounces ($2.99 @ Amazon Fresh)
5 Apples ($3.95 @Amazon Fresh)
1.5 lbs. limes ($2.77 @Amazon Fresh)
Zico Natural coconut water, 1 liter ($2.39 @ Amazon Fresh)

 

Totals

$78.72 @ Amazon Fresh

 

Budget Breakout

This week, I spent $78.72; $21.28 under budget. Another ‘it’s too cold to mess with schlepping groceries’ week of delivery from Amazon Fresh. And way under budget, too! Score!!

 

Leftovers From This Week

At the end of the week, I have two languishing radishes, a hand full of jalapeños, possibly some ground beef, the grapefruit, some cabbage, and a bunch of tortillas 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.