This Week’s Menu
Monday
Breakfast: Bulletproof coffee
Lunch: The last of the leftover eggplant puree & baked chicken
Dinner: Broiled fish with potatoes – this dish was supposed to incorporate a salsa with green tomatoes, but I forgot to make it
Tuesday
Breakfast: Green smoothie
Lunch: Random crap because I planned poorly – vegan cheese broccoli nuggs, 1/4 cup almonds, and a peach
Dinner: Braised lamb shanks with cauliflower puree
Wednesday
Breakfast: Green smoothie
Lunch: Leftover lamb shanks & cauli mash
Dinner: Ended up eating out
Thursday
Breakfast: Green smoothie
Lunch: Leftover lamb shanks & cauli mash
Dinner: Slow cooked chipotle pumpkin soup with pork chops
Friday
Breakfast: Green smoothie
Lunch: The last of the leftover lamb shanks
Dinner: Ground beef, green tomato & avocado bowl
Sunday
Breakfast: Out
Lunch: Out
Dinner: Out
This Week’s Grocery List
Kerrygold unsalted butter ($3.79 @ Fresh Direct)
Blood orange (2) ($2.98 @ Fresh Direct)
Pat LaFrieda dry aged burgers (4) ($13.49 @ Fresh Direct)
Carolina long grain rice (2 lbs.) ($3.29 @ Fresh Direct)
Tomato paste (6 oz. x 2) ($19.98 @ Fresh Direct)
Dole pineapple chunks (20 oz.) ($2.19 @ Fresh Direct)
Goya coconut milk (13.5 oz.) ($2.39 @ Fresh Direct)
Wild pollock fillet (6-8 oz. x 2) ($10.52 @ Fresh Direct)
Citrus cauliflower ($3.99 @ Fresh Direct)
Celery ($2.99 @ Fresh Direct)
Rosemary ($1.99 @ Fresh Direct)
Red micro potatoes (16 oz.) ($3.99 @ Fresh Direct)
Thyme ($1.99 @ Fresh Direct)
Smoothie Supplies
Coconut water ($3.99 @ Fresh Direct)
4 Apples ($4.99 @ Fresh Direct)
4 limes ($2.00 @ Fresh Direct)
4 Avocados ($7.98 @ Fresh Direct)
Clamshell kale (5 oz. x 2) ($7.00 @ Fresh Direct)
Clamshell spinach (5 oz.) ($3.50 @ Fresh Direct)
Orange juice (1.75L) ($4.49 @ Fresh Direct)
Turmeric root (4 oz.) ($3.99 @ Fresh Direct)
Totals
Carryover from last week: +$37.77
Fresh Direct: $99.51
Budget Breakout
This week, I spent $61.80; $38.20 under budget.
Leftovers From This Week
At the end of the week, I have some parsley, kale & green tomatoes, plus burgers, lamb kidneys, a chicken leg, and a tiny steak left over from my CSA. 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 