This Week’s Menu

Monday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: Leftover pulled pork + an apple + the last of my kimchee

Dinner: Vaguely Mexican-themed ground beef bowl with carrots, scallions and the rest of the radishes

Tuesday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: Leftover pulled pork, apples & hot sauce

Dinner: Another attempt at a protein smoothie + I made a slow-cooked whole chicken with root veggies and lemon and wine. Which I did not eat, but did my wifely duty and left for my DH so he wouldn’t *have* to eat delivery Indian food.

Wednesday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: Leftover pulled pork, asian pear, pomegranate & fennel

Dinner: I had intended on eating some of that leftover chicken I made yesterday with zoodles, but decided to get in a good workout before a late appointment so did not. The DH finally broke down and had pulled pork. I ended up grabbing a handful of nuts at the house and some deli food while out.

Thursday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: A dupe of yesterday.

Dinner: Another protein smoothie.

Friday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: The DH and I went out of town for the weekend, and we kicked it all off with lunch out

Dinner: Out

Sunday

Breakfast: Out

Lunch: Out

Dinner: Out

This Week’s Grocery List

Zucchini, 2 ($3.06 @ Whole Foods)
Cage free eggs, 12 ($2.99 @ Whole Foods)
Sachet herbal chai tea ($3.99 @ Whole Foods)
Sachet herbs de provence ($1.99 @ Whole Foods)
Avocado ($1.66 @ Whole Foods)
Coconut milk, 2 cans ($2.29 x 2 @ Whole Foods)
Pumpkin, 2 cans ($1.29 x 2 @ Whole Foods)
Unsweetened applesauce ($2.29 @ Whole Foods)
Lemon ($0.89 @ Whole Foods)
Grated raw milk reggiano ($7.93 @ Whole Foods)
Vanilla extract ($7.49 @ Whole Foods)
Caraway seeds ($1.99 @ Whole Foods)

Smoothie Supplies

Purchased separately by the DH – and he forgot the receipt, but I’m guessing he spent $20 – $25 at Trader Joe’s. Probably less.

Totals

Carryover from last week: $21.92
Trader Joe’s: $20.00
Whole Foods: $43.93

Budget Breakout

This week, I spent $57.99; $43.01 under budget. Yay in theory – though we really didn’t save any money, since we ate out more than usual.

Leftovers From This Week

At the end of the week, I have some scallions, 1 sweet potato, and a tiny steak left over.

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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.