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Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking – Week of January 19 – 25

January 26, 2015Paleo On A BudgetLeave a Comment

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.

Whole30 #3 – Day 25

January 25, 2015January 25, 2015Whole30Leave a Comment

Dinner was disappointing, but my own damn fault for being cocky.

Breakfast

….and I have Whole30 tastebuds. The grapes and apple were sweet to the point of hurting my teeth. And I actually tasted the habanero in the Epic bar.

Lunch

Wild game meatloaf and sweet potato hash from my favorite paleo shangra-la, Hu Kitchen. Plus coconut water to drink.

Dinner

Epic. Dinner. Fail. I ordered chicken with eggplant and prosciutto, not even thinking that although the menu didn’t say they were breaded, everything was freaking breaded. Luckily, the veggies were good. Bummer dinner of disappointment.

Snack

I needed nuts to allay the dinner pouts.

More Whole30 goodness.

January 25, 2015

January 25, 2015Picture of the DayLeave a Comment

Please refrain from manspreading on the subway.

Whole30 #3 – Day 24

January 24, 2015January 24, 2015Whole30Leave a Comment

Today was delicious. Fantastic brunch and then out on the town to celebrate my husband’s birthday.

Breakfast

Roasted veggie (carrot, parsnip, sweet potato & brussels) and greens (kale & mustard greens) bowl with poached egg and jalapeño vinaigrette. Lots of coffee with homemade almond milk.

Lunch

I had some more of that nut mix I made as a snack to tide me over until dinner.

Dinner

Steak for two with mushrooms and a tomato/onion salad.

Snack

My hubby’s birthday celebration concluded at a rooftop bar for a nightcap. I forgot to take a picture of the large peppermint tea I had in place of hot cider, but here is the view as a conciliation prize:

More Whole30 goodness.

January 24, 2015

January 24, 2015January 24, 2015Picture of the DayLeave a Comment

Museum art pieces followed by after dinner drinks with a view to celebrate my hubby’s birthday.

Caramelized Onion Meatballs

January 24, 2015January 24, 2015RecipesLeave a Comment

This is based on a recipe posted by one of my Nerd Fitness Whole 30 partners in crime – Fonzico. Her version adds cauliflower and egg as a meatball binder (think breadcrumbs and egg in “regular” meatballs) and sounds delicious as well. I couldn’t find cauliflower at the store this week, so made these balls using my general method.

And they came out well. A little sweet from the onions, moist and light from the added ingredients and pretty perfect atop a pile of zoodles drizzled with some nice aged balsamic vinegar. As reported by the hubbs, they are also good with leftover baked ziti.

Gluten-free, paleo, Whole 30

Caramelized Onion Meatballs

1 lb. grass fed ground beef
1 medium onion
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. water
1 Tbsp. ghee
Salt & pepper

First, we’ve got to knock those onions out. Peel and dice your onion and add to a medium-high pan with the ghee. Sauté until just beginning to brown, bring the heat to low, and let go about 45 minutes (stirring every once in awhile) or until the onions are sticky, broken down and a deep caramel color – if your pan gets too dry at any time, add a little water and stir. Let cool.

Preheat your oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with foil.

Combine the onions with the rest of the ingredients, making sure to not overmix. Form into ping pong sized meatballs, placing the finished balls on the sheet as you go.

Bake 25 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

Serve with zoodles & balsamic for a simple dinner. Makes enough for 2-3.