Gastography

This Week’s Menu

Monday

Breakfast: Coffee + ! Tbsp. sunflower seed butter

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Leftover london broil + grapes, because: adulting

Tuesday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Broiled salmon with green beans that had already gone over to the dark side

Wednesday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Bunless burger with corn on the cob

Thursday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: Out

Dinner: Lunch meat & chips because I forgot to thaw meat

Friday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Out

Sunday

Breakfast: Out

Lunch: Out

Dinner: Out

 

This Week’s Grocery List

Kerrygold unsalted butter ($3.79 @ FreshDirect)
Silk almond milk ($4.29 @ FreshDirect)
Pat LaFrieda aged beef burgers, 4-pack ($13.49 @ FreshDirect)
Morton’s Kosher Salt, 48oz. ($2.99 @ FreshDirect)
Wild Alaskan salmon, 1.02 lb. ($14.27 @ FreshDirect)
Green beans, 1.13 lb. ($2.25 @ FreshDirect)
Sweet potatoes, 1.1 lb. ($1.67 @ FreshDirect)
Yellow onions, 0.69 lb. ($0.89 @ FreshDirect)
Challah rolls, 6-pack ($5.99 @ FreshDirect)

Smoothie Supplies

Ginger ($2.99 @ FreshDirect)
Zico coconut water ($3.79 @ FreshDirect)
4 Apples ($4.99 @ FreshDirect)
2 limes ($1.18 @ FreshDirect)
5 Avocados ($7.50 @ FreshDirect)
Bagged kale (2) ($4.58 at Trader Joe’s)
Earthbound Farm organic spinach, 5 oz. ($3.99 @ FreshDirect)
Clamshell kale, 5 oz. ($3.00 @ Brooklyn Faire)
3 limes ($1.50 @ Brooklyn Faire)

Impulse Buys

Found Infused Sparkling Water, cucumber mint ($1.66 @ FreshDirect)
Found Infused Sparkling Water, elderflower ($1.66 @ Fresh Direct)
Found Infused Sparkling Water, lemon ($1.66 @ Fresh Direct)
Poland Spring Sparkling Water, orange ($2.99/6 @ Fresh Direct)
Red seedless grapes, 3.11 lb ($9.30 @ FreshDirect)
Heirloom tomato, 0.77 lb. ($2.69 @ FreshDirect)

 

Totals

Carryover from last week: +$29.35
CSA veggies: $25.50
CSA meat: $40.00
Fresh Direct: $94.03
Emergency Smoothie Supplies: $4.50

 

Budget Breakout

This week, I spent $164.03; $34.68 over budget. Boo impulse grapes and sparkling water that turns out has too much sugar in it to drink.

 

Leftovers From This Week

At the end of the week, I have a bunch of CSA meats and veggies left over. I need to incorporate these items into my menu for next week.

—

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.