Gastography

This Week’s Menu

Monday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: Lunch salad with leftover spicy pulled beef and peaches

Dinner: Grilled salmon with potato and garlic scape hobo packs

Tuesday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: Lunch salad with leftover spicy pulled beef and strawberries

Dinner: Chorizo and potato hash with mustard greens and garlic scapes

Wednesday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Ate out

Thursday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Purslane pesto over turkey breast with garlicky mashed cauliflower

Friday

Breakfast: Green smoothie

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Out

Sunday

Breakfast: Out

Lunch: Out

Dinner: Out

 

This Week’s Grocery List

Fish sauce ($8.99 @ Whole Foods)
Apple cider vinegar ($6.99 @ Whole Foods)
Coconut aminos ($9.49 @ Whole Foods)
Bag of baby potatoes ($3.99 @ Whole Foods)
Honey ($7.49 @ Whole Foods)
Basil ($3.49 @ Whole Foods)
Onions ($1.17 @ Whole Foods)
Cauliflower ($3.99 @ Whole Foods)
Coho Salmon (1 lb) ($11.27 @ Whole Foods)
Almond milk $3.00 @ Whole Foods)

Smoothie Supplies

Ginger ($0.72 @ Whole Foods)
Coconut water ($3.99 @ Whole Foods)
Big bag apples ($6.49 @ Whole Foods)
Bag of limes ($3.99 @ Whole Foods)
3 Avocados ($7.50 @ Whole Foods)
Bagged kale (1 lb.) ($2.99 @ Whole Foods)
Bagged spinach ($2.99 @ Whole Foods)

Impulse Buys

$2.99 for spring water I don’t remember buying
$7.99 for Momofuku Ssam sauce
$1.49 x 2 because we forgot to bring bags
$2.99 for grape tomatoes
$3.99 for strawberries

 

Budget Breakout

This week, I spent $110.26; $10.26 over budget. Grrrrr. I had hoped this would be a cheap week – I started the week with enough CSA meat and veggies to mostly make it through, and only needed a few expensive staples (which were hella expensive at Whole Foods). All of this added up. Plus, add in $20.94 in impulse buys because I have zero self-control and impulse shopped for groceries. Boo.

 

Leftovers From This Week

At the end of the week, I have broccoli raab, london broil, emergency burgers, garlic tails, roasted garlic, fats, a couple radishes and a few 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.