Pretty, but a near-disaster.
August 27, 2015
Pretty, but a near-disaster.
August 26, 2015
August 25, 2015
Little dog, big bone.
August 24, 2015
Remote control boats in Central Park. Went rucking today out of my comfort zone.
Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking – Week of August 17 – 23
This Week’s Menu
Monday
Breakfast: Green smoothie
Lunch: Leftover zucchini fritters & hard boiled eggs
Dinner: Slow cooked balsamic beef – much like this recipe – with corn on the cob
Tuesday
Breakfast: Green smoothie
Lunch: Leftover balsamic beef with peaches
Dinner: Leftover balsamic beef with leftover zucchini mash
Wednesday
Breakfast: Green smoothie
Lunch: Leftover balsamic beef with peaches & lettuce
Dinner: Paleo stuffed globe zucchini with sausage & veggies
Thursday
Breakfast: Green smoothie
Lunch: Leftovers from last night
Dinner: Thin little NY Strips pan seared + roasted eggplant
Friday
Breakfast: Green smoothie
Lunch: Leftover balsamic beef with peaches & lettuce
Dinner: Out
Sunday
Breakfast: Out
Lunch: Out
Dinner: Out
This Week’s Grocery List
Bottom round roast, local source & happy cows ~ 4 lbs. ($29.22 @ Whole Foods)
Top round, local source & happy cows ~ 1.5 lbs. ($15.53 @ Whole Foods)
French green beans ($5.99 @ Whole Foods)
Smoothie Supplies
Coconut water (~$4.00 @ Brooklyn Fare)
4 Apples ($4.14 @ Whole Foods)
1 lb. limes (~$3.00 @ Brooklyn Fare)
4 Avocados ($10.00 @ Whole Foods)
Bagged kale (1 lb.) ($2.99 @ Whole Foods)
Bagged spinach (~$3.50 @Brooklyn Fare)
Totals
Carryover from last week: +$35.17
CSA veggies: $25.50
CSA meat: $40.00
Whole Foods: $72.82
Brooklyn Fare: ~$10.50
Budget Breakout
This week, I spent $113.65; $13.65 over budget. I spent a bunch at Whole Foods this week, but I’m still on track – I didn’t end up using the top round I bought, so I have bonus meat to roll over to next week. I also forgot a few key smoothie items while shopping at Whole Foods, so the DH had to stop at the overly expensive store to compensate. Whomp, whomp.
Leftovers From This Week
At the end of the week, I have some CSA veggies and meats, plus the top round beef I bought 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.
August 23, 2015
SoHo
August 22, 2015
Nerd-In-Training in the park.
Paleo Stuffed Globe Zucchini
I credit a cosmic alignment bringing serendipity as the impetus behind this recipe. A friend of mine over at Nerd Fitness posted something a few weeks ago he was calling a grenade – from what I can remember, it involved baked globe zucchini stuffed with some sort of ground meat. It sounded delicious, but since I had no pretty balls of zucchini on hand, I pushed it out of my mind.
And then this week the stars aligned and my CSA gave us beautiful, round zucchinis the perfect size for stuffing plus ground pork. Serendipity.
This recipe makes a fantastic light dinner for two, with enough innards left over for at least 1 lunch, maybe 2.
A note on sausage: I’m using a really nicely flavored sweet pork sausage here I’ve been getting from my CSA (order form). It’s fan-freaking-tastic. I would suggest swapping in the best sweet Italian sausage you can find.
Paleo, gluten-free, Whole30 if you source your sausage well
Paleo Stuffed Globe Zucchini
2 round zucchini
1 lb. sweet pork sausage
2 shallots
4 cloves garlic
2 smallish potatoes
4 roma tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. thyme
Kosher salt & black pepper
Preheat your oven to 375F. Set your largest pan over medium heat and add the sausage.
While the sausage starts to cook, peel and dice the garlic and shallots. Add to the pan and give everything a stir, breaking up any huge sausage lumps.
Dice the potatoes and add to the pan. Stir.
Chop the pepper. Add to the pan and stir.
Chop the tomatoes. Add to the pan and stir.
Cut the tops off the zucchini. Using a large spoon, scoop the innards out of the zucchinis, being careful to not puncture the sides. Chop the innards and add to the pan. Stir.
Add the coriander, thyme, a big pinch or two Kosher salt and a few cracks black pepper to the pan. Stir and taste for seasoning. Add more if necessary.
Stuff the empty zucchini with the sausage mixture, replace the zucchini tops, and place in a baking dish. Add a little water to the bottom of the dish. Cover with foil.
Bake 1 hour, or until the zucchini is soft.
Serves 2 for dinner, with enough sausage mix left over to supply 1 – 2 lunches
August 21, 2015
Blue skies, gold dome & pretty bricks.
August 20, 2015
New project #1.
Gastography 