Back to it – maybe a day too soon.
July 13, 2015
Back to it – maybe a day too soon.
July 12, 2015
All the cool kids are doing it 🙂
July 11, 2015
This guy is tuckered.
July 10, 2015
Mmmmmm
Thai Basil Chicken & Greens
This was one of those providential ‘throw my CSA veggies at a recipe’ dishes that happened to work out well. I love it when that happens. This dinner was inspired by this recipe for three-cup chicken, but I didn’t have scallions – and I had carrots, beet greens and carrot greens to use up so those went in instead.
Gluten-free, paleo
Thai Basil Chicken & Greens
3 Tbsp. sesame oil
1-2 inches ginger, peeled and sliced into thin coins
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
5 small carrots, cut into rounds
8 c. greens (I used a mixture of beet greens and carrot tops), chopped
1 tsp. coconut nectar (or other sweetener)
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
1 c. basil leaves, chopped
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil over high in a wok or your largest skillet. Add the ginger, garlic, onion and red pepper flakes and stir-fry until fragrant (about 2 minutes).
When finished, scrape the aromatics to the side of the pan and add last Tablespoon of oil + the carrots. Toss. Add the chicken and stir-fry until browned (about 5-7 minutes).
Add the coconut nectar, vinegar, and coconut aminos – stir. Reduce the heat to medium and add the greens. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the greens are wilted and the stems (if you’re using something like chard or beet greens) are just tender (about 10 minutes).
Turn off the heat and add the basil. Stir.
Serves 2 for dinner
July 9, 2015
A little short, but not half bad.
July 8, 2015
A beautiful bouquet for a beautiful bride. Helped friends celebrate their big day (part 1) today. Congrats, guys!
July 7, 2015
Grill pre-heating takes eons.
July 6, 2015
In hindsight, maybe this wasn’t the wisest purchase I’ve ever made.
So this weekend, I managed to get conned into paying $5 for this tiny-ass bear full of honey.
Sigh.
To be fair: I was hung over, had just consumed large quantities of overpriced fat, grease, and carbs and was smack dab in the middle of the sensory-overload that is Smorgasburg (aka Brooklyn’s weekly semi-roving food tent extravaganza and one of my favorite things to do on a Sunday). And the kid who was hawking this honey was making ridiculously outlandish claims – like ‘this study said that if you eat this honey, you’ll never get another disease.’
As this craziness was falling out of this kid’s mouth, I could see him looking at my friend and I and the look on our faces that clearly said he was insane, watched his brain scramble for an out, and come up with a back pedal into ‘well, not all diseases.’ Which is good, because if you say ‘no diseases’, my next stop is licking the (subway) pole to test that hypothesis.
So, instead of shedding some sciencey reality all over this baby snake oil hustler, I giggled and shelled out $5 because you’ve got to respect a: his nervousness, and b: the level of balls to talk such ish. Plus, this honey is delicious and I have a serious lack of farm fresh honey in my life right now.
FYI, this is what he was talking about – consuming local honey is widely thought to be a cure for pollen allergies – it’s not, but it would be nice if that were so. Study
Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking – Week of June 29 – July 5
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.
