This Week’s Menu
Monday
Breakfast: Green smoothies
Lunch: Random leftovers
Dinner: Thank all that is good in the world for leftover Italian sausage. I ordered delivery groceries again this week, and they couldn’t be dropped off until dinner was already being made. We had Italian sausage and brussels sprouts with whipped garlic (fantastic. recipe coming soon). Tonight’s dinner was supposed to be Thai Brussels Crunch Salad with chicken. This will now be pushed to next week.
Tuesday
Breakfast: Green smoothies
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Paleo Mac & Cheese with chicken (recipe coming soon – this was soooo good)
Wednesday
Breakfast: Green smoothies
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Paleo meatloaf (based on Alton Brown’s recipe) with mashed sweet potatoes (my DH and I can’t be the only ones excited for meatloaf night)
Thursday
Breakfast: Green smoothies
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Nom Nom Paleo’s Doro Wat with sweet potatoes (freaking delicious)
Friday
Breakfast: Green smoothies
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Ate out
Sunday
Breakfast: Out
Lunch: Out
Dinner: Delivery, despite having the makings for burgers & fries at home. Laziness hit.
This Week’s Grocery List
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts ($4.29 for 14 ounces @ Amazon Fresh)
Ground sirloin ($6.99 for 1 pound @ Amazon Fresh)
Chicken drumsticks ($3.69 for 20 ounces @ Amazon Fresh)
Eggs ($4.49 @ Amazon Fresh)
Yellow bell pepper ($0.99 @ Amazon Fresh)
Cilantro ($1.69 @ Amazon Fresh)
Cucumber ($0.79 @ Amazon Fresh)
Orange bell pepper ($0.89 @ Amazon Fresh)
Ground chuck ($8.99 for 1 pound @ Amazon Fresh)
Cauliflower ($2.34 @ Amazon Fresh)
Grass fed ground beef ($9.99 for 1 pound @ Amazon Fresh)
Kerrygold unsalted butter ($4.99 for 8 ounces @ Amazon Fresh)
Brussels sprouts ($2.50 for 1 pound @ Amazon Fresh)
Scallions ($0.92 @ Amazon Fresh)
Green bell pepper ($0.79 @ Amazon Fresh)
Green cabbage ($1.99 @ Amazon Fresh)
Ground cumin ($3.59 for 1.5 ounces @ Amazon Fresh)
Red onion ($0.99 @ Amazon Fresh)
Garlic ($0.48 @ Amazon Fresh)
Ground mustard ($3.63 for 1.75 ounces @ Amazon Fresh)
Russet Potato ($1.19 @ Amazon Fresh)
Chock Full O’Nuts coffee ($3.98 for 11.3 ounces @ Amazon Fresh)
White sweet potatoes ($2.46 for 2 pounds @ Amazon Fresh)
Yellow onion ($0.59 @ Amazon Fresh)
Coconut milk ($1.86 for 13.5 ounce can @ Amazon Fresh)
Berbere seasoning ($4.09 for 2.3 ounces @ Amazon Pantry)
Smoothie Supplies
Coconut water ($2.39 for 1 liter @ Amazon Fresh)
5 Apples ($3.95 @ Amazon Fresh)
Limes ($2.77 for 1.5 pounds @Amazon Fresh)
4 Avocados ($4.49 @Amazon Fresh)
Bagged kale ($5.99 for 16 ounces @ Amazon Fresh)
Bagged spinach ($1.99 for 9 ounces @ Amazon Fresh)
Budget Breakout
This week, I spent $100.77; $0.77 over budget. Boo. I tried hard to stick to budget this week, since last week was a few cents over – and i just missed the mark. I made substitutions where I could for cheaper items (cheaper coffee really helped here), but the spices I needed for the meals I wanted to make put me over. And, I forgot to grab black pepper – so we ran out halfway through the week.
Leftovers From This Week
At the end of the week, I have ground beef, the carrots I’ve been slooooooowly whittling away at, and the makings for Thai Brussels Crunch Salad 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.
Gastography 