Gastography

This Week’s Menu

Monday

Breakfast: Green smoothies

Lunch: Leftover Spicy Tuna Cakes + sauteed cabbage

Dinner: Mexican Meatza

Tuesday

Breakfast: Green smoothies

Lunch: Pulled pork + sauteed cabbage

Dinner: Lazy Mexican bowl

Wednesday

Breakfast: Green smoothies

Lunch: Pulled pork & Cruciferous Crunch

Dinner: Caramelized onion & apple turkey burger with roasted brussels/broccoli/sunflower seeds

Thursday

Breakfast: Green smoothies

Lunch: Leftover caramelized onion & apple turkey burger with roasted brussels/broccoli/sunflower seeds

Dinner: Pork verde with cauliflower rice

Friday

Breakfast: Green smoothies

Lunch: Leftover caramelized onion & apple turkey burger with roasted brussels/broccoli/sunflower seeds

Dinner: Out

Sunday

Breakfast: Out

Lunch: Out

Dinner: Out

 

This Week’s Grocery List

Big pork ($24.93 at Whole Foods)
Salsa verde ($1.99 at Trader Joe’s)
orange ($0.69 at Trader Joe’s)
onion ($1.58 for 2 at Trader Joe’s)
brussels ($2.49 at Trader Joe’s)
broccoli ($1.99 at Trader Joe’s)
sunflower seeds ($1.99 at Trader Joe’s)
ground beef ($7.49 at Trader Joe’s)
green pepper ($0.99 at Trader Joe’s)
chicken breast ($7.69 at Trader Joe’s)
pork rinds – Couldn’t find yet again
cauliflower ($2.49 at Trader Joe’s)
sweet potatoes ($0.98 for 2 at Trader Joe’s)

Smoothie Supplies

Ginger ($1.39 at Trader Joe’s)
Coconut water ($3.69 at Trader Joe’s)
5 Apples ($3.45 at Trader Joe’s)
1 lb. limes ($1.49 at Trader Joe’s)
4 Avocados ($5.56 at Trader Joe’s)
Bagged kale (2) ($2.29 x2 at Trader Joe’s)
Bagged spinach ($2.29 at Trader Joe’s)

Impulse Buys

Roasted cashews ($6.99 at Trader Joe’s)
Jalapeños ($1.69 at Trader Joe’s)
Lara bar ($1.29 at Trader Joe’s)
Cruciferous Crunch ($2.29 at Trader Joe’s)
Realsticks Chipotle Jerky ($1.99 x2 at Whole Foods)
Asian seasoning blend ($2.50 at Whole Foods)

 

Budget Breakout

This week, I spent $96.49; $4.51 under budget. If you apply this week’s underage to last week’s overage, I’m going into next week only $0.2 in the red budget-wise. Note to self: stock up on pork rinds the next time I happen to see any. I can’t find them anywhere around here.

 

Leftovers From This Week

At the end of the week, I have chicken breasts and 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.