Lunchtime sleepies.
August 25, 2014
Lunchtime sleepies.
Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking – Week of August 25-29
A number of people I know are completely flabbergasted when contemplating sticking to a budget while eating a primarily “paleo” diet. I’m hoping to shed a little light on that issue for those of you on the fence about eating healthfully in this manner – it *can* be done – and done well – without spending all the money. All it takes is a little planning.
A little background: I live in Brooklyn, NY, and the grocery prices here are definitely not the same as what you will find in other areas of the country. If you live in say, Raleigh NC for example – you may very well be able to cut this grocery bill by a third, depending upon where you shop. For where I live, where I shop and what I buy, $100 a week is a doable budget without having to sacrifice the quality I want too much. My DH thinks $130 is probably more realistic with our morning smoothie supplies, but I want to shoot for $100. I aim to make 4-5 dinners for two and 5 lunches per week, plus two smoothies per day six days of the week with my budgetary allowance and update you all weekly on what’s going on. Let’s see if I can make it.
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My CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares are going strong, so I will be doing things a little differently with the vegetable portion of my meal planning for the next few months (until October). My share averages out to $25 a week, which will come off the top of my budget allotment and will comprise the bulk of my non-smoothie-related vegetable purchases. If you’re curious to see how I use my CSA veggies up, check out my What To Do With A Box Of Vegetables posts.
Menu for Last Week (Week of August 18 – 22)
The Plan vs. Reality
This week’s meal planning was decent – I made most of what I wanted to, though I had an off-track night where I ended up eating lunch for dinner.
Monday
- The Plan – Beef keema bowl over lettuce with cilantro and mint chutney
- Reality – Ate leftovers for lunch and a chicken/peach/tomato salad for dinner
Tuesday
- The Plan – Italian sausage, chard and sun-dried tomato stuffed peppers
- Reality – Yum.
Wednesday
- The Plan – Some sort of Asian flare eggplant sauce thing with steaks
- Reality – I did broil the eggplant, but didn’t end up going that direction. I used about half in the keema bowl – which I heavily modified and didn’t end up serving with any sort of chutney or over lettuce.
Thursday
- The Plan – Meat + csa veg.
- Reality – I made chicken thighs with a vaguely asian sauce + a fresh little salad of green pepper & carrot
Friday
- The Plan – Eat out
- Reality – That happened.
Lunches
- The Plan – Salads and leftovers.
- Reality – Salads didn’t really happen, but I ate a lot of leftovers.
Extras
- The Plan – Korean-ish pickles for game night. A tomato & macadamia ricotta tart – which didn’t happen.
- Reality – Delicious
This Week: August 25 – 29
I have leftover CSA veggies this week and $75 to spend on groceries. This week’s shopping was all tied up with Saturday’s game night.
This Week’s Proposed Menu
- Saturday Game Night: Korean style pulled pork tacos with dips & veggies & sweet potato chips and ice cream sandwiches for dessert
- Monday: Crock pot pulled pork tacos with peach/basil salsa and some sort of side
- Tuesday: Crock pot pulled pork Mexican style with peppers & onions & sweet potato
- Wednesday: Crock pot pulled pork with chard and leeks
- Thursday: Steaks with CSA veggie (maybe a riff on creamed spinach?)
- Friday: Meat with CSA veggie or dine out
- Lunch: Leftovers. More peaches + tomatoes.
- Extras: Pickles or veggie stock if I have enough leftover. Tomato & macadamia ricotta tart. Zucchini fries.
Shopping List & Cost Breakout
Grocery Store Key: TJ = Trader Joe’s, O = Optional if budget allows
Shopping List
5 lbs. pork shoulder – for game night + dinners ($35.55 @ WF)
2 onions – for game night + dinners ($2.12 @ WF)
Corn tortillas – for game night + dinner ($1.99 @ WF)
Cabbage – for game night + dinner ($2.58 @ WF)
Kimchi – for game night + dinner ($7.99 @ WF)
Bloody mix – did not get
Light lager (2 sixers) – bought 1 for game night ($9.49 @ TJs)
Celery – for game night ($2.49 @ WF)
Sweet potato chips – for game night ($1.99 @ TJs)
Doenjang (fermented soy bean paste) – did not get
Ice Cream – for game night ($6.99 + $6.99 @ WF)
Cookies – for game night ($4.99 @ WF)
Sprinkles – did not get
An herb – basil or mint ($3.99 @ WF)
Almond flour ($11.99 @ WF)
Almond milk – did not get
2 onions – for game night + dinners ($2.12 @ WF)
Corn tortillas – for game night + dinner ($1.99 @ WF)
Cabbage – for game night + dinner ($2.58 @ WF)
Kimchi – for game night + dinner ($7.99 @ WF)
Bloody mix – did not get
Light lager (2 sixers) – bought 1 for game night ($9.49 @ TJs)
Celery – for game night ($2.49 @ WF)
Sweet potato chips – for game night ($1.99 @ TJs)
Doenjang (fermented soy bean paste) – did not get
Ice Cream – for game night ($6.99 + $6.99 @ WF)
Cookies – for game night ($4.99 @ WF)
Sprinkles – did not get
An herb – basil or mint ($3.99 @ WF)
Almond flour ($11.99 @ WF)
Almond milk – did not get
Smoothie supplies
2 bags kale ($4.58 @ TJs)
1 bag spinach ($1.99 @ TJs)
5 apples ($3.95 @ TJs)
Limes (1 lb $1.69 @ TJs)
2 avocados ($2.78 @ TJs)
Coconut water ($3.69 @ TJs)
Ginger ($1.39 @ TJs)
Extras: almonds to possibly make almond milk ($5.99 @ TJs), matcha pop ($3.00 @ WF), worcestershire for a mixed nut flavor the DH wanted to make ($3.69 @ WF), a snack donut while shopping ($3.00 @ WF).
Grand Total TJ: $70.72
Weekly Grocery Total TJ: $62.65
Total WF: $97.62
Weekly Grocery Total WF: $27.20
Total For The Week: $89.85; $14.85 over budget. This is without splitting hairs, either. I could shave off a couple more bucks owing to things I wouldn’t have purchased if it wasn’t for game night, but I’m standing with the overage.
Pantry/items repurposed from last week: fats, spices, CSA veggies, steaks.
August 24, 2014
In case there was ever any doubt that my dachshund is very, very spoiled – I submit this:
What is perhaps the best invention ever for a dog that’s too heavy to carry in a bag but too small to feel secure in a crowd of people: the doggie backpack. This thing made him so ridiculously happy today – he went from excited energy level 11 to 1 the second he was hooked in, and then remained perfectly calm (so calm I even caught him trying to catch a few z’s) the whole time my DH and I milled around Smorgasburg (food tent heaven). Usually when we try to do this with him he’s a nervous wreck and we have to carry his heavy nervous self in an oversized tote. This pack is a much better solution for all involved.
Dog selfie!
August 23, 2014
Bright lights, big city.
Sausage, Chard & Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Peppers
Mmmmm…. stuffed peppers. When the CSA gives you pepper abundance, I can’t think of a better use of one or three than as a little bowl for some meaty goodness. Yum.
Gluten-free, paleo, Whole30 (if you use compliant sausage)
Sausage, Chard & Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Peppers
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 bunch swiss chard
1 (14 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion (about 1 c. chopped)
Sun-dried tomatoes (about 1/4 c. chopped)
3 bell peppers
Coconut oil
Salt & pepper
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
Preheat your oven to 450 F. Chop your onions and garlic.
In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. coconut oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent.
Add the sausage, slipping them out of their skins, and cook, stirring and breaking up the links, until browned.
While the sausage is browning, slice the chard into ribbons and chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Halve your bell peppers lengthwise and pull out the seeds.
When the sausage is ready, add the chard, hit the mixture with a liberal pinch of salt and pepper, and add the basil and oregano. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chard is wilted.
Add the canned diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Let cook 3-4 minutes.
Add the sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Taste for salt and add if needed. Sautee an additional 5 minutes.
Stuff the mixture into your pepper halves and bake 20 minutes or until the peppers are soft.
Serves 2 for dinner + 1 for lunch.
August 22, 2014
August 21, 2014
August 20, 2014
What To Do With A Box Of Vegetables: Paisley Farm Box 11
This year’s CSA is from Paisley Farm, a 25-acre operation located in Tivoli, NY. Paisley Farm grows organically and plants with the chef in mind. The 22-week CSA runs from June – October and I purchased the standard vegetable share. This share includes 8-9 vegetables and herbs per week (8-12 pounds) – enough to provide a family of three with 3-4 dinners’ worth of veg. The price equals out to $25 per week, the cost of which will be accounted for in my weekly Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking posts.
Paisley Farm 2014 CSA Box 11
6 green bell peppers
Cucumbers
2 zucchini
Japanese eggplant
1 bunch Swiss chard
2 heads red leaf lettuce
Leeks
6 Heirloom tomatoes
Leftover From Last Week
Carrots (non-CSA)
1 heads lettuce (wasted)
1 bunch dandelion greens (wasted)
2 bunches leeks
Scallion heads
Spring garlic
1 zucchini
3 round cucumbers
5 skinny cucumbers
How I Used My Share
I used most of the tomatoes in lunch salads with peaches and leftover meat.
I used a zucchini trying to perfect my zucchini fries – which I served with sauteed peppers & pork chops.
I used 3 peppers and the chard in stuffed peppers.
And in true 11th hour form, I finally made pickles with 2 of the cucumbers and roasted off all the eggplant to be used later in the week.
I wasted 2 heads of lettuce by not making dinner on Monday (I had actually planned on making a salad for dinner, which will now be made with next week’s lettuce).
I wasted 5 cucumbers by not jumping on pickles sooner.
I finally pitched the scallion tops.
And I pitched the shriveled beets in the crisper.
My Favorite Dish From This Box
I didn’t really end up cooking dinner on Monday, so I’d say my favorite of the week was the stuffed peppers.
Next Week
Going into next week, I have ancient carrots, 2 green peppers, spring garlic, 3 bunches of leeks, 3 zucchini and 6 globe cucumbers.
August 19, 2014
Es for days.
Gastography 