Meal Planning: Whole30 and Affordable Paleo

Today I start my first Whole30.  Although really, until the past few months I was doing Whole30 almost all the time.  The hardest parts so far (in preparation) has been widdling back out the small amounts of white rice, sugar (stevia, honey, and agave), soy lecithin and seed oils that I’ve become lax on.  I never eat them in quantity, but after over a year living Paleo I know that “trace” quantities in some mainly Paleo-friendly foods don’t hugely affect my system.  But, they’ve all been creeping back in to a point where I really need to kick them back out to adjust my system and retrain my taste buds.

I thought (and a couple Tweeples did too) that it might be helpful, for those of you who aren’t sure what Whole30 is or how to implement it, to see what our shopping lists, meal plans and plates looked like.   From the shopping we did this week, we’re able to plan out two weeks’ worth of food (although we will have to get a few things next weekend).  Our planned dinners are as follows:

6/13 Monday: Kids eating leftovers, adults Intermittent Fast
6/14 Tuesday: Grilled chicken kabobs (squash, pineapple, onions) with kale
6/15 Wednesday: Spaghetti (squash with organ meat and ground beef sauce)
6/16 Thursday: Breakfast for dinner: Duck Egg Scramble
6/17 Friday: Thai Basil Beef with cauliflower rice
6/18 Saturday: Dinner out for Company summer party
(will get more eggs, lettuce, berries, and apples from Famer’s Market Sat, est $40)
6/19 Sunday: Dinner out for Father’s Day (Brazilian Steakhouse)
6/20 Monday: Stuffed Zucchini with pureed turnips
6/21 Tuesday: Meatloaf (organ meat), mashed cauliflower and sautéed turnip greens
6/22 Wednesday: Fajita roll-ups (grilled flanksteak, squash,  onions)
6/23 Thursday: Pork backbone, applesauce and roasted cauliflower
6/24 Friday: Hamburgers, with guacamole, sweet potatoes and salad
6/25 Saturday: Kids with family, date night!
6/26 Sunday: Leftovers or hotdogs
6/27 Monday: Breakfast for dinner: Make your own omelets
6/28 Tuesday: Curried carrot soup with grilled chicken

I’ll keep track of my breakfasts and dinners and try to report back so that you can get a full picture of what my week really looks like.  Breakfast will be the following on repeat: greens, eggs and meat (bacon or chicken sausage) or a smoothie.  Lunch is even more so: Salad with chicken breast or canned salmon or leftovers.

In order to prepare for the above, here’s what our grocery list looked like (don’t be scared, you don’t have to go to so many stores – it’s what we’re used to doing):

Farmer’s Market ($42):

  • 3lbs apples
  • 1/2gallon raw apple cider (kids)
  • 2qts strawberries
  • 4lbs yellow squash (keeps a long time)
  • 4lbs baby zucchini (keeps a long time)
  • 4lbs cauliflower (keeps a long time)
  • 1bag arugula
  • 4dz pastured chicken eggs

Trader Joe’s ($44):

  • 1qt blueberries
  • 1 pineapple
  • 2 lemons
  • a metric ton of Bananas
  • 2 bags of TJ’s new “bits and pieces” from their fruit leathers (kids)
  • Olive oil
  • Uncured bacon bits
  • Coconut, hemp and almond milk
  • 2 bags frozen spinach
  • Frozen wild tuna steaks
  • Dates

Costco ($187):

  • Carrots
  • Baby Carrots
  • Nitrate-Free Chicken Sausage
  • Antibiotic –free chicken breasts
  • Flank Steak (2)
  • London Broil (2)
  • Wholly Guacamole (3 pack)
  • Canned diced tomatoes
  • Canned wild salmon
  • MaraNatha roasted almond-butter
  • Pecan, Walnuts, Almonds (bag each)

We already have (leftover from other weeks) 1 bag of kale, 2 bunches of turnips, 1 spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes ($22).  We also have natural hot dogs, duck eggs, beef bones, ground beef, beef liver, and pork backbone from Polyface ($89).  Matt will be able to make homemade granola, jerky (London broils) and a huge batch of applesauce.

For 17 days, 5 people* our cost to feed a person is $4.98 per day (including carrots with guacamole, apples with nut butter, and berries with coconut milk for snacks).  That’s less than feeding them 1 meal at a fast food restaurant.  And this food is both healthier for us and the environment!

Does it take work?  Yes. Does it take time? Yes.  Are we healthier as a result? Yes.  If you’re considering Paleo, the only question that’s really left is, are you willing to take the time to do the work in order for your health to benefit?

*we often feed 7 people because uncle +1 in the basement, which balances our “eat out” nights

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