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@daniellemybelle: It is so good! He has a really good recipe for pizza twice baked sweet potatoes on his site, too!
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You can make a primal pizza crust out of shredded cauliflower and egg and some other stuff. It's really good! Just not pick-up-and-eat-like-pizza. More of a fork and knife dish.
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@blackbird: I miss pizza. Like real pizza. I had a sad realization recently that I may never eat pizza again. It has been so long now that I am kind of scared to eat it because I am afraid it will make me sick!
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@tlcbaby: mmmm that ice cream looks relish!!
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@daniellemybelle: I am pinning it!! DH LOVES lasagna and I have yet to find a recipe he loves.
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What do you all spend per month on groceries, if you don't mind me asking? We spend about $450 and things are still REALLY tight!! This month we need to cut spending so I'm thinking we'll have to give up eating organic this month.. it's going to be so hard. not sure what we'll do as far as meal planning goes.
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@tlcbaby: I'm gonna try the lasagna tomorrow. Have all the ingredients on hand, but just saw this after we ate dinner. Can't wait!
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@tlcbaby, oh no, that makes me sad
@cocobee--ummm probably like $600 or so? We've had months were we've spent more, too. I feel like every time I go to the store, it's way over $100! We don't even eat organic; just lots of fresh stuff--fruits, vegetables, meats, etc. With both of us taking 6 credits of grad school, I HEAVILY meal plan. Otherwise we end up scrounging. Whatever we make for dinner, we end up with in our lunches, too. Do you have a farmers market near you? Produce is usually much cheaper at one.
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@Coco Bee: Since I started eating Paleo, I spent about $400/month. We still eat out quite a bit, though.
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@blackbird: not anymore, it's closed. But we just purchased a CSA which turned out to not be as good of a value as I thought it would be. It came out to $20/week, but the only things I've used are the carrots, parsnips, squash, and beets. But we've gotten twice that - half of the stuff we got I didn't even know what it was! We're getting a frozen half share from Jan-March. It's all organic produce from a local farm. But anyway... as much as I love the idea of the local organic CSA I don't think I'll do the summer CSA with them. I think I will try to find one that doesn't have the organic label (it comes at a hefty price) but still practices "organic" type methods... if that makes sense??
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@daniellemybelle: so it would be a lot more than $400 if you included all meals eating out as well? maybe I'm crazy for thinking we could eat for less than $400 month
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Darn. It's hard in the winter. I definitely spend more because stuff isn't as available. I don't think organic is that important, honestly...some things--like the big 12, sure--but some farmers don't want to go through the hassle of being able to legally label their stuff "organic" because of the cost. A lot of farmers just take good care of their crop in general.
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@Coco Bee: I am embarrassed to say how much we spend. It is just two of us and we spend $800 or more. Between my being pregnant and my husband who is 6'7'' and usually training for a triathlon or other race, we eat A LOT of food. I really need to find some tips for bringing the cost down, but I am not sure how to do it.
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@tlcbaby: Thank you for this!! We just went through our budget and I was also horrified about how much we spend on food. We do shop exclusively at Whole Foods because high quality meat and organic food is important to us, so we spend around $600+/month on groceries alone, then another $60 or so every weekend on eating out. It's ridiculous! We tried cutting back to TJs and other supermarkets to go cheaper, but their prices on wild salmon, grass-fed beef etc are actually not that much cheaper than Whole Foods (maybe $1/lb?) and it was just too annoying to go to 2 stores every Sunday to save us like $10. We're still trying to strategize how to cut down our bill because it's insane, it averages $150 every time we go. Even the weeks we don't buy meat, it's still really high. I don't know what else to do!
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@JoJoGirl: Maybe some of the people who are spending less can enlighten us because I am at a loss!
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@JoJoGirl: @tlcbaby: haha I'd love to enlighten you but we hardly ever get enough for meals all week on our budget but we are capped out - we simply cannot afford to spend more so we have to make it work.
We only have meat 2x a week - sometimes less. Lunches are usually just leftovers.Here is a sample meal plan for us:
Breakfasts:
-green smoothies
-banana + egg pancakes
- fried eggs and sprouted wheat toast
-Almond flour/coconut flour pancakes and a piece of fruit
-homemade granola and whole-fat yogurt with a little raw honeyLunches:- we usually have really light lunches
-usually leftover frozen soup, or whatever else we have for leftovers
-salads with veggies
- avocado sprinkled with celtic salt
- fruitDinners:
- tacos: organic corn shells with black beans, ground beef, tomatoes, avocado, raw cheddar cheese, and sour cream
- chicken thighs (cheaper!) stuffed with cream cheese and spinach
- mashed rutabagas or potatoes
- barley soup with carrots, celery, parsnips
- stuffed squash - usually what we have on hand: lentils, black beans, beef, onion or southwest: corn, black beans, tomatoes, taco seasoning
- turkey wildrice burgers (no bun)
-quinoa "pasta" noodles and homemade red sauceSnacks:
- cashews or almonds
- dates and coconut
- homemade lara bars
- apple
- protein brownieshopefully that gives some ideas. We order a lot of bulk items online through a buying coop. Things like my flours (almond, coconut), nuts, legumes, and sometimes even produce (we got 20 lbs of apples for $20 last month). It's a LOT cheaper than whole foods for those items.
We mostly shop at TJs as well, and only occasionally at WFs. We don't normally buy fish unless it's on sale. We have gotten our beef from a farmer 30 minutes away and it's $2/lb cheaper than TJs.
Like I said, eating meat as a "treat" has helped cut costs a lot. We try to eat a lot of protein so we are more full; lots of eggs in the morning paired with a green smoothie and then a simple/light lunch such as just an avocado with salt then a more full dinner.
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@Coco Bee: Wow thanks! I am going to look over this again before we go to the store this week!!
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@tlcbaby: if you need any of the recipes just let me know. And disclaimer, it's not all strictly paleo - we eat wild rice and brown rice, have some dairy (mostly raw and all organic) and legumes (soaked). It all depends what you're comfortable with.
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Ugh, I have soooo fallen off the wagon!
We went to Maggiano's last night and I had bread, pasta, chocolate cake... it was so good but I feel like I have to completely start over! -
Sooo with the holidays coming up- how do you guys plan to approach paleo? I LOVE Christmas desserts, thankfully (or not? haha) my whole family has gone mostly paleo as well, so there will be no grains/sugar to contend with! I'm not sure what they're planning yet... but I want to find a good recipe for cookies or something..
any ideas?
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Do any of your have severe guilt when you don't buy/eat certain paleo foods?
My dilemma has been that we're struggling financially, and we can't always afford the organic foods that we usually buy... lately we've been buying conventional meat, dairy and produce. I usually follow the dirty dozen still - but I have extreme guilt about this! I know that the diet of conventional animals alters the food as well as any hormones/antibiotics and I am against those things, but lately we haven't been able to afford it. We bought regular chicken and I had forgotten how cheap it was...
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@Mrs. Pen: These Paleo Pumpkin Spice cookies are really good!
http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thefood/2011/09/pumpkin-ice-cream-sandwich-cookies-giveaway/
She has some other desserts on her site as well.
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@WALLAROO: omg yummm!!! I want an ice cream machine!!
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@Mrs. Pen: Just saw your post about the holidays. My mom makes some paleo brownies (she isn't paleo, but is sweet enough to comply) that are mostly sweet potato, dark chocolate and coconut flour.
My sister-in-law was also going to test out a pumpkin pie recipe from Sarah Fragoso's Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook that we may try at Christmas.
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@Mrs. Pen: OH man, I have fallen off the paleo wagon big time. So I don't have a solid plan for the holidays. I'm craving carbs (PASTA!) so much you'd think I was in my third trimester again.
As far as budget eating...we REALLY need to cut back, to about $400 too. We probably spend around $600-700 including eating out. But we can't afford it anymore. We buy our organic beef and chicken (thighs like you) from Costco. It's slightly cheaper than WF, but the best part is that we always have it on hand so I'm more likely to make dinner. I kinda gave up buying organic veggies because of cost. We go to our local Mexican grocer and produce is very cheap. I just wash it really well. Now that little girl is eating more solids...I'm not sure what to do. But I also struggle with buying non-organic meats, but you're right it is cheap!
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I fell off the wagon a little while back, and probably won't try to hop back on until after the holidays. The holidays are HARD! Still, I don't feel as good as I did when I was doing Paleo. Everyone asked, "Do you feel better?" and I said I didn't really think so, but now I know that I really did and just didn't realize it.
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@daniellemybelle: I have noticed I feel more sluggish and depressed when I eat crap.
@phdmommy: oh thank God I'm not alone! sometimes I feel so much guilt about eating conventionally - but I have to remind myself it's self-induced AND meat/veggies is better than no meat and veggies!
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Hi all. Just thought I'd check in and let you know that I'm making a more concerted effort to rededicate myself to eating paleo/primal. I'm just about 24 weeks pregnant and while I was pretty strictly paleo pre-pregnancy I totally let it fall by the wayside for the last while. I feel great though and have no more food aversions, so I've decided I owe it to myself and my baby to return to healthier eating. I'm not going 100% grain-free at the moment, but will be working on eating fewer grains.
Thought it might be helpful if I posted my menu for the week. Would be great if others could too as a source of inspiration for when we get stuck in meal planning ruts!
Breakfast for the week: Cauliflower and ham crustless quiche.
Lunches for the week: Weekend Glow Kale salad from Oh She Glows
Dinners:
Monday - Oven-roasted garlic chicken, roasted broccoli, sweet potatoes with sweet chili and cilantro
Tuesday - Homemade burgers (sans bun), green salad, sweet potato oven fries
Wednesday - Spaghetti and meatballs, salad. I will probably just make spaghetti, but when I'm being stricter I use a spiralizer to make zucchini or sweet potato noodles
Thursday - Slow-cooker red curry with chicken thighs
Friday - Take out night! -
So I am considering dipping a toe in the paleo waters and I'm skeeeeered. I think it makes perfect sense and I need a major lifestyle overhaul, because I'm a carb- and sugar-holic. My concern is more that I simply have never really cooked -- especially with a lot of fresh produce and meat. Sad but true. Anyone have any resources for super, super, super simple recipes?
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@Mrs. Yoyo: Good for you! I have totally fallen off the Paleo wagon for some time
I think the easiest way to cook Paleo is to do a simple meat with a simple veggie. Do you or your hubs grill? If you do, you could do steaks, bunless burgers, chicken, etc. on the grill, and pair it with baked sweet potatoes or steam-in-the-bag veggies. Or you can do one-skillet dinners/stir frys with whatever meat and veggies you want... chicken, sausage, ground beef, etc. with cut up peppers, onions, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes...
I really need to give it another good try!
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I just got home from grocery shopping for this...Started it today pretty much!
I bought something called Barney Butter Almond Butter- Holy Crap! It's the best thing I've ever tasted! It was like $10 for the jar- so it had better be! I think I just want to eat that for life- nothing else:)
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@Mrs. Yoyo: I am reading this thread too to consider starting. We eat a lot of meats and veggies but bread and sugars are my weakness.
I will let you know if we take the plunge.
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@hergreenapples: good idea!! I've recently allowed certain foods lately - we eat rice, sprouted grains (wheat or spelt mostly) and raw/organic dairy.
Here is my meal plan for the week:
Baked quinoa spaghetti
homemade pizza topped with spinach, artichokes, tomatoes, and cheese (yes we ate cheese!)
Slower cooker mongolian beef with rice
Peppered tempeh with cauliflower and a side salad
Pot roast
quinoa patties and a salad
Organic corn tacos with beef, rice, cheese, tomatoes, avocado and sour creamBreakfasts:
egg and avocados open faced on sprouted wheat bread
green smoothies
quinoa "cereal" with coconut milk and fruitLunches:
meat, cheese, lettuce, avocado sandwiches on sprouted wheat bread
salmon salad in an avocado
steak salad with avocado and homemade maple dijon dressing
leftovers -
okay I came here to post a question to you all because I'm curious how you will broach the topic of sugar regarding your kiddos.
It's common knowledge that once kiddos are older they will be consumed with daily choices to eat candy: friend's birthday parties, halloween, church events, school, the holidays etc... I don't want to be "that mom" that says no everytime her son is offered candy, but I also take sugar-addiction and it's effect on our bodies (especially a child's) VERY seriously and want to avoid it... have any of you thought about how you might handle this? I already face SO much opposition when people find we gave up sugar. They say things like, "yeah good luck with that!" and "you'll never be able to stick with it."
My sister eats paleo too - so I know my nephew won't be an issue (they're the same age), but anyone else could be...
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@PrincessBaby: is it just almond better? Trader Joes sells almond better for $5.99 a jar, so a little cheaper
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I made this tonight. SO GOOD.
http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thefood/2012/06/sweet-potato-and-kale-chicken-patties/
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@Mrs. Pen: That's such a tough one. I am wary of the forbidden fruit mentality, which is why we will probably let our kids have sugar outside our house. However, at home we will eat healthy. I think kids can learn the difference between eating to fuel your body regularly, and yummy treats on special occasions. Just my opinion though!
I wanted to pop in and say we are getting back on track with Paleo! I just did (well am still finishing haha) Once A Month Mom Paleo so it should be pretty easy to stick to for at least the next month! I hope the difference in how we feel at that point will motivate me to stick with it this time.
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Yay! I can join this!
Why did you start paleo: to eat healthier, whole foods and less non-foods; to lose weight (me), to increase fertility by decreasing insulin resistance (me)
Do you follow strictly paleo: No, we aim for 80% or so but will definitely not beat ourselves up for the odd non-paleo meal... We wouldn't stick with it long term otherwise. We also eat cultured dairy every day and will also eat beans/legumes.
Does your whole family eat paleo? My husband is definitely keen to make better choices but he's definitely eating more refined foods than I am blast him and his metabolism!
Do you eat out: yup, we're social creatures and total foodies. We're not strict paleo so we'll just take it as one of our non-paleo meals if we can't make it work otherwise.
What is your favorite paleo recipe? Honestly, I'm loving just fiddling round in the kitchen, especially with new vegetables. When in Samoa we had island fries, which were basically potato chips but made out of thinly cut taro and breadfruit and plantain fried in coconut oil - yum chippy alternative! -
I was SO excited to start this....now...not so much
Over the last month I was working on cutting out refined sugars, which pretty much was also cutting out refined foods in general. I was still eating dairy and grains and some refined foods and sugars but not nearly as much! This week I decided it was time to try going Paleo. I'm the only one doing it because my husband just doesn't care. After grocery shopping this week for my new foods it occurred to me I don't think I will be able to keep it up
For my husband, my 5 month old, and I we are on a very tight budget of $70 a week for groceries. I'm just so bummed and trying to figure things out....if I stick to it I feel like I will be eating the same foods every single day and I don't think I'm up for that. More meat, almond butter and almond flour it so much more expensive then the things I'm used to. I'm going to continue this week and see how things go. Why do we have to sacrifice our health because of money!!!!
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@aMohror: I feel you. I'm trying to eat on a budget of $100/week and we always go over, or we're not able to shop the last week of the month and just kinda eat what we have.
It's really hard - it's more produce and more meat. We ended up skipping the "more meat" part because we simply cannot afford it - especially if we want to be eating organic/quality meat. sometimes our meals are more vegan than paleo but I do believe that meat is vital for optimal health, so we still eat it a few times a week. Sometimes we eat tempeh in place of chicken which is full of protein.
There are some foods we make that produce quite a bit of leftovers and will sustain us for several days. No it's not ideal to eat the same foods but to eat healthy, I think it's worth it. A nutritionist I know said that it may seem expensive now, until eating sugar/processed foods/carbs wears on your body and you start battling illnesses as a result of poor eating! That won't happen to everyone - but it's crazy if you look at the influx of illnesses that have occurred just in the last 50 years - as a result of the processed food "epidemic"! Heart disease, obesity, diabetes, early puberty and more!
I know it's hard though :(:( I totally get it and struggle with it as well.
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