Budget Paleo

I've been missing for a few days, but I am back now! I decided yesterday that this blog needs a change. I have been focusing on, and obsessing over our budget the last couple of days. I had to pay taxes on Sunday--it is the first time I have ever had to pay--usually taxes are deducted from my pay check and I get money back--but this year, I didn't deduct enough, and I had to pay $124. Not a huge amount, I know but on top of everything else right now, finances are going to have to be a focus.

My husband, M, is in school right now, so until he gets out and gets a job, I am going to have to cut down on our expenses. The only area I have any flexibility is food. So, for the next year or so this is going to be a Budget Paleo blog. Plus, while lots of bloggers talk about Paleo on a budget from time to time, very few actually keep a blog that focuses on living Paleo on a budget.

For me on a budget means making better choices, and making organic/grassfed meat go farther. My first post this week is going to be on budget meals. I want to come up with 10 budget-friendly meals that can serve as dinner one night, and lunch the next day.

One of the standbys in our house is taco salad:

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion
1 sweet red pepper
1 pound mushrooms
1 T. cumin
1 T. chili powder
1 t. paprika
1 t. oregano
1 t. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste.
Avocado
Salsa
Fresh tomatoes
Cilantro

Saute beef, adding herbs and spices when the beef is almost cooked through. I then remove it to another pan and saute the onion and pepper, and then the mushrooms. I like to saute things separately for better flavor and consistency--if you have too many ingredients in the pan, everything will just steam and not cook the way I like it. When everything is cooked, I combine them in a pan and serve them over salad, or in lettuce leaves as a sort of "taco". For condiments, I have salsa, avocado and fresh chopped tomato, and cilantro when it is available and in season.

For two hungry people, this gives you four large servings. For me, this cost about $4.16 per serving. If I used grain fed lean beef instead of grassfed, and used non-organic vegetables, it would be even less. This is pretty much on target. I am trying to bring my grocery bill down to about $450 a month. (Lately it has been about twice that--just due to the grass fed meat and organic vegetables) I am having to make some changes, and one of those is going to have to be my protein choices.

I am dedicated to the idea that grass-fed, organic and pastured is the way to go, and I've spent a lot of time searching out reliable sources of grassfed, pastured meat, and dairy. Unfortunately it is bankrupting us. I can't afford to spend $15.00 on an organic pastured chicken. I also can't afford to spend $17.00 on two servings of london broil. Organic or free range chicken breasts are around $9 for two.

I have two choices. I can cut my serving sizes in half and eat twice as many vegetables and fruit, or I can intersperse my less expensive grass-fed meats (like New Zealand ground beef at Trader Joe's for $5.99) with very cheap grain-fed meat. Quite a dilemma...