Paleo On a Budget

Okay, I'm sure people are getting sick of the paleo-blogness focus of my blog lately and I assure those interested in faith, art and the life that is mine, I will be posting some art stuff soon too!!

However, I wanted to disperse the rumors that eating paleo is expensive.

It is not.

There. I've said it. Paleo eating is not expensive. Stop saying that it is. You're not right, let's get to the facts...finding in-season meats, veggies and fruits as well as other necessities for a paleo-kitchen are relatively cheap. With cans of coconut milk around a dollar and a quarter, meat sales all the time and constantly rotating in-season produce, finding a week's worth of food can be around $100 a week for our family of two. That boils down to about $2.33 per meal. Which is absolutely more affordable than the average $5 combo from your favorite fast food joint. And vastly more healthy and satisfying.

I just left Kroger today, and though it is not the only grocery store our family frequents, I wanted to comment on the sales there this week. They have several buy-one-get-one free meat deals and huge post holiday savings. For around $35.00, I got enough meat to feed us lunch and dinner for well over a week. That is less than one dinner out for the two of us at any decently stocked restaurant.

• 5 lb Spare Rib - $12.60
• 2 2lb Shoulder Roasts - $11.03
• 8 Pork Chops - $6.59
• 3 lbs Bacon - $4.59

When you can find buy-one-get-one meat deals, you can really get a LOT of value, so long as you cook.

And that, if I might say, is the biggest problem with eating paleo on a budget or fixed income. Not cost, but time. If you want to eat right, make the best use of your budget and groceries, you're gonna need to prepare your own foods.

Now, you may ask what we can do with this. And as I am typing, Joe has made steak and onion omelettes, and is searing a roast, preparing stock for stew so he and I can have stew for lunch during the week.

So lunch made of stew with one of the roasts, which will last Joe and I about three days. So around six lunches for $5.50 plus some veggies for the stew. We will likely have pork chops with apples and onions for diner a night or two, and ribs which will be plenty for dinner with enough leftovers for lunch.

So what am I getting at? The real struggle is not the price of eating paleo, but the effort involved in planning, cooking and reheating the food you cook when you do.

My best recommendation for people struggling to eat paleo is to get a few cookbooks, watch a few videos, take a few cooking classes and you will be shocked how cheaply you can eat....and eat well.

You just have to cook, or be kind to someone who does. You will be doing yourself a huge service.

In fact, I will be providing some videos on simple staples for cooking.

• Steak
• Roasted Chicken
• Pot Roast
• Pork Chop
• Chicken Stock
• Simple Salad Dressing
  

I hope this motivates people to get out to the grocery, stock up on deals for items that can be frozen and get in the kitchen!

Paleo-lady

So things have been pretty rough lately. Trying to get back into the swing of life post-wedding was far more difficult than I expected. While we were gone almost a full week from most day to day activities, the world kept spinning and we jumped back into everything with both feet.

It's taking me some time to find my stride again. I have several projects I'm working on and I am running around like crazy to try and complete them all.

Also, I have started my personal training program with my hubby/trainer. I've learned a very valuable lesson. Never hire your partner to be your personal trainer. It's dangerously easy to grouse and complain to him in a way I never would with a relative stranger. My pride would be way too strong to admit pain or failure. But with Joe, I can't help it. When something hurts, I tell him, when I feel awkward, I complain, when I feel too exhausted to listen to his wisdom, I shoot him, what I can only imagine is a death glare. I don't like it. I want to be a good sport and work hard and do my best, but since I am so familiar, he gets my worst. I am working to get rid of that and focus on improving myself.

As far as the Paleo Diet goes, I'm doing pretty well being paleo almost 100% since Tuesday. It's not as easy as I had hoped, but I am learning about a lot of options for snacks and meals throughout the week.

Also, a theme song...that I've loved since I was a kid:

Captain Vegetable!!

My Paleo Experience - Month Two

....or... "Why Mac & Cheese never returns my calls."

As I have written before, going Paleo was something I was certain would never work for me. It seemed to work for J and he was pretty nuts about getting me to try it. I knew, however, this would be a challenge for me and I'd probably quit three weeks in. I had a love hate relationship with veggies and while I loved meat, any fish made me gag. I did not have high hopes for green beans and steak every night.

To be fair, J has done a really wonderful job of taking what I like and getting creative with it. I have to say, I wasn't sure how it would work. But we decided to keep us from getting burnt out, we'd give ourselves "free days", where we'd eat pretty much whatever...just as long as it wasn't in excess.

Frankly, I found that after an initial drop of fifteen pounds, I was really eager to give it a serious try. I tried veggies I didn't like in new ways, I went and bought fish willingly from the supermarket. (Don't tell J, but it was delicious!) And I was really eliminating grains and other pesky carbs and unnecessary sugars of my own free will. So much so, that after our chosen "free days" I would feel ill, and hung over the next day. It made that little splurge not worth it and so we pretty much eliminated the free days entirely.

I will admit It has really taken a lot of self control not to grab a dollar menu french fry or a cherry pie at the grocery store. They are?/were my comfort foods. I had emotional attachment to macaroni and got comfort from ice cream. And it was a dysfunctional relationship. They didn't love me back, in fact, they tried to kill me.

I never wanted to be one of those preachy "fad diet" kind of people. I usually find them annoying and a little too obsessed with whatever thing they were into. But I think I am officially that woman. Now in four months, I've lost twenty three pounds. That breaks down to about six pounds a month and around one and a half a week. However, in that time, I've not just lost weight. My body composition is drastically shifting. Parts of me that were stretched taut with fat are now seeming to melt away. My energy is unbelievably high and I have a new found understanding of what my body wants and needs.

When I'm thirsty, I drink. When I crave an orange, I get one. When I'm full, I stop eating. I know these all seem like very obvious actions. However, when you're addicted to food, like I am, those things require an almost herculean effort to do. When food means love, or comfort, or memories of a time after school at grandma's, putting down the dish and fork are really challenging. But for the first time, I'm losing weight without counting anything and without feeling deprived and hungry all the time. I really feel fortunate.

And what I've found out, is that when something works...something changes your life and everything you thought about your body and relationship with food...you want to tell everyone. It's funny, now, that despite only losing 23 lbs, I want to tell everyone that this is changing my life. My obsession and ultimately dysfunctional relationship with food was killing me. My blood pressure and triglycerides were slowly filling my arteries with fat. Since starting this new lifestyle, I am completely off high blood pressure meds and have been given a clean bill of health, aside from the weight I'm still lugging around.

Let me reiterate...I have lowered my blood pressure completely by changing my diet. That, in and of itself, makes me want to tell everyone I know. I want them to benefit from the same vitality I've been feeling. To know that being tired all the time isn't normal, no matter what your size is. This is what our bodies need and I want everyone to feel great too. Which means I'm certainly a fan girl.

The more J gets into the actual paleo community, the more he forces me to listen to hours of podcasts from community experts who seem to make the science and physiology of it all so simple. Our bodies are meant to process meat and berries and vegetables. It's that simple. By throwing sugars and other foodstuffs that our body converts into sugars, we're poisoning ourselves slowly.

For more well-informed sources, you can feel free to visit several of the leading paleo blogs, Mark's Daily Apple, or Every Day Paleo, or Nerd Fitness for the actual science behind why this lifestyle not only works, but is good for anyone, not just folks looking to lose weight.

Also, here's a pretty concise video on how your body breaks down grains.

But all in all, after fully committing to the lifestyle for two full months...the drastic changes are pretty fantastic!

How does this happen?

I fully intend to journal and keep progress of every step of my Paleo Challenge and Wedding...but then the actuality of the things I'm doing get in the way and I just don't get around to it.

So, I shall endeavor to try to discuss the most recent goings-on. That said, we are now officially (runs to check www.tinyurl.com/Joe-Traci) thirty-eight days from nuptials. I have a dress...Joe has a tux and the wedding party is coming along. We have met with J's mom and discussed menus for the reception and cocktail hour and it sounds delicious!

We met with Rev. Dangler and discussed the ceremony which should be sweet, but not too long, but still representative of our faith. The reception, I hope will be great food and a great party!!!

Don't get me wrong, I am stressing over every detail...I am just getting past each checkpoint and feeling better the more I can enjoy the process. That being said, the R.S.V.P. cards are coming back and that makes it so much more real!


During this time, I've also gotten into Paleo eating and taking care of myself. Getting used to eating mostly animal protein and veggies really has been a shock initially. It's no secret I was addicted to not just carbs, but pretty much anything that was terrible for my body.

Changing your attitude about how you want to live your life takes a lot of dedication. At first I only did it because it seemed to work well for J. But really coming around to what my body needs and not what I think will make my life feel happier at that moment has really taken a bit to wrap my brain around.

That being as it is, I wanted to keep photographic evidence of my progress. Oddly enough, when it came time to find "before" and "current" pictures, there were not many pictures of me before. I hate getting my picture taken and this is why.

January 12th, 2011 (23 lbs lighter) April 6th, 2011

So it's not terribly drastic yet, but I know I feel better!!!

I will write more later!!!

See you all soon!

Paleo-Chili

So J has gotten me interested in this paleolithic diet. Never heard of it? I hadn't either, but there is a great blog that explains it by a man that really exemplifies the "paleo" lifestyle.

Pretty much, meat, veggies and fruits are the core. Eliminating grains and processed starches and paying attention to what your body needs. This also involves actually working out, walking and making good all around choices.

J has been really successful and has lost 41 lbs....and tonight...he has made miracles happen.


It may not look like much, but it is DELICIOUS! It's hamburger with sautéed garlic and onions, amazing spices and carrot & squash "noodles". It is SOOOOOO amazing!

If you've ever been lucky enough to have tasted Skyline Chili...imagine that delicious sauce with thinly sliced cooked veggie noodles. It was awesome. If this is what healthy tastes like...sign me up!!!