darkbloodangell Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Anyone any hints, tips, tricks or recipes to share. After almost 1 week on whole30 (both my boyfriend and me) and I quickly realised that the amount of food i bought was nowhere near enough. We are on a pretty tight budget for the foreseeable future (we are not buying grassfed etc as its ridiculously expensive in holland) and I already shop at the local market which is cheaper than the supermarkets. WE always cook a batch for 4 and double up leftovers for lunch but at this rate , I'm not sure I can afford to keep whole30 going with the sheer volume of food we are eating.I can up the veggies but then i find i get really hungry if i dont up the protein. Given recommendation is between 1-1.5kg per day for 2 people (1.5-3lbs given the recommendation on theclothesmakethegirl) Most of our meat is already cheap cuts (chicken parts not fillets, ribs, stewing beef etc) and I hate fish (though i force myself to eat tuna once a week). I guess im looking cheap ways to up the protein of meals without increasing meat content and remaining compliant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frantastic Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Eggs are a great and cheap way to get your protein in (and they get to count as fat too, I think). One of my meals every day is eggs in some fashion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkbloodangell Posted October 10, 2014 Author Share Posted October 10, 2014 breakfast is also 3 eggs in some form with something unfortunately i hate the tast of fried eggs so omelets, frittatas etc are out my head is wrecked trying to think of cheap compliant protein to bulk out lunches and dinners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina R Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 The paleo poor guide to the grocery store post might help. Good Luck! http://whole30.com/2011/01/paleo-poor-your-guide-to-the-grocery-store/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeve Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Slow roasted or crockpot whole chicken. This: http://paleopot.com/2012/02/hungry-man-sweet-potato-casserole/ This: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/10925485307/green-sliders-spinach-mushroom-and-beef-mini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Ground beef-based anything. I do up taco beef at least weekly - it's delicious on top of a baked sweet potato (and that's a pretty cheap combo, too!). If you like avocado, add that, or you can mix some compliant salsa with homemade mayo for your fat. Turning to your cheapest/best bang for the buck veggies will also help. Cabbage is a great way to get bulk veggies in, and a head of cauliflower will make a TON of cauli rice. Especially if you also shred some broccoli and carrots and finely chop an onion/mince of garlic to add to it. That combo's pretty easy and delicious if you have a food processor to shred it all. Other ideas: pureed veggie soups are great at filling you up, especially if you have bone broth to make them with. Broth is not exactly HIGH in protein, but it certainly keeps me feeling full on meals where I eat less protein. Try briskets - some stores have them as cheaper than other cuts of beef roast. They can be slow cooked to perfection.It's delicious at breakfast with baked sweet potato and topped with a fried egg (which helps to stretch the brisket as it's not the sole protein source for your meal). Hubby made a decent skillet meal last night out of chicken thighs. He cut them into chunks, and sauteed 1/2 chopped onion and a few cloves of garlic, then added the chicken. Right before it was done, he added a chopped tomato and cooked that down, a splash of tomato juice, and some red pepper flakes. For a "we have eaten all of our leftovers and are limited to the last few ingredients in the freezer and veggie drawer" meal, it was really good. My husband and I have been paying LESS for groceries on our Whole30 than we did prior to, despite paying almost $20 per week on sweet potatoes alone. Too many baked goods (gluten free) will do that to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkbloodangell Posted October 11, 2014 Author Share Posted October 11, 2014 Thanks for the tips. I might try making some cheap filling soups to have as a starter to make the meat portion of the meal stretch further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahavah Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 As much as I dislike Walmart, I couldn't feed my family of 5, let alone do whole30 foods, if not for price matching & couponing. I price match sales from 3 competitor stores (plus Aldi and Kroger are 40 minutes farther, so it saves me gas & a drive, too) and then just do all my shopping at Walmart. This gets me canned & veggie staples much cheaper. I'll buy meat there in a pinch, but there is a meat processor not too far that I can usually splurge on local non-processed stuff with my savings. I also try to grow as much as I can when the weather permits. The season is pretty much over for me right now, but I'm thinking about trying sprouting or getting some spinach & cabbage started inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Oh, and since white potatoes are allowed, that's another way you can get more bang for your buck when it comes to filling up on veggies. Obvoiusly you shouldn't have them as your only veggie in a meal, but they're usually the cheapest item you can get by far. What I've been doing is making up a big thing of mashed potatoes (cook in a combination of water and chicken broth/stock, add mayo or ghee when mashing to make them a little more creamy, but not too much because you want them to be nutrition, not crack-like food with no brakes) and combining that with my meals for the week and another veggie. For instance, last night I made a chicken dish (layered sliced onions, 1/2 can water-packed chopped artichoke hearts, a couple of finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chicken thighs, more artichoke hearts, more tomatoes, dried marjoram/salt/pepper, and 2 lemons sliced) and a zucchini one (onion, garlic, 2 zucchini, and a big old bunch of fresh parsley left over from last week) with mashed potatoes. Tonight I've got a crock pot roast that I didn't include any potatoes in - just onions, parsnips, carrots, and mushrooms, so I'll serve roast with veggies and mashed potatoes. That way they help stretch the meals a bit. Roasted/baked/boiled potatoes will also work just as well, based on your preferences. They're definitely cheaper at my store than sweet potatoes, so it might help you out some! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semolina Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Up the veggies and up the fat ... I find fat is more significant in stopping hunger than the protein is. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkbloodangell Posted October 14, 2014 Author Share Posted October 14, 2014 Thanks for the ideas and tips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whole30 Certified Coach littleg Posted October 18, 2014 Whole30 Certified Coach Share Posted October 18, 2014 If you are open to "off cuts" of meat you can (a) get higher quality meat for the same price as not as great quality meat or ( get regular meat pretty cheap For example - beef heart, beef tongue are usually inexpensive near me. At the farmers market I can usually get a whole heart or tongue for 3-5$. This is for grassfed. A steak from that same cow... $15/lb. Do you have "ethnic" grocery stores near you? The Asian stores near me sell fruits/veggies for so much less than the grocery store. If you could find a place like this it might free up some $ for more meat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annabel Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Essentially, buy what's on offer/cheap. (If you have freezer space buy extra of what's on offer and freeze it) And don't use the fancy, expensive ingredients. Avocados are quite expensive here, so I stick with olive oil and olives for most of my fats. Same with vegetables, buy what's in season and cheap and just be creative with what you can get. Unfortunately, hard to give any specifics as I'm not familiar with what's available in Holland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotwell Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Lots and lots of fresh veggies, some fruit, raisins if they don't trigger your sugar cravings, and eggs. The one thing I splurge on is virgin unprocessed coconut oil, which I blend in my coffee and sauté with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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