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Whole30 budget tips


KaylaW

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If you started Whole30 like my husband and I did on January 1, happy day 5 of the journey! 

This is our third round together as a couple, and my fifth round. I wasn't too budget-conscious last time around, but now that we've transitioned to a single income family, I'm definitely more mindful of our spending. With that in mind, we care a lot about our health. We have a year-long membership at a local boxing gym, take collagen peptides and raw green probiotics after each workout. I'm not against spending money on good quality food, and after a lot of deliberation, opted to make it a priority to buy pastured and organic meat this year. 

All of that to say, I know that means we'll be spending more than usual on food. 

What I'm interested in is if you have any tips on how to keep the budget in mind when it comes to meals, despite the high quality and pricey meat. 

What meals do you turn to when you're looking to eat well, have a decent dose of protein (again, we box multiple times a week and know we need to eat quite a bit more protein because of it), but don't want to spend an arm and a leg? 

I'm all ears for any great recipes or tips you might have! 

Happy January Whole30, everyone! 

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29 minutes ago, KaylaW said:

If you started Whole30 like my husband and I did on January 1, happy day 5 of the journey! 

This is our third round together as a couple, and my fifth round. I wasn't too budget-conscious last time around, but now that we've transitioned to a single income family, I'm definitely more mindful of our spending. With that in mind, we care a lot about our health. We have a year-long membership at a local boxing gym, take collagen peptides and raw green probiotics after each workout. I'm not against spending money on good quality food, and after a lot of deliberation, opted to make it a priority to buy pastured and organic meat this year. 

All of that to say, I know that means we'll be spending more than usual on food. 

What I'm interested in is if you have any tips on how to keep the budget in mind when it comes to meals, despite the high quality and pricey meat. 

What meals do you turn to when you're looking to eat well, have a decent dose of protein (again, we box multiple times a week and know we need to eat quite a bit more protein because of it), but don't want to spend an arm and a leg? 

I'm all ears for any great recipes or tips you might have! 

Happy January Whole30, everyone! 

You can google 'whole30 on a budget' and get some blog posts and forum results and then try googling again with more specific search terms... you're not alone, a lot of people workout and do this program on a budget.

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Thank you for taking the time to respond! I should have clarified in my original post that I have done some online digging and found some great suggestions to add to our meal plan, like stir fries and fajita bowls. I just wondered if there were any suggestions I might have missed in my online search, or if anyone could relate to creating healthy meals while still needing a large dose of protein. :) Thank you for your advice. 

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1. Buy whatever good quality meat is on sale at Whole Foods or your local market. 

2. The most inexpensive organic, grass-fed & wild-caught proteins include: chicken legs, whole chicken, pork shoulder, lamb shoulder chops, chuck steak, & frozen wild caught seafood (salmon, shrimp, white fish, etc.). 

3. Buy sweet potatoes, potatoes, onions, nuts, olives & compliant oils in bulk. 

4. Make sure to add nuts, olives & fat to your veggie & salad side dishes to help keep you full.

5. Cook most of your refrigerated compliant food before you go shopping again to restock.

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If high quality protein is the most important in your kitchen, think about ways to save on other ingredients so that you have the budget you want for your priorities.

- Frozen veggies are a huge life saver for me, and often more affordable than fresh

- Pick simple recipes. Yes, coconut oil, coconut aminos, fish sauce, etc. add great flavor, but they are also expensive. You can make wonderful meals with just the basics too. 

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Yes! I was about to say Aldi. They have started carrying a lot more Organic and Whole 30 compliant stuff in the past year. They are owned by the same company that owns Trader Joe's, and they've started carrying a lot more products that were clearly made for TJ's but are packaged for Aldi, like salsas and olives. Compliant Organic salsa for 2.99! I have a friend with a Costco membership, and Aldi's prices for most things I buy are totally on par if not cheaper, and I don't have to buy $15 worth of it at once.

The meat there is not so awesome yet. This might sound crazy, but as somebody who raises livestock I've got to put it out there, would you consider buying a half- or quarter-animal from a local farmer raising pasture-based animals? It depends where you live whether that's cost-effective or not. But if you're buying organic grass-fed at Whole Foods, I've got to imagine it might be reasonable. You'd be investing up front, you'd need a chest freezer. But you could determine all your cuts and how much you want ground, and you know you're going to eat it.

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9 hours ago, chichi said:

 This might sound crazy, but as somebody who raises livestock I've got to put it out there, would you consider buying a half- or quarter-animal from a local farmer raising pasture-based animals? It depends where you live whether that's cost-effective or not. But if you're buying organic grass-fed at Whole Foods, I've got to imagine it might be reasonable. You'd be investing up front, you'd need a chest freezer. But you could determine all your cuts and how much you want ground, and you know you're going to eat it.

I would love to do this soon. I have to see if meat from a quarter animal will fit in a small upright freezer, as that is what we could fit.

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