Day 8 - Paleo Budget tips!

167.6
Yay! Down 3.6 lbs since last week, and I have to admit it was about 70% paleo last week.

So here's my goal. I'd like to eat healthy but be able to do so with our grocery bill staying below $80 a week. That includes everything: even all the non-grocery items and my husbands Timothy Ferriss Slow Carb Diet foods. Thankfully the slow carb diet is really cheap: "beans, greens and proteins."

Here are some things I do to try to save money:

1. Orange juice concentrate instead of real oranges for cooking.
I use this in my green shake and it is awesome. One can lasts me a month. Are there pesticides? Not sure it's much better than a regular orange, but it's very convenient! This could work for lemons and limes as well, assuming the only ingredient is the actual fruit itself.

2. I try to buy fruits and veggies with rinds and flesh. I'm not sure if this is right, but I figure if I can peel it then at least I'm deleting all the pesticides on the outside. I skin all my cucumbers and peel all my apples (regardless). This also has to do with my achalasia, a swallowing disorder.

3. Onion powder and garlic powder. This works if I'm doing a sauce oriented dish. If it calls for minced garlic, that comes dehydrated as well. Sometimes I'm just too tired to cut up onions - in which case I used dried minced onions or frozed pre-cut onions. I love frozen onions! So easy! They have a nice fragrance as well.

4. If it's on sale, and usually expensive, stock up.
For instance, last week I happened to be at Wegmans early Saturday morning and they had several cuts of chicken for half price. I also happened to be at Giant  two weeks ago and they had bruised produce on sale for 80% off. If I can use it or freeze it I will buy! I peel the apples and put them in shakes or use them to cook so it's not a big deal how they look.

5. Batch cooking.
I buy in bulk and cook up a big meal that gets divided into small portions to last the week. I try to waste as little as possible and find different recipes to match the same ingredients, especially if I happen to have some weird ingredients. I shop once a week and make a strict shopping list.

So that's it for now!

Before paleo, I was too tired to cook. Now, I have so much more energy.

What do you do to try to save money on a paleo diet?