I committed to the Whole30 program on Monday when I decided to do Diet Bet (go big or go home right?). If you haven't heard of it, it’s basically 30 days of extreme Paleo – you can only eat meat, veggies, fruits, nuts, vinegars, and unprocessed oils. Everything else is just not allowed. I’ve been feeling kind of gross after a big Asia trip (3 weeks, 3 countries!) and I guess January is as good a time as any to get back on track.
But my other concern with the Paleo diet (or really, just high protein, high fat, low carb) was whether or not it would affordable. Nuts and oils are expensive, and don’t even get me started on free range, grass fed meat.
My background is personal finance and financial planning, so I decided I’m not just doing Paleo, I’m doing Paleo on a Budget. Over the next 30 days, I will be posting my meals, recipes, and a complete breakdown of the cost per serving. Keep in mind, these are NYC prices, so a same meal for you could be much less expensive. I shop at my local store, Fresh Direct (free range meat and eggs are much cheaper than my grocery store!), and Vitacost (for nuts, nut butters, oils, vinegars, etc.).
First up, red cabbage chicken stirfry with cauliflower rice! Total costs:
If you want to make it and see pics, the recipe is here: http://brunchandbudget.com/red-cabbage-stir-fry-with-cauliflower-rice-costserving-267/
Wish me luck!