Recently, a friend came to me with concern that her grocery bill kept rising as she attempted to eat more wholesomely. This seems to be a common factor in peoples’ resistance to take on a healthier lifestyle and an issue for those already on the path. Once you have made the decision to put health as a high priority, the perceived value of items that keep you in line with that goal will rise, hence, the rising grocery bill.

Step one is realizing that wholesome food is worthy of our efforts and food dollars. Step two is finding balance between our goals and what our current lifestyle can manage.

Besides the obvious, the additional benefit to step one is that by using our food dollars toward unprocessed foods, the powers at be have to recognize what the people want. Hopefully, they will spend less energy making literal crap and care for something more worthwhile.

The additional benefit to step two, besides saving money, is that by making these choices you are on a road to a sound-minded, fully functional you. You are bound to improve upon your current, budgeted lifestyle because you will have the energy to move forward and not be bogged down by depression, sickness, fatigue and mental weariness. This is what I am hoping for at least!! ; )

So!, enough with the why & more about the how……

Clearance Meat

MEAT

• Eat less meat — Yeah, it’s not fun & maybe you’re thinking that this goes against the Paleo diet protocol, but, not so. We only need so much protein per day. Mostly, it is necessary to recover from movement, restock our enzymes and contribute to some DNA/RNA/related molecules by handing over its Nitrogen. The leftovers are converted into glucose to be burned for energy or stored as fat so be careful! Consuming less meat may get you closer to your goal of having mostly high-quality pastured animal products. Q: Won’t you be hungry? A: Eat what you will, then consume enough fat for satiety.
• Always check out the clearance meat section. If you’re lucky, there will be some discounted grass-fed meat in there. Otherwise, you might find something interesting that you wouldn’t buy unless it was a great deal. (AKA oxtails — still haven’t used them, but I will!) I buy bones and random things when they are cheap, then throw them in the freezer. When you have the money, stock up. You will thank yourself later.
• Buy mostly ground meats. Keep it relatively lean if purchasing the commercial stuff. Use your own seasoning blends instead of purchasing more “processed” products. I do have a fondness for chorizo though…
• Super lean cuts will be lacking in fat-soluble vitamins, this is not favorable when you are looking to get the most for your money. This advice is contradictory to that above. The deal is that you must find balance and pick your poison. There are an abundance of toxins stored in the fat of commercially raised animals but, also an abundance of fat soluble vitamins. Ideally, grass-fed is the way to go. If that isn’t possible, go for a relatively lean cut, around 10% fat, then supplement your diet with antioxidants, omega-3’s and eat a lot of vegetables to detox. You’re doing that anyway, right?!
• Cheap cuts I use are brisket, ribs, oxtail, soup bones, bone marrow and organ meats. Here is an awesome recipe for brisket. It can be adjusted to a smaller piece of meat. The crock pot can be your best friend when using these less tender cuts. I have a friend who makes “bone stew” in the crock pot with some meaty bones, bone marrow pieces, organ meats & vegetables. It sounds weird but is totally delicious and I’m very proud with his success at this. Talk about a hearty, healthy stew! (literally.) Bone broth is cheap and more than nutritionally worth it’s timely investment.
• Personally, I make a lot of breakfast type meals with bacon, ground meats, eggs and veggies. Stir-fries and curries work well in this ingredient spectrum also.      I cooked up all of these dishes within the past month… I stick with this theme QUITE a bit.
• Don’t worry about nitrate-free bacon, or nitrates in general, apparently. Chris Kresser talks about it HERE. Of course, higher quality, local, pastured meats are always better but may as well not pay more because your bacon was doused in cultured veggie juice. Even without fear of nitrates/nitrites, I still fear MSG and weird other preservatives I can hardly pronounce. Get out of my food!
• Eggs are a must. While they have the allure of a low price tag, these are one of the things I truly believe that you get what you pay for. Plus, I don’t want the stress of thinking that each morning I am contributing to my own inflammation instead of easing it. I really enjoy some raw egg in my life which I will not consume from a crappy egg. If I’m going super cheap I look for cage-free varieties and choose against strictly grain-fed chicken eggs(Plus amp up my cod liver oil/omega 3 intake!). I’m willing to pay $5/dozen. I’m dying to find a local person who raises chickens that can give me the hook-up. If you know people or see a good source at the farmer market, take advantage!
• Chicken is a splurge item for me. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are silly and probably a waste of money. I won’t buy those ever. I do, however, LOVE bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or a big roast chicken. I’ll buy chicken once every week or two weeks, usually a whole one that is of higher quality. It runs around $8.00. I can usually get a couple meals out of it split with my mom. Mm, roast chicken is so good & easy! I should write out my recipe….
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• Fish is another splurge item for me lately. I haven’t been eating as much seafood as I should. I used to buy a lot of tilapia and salmon at the grocery store. I think this is a decent option. When I have enough to spare, I buy wild-caught salmon and wild-caught shrimp, usually frozen. Frozen shrimp can be a real life-saver. Otherwise, I do without. Whole foods and Trader Joe’s have decent brands of canned tuna and salmon that I keep on-hand. One of my life goals is to live near the coast specifically to get more high quality seafood in my life! (Dead serious about this, it will happen.)
• Another thing I have recently added to my repertoire is gelatin. These are a mix of amino acids found in the cartilage, collagen-rich, low & slow type cuts of meat. I could make a whole post about the benefits of gelatin but for the point of this post, gelatin is a protein-rich supplement that can aid in satiety and is pretty cheap! I add it to smoothies, coffee, tea(especially my sleepy tea), and paleo baked goods.

I have a lot more thoughts on this and will update as I think of more on the meat topic. Animal products happen to be where I choose to step up the quality compared to produce, fat, dairy & other things.

I saw a post on Facebook the other day that read, “When things aren’t adding up in your life, start subtracting!” I think this is a mantra that can be used when it comes to food choices. Sometimes, you are better off going without, within reason. I am referring to avoiding certain foods, sticking to the good ones and then eating less in general.

Stress, activity levels and other lifestyle factors will influence this but supposedly, the average person feels better when they eat less. It is essentially free to learn how to eat mindfully. Also, fasting is cheap!