Paleo Granny

Growing up in the 1950's, I remember Saturday shopping as being a special occasion.  I was about nine years old and we lived in a small hamlet in Alberta called Manola - there were about 50 people living in the hamlet itself, with lots of farms surrounding the town.  The big shopping was done in Barrhead, Alberta about 15 miles north of Manola.

My parents would load themselves and me and my brothers and sister into the car and, in Barrhead, we would each be given 25 cents to go to the local (only!) movie theatre in town.  The 25 cents would get us each into the afternoon matinee with enough money leftover for popcorn, while my parents did the shopping.

I was the oldest at nine years old, so I was responsible for my 8-year old brother, 6-year old sister and 4-year old brother. Imagine what would happen these days if you left a nine-year old in charge of three other children.

Today, Saturday is usually our shopping day, as I am still working during the week but, since I can't drop Paleo Grandad off at the movies, he comes with me and carries the heavy stuff and learns how to pick out good food.  One thing we have discovered since we began Paleo is the taste of food - good food has so much flavour, even cooked simply as we cook now, and that we no longer like the taste of processed food, especially fast food.  We also don't feel too great when we eat the processed food (lethargic and needing a nap).  We've also noticed that we spend less on our weekly grocery bill than we did before.


A week's grocery for two adults, looks like this (enough for 7 breakfasts, 6 dinners and 6 lunches, snacks):

Protein
2 dozen free-range eggs                                             12.00
1 lb. good bacon                                                         7.00
3 x organic or grass-fed ground beef                          12.00
4 x organic chicken legs (leg and thigh)                       10.00
4 x organic chicken breasts                                        12.00
8 x organic thin-cut pork chops                                  12.00
1 lb. grass - fed beef sausages                                      6.00
1/2 lb. beef jerky  or pepperoni sticks this week         12.00
1 large organic roasting chicken                                  15.00
Total protein                                                             $98.00

Produce
2 bunches of organic kale                                             5.00
3 x cauliflower                                                             6.00 (2 for $4.00 at Kin's)
8.5 lbs of sweet potatoes                                              8.42
2 x coleslaw mix                                                           3.00 (2 for $3.00 at Kin's)
2 lbs. brussels sprouts                                                   3.62
1 lb. of red beets                                                            .99
2 lbs. of bananas                                                           1.30
Total produce                                                             $28.33

Total for the week - $126.33

We always have coconut oil, olive oil and lots of spices - dry and fresh now that I have planted my garden - so we are set for the week.  Wash and chop the produce as much as you can before the week starts, thaw meat in a bowl in your refrigerator at the beginning of the week and you are good to go for quick, healthy meals.