Category Archives: Groceries

Paleo groceries on the cheap

Posted on February 7, 2013 | Leave a comment

By Sarah

Reposted from June

One of the most common complaints we hear from people just starting paleo is the expense. True, at first you will notice that you are paying more for your food. But what you are not taking into account is all the stuff you aren’t buying. Try adding up the cost of the sodas, pastas, boxes of cereal, milk, jars of sauces, alcohol, desserts, etc. that you aren’t buying and your new and improved grocery receipt won’t look so bad. But it is still a bit pricier depending on what stores you shop at. We’ve been working it down to a science so we can feed ourselves properly even when our budget doesn’t look so paleo-friendly. Aldi is a great place to start. Today, I spent $92.67 there on what you see in the picture above (it covered almost the entire dining table), and with a few supplementary items (probably $20-$30 worth) later in the week and a few things we already had, it will last us roughly 9-10 days. That’s between $10 and $13 a day to feed two people…not bad.  The dinner menu this week will include meatballs, chicken and sweet potatoes, spinach salads, grilled chicken drumsticks, shrimp and broccoli, hamburgers (bunless, of course) with sweet potato fries, and a salmon dish. Here’s what we bought:

Chicken drumsticks

Italian sausage

Six multi-colored bell peppers

3 Zucchinis

1 Cucumber

Four dozen eggs

Two packages of blueberries

Three packages of blackberries

Four packages of strawberries

One package of cherries

Two grapefruits

1 bag of apples

Two avocados

1 Cantaloupe

Unsalted butter

1 bag frozen broccoli

Two bags of sweet potatoes

Two bags of salmon

Two containers of salsa (the one with zero sugar…you have to watch the ingredients!)

1 bag shrimp

1 bag raw, unsalted almonds

1 whole chicken

3 lbs of ground turkey

3 lbs of ground beef

3 bags of fresh spinach

It will take me about an hour to get the fruits and veggies prepped so we use them before they go bad and always have them easily accessible. This is a weekly chore that makes cooking and packing lunches immensely easier.

There are a few things you can’t get at Aldi, such as coconut milk, nitrate free bacon, and almond butter, but Sprouts is close to Aldi (if you shop at the one on Hulen) and you can find those things there if you really want them.

You also cannot find grassfed or organic meat at Aldi. It is definitely better to buy grassfed, organic and free range meats, but if you are on a budget it is 100 percent better to eat conventionally raised meats than it is to eat grains or soy instead.

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Paleo groceries that don’t break the bank

Posted on June 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

By Sarah

One of the most common complaints we hear from people just starting paleo is the expense. True, at first you will notice that you are paying more for your food. But what you are not taking into account is all the stuff you aren’t buying. Try adding up the cost of the sodas, pastas, boxes of cereal, milk, jars of sauces, alcohol, desserts, etc. that you aren’t buying and your new and improved grocery receipt won’t look so bad. But it is still a bit pricier depending on what stores you shop at. We’ve been working it down to a science so we can feed ourselves properly even when our budget doesn’t look so paleo-friendly. Aldi is a great place to start. Today, I spent $92.67 there on what you see in the picture above (it covered almost the entire dining table), and with a few supplementary items (probably $20-$30 worth) later in the week and a few things we already had, it will last us roughly 9-10 days. That’s between $10 and $13 a day to feed two people…not bad.  The dinner menu this week will include meatballs, chicken and sweet potatoes, spinach salads, grilled chicken drumsticks, shrimp and broccoli, hamburgers (bunless, of course) with sweet potato fries, and a salmon dish. Here’s what we bought:

Chicken drumsticks

Italian sausage

Six multi-colored bell peppers

3 Zucchinis

1 Cucumber

Four dozen eggs

Two packages of blueberries

Three packages of blackberries

Four packages of strawberries

One package of cherries

Two grapefruits

1 bag of apples

Two avocados

1 Cantaloupe

Unsalted butter

1 bag frozen broccoli

Two bags of sweet potatoes

Two bags of salmon

Two containers of salsa (the one with zero sugar…you have to watch the ingredients!)

1 bag shrimp

1 bag raw, unsalted almonds

1 whole chicken

3 lbs of ground turkey

3 lbs of ground beef

3 bags of fresh spinach

It will take me about an hour to get the fruits and veggies prepped so we use them before they go bad and always have them easily accessible. This is a weekly chore that makes cooking and packing lunches immensely easier.

There are a few things you can’t get at Aldi, such as coconut milk, nitrate free bacon, and almond butter, but Sprouts is close to Aldi (if you shop at the one on Hulen) and you can find those things there if you really want them.

You also cannot find grassfed or organic meat at Aldi. It is definitely better to buy grassfed, organic and free range meats, but if you are on a budget it is 100 percent better to eat conventionally raised meats than it is to eat grains or soy instead.

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A paleo beginner’s shopping list

Posted on May 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

If you are joining us in our nutrition challenge (starting Friday!) and are a paleo newbie, the first trip to the grocery store can be daunting. Here’s a list to get you started for your first week.

Produce

A bag or two of spinach or other fresh greens (we sometimes go through three bags a week)

Tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, and any veggies that look good!

Squash (whatever is in season)

Garlic

Apples, bananas, oranges (keep to a minimum)

Limes and lemons for seasoning and flavoring

Melons

Berries

Frozen produce

Spinach, brocolli, berries

Meat

Ground turkey, ground beef, steaks, fajita meat (check the ingredients for preservatives and additives. Avoid pre-marinated items)

Whole chicken (these are great because you can eat it for dinner, have leftovers for lunch, and make broth with the bones)

Chicken breasts, thighs or quarters

Fish filets of any kind

Frozen, uncooked shrimp

Nitrate free bacon or sausage (check the ingredients!! No MSG or sugar either!)

A briskett or roast

Other

Eggs

Butter

Olive oil

Coconut oil

Coconut milk (unflavored)

Almonds, sliced and whole

Other nuts (not peanuts!)

Dried fruit with no preservatives

Unsweetened coconut flakes (usually not found in regular grocery stores, but readily available at Sprouts or Central market)

Beef jerkey (nitrate free)

Almond butter (check for sugar)

Spices such as chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, steak seasoning (check ingredients for msg and soy), cinnamon, ginger, paprika

Fresh and dried herbs such as basil, rosemary, sage, parsley, cilantro

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Homestead Farms field trip

Posted on March 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

Last Saturday the Brandt crew took a field trip to Homestead Farms. Owners Michael and Sarah Farris gave us a tour (and a hayride!) and told us all about the nutritional value of raw goats’ milk and grass fed meat.  The main thing we learned about raw milk is that pasteurization kills good bacteria as well as bad and carefully produced raw milk is clean and free of harmful substances but keeps good bacteria that are essential to digestion. Also, it tastes fantastic. More info can be found here and here.  The main benefits to grass fed meat are that the animals are treated kindly and the fat is better quality. There is more info here.

The farm is nearby in Keller and we highly recommend visiting!  In the next few days we will be posting some of our recipes we will create with the goat meat and milk we purchased.

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Posted in ethical food, Groceries, know your farm

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Coconut milk coffee

Posted on October 2, 2011 | 1 Comment

By Sarah McClellan-Brandt

A lot of us on the Brandt Paleo Challenge (Oct. 1-28) are going to miss the milk in our morning coffee, but there are alternatives. Almond milk and coconut milk are two options, but coconut milk is my favorite. It has a thicker consistency than almond milk and tastes great. Here’s how to make a coconut milk “latte”.

1. Start with fresh hot coffee or espresso — no sugar.

2. You can use the drinking coconut milk in the carton or the cooking kind in the can. The kind in the can has more fat and more calories (a good thing) and a much creamier texture. In the can, Goya and Thai Kitchen are the most available brands in our area. In the carton, So Delicious and Silk are usually available.

3. For two cups of coffee, put about a cup of either type of milk in a sauce pan on the stove. Whisk it until it comes to a full boil.

4. Pour it into the cups evenly and top with cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger. Enjoy!

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Posted in breakfast, coffee, Groceries, recipes

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Kale chips are the new Doritos

Posted on September 30, 2011 | 2 Comments

By Sarah McClellan-Brandt

I’ve been making kale chips lately and when Kyle brought them to the gym a few of you guys tasted them and wanted the recipe. So here it is! I got my first recipe for these at Paleo Diet Lifestyle  and made a few tweaks to try some new flavors. These are perfect to pack for a snack at work but beware…when you put them in a plastic baggie they definitely look …. questionable.

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Start with a big pile of fresh, clean Kale. For this recipe I used two bunches from Kroger.

Next, cut the stems out and cut the kale into smaller, chip-sized pieces.

Place the kale into a large bowl. Melt two to three tablespoons of cooking fat (coconut oil and olive oil are the best) and pour it over the kale. Massage it into each individual leaf with your hands. I used butter on this recipe, but butter isn’t strict paleo so we won’t be using it during the challenge (Oct. 1-28).

Then mix your spices. For this recipe I used about a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of chili powder, a few dashes of salt and cracked pepper. I also put about a tablespoon of lime juice in this recipe. You can get really creative with your spices and use whatever you like.

Sprinkle the spices and lime juice over the kale and oil mixture and mix it with your hands to cover evenly. Spread the kale onto one or two cookie sheets (ungreased). This recipe covered two sheets. They should be in one layer and spread out as much as possible, but don’t try to flatten them.

Put them in the oven at 300 degrees for 12 minutes. When you take them out, flip them over and put them back for another 12 minutes.

Ok so the finished product doesn’t look so great but they are fantastic. Don’t keep them in your glove box  in a baggie because they do look like weed.

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Posted in Groceries, recipes, snack, vegetarianism

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Time to Forage!

Posted on September 27, 2011 | 4 Comments

By Josh Santiago

Our 28 day challenge is days away and we need to start thinking about what to “hunt and gather” for the week to come.  Luckily we have supermarkets and farmers markets to Forage through these days! Here is a list of some practical Items that you can pretty much find at any grocery store. I love going to Central market for different groceries, but Target is my go to for most of the food I buy. You can get everything you need at places like Kroger, Aldi, Target and wal-mart, especially if you are on a budget.

If you can afford to eat like a super human definitely take food quality into consideration. Food like grass fed beef, free range chicken, and organic vegetables will definitely have more nutritious values. Do not let this be a deal breaker though! You can benefit just the same by eating conventional food from any grocery store. So don’t justify buying your bagel thins for breakfast just because you couldn’t afford some organic chicken eggs.

I used some quick start guide lines I downloaded from robbwolf.com to help me put together my food list. I added and removed some things from the original template so don’t let this list limit you, get creative and have fun with it. When you go shopping try throwing in a crazy meat like some ground antelope, or unicorn filets! Experiment with some different veggies and spices, cooking dishes different ways. The possibilities are endless!

Post any food items you might add to the list below, everyone could use some extra ideas.

FW Hunter and Gather Foods to Forage

Protein and Fat to Consider

_______________________________________________

Protein:

Eggs (Preferably Cage free and enriched with omega 3)

Chicken breast (Preferably free range)

Ground beef (Preferably grass fed)

Steak (Preferably grass fed)

Salmon (Preferably wild-caught)

White Fish (Halibut, tilapia, etc.)

Tuna

Sausages (Nitrate free)

More Protein Options:

Ground turkey

Ground Bison

Lamb

Veil

Turkey breast

Shrimp

Pork loin

Pork chops

Fat:

Coconut Oil

Olive oil

Avocados

Nuts & Seeds

More Fat Options:

Almond butter

Cashew butter

Avocado oil

 

Vegetables and Spices

________________________________________________

Vegetables:

Romaine Lettuce

Spinach

Kale

Celery

Zucchini

Yellow Squash

Spaghetti Squash

Onion

Tomato

Bell peppers

Asparagus

Carrots

Sweet Potato

More Vegetable Options:

Artichoke hearts

Brussels sprouts

Collard greens

Acorn Squash

Butternut Squash

Cabbage

Herbs and Spices:

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

Cayenne pepper

Chili powder

Paprika

Cumin

Basil

Cilantro

Cinnamon

Dill

Allspice

Ginger

Curry

Oregano

Marjoram

Nutmeg

Rosemary

Thyme

Bay Leaf

Condiments and Cookware

________________________________________________

Condiments:

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Apple cider vinegar

Mustard

Salsa (check the label for natural ingredients like veggies and spices)

Canned diced tomato

Chicken broth

Cooking Tools:

Mandoline slicer

Slap chop

Julienne peeler

Food processor

Blender

Crock pot

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