Paleo on a Ha'penny

My hubby and I had a little 'chat' the other night about our recent spending and - more specifically - the fact that I blew our grocery budget out of the water this past month trying to steer us onto this whole "Paleo" thing. When it comes to things like...well, everything......I'm a little (lotta) bit of a perfectionist. It's hard to do things half-way - most days I'd just rather avoid them or not do them at all.

So it is with Paleo. When I'm standing in front of a bag of organic apples and regular apples, there's a debate going on in my head. And do I choose Boar's Head turkey which is free of additives or the Deli-Fresh pre-packaged stuff that is half the price? What about chicken? What about eggs? What about coconut oil???

And so I have been doing a GREAT job of choosing some delicious dinners for our family but a terrible job at managing what the Lord has given us in the way of finances for this season in our lives. And let's be honest - the former one equates to choosing to serve myself (what I want to eat/drink/etc.) and the latter one equates to not choosing to serve and honor the Lord by faithfully using only what he has given us. Hence, not just a budget problem but an idol problem (Exodus 20:3).

So - here's my new challenge and I'm gonna blog it out so that hopefully I can help anyone else out there trying to do this Paleo thing on a tight budget as well. My new goal is to feed my family on a Strict Paleo diet at $300/month, understanding that we eat at/from home 2-3 meals per day nearly every day of the week (if you think Paleo at home is expensive and intimidating, just trying eating out Paleo!). So, each month, I'm planning to feed our family about 90 meals prepared from the freshest ingredients  at less than $3.50 per meal, which is a pretty incredible task if you think about it. Which, now that I think about it, maybe I understand why I've been failing at this task lately. Anyhow, time for change and we're gonna see if we can make this happen.

Obviously, I'm not going to be able to buy all-organic, grain-fed, only-the-freshest-available foods. There are some things I am going to have to sacrifice in order to make this work for our family. But I am certainly committed to making sure that we are not purchasing products with extra fillers, additives, and chemicals that are completely unnecessary unless you are planning to stock up for the next cold war. For example, I went to Sams yesterday and got a few things - among them, a huge can of green beans that when I read through the ingredients had nothing but beans, salt and water. Now, do the canned beans have as many nutrients as fresh ones? Of course not. Do they taste as good? Of course not. But I bought about 10 servings (maybe more?) of green beans for about $3.75. And in the end - it's going to be a LOT better for us than a pack of dinner rolls. So - definitely some sacrifices made, but in the end a winning choice I believe.

Because here's the deal, folks. I know it's hard to give up that morning biscuit. I know it's hard to not have that potato soup you are craving. I know it's really hard to tell the waitress to take away those buttered biscuits when you sit down at the steak house. I KNOW that it's hard. Making good food choices has gotten a little easier for me, but now my challenge is to be able to do it on less. But it's worth it. Maybe it isn't to you yet - but have you asked your kids lately if they would rather you eat whatever makes you happy now or live another ten years to see them married, meet your grandbabies, leave a legacy of health for the next generation? It's worth it. For now, for later, for you, for those around you who love you and care about you - it's worth it.

So since it's worth it, I want to help make it possible. I want it to be possible for our family. I want it to be possible for your family. I want to help people see fitness and nutrition as tools for honoring and glorifying God with our bodies - daily denying the opportunity to serve ourselves and choosing instead to serve and honor the Lord with this vessel He has blessed us with. So here we go!