Keto/Paleo the Mustachian Way

[freya]

So here's the challenge:  How do you eat according to Keto/Paleo principles while keeping the grocery bill from exploding?

I switched recently to a ketogenic diet initially to lose weight and it works (17 lbs in ~2 months, with no drastic measures like fasting and NEVER going hungry).  Bonus:  I discovered that it's the solution to a whole host of minor and not-so-minor health issues.  So I'm not EVER going back to my previous inexpensive grain-based diet.  What's more, after doing a lot of reading & research I'm also trying to avoid things like commodity vegetable oils, and sticking to pastured (i.e. non-feedlot-produced) meats, cream/butter, and eggs.

Unfortunately this has not been good for the grocery budget.  At first I justified it by figuring that the increase will be offset over time by reductions in medical spending, but I really want to start thinking hard about how to manage this the Mustachian Way, meaning be smart about my food spending!

Thus this thread:  I welcome any tips/tricks from anyone looking to finance this kind of diet without breaking the bank.  Sharing recipes, identifying low cost sources, low cost meals are all good.

First up:  grass-fed/pastured meats.  Since I live in NYC and have no car and limited space, getting half or quarter of a steer direct from a farm isn't really an option.  I researched all the places within a 2 hour drive, and when you add in transportation cost it wouldn't make financial sense.  So I signed up for Butcher Box when they were running a promotion for 2 lbs free ground beef per box for life.  I got the Custom Box and carefully include only things that aren't available locally for cheaper.  They regularly run specials that can be amazing deals, e.g. packages of bacon for $3 each, which would be $10 at the local store.  So my plan is to load up each box with specials, and space out deliveries accordingly.

Please chime in with ideas, tricks, even face-punches!  I have GOT to get that grocery bill down...it's over $400/month now just for me.  I'm sure there are others here in the same situation.

[horsepoor]

I've been dabbling in paleo for years, and keto since about April.  My tips:

Learn lots of recipes for ground beef, and also cook whole chickens.
When wild caught salmon is on sale, I have the butcher fillet a few for me (way cheaper than buying the pre-fileted ones), then I portion them out and freeze.
Eat in-season vegetables, so right now, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, etc.
I buy coconut oil from Bulk Apothecary and it lasts for ages.  Olive and avocado oil come from CostCo.
When cauliflower goes on sale I rice it and freeze it, or make cauliflower pizza crusts to freeze.
All bacon grease gets save for cooking.
Even pastured eggs are fairly inexpensive, and we eat them often.

Over time, you'll find the best places to buy staples, and know what is worth stocking up on when you find a deal.

I will say that I've been adding back in some root vegetables and limited fruit, and still seeing the same results as when I was eating really low-carb.  If you're at or near your target weight, that might be something to consider.  Potatoes and carrots are cheap and can help keep the grocery bill down (I do try to limit to one serving of "clean carbs" per day at most).

[freya]

Thanks, horsepoor.

Ground beef recipes:  check.  I discovered cheeseburger casseroles a while ago and it's a new favorite!  However - bone-in pork butt from Butcher box (for pulled pork) is actually cheaper than ground beef.  I already save bacon grease.  Cheapest pastured eggs here are 6.99/dozen.

In season veggies:  check.  Especially from farmer's markets.  And I try to buy only what I know I'm going to use.  Freezing is a great idea, the cauliflower is amazing right now.

Thanks for the pointer to Bulk Apothecary, but...looks like those oils are not food grade??

[Metalcat]

Frozen veggies are generally cheaper than fresh.
Don't depend on beef for your meat.
Eggs are cheaper than meat.
Cabbage, carrots, onions, and kale tend to be less expensive than peppers, tomatoes and spinach.

Somw inexpensive keto/paleo friendly dishes I make regularly:
1: frittata with artichoke hearts, frozen spinach, frozen edamame beans, canned tomatoes, and feta
2: spiralized carrot "noodles" with marinara sauce + whatever veggies I feel like adding
3: fried spicy soy ginger cabbage and shredded carrot
4: spiralized zucchini and carrot with soy peanut sauce

I'll add fried egg on top of them for protein as needed. I tend to add frozen spinach to practically everything, and throw some nuts and seeds in for texture sometimes.

Overall though, the per serving cost is usually under $2

[Frankies Girl]

I have a small chest freezer in our garage.

I shop Aldi for like 80% of our bill. I stalk the meat "sell by" dates and pick up ALL the markdowns for a minimum of $2 off to 50% off pricing. Have scored so much lovely organic, grass fed beef, chicken, pork that way. One of the managers knows me and she's great about marking stuff down if it's a day before and they haven't caught up with the markdowns... I just go find her and ask. :D

I do buy non organic/grass fed stuff - mostly the chicken. My best score tho was 100% organic grassfed ground beef for $1.59/pound.

I buy markdown turkeys after thanksgiving too. I've made them from frozen even a year later and they are great. Just need to make sure to not thaw them unless you are damned sure you're going to eat them because refreezing is hard on meat texture and flavor.

I buy GIANT bags of frozen broccoli. Like 5 pounds for $4 at a local grocery.

I sometimes buy 6 dozen eggs when Aldi marks them down to like 50¢/dozen and we eat on those for a week (I make fritattas, scrambles and do keto pancakes even - cream cheese/egg with a touch of vanilla or in my case, sugar free french vanilla coffee creamer).

Our favorite thing right now is baked chicken breasts or tenderloins in the oven (no breading/spices) and then making buffalo bowls - home made buffalo sauce (it's basically just hot sauce and butter with some spices), buttermilk dressing and celery sticks. SOoooooooo good. And very keto.

Currently working though a massive green curry made with clearance chicken thighs and lots and lots of veggies (broc/cauli/carrots). No rice. We either do cauliflower rice or just eat it like a soup.

[horsepoor]

Thanks for the pointer to Bulk Apothecary, but...looks like those oils are not food grade??

Hmm, where are you seeing that?  I just looked at the descriptions for three different ones, and can't find where it specifies either way.  Seems like they would include in the disclaimer if it was non-food grade.

[freya]

Thanks for the pointer to Bulk Apothecary, but...looks like those oils are not food grade??

Hmm, where are you seeing that?  I just looked at the descriptions for three different ones, and can't find where it specifies either way.  Seems like they would include in the disclaimer if it was non-food grade.

They're marketing the oils for cosmetic uses, so I would expect that they'd mention the oils are food grade if that's the case.  I suspect these are cosmetic grade, which means they can be mixed with other oils.

Carrots and onions have to stay strictly limited for now, as they are relatively high in net carbs.  I was definitely planning to go for frozen veggies in winter, after the farmers markets close. Eventually I plan to see how far I can push the carb limit while keeping my weight stable, since all the cheapest stuff is always higher in carbs, but we'll see.  I did a gradual descent into the world of carb restriction, and was still gaining weight until I finally went all out for the < 20 carbs/day limit.   (Post-menopause sucks that way.)  I can only wish for an Aldi's like yours, Frankie!

I broke down and bought a Danby 2.3 cubic foot chest freezer recently - highly recommended for apartment dwellers!  I have no more than 20 amps for my entire apartment, so max power draw was a big concern, as was noise.  This works on all counts.   It's what enables me to do the Butcher Box option, plus I can stock up on chicken from a poultry farm in NJ. Meat sales here are rare, but after Thanksgiving sounds like a great opportunity.

[horsepoor]

@freya I just contacted them and they said all their coconut oil is food grade, which is good because I have a lot of it and have been using it for about 5 years!

[freya]

@freya I just contacted them and they said all their coconut oil is food grade, which is good because I have a lot of it and have been using it for about 5 years!

Good to hear!

Anyone know of an inexpensive source for lard or tallow from pastured animals?   That would be a nice alternative to have on hand.  Kind of reluctant to depend too much on coconut oil.

[EscapedApe]

As usual, Costco is a boon for low-cost bulk options.

I buy their huge bag of Kirkland frozen chicken breasts for ~$16, 3 pounds of thick-sliced bacon for ~$12, and 5 pounds of shredded Mexican cheese for ~$11.  I buy multiples of each, throw them in my freezer, and they last me for more than a month. Then I buy my produce on a weekly basis from my local grocery store.

Costco also has giant bottles of avocado and olive oil, tubs of coconut oil, huge bags of nuts, etc. You can stock up on the dry stuff easily as well.

Costco also carries the Premiere Protein shakes which I like. Low carb, great source of protein, 18 count for about $26 (about $1.50 per shake).

Can't go wrong.

[horsepoor]

Yeah, CostCo is carrying more and more low-carb stuff.  I picked up 3# of almond flour there for $12.xx, whereas a pound is about $8.50 at our regular store.  They are even carrying Lankato Monkfruit and Swerve sweeteners now.

The other thought I had, since you're in the city, is to look at ethnic markets.  YMMV, but when I get around to the Asian market, some of the veg is a lot cheaper, or I can get baby bok choi for the same price as broccoli, for instance, to get more variety.  Also good for coconut milk, sesame oil, chile paste and some other things.  They usually have seafood too, but I haven't compared prices on that.

[freya]

I tried Costco one year, but I didn't save enough to justify the overhead cost of the membership and the $12 car service (to get my loot back home) per trip, even when I split with a friend.  It's certainly a boon for families.

Chinatown markets yes indeed!  For some things.

[simplicity131]

Keto for one year here- also never going back to high carb living. I spend about $200-$250 a month on groceries. Like everyone else said, Aldi's and Costco is key. And so much ground beef.

At Aldi's they regularly drop their organic, grass-fed beef to $4.29 a pound- when it goes on sale I fill my freezer with it. Whole, organic, free range chicken is about $2.99 a pound. I roast it in the oven and then make chicken stock with the bones. I called the butcher counter of my local coop and asked if they'd sell me leftover grass-fed suet (beef fat). They sold me a huge amount for $1.99 a pound and I rendered it into tallow (just googled how to do it online). Sometimes I'll treat myself and get a pound of grass-fed brisket or chuck and throw it in the Instant Pot. I try to not pay more than $7-8/pound for it. I haven't yet tried to buy a whole or half animal from a local farm, but that's on my list. I get Kerrygold grass-fed butter and cheddar cheese and Rao's tomato sauce in bulk at Costco.

I also make my own daily electrolyte mix using 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/8th tsp potassium, which I add to my water bottle. I can do that up to 2x a day, but it's important not to take more potassium than that. I also take 2 tsp of powdered magnesium. This is all a lot cheaper than buying one of those pre-made electrolyte mixes. I don't buy any of the pre-made keto mixes for pancakes, cookies, etc. I just buy almond flour in bulk from Costco and make my own from scratch. I hope some of that is helpful! I enjoy my food and I enjoy how I feel living low-carb!

[freya]

Same here, I'm settling in for the long term, so I'll regard the bump in spending the first couple of months as the adjustment process.  Thanks for the tips!  I just checked Aldi's prices on Instacart - wow!  half the price at my local grocery for grassfed ground beef!  Just have to find a store with a good selection - the one I checked out in the Bronx was strangely deficient.

Got any favorite ground beef recipes to share?  My current favorites:

1) Ground beef with bell pepper, onion, garlic, spinach and feta.  Good with black olives added too.
2) Cheeseburger casserole.  I ate this all summer!  Ground beef in a casserole topped with sugar-free ketchup, mustard, bacon pieces, pickles, and a mix of cheddar and jack cheese plus beaten eggs & cream to help bind it together.

Also I've started using more canned tuna for the lunch salads I take to work, instead of the dry Italian sausage that tastes yummy but is very pricey. For lunch today I'm sharing a can of sardines with my cats :-) I got most of it, sorry kitties.

[Jantoven]

PTF.  I'm all-in on the keto lifestyle.  Low carb diet has been a game-changer for me.  I've even looked a bit into the carnivore diet, which is a more extreme version of the keto diet, but eating only meat and eggs seemed a bit tough to adhere to.

[horsepoor]

Got any favorite ground beef recipes to share?  My current favorites:

1) Ground beef with bell pepper, onion, garlic, spinach and feta.  Good with black olives added too.
2) Cheeseburger casserole.  I ate this all summer!  Ground beef in a casserole topped with sugar-free ketchup, mustard, bacon pieces, pickles, and a mix of cheddar and jack cheese plus beaten eggs & cream to help bind it together.

I like to do an drier type of curry with ground beef and more Indian style spices, riffing off of this spiced keema recipe:  https://nomnompaleo.com/post/57975313761/deconstructed-samosa-spiced-keema

Of course chili, meatballs and meatloaf.  Kalpudding for a change-up from regular meatloaf:  https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018628-kalpudding-meatloaf-with-caramelized-cabbage

Bunless burgers, or "Salisbury steak" because then my husband isn't feeling deprived by a bunless burger. 

Taco salad is a regular one when I'm in a hurry.

Shepherd's pie with cauliflower mash for the topping.

Unstuffed cabbage: https://everydaysouthernliving.com/unstuffed-cabbage/  This is great comfort food.  I like to take it in a more Italian direction and add some olives, or make it more northern European with some caraway and mustard seeds.

Anything baked into a spaghetti squash boat.

[EscapedApe]

Got any favorite ground beef recipes to share?

I like making shepherd's pie. You can make a cauliflower mash for the topping instead of potatoes, and it tastes almost exactly the same.

[freya]

I like making shepherd's pie. You can make a cauliflower mash for the topping instead of potatoes, and it tastes almost exactly the same.

Big pre-keto cold weather favorite, that one...I made it with a sweet potato topping, but will definitely try the cauliflower mash.  I've also had good luck using xantham gum as a thickener instead of flour.

Just made chicken stock last night from saved-up bones, with some chicken feet thrown in.   Then I cooked a small head each broccoli and yellow cauliflower (From farmers market) in a quart of it then used a stick blender.  Will melt in cheddar cheese and and a little cream or sour cream tonight, for soup.

I've been wondering whether it's the carbohydrate restriction or the complete elimination of sugars and grains that are providing the health benefits I'm seeing.  I'm guessing that carbohydrate restriction (i.e. persistent ketosis) is needed for steady weight loss, but maybe the other benefits like high energy and all the aches and pains and itching going away are due to getting rid of industrial grains and sugar.  I'm a bit worried that long-term ketosis/carb restriction does bad things to your gut microbiome, and it's doing me no favors in the bowel department.  There's a (very limited) literature on this, in children with epilepsy staying ketogenic for years.  I'm hoping I can add back root vegetables and low-glycemic fruits once the weight is down where I want it.

[EscapedApe]

Big pre-keto cold weather favorite, that one...I made it with a sweet potato topping, but will definitely try the cauliflower mash.  I've also had good luck using xantham gum as a thickener instead of flour.

Yep, xanthan gum is awesome.

Tip for the cauliflower mash: if you use a smoked salt to season the mash, you can almost completely eliminate the distinct cauliflower taste. Blend it up the mash thoroughly with heavy whipping cream and the texture is damn close to mashed potatoes.

I've been wondering whether it's the carbohydrate restriction or the complete elimination of sugars and grains that are providing the health benefits I'm seeing.  I'm guessing that carbohydrate restriction (i.e. persistent ketosis) is needed for steady weight loss, but maybe the other benefits like high energy and all the aches and pains and itching going away are due to getting rid of industrial grains and sugar.  I'm a bit worried that long-term ketosis/carb restriction does bad things to your gut microbiome, and it's doing me no favors in the bowel department.  There's a (very limited) literature on this, in children with epilepsy staying ketogenic for years.  I'm hoping I can add back root vegetables and low-glycemic fruits once the weight is down where I want it.

I've been on keto since January 15, 2019 and I have not personally seen any unpleasant side effects. Before Jauary 15, I did keto in 3-month intervals.

It makes sense that we evolved an ability to metabolize protein and fat-rich diets. Before our ancestors developed agriculture, carbohydrates were in short supply for months at a time with the passage of seasons, so we needed to be able to subsist off high protein and fat diets.

Current nutritional science indicates that it is high-carb diets that result in obesity. I think your plan to add back root vegetables and low-glycemic fruits will work well.

[Frankies Girl]

I just scored hormone free, fresh boneless, skinless, deveined/fatted chicken breasts from Aldi for half price (sell by date was the following day but they looked SUPER fresh and slightly frozen as some of them had been shoved towards the back), this made them $1.15/lb. They were beautiful, plump LARGE ones, around 10 to a package and went from package to oven with NO PREP other than plopping them on the baking sheet, and are so freaking tender it's kind of freaking me out and I did not have to cut them up and do the gross deveining/defatting thing this time.

It's funny as there was a youngish couple in there at the same time, huddled together over the meat case, with obvious keto stuff in their cart and they were trying to figure out what would be a better keto choice and I sort of wondered if I should have said something but I didn't want to share my chicken with them. I bought all the "gourmet hand trimmed chicken breasts" they had left and felt silly for eyeing the crazy deals on another couple of packages of chicken wings and thighs (also deep discounts) but I don't feel like deboning stuff this week and also had 7 family sized packages of the chicken breast already in the cart so decided to not be greedy.

Chicken thighs and wings are also delicious and keto friendly so hopefully the couple picked a few of those up and enjoy them. Or should I hope they don't so there's more for me?

I freaking love scoring cheap stuff because of the sell by dates. Is it wierd to put a reminder on my calendar for things I want about their sell by dates?   :)

[Indio]

My fave keto food is fritatta with lots of veg, sorta like a crustless quiche. I'm always watching cholesterol level so I use a ratio of 3 egg whites to 1 egg yolk in recipes. Since I've got a garden, that's still hanging on, in this not-quite-Fall weather, I've been able to harvest broccoli and lots of herbs. Even put about a dozen herb plants and arugula under a cold frame to keep the Winter food growing.

Though I love Asian food, I don't use a lot of soy sauce because of the high sodium level. So I add the Asian flavor for carrot/cabbage/sesame or pumpkin seeds slaw by using rice vinegar and sesame oil.

Definitely agree that frozen veg can be cheaper than fresh. Organic frozen rice cauliflower is a fabulous, low cost soup filler. Add an egg white, broc, half a carrot, and a chopped tomato and it's a veg infusion.

[freya]

I'm always watching cholesterol level so I use a ratio of 3 egg whites to 1 egg yolk in recipes.

Though I love Asian food, I don't use a lot of soy sauce because of the high sodium level.

May I suggest you do a bit more research into ketogenic diets?  These are odd statements to make about the diet.  You need to eat the egg yolks, and you need the sodium.  The whole point of the ketogenic diet is that you are thumbing your nose at the USDA low fat, low sodium, low cholesterol, grain-based diet recommendations, which are based on utter nonsense and are about selling commodity big-agriculture products at the expense of your health.   Fortunately, the USDA dropped the low cholesterol shtick and toned down the low-fat recommendations slightly in their 2015 update.

The "Fathead" movie is an engaging and entertaining introduction.

Tomorrow I'm planning to make meatloaf with chicken livers added.  Going for somewhere between 4 and 8 oz liver per pound of beef.  I get fresh giblets for $2/lb from a local poultry farm that gets pastured chickens from small farms and processes them onsite.  People don't want giblets in their whole chickens, and they're happy to sell them to me.  They include gizzards, liver, feet and necks.  I feed the gizzards and some of the liver to my cats, and save the necks and feet for making stock.

[MDfive21]

I'm always watching cholesterol level so I use a ratio of 3 egg whites to 1 egg yolk in recipes.

Though I love Asian food, I don't use a lot of soy sauce because of the high sodium level.

May I suggest you do a bit more research into ketogenic diets?  These are odd statements to make about the diet.  You need to eat the egg yolks, and you need the sodium.  The whole point of the ketogenic diet is that you are thumbing your nose at the USDA low fat, low sodium, low cholesterol, grain-based diet recommendations, which are based on utter nonsense and are about selling commodity big-agriculture products at the expense of your health.   Fortunately, the USDA dropped the low cholesterol shtick and toned down the low-fat recommendations slightly in their 2015 update.

The "Fathead" movie is an engaging and entertaining introduction.

Tomorrow I'm planning to make meatloaf with chicken livers added.  Going for somewhere between 4 and 8 oz liver per pound of beef.  I get fresh giblets for $2/lb from a local poultry farm that gets pastured chickens from small farms and processes them onsite.  People don't want giblets in their whole chickens, and they're happy to sell them to me.  They include gizzards, liver, feet and necks.  I feed the gizzards and some of the liver to my cats, and save the necks and feet for making stock.

seriously agree.  my egg bomb is 6 yolks, 1 white, a ~2 oz hunk of cheese and a fistful of wilted baby kale for fiber and green nutrients.  avoiding cholesterol is unnecessary, unless you have a medical condition, but even then you might want to find a keto friendly doctor to help you get set. 

if you're using extra whites and loading up on veggies, your carb and protein percentages are almost definitely higher than you want it to be for keto.

[NorCal]

PTF.  I largely follow the Paleo diet, and have seen similar benefits.  I haven't been great with the diet lately, but I try to stick to 70%+ compliant.

I still haven't figured out how to keep prices at a level I'm happy with.

My best tip so far is Costco.  Their prices on things like coconut oil and almond flour are WAY lower than the grocery store.

I also eat a lot of bananas and make a frittata as bulk cooking for the week.  I also do salads for lunch.

Also, depending on which version of the paleo diet you go for, sometimes potatoes, rice, or quinoa are okay.  Other people say these foods lead to the devil.  If you add them, they are inexpensive staples to add to cooking.

[freya]

Potatoes maybe (in small amounts) but that's the first I've heard about rice and quinoa being ok for paleo.  Really?  I'm pretty much sold on the idea of avoiding all commercial grains.

The meatloaf with 2:1 ratio of ground beef to chicken livers was a HUGE hit.   Especially with spicy mayo + ketchup on top, yum.  The trick was to chop the livers very small, or whir them in a blender.

I bought a lot of fancy keto foods at first, but I find I'm not doing that as much anymore.  Most of my food dollars go to buy pastured or similar high quality meats.  Not that I don't have my luxury food addictions.  I do still make fat bombs to nibble on at work and sometimes after dinner (favorite is cocoa powder, coconut oil & coconut butter, peanut butter, and chia seeds).  And I've developed a morning coffee recipe that I'm almost ashamed to admit to:  drip coffee (I use a simple plastic cone) with cardamon and cinnamon added to the grounds, with heavy cream, coconut oil, and a bit of vanilla extract.  Mix up with a handheld milk frother.  Pure decadence.   Oh and the occasional Fathead Pizza.  That stuff is so good but every time I make it, my weight loss stalls for a week.

[RetiredAt63]

Question: why do you want all these fancy plant oils for cooking? What happened to lard? Or are you using them raw?

I cook 98% of my vegetables, it makes them so much more digestible.

Oh, quinoa is not a grain.  It is a seed, but not a grass seed. 

[freya]

Question: why do you want all these fancy plant oils for cooking? What happened to lard?

Good question!

I use saved bacon fat, and fats rendered from cooking meats or making broth.   My local groceries sell lard, and that's what I use when I'm out of saved fats.  Great stuff for cooking vegetables!  I never cook with coconut oil or butter, those are only for appropriate recipes like the coffee and fat bombs.  Actually I also use coconut oil to season my cast iron pan...it stands up to high heat and doesn't go rancid.

[BikeFanatic]

I miss rice, but quinoa can be an alternative? Thanks for the recipes I am new to Keto, just trying to loose some weight.

[freya]

Cauliflower rice is what you're looking for.  Alternatively, learn to enjoy meat and vegetables on their own.  It gets much more enjoyable when you realize how much it simplifies meal preparation.

Following up on the post about fats....I found local ducks at my supermarket over the holiday, and bought one.  Turns out to be a much better deal than buying cooking fats!  For ~$20 and a long lazy day of slow roasting the duck (involving maybe 15 minutes of work to prep it), I got:

4 servings of duck meat (from the breasts, legs etc).  Whatever I could pick off.
A nice pan sauce.
Duck skin "bacon" - to eat with the duck meat, or with my eggs in the morning.
Two pint-size Mason jars full of lovely, lovely duck fat.
A bone broth that beats the pants off chicken (it became a mushroom soup).

I tried using the duck fat to cook spinach, and it was amazing.  I can see that every time I run out of the stuff, I'll be looking to buy another duck.  (Also - avoid the supermarket lard - it's partially hydrogenated.  Yikes.)

[ketchup]

Anyone know of an inexpensive source for lard or tallow from pastured animals?   That would be a nice alternative to have on hand.  Kind of reluctant to depend too much on coconut oil.

A local farm near me will sell pastured pork back fat or grass-fed beef suet for $0.75/lb.  Render them on the stove into lard/tallow, filter with cheesecloth, and you're good to go.  Gives the kitchen a funky smell for a day or so, but you don't need to whip up a batch too often.  Super cheap and you get a ton.

[GuitarStv]

Insects are keto AND very paleo.  Way more paleo than modern bred meat animals.  Mealworms are pretty cheap to breed.  Just sayin'.

[dizzy]

CSA has been pretty helpful for me.  Mine is even income-based.  I pay $65/mo in Philly for 2 boxes that contain 7-10 veggies/fruits (maybe like 1 fruit), 2-3 lbs grass fed local beef, and a thing of either eggs or tofu.  I use trader joes or even dollar store to fill in (and occasionally amazon/whole foods if they're running a promo)

Honestly the CSA has been the biggest thing to help me get started saving this past year.

I also worked at a farmer's market for a couple of months and the other vendors would often give me food they didn't end up selling at the end of the day.  Usually not the most keto/paleo thing but sometimes it was.  Was stuff I could bring to friends' houses, parties etc tho.

[Gagnante]

We eat a lot of ground beef because it's the cheapest good quality grass-fed meat we can find, but you might also want to look into halal markets if you have any near you.  My regular grocery store puts grass-fed ground beef on sale in bulk packs for $3.99/lb but can't begin to match the prices on other cuts with the halal market near us.

One of my favorite things to do with ground beef is to make a simple burger, seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and maybe an herb or two, browned in a skillet or on a stove top grill pan and then topped with a generous amount of black garlic butter.  The black garlic is not an inexpensive initial investment, but a little goes a very long way, it keeps a very long time, and a small clove mixed into some softened butter is enough to nicely flavor a couple of burgers.  Add a side of sauteed greens and mushrooms and a small salad and you have a very wonderful meal.

It's also easy to "stretch" ground beef by making "bowls."  Cauli rice as the base, top with matchstick daikon or regular radishes, quick pickled cucumber, wilted greens tossed with sesame oil and 1/8 lb ground beef cooked with a bit of chili garlic sauce.  Top with a sunnyside up egg, sprinkle with scaillions and sesame seeds.  Yummy and very filling!

Seasons brand sardines are cheap, cheap, cheap at Costco (I know you don't have a membership but just saying!).  Boneless, skinless, packed in olive oil and they regularly go on sale for six cans for $6.99.  Super nutritious, highly flexible, and hard to beat at $1.16/can.  One of my favorite things to make with them is not keto, but do a search for sardine pate (very keto and very tasty with celery sticks).  This Thai Sardine Tomato Soup is delicious, with a little passata and crushed red pepper in place of the sardines in tomato sauce, although I don't know how you feel about tomatoes on your diet.

[freya]

Thank you for those pointers!!!  No objection to tomatoes, and the sardine soup recipe is now officially on the grocery list for this week.  Gives my duck stock a job to do and it sounds yummy. 

The ground beef bowl looks like a variant of one that I do with either beef or pork:  saute with garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, dried Thai chiles or whatever I have that's spicy, throw in a big handful of greens (I grow these in my apartment under a T5 fluorescent fixture), and add fermented or fresh vegetables.  Love the idea of topping with an egg.  That makes it sort of like Bibimpap.  Don't think any of the local groceries carry black garlic but I'll watch out for it.

Also, I found a local farm that ships meat locally & nationwide and has astonishingly good prices for grassfed/pastured meats:  https://8oclockranch.com

Wish I found that before signing up for Butcher Box.  Although, even Butcher box is pretty good if you stick with big cuts like the bone-in pork butt and beef chuck.  Those work out to $5/lb or less.  Those are healthier than the expensive individually packaged lean meats anyway.  And I threw in their ground beef and salmon specials (bulk orders for ~$5/lb) into the next box, plus their free bacon for life offer.  Anyway...slowly working this out and the grocery spending has improved.  I've also noticed that because I don't snack anymore (not hungry between meals), I buy almost no junk and/or processed foods.

[Hotstreak]

The nutritional difference between grass fed and conventionally raised beef is minimal, the main reasons to eat it are environmental and ethical.  There are differences in fatty acids, some other nutritional differences, but these are just %% differences, and on an absolute level, they are both very health (similarly so).  Focused on money, I choose conventional beef for most of my meat and use local grass fed beef as a treat.



When I eat eggs, I mix 50/50 expensive pastured eggs with cheaper eggs.  I typically eat 6-8 eggs in a scramble, so I figure I'm getting a good dose of nutrition this way, while saving some money.

[MishMash]

Become friends with a hunter or fisherman, I think we single handily supply most of our keto friends.  And we do all our own processing and sausage making etc so I know exactly what goes into what we are eating.  We also fish, like every weekend.  Friends that are out of state we barter with, one dude does a trip to AK every year so he gives us salmon (DH is obsessed with lox, especially when he's on keto) for a year and we give him grouper snapper and venison in trade.  The only thing we purchase really is chicken and veggies.  And we bring tons of fish to the guy who lets DH hunt his land in TX. 

best keto recipe, Korean bimibop over cauliflower rice.  I actually prefer it to the standard rice. 

[freya]

The nutritional difference between grass fed and conventionally raised beef is minimal

You're kidding right?

Certainly that's true in terms of macronutrients (fats, proteins), but I'm looking way past that.  Vitamin content, Omega 3 vs 6, essential fatty acids... tons of differences that are well documented.  Plus I genuinely believe that the nutrients we have learned how to measure cannot come close to capturing all of them.  It just seems prudent to stick with animals raised in accordance with their biology, rather than in accordance with industry profit maximization.

Now that I'm at a weight I'm pretty happy with, I've gotten interested in loosening the low carb diet restrictions - but not by adding back processed crap, sugar, or grains.  I'm interested in traditional foods such as fermented dairy products and vegetables.  These can be pricey, but not too difficult to make your own.

[Fire1018]

PTF-I recently started Keto after reading the ketogenic bible.  Looking for some good recipes and tips!

[Omy]

+1 ptf

[freya]

Gagnante, thank you for that sardine soup recipe.  I tried it tonight.  DELICIOUS!!!  Planning to use it for work lunches this week.

Speaking of tomato creations here's one I've been seriously enjoying:  Beef Ragu.   Take a ~2 lb piece of beef chuck (it's actually cheaper than ground beef) and cut it up into 3 or 4 pieces.  Sear the pieces for a few minutes. Put into a slow cooker along with salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper to taste, 3 cloves garlic, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 ribs celery, thyme, bay leaves, a 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, 3 Tbsp tomato paste, and a cup of red wine or stock (highly recommend the wine though).  Cook all day.  When you get home, shred the beef with two forks and cook the stew down until liquid is reduced.  Serve topped with ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella, and parmesan and you will think you're having lasagna. 

[Gagnante]

So glad you liked the soup!  It's one of my favorites.

Your Beef Ragu sounds wonderful, we will have to give it a try next time we go to the halal market (beef chuck is definitely not cheaper than ground at my regular grocery store).

[bacchi]

Insects are keto AND very paleo.  Way more paleo than modern bred meat animals.  Mealworms are pretty cheap to breed.  Just sayin'.

Cricket powder:

https://exoprotein.com/collections/cricket-powder/products/cricket-powder-1lb

[GuitarStv]

Insects are keto AND very paleo.  Way more paleo than modern bred meat animals.  Mealworms are pretty cheap to breed.  Just sayin'.

Cricket powder:

https://exoprotein.com/collections/cricket-powder/products/cricket-powder-1lb

You could get 1 lb of cricket powder for 40$ . . . or . . . https://flukerfarms.com/live-mealworms/ - 5000 live mealworms . . . which you can breed to keep you paleo for a long time.

[bacchi]

Insects are keto AND very paleo.  Way more paleo than modern bred meat animals.  Mealworms are pretty cheap to breed.  Just sayin'.

Cricket powder:

https://exoprotein.com/collections/cricket-powder/products/cricket-powder-1lb

You could get 1 lb of cricket powder for 40$ . . . or . . . https://flukerfarms.com/live-mealworms/ - 5000 live mealworms . . . which you can breed to keep you paleo for a long time.

I guess you'd have to wait a generation to make sure they're clean enough to eat. Or cook them in high temps.

Paleolithic people definitely ate insects. Far easier to catch and far more plentiful than big game.

[GuitarStv]

I figure with the right batter they'd be a lot like popcorn chicken.

[brandon1827]

I was wondering when fasting became "drastic"? I used to eat Keto but the amount of effort involved trying to get into and maintain ketosis was just too much for me at this stage in my life. Through keto, I stumbled upon Intermittent Fasting and it's perfect for me. I generally follow the 16:8 IF plan where I fast from 8:00 p.m. until 12:00 noon the next day and then have an 8-hour eating window. I've been able to drop around 20 pounds and easily maintain it without too much effort regarding what foods I'm consuming. There were a couple of days in the beginning where I was extremely hungry in the morning, but a cup of black coffee handles that and easily gets me through until noon. I've also been seeing more and more articles lately about how healthy IF is for the body in terms of mental fatigue and longevity. Anyway...I'm not here to say "IF is better than Keto"...but when I saw the drastic comment about fasting I wanted to weigh in. I hope you all are loving your Keto and doing great with it! Good luck!

[freya]

IF apparently works very well for men, but not in general for women.  I think we're built a little differently metabolically...kinda makes sense, men would go hunting and might not catch anything for a day, women stayed back and did the gathering and had a more consistent food supply.  I just know that even after being thoroughly keto adapted and able stop the between meal snacking, I could not deal with fasting for 16 hours - tried it a few times.

There was an article on CNN today about dairy businesses struggling because milk sales have dropped substantially.  But, butter and cheese sales have gone up.  The article considered and ruled out competition from almond and oat milks as being the cause, but noted that maybe the reduced milk consumption is because cereal sales have dropped.

Think maybe the low carb lifestyle is catching on to the point where it's starting to remake the food landscape?  Wow.  It can only be good news that people are buying less lowfat/sugary crud despite the "heart-healthy" labels.  Maybe there will be a few less Type 2 diabetics in the world.

[brandon1827]

Great point...that makes perfect sense. My wife has tried IF and had mixed results, but she's more into Yoga and walking for exercise 1-2 days per week; where I do more intense workouts 6 days per week. I think one of the main reasons that fasting works well for me is that my eating window stops at 8:00 p.m. and we're usually in bed by 9:00...so 7-8 hours of that fasting is done while sleeping. I'm no longer hungry in the mornings when I wake up...so the only "problem time" is mid-morning around 9:00 a.m. which is usually handled with coffee for me. I understand exactly what you're saying though...I know it's not for everyone.

I saw that CNN article also...was it Borden that declared bankruptcy? I agree with you that (hopefully) the food landscape is finally shifting and people are realizing that many cereal options for breakfast are terrible for the body. Anecdotally, many of the kids my son's age just don't eat cereal anymore. He and several of his friends are much more apt to grab a piece of fruit or have more "hearty" breakfasts like waffles, turkey bacon, etc. versus a bowl of cereal. He does still love his Cinnamon Toast Crunch on occasion though, lol.

[ketchup]

Even pre-paleo, I stopped eating cereal once I had to buy my own.  Holy crap, it's expensive.  I loved Wheat Chex growing up but I could eat almost an entire box for breakfast.  Sorry, Battle Creek.

[Fire1018]

My kids and I tried all of the insect recipes at the audubon insectarium.  Some of them were pretty good!  The staff had to tell my kids they could only have one of the cookies.  I guess we try to incorporate some bugs into our diet...but I don't think the wife would approve at all!

https://audubonnatureinstitute.org/bug-appetit