You don’t see too many recipes floating around that are deemed ‘Budget Friendly Paleo’ – and there’s a reason for that. Starches – breads, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, pasta, etc. – tend to be the most inexpensive part of a meal.
When I put together a typical $5 Dinner, it has a starch, a protein, and a vegetable (or two), and on occasion a fruit too. The protein is always the most expensive part (even when purchased on sale!), then the veggies/fruit fall in as the next most expensive, followed by the starches.
A cup of uncooked rice can cost less than $.20. A couple slices of bakery bread for a family of 4 could be $.50-$.75.
A pound of frozen veggies is about $1.
A pound of fresh veggies is $.49-$3, depending on the season and the veggie.
A pound of meat is $1.99-$4.99, depending on the cut of meat and the current sale.
So a Paleo meal is basically meat and veggies and fruit. There’s no dairy, there’s no starches (with the exception of sweet potatoes.)
So you lose the least expensive part of a meal, and add an extra veggie or fruit. The balance for a typical $5 meal is tipped off…BUT…BUT…BUT…you can still absolutely make budget friendly Paleo meals that hit below or just above the $5 mark!
That’s what you’ll find below…
But first, a word about our latest specialty meal plan…
6-Week Paleo Meal Plan
We’ve pulled together our very favorite budget friendly Paleo recipes into a 6-Week Paleo Meal Plan. Each week contains 6 different Paleo recipes, and just about all of them are Whole30 compliant as well. Along with the recipes for each week, we have a detailed shopping list that you can use each week of the plan.
Learn more about this 6-Week Paleo Meal Plan.
Erin’s Personal Recommendations for Essential Paleo Recipe Supplies & Gadgets:
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Spiralizer
- Kitchen Shears
- Tongs
- Silicone Spatula
- Slow Cooker
- Really Good Chef’s Knife
- Really Good Paring Knife
- Cutting Board
- Good Blender
- High End Blender
Pin all of the Paleo Recipes
Follow $5 Dinners {Erin Chase}’s board Budget Friendly Paleo Recipes – 31 Days Series on Pinterest.
The Budget Friendly Paleo Recipes (with new ones added each day in May):
Other “31 Days of” Series to explore:
- 31 Days of School Lunchbox Ideas
- 31 Days of Slow Cooker Meals
- 31 Days of Gluten Free Meals
- 31 Days of Freezer Cooking Recipes
- 31 Days of Skillet Dinner Recipes
- 31 Days of Breakfast Recipes
- 31 Days of Grilling Recipes
- 31 Days of 31-Minute Dinners
- 31 Days of Chili, Soups & Stews
So, are the 31 Days of Paleo recipes all different recipes from the ones in the 6 week Paleo plan?
Yay! What an awesome resource, thanks!