What is the cheapest Paleo protein?

Eggs, followed by chicken thighs, ground beef and canned fish.

Are frozen vegetables as good as fresh?

Nutritionally they are close, they cost less and they do not rot in the drawer. For a budget plan they are the better choice.

Cheap Paleo Grocery List

Every item on this list was chosen for cost per gram of protein or cost per serving of vegetables. Nothing here is a specialty product.

Goal

Duration

Max cooking time

Budget

People

Estimated 1647 kcal and 110 g protein per person per day. Figures are rough planning estimates, not measured values.

Your 7-day Paleo meal plan

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snack
Monday	2-ingredient banana pancakes	Beef patties & slaw	Roast chicken & root vegetables	Two hard-boiled eggs
Tuesday	Eggs & avocado	Chicken & vegetable soup	Sheet-pan chicken thighs & broccoli	Tuna on cucumber rounds
Wednesday	Make-ahead egg muffins	Chicken & roasted sweet potato box	Turkey & vegetable chili	Celery + almond butter
Thursday	Spinach & mushroom omelette	Egg salad plate	Paleo meatballs & zucchini noodles	Carrots + guacamole
Friday	Hard-boiled eggs + fruit	Ground beef taco bowl	Sheet-pan chicken thighs & broccoli	Apple + almonds
Saturday	Spinach & mushroom omelette	Chicken salad bowl	Paleo meatballs & zucchini noodles	Banana + almond butter
Sunday	Hard-boiled eggs + fruit	Tuna & avocado boats	Roast chicken & root vegetables	Leftover chicken strips

Grocery list

Scaled for 2 people across 7 days.

Meat & Protein

Canned tuna — 3 can
Chicken breast — 1040 g
Chicken thighs — 8 thighs
Eggs — 52 eggs
Ground beef — 1200 g
Ground turkey — 300 g
Whole chicken — 1 chicken

Vegetables & Fruit

Apples — 6 apple
Avocado — 5 avocado
Banana — 4 banana
Bell peppers — 3 pepper
Broccoli — 3 head
Cabbage — 0.4 head
Carrots — 4 carrot
Carrots — 12 carrots
Celery — 2 stalk
Celery — 4 stalks
Cucumber — 1.6 cucumber
Garlic — 8 cloves
Lemons — 1 lemon
Lettuce (romaine) — 0.6 head
Mixed salad leaves — 8 handfuls
Mushrooms — 240 g
Spinach — 6 handful
Sweet potatoes — 6 medium
Tomatoes — 2 tomato
Zucchini — 4 zucchini

Pantry

Almond butter — 4 tbsp
Almonds — 50 g
Chicken broth — 3 cups
Coconut oil — 2 tsp
Crushed tomatoes — 3 can
Ground cumin — 4 tsp
Olive oil — 12 tbsp
Olive oil — 8 tsp

Sunday 60-minute meal prep

Cook these components once and the rest of the week is assembly.

1. Beef patties & slawGrill seasoned patties, serve with cabbage slaw dressed in olive oil and lemon.
2. Roast chicken & root vegetablesRoast a whole chicken over carrots and sweet potato; leftovers feed two lunches.
3. Two hard-boiled eggsFrom the Sunday batch, with salt and pepper.
4. Chicken & vegetable soupSimmer shredded chicken with carrot, celery and broth; freezes well in portions.
5. Sheet-pan chicken thighs & broccoliThighs skin-side up with broccoli and garlic, 200C for 30 minutes.
6. Tuna on cucumber roundsHalf a can of tuna spooned onto thick cucumber slices.

The cheap Paleo staples

Keep these in the house and you will never be more than ten minutes from a meal.

Eggs — buy the largest box your household will get through
Chicken thighs and drumsticks rather than breast
Ground beef, higher fat percentage
Canned tuna and sardines
Frozen broccoli, spinach, mixed vegetables and berries
Carrots, onions, cabbage and sweet potatoes
Bananas and apples
Olive oil, coconut oil, crushed tomatoes, cumin, paprika

Skip these to save money

Almond flour, coconut wraps, Paleo snack bars, pre-made sauces, grass-fed premium cuts and out-of-season berries. They are the difference between an expensive and an ordinary grocery bill.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest Paleo protein?: Eggs, followed by chicken thighs, ground beef and canned fish.
Are frozen vegetables as good as fresh?: Nutritionally they are close, they cost less and they do not rot in the drawer. For a budget plan they are the better choice.