The last few days I have been writing about keeping food costs down when following a zero carb ketogenic diet. Some of the ways I mentioned were buying directly from a farmer, avoiding the costs of the middleman from a store or a farmers market. Also, buying the fattier, cheaper cuts, such as brisket, short ribs, fatty beef heart, and tongue. Chuck roast and sometimes loin roast can be fatty and affordable too. Buying whole lamb shares can also be a good price per pound.
If only lean meats are all that is available and affordable, then I like to supplement with marrow fat. But marrow bones are very expensive and hard to get. I have tried to figure out ways to use tallow, but it just does not work. It is too waxy and unpalatable. I have resorted to boxed solid coconut cream (with no additives or gums) as a side fat, as it is cheap and easy to get at the health food store. It is not zero carb, but even with my sensitive gut, I have been OK with it. But fatty red meat cuts are the preference, since they contain all the necessary fat soluble vitamins and antioxidants!
Also, since I follow calorie restriction, that helps save on food costs too, since I am eating less calories than the baseline. My portions are very small, so I can use less meat per meal!
I also created a specific bi-weekly budget so I know exactly what I am allotted to spend and how many pounds to buy when I make my order with my local farmers! For most of these cuts, there is very little waste. Just some bones for the short ribs and whole lamb, and the skin on the tongue. Otherwise nothing is wasted! So it makes it a bit easier to calculate daily needs and how many frozen pounds to buy!
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Grassfed beef brisket with sea salt
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