A carnivore diet is one where you don’t eat plants.
Yes, you read that right. If this is your first time to my blog and you’re curious about how in the heck I eat a diet without plants, then you can read about my experience on a carnivore diet in my book, The Carnivore Diet Handbook.Today, I’m sharing how I eat a frugal carnivore diet to save a lot of money.
I’m loving my frugal carnivore diet.
So far, I feel great on it. My skin is gorgeous, PMS is consistently a breeze, my weight is easy to maintain. I‘m stronger, and my sleep is great. Apart from the great skin, my other favorite part of the carnivore diet is that I’m never bloated. I can go from eating a pound of meat to wearing a bikini. Digestion is much better without plants and fiber.Eating a carnivore diet is right for me. I’ve been doing this on and off, mostly on… since January 2018. The times I go off I experience differences like bloating and occasional pimples.
Sometimes eating meat can get expensive though!
That’s where a frugal carnivore diet comes in.
This post will share how I do it, and for more detail get my book, The Frugal Carnivore Diet
My frugal carnivore diet entails eating a carnivore diet … without breaking the bank. It means eating primarily three things for food: ground beef, canned sardines, and eggs. It means repetition and routine.
Beef. Sardines. Eggs.
I am eating the same thing most days. And, I still love it. You won’t believe the freedom to be had when you’re eating the same thing day in and day out. Rinse – Repeat.
- I can get in and out of the grocery store so fast.
- I only need to shop once a week.
- Knowing what I’m eating means freeing up tons of mind space to thinking about other things or hell not even think at all.
- I never waste any food. Literally, zero waste. It’s amazing.
We carnivore dieters are eating a lot of beef. More specifically, a lot are eating mostly ribeye steaks.
Well, there’s a hack to pricey ribeyes.
Use My Grocery Deals onlineto see what local sales there are to be had. You can often find delicious ribeye steaks for only $6 a pound (or less!).
Still, $6 a pound can be expensive for some people. Most people on a carnivore diet eat 2 to 4 pounds of meat a day. If I eat two pounds of ribeye a day, that’s $12 a day for my food. I do think a lot of people can get on board with that, especially when they see how much money they save by not buying a lot of processed crap food.
However, you can eat a carnivore diet for even less.
My 2-a-day ribeye habit came to an abrupt halt when we sold all our stuff to travel the world. Meat in Europe is more expensive in most cases – I’m talking steaks. They don’t have $6 a pound sales. They do, however, have ground beef really cheap if you shop in the right stores.
Thankfully, I found a way to eat a carnivore diet for $4 a day! It’s eating ground beef – no steaks. Specifically, 80/20 ground beef. Can you imagine all the money to be saved eating this way? Mr. (and Mrs.!) Money Mustache would be proud.
I’m getting healthy fats and plenty of quality protein. It’s giving me a strong body! I love how my athletic performance is improving regularly, as I fuel my body with animal foods.
But, am I bored? Eating mostly beef? The same way?
One of the most common questions I get asked is if I get bored eating this all the time. I eat a pound in the morning and a pound in the evening. It’s like this every day.A couple days a week I add in sardines and eggs. Maybe every few weeks I eat bacon or chicken.
But the average day? Ground beef.
The Trick to Eating Ground Beef Every Day
First of all, when you’re eating a carnivore diet you find yourself only wanting to eat this way, because you notice so many health benefits immediately. You don’t want to give those up for anything.
Secondly, eating a carnivore diet doesn’t mean you have to only ever eat meat and nothing else. There are other animal products like whole-fat dairy (cheese, yogurt, kefir, etc).
Furthermore, you can eat other things and take a more flexible approach. Some people eat small portions of berries and some people have flex days where they go off the carnivore diet. It just depends on you and your situations. Most people, though, find the carnivore diet is too good to stop.
Here’s the trick to eating ground beef every day though – cuz like, ground beef? Yeah, ground beef.
When I first came overseas and found my option for carnivore diet was to eat primarily ground beef, I wasn’t thrilled. I had come from the USA where I was luxuriating in fatty ribeye steaks twice a day.
Until I found a trick.
I had to find a way to make the ground beef so delicious that you can’t wait to eat it.
That’s it? Yep.
I found that special way for me. And, I found that way (it’s different) for my husband.
Ground Beef: 2 X a day, every day
I never thought I’d say this but I can’t wait to eat my beef patties every… single… day. And I eat them twice a day and have been for months now. I love it.
Here’s what I do a for my frugal carnivore crave-a-licious beef patties every single day.
- I start with a pound of ground beef.
- I make 1 to 2 patties depending on the size of the skillet.
- I get the skillet hot and then I put the patty in.
- I let it get a good sear on the first side, and then I flip it, keeping the heat hot. After about 30 to 60 seconds I drain off the fat but I put it on my plate where I will eat it with the burger! Keep and eat the fat.
- Then I keep cooking it until I reach the temperature that I want which is about 137-142 degrees F for ground beef. During this time I’m flipping it a few more times and draining it again keeping that oil and fat that drains off.
- I salt the beef and eat.
I do this for breakfast at 9am and I do it again around 6pm for dinner. I’m a satisfied frugal carnivore.
My husband’s preference is with cheese. He LOVES(!) cheese and is more than happy to eat ground beef every day if there’s cheese on it. It can still be a frugal carnivore meal. It adds a tiny bit more cost than my plain patties. But he also doesn’t supplement with creatine anymore when eating a beef-heavy diet.
Do I get hungry during the day? No snacks?
Not usually. But, on occasion, based on my activity level, I might get hungry in the middle of the day. For that, I’ll eat a can of sardines or some eggs.
You might be thinking gross, sardines?
Yes, sardines. I learned to love them, and you can, too.
Sardines can be a smart part of a frugal carnivore diet when you score good prices on them. In the U.K. I can get them for 50 cents a can!
If you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to make a ground beef patty, then you can eat a can (or 2) of sardines as you’re heading out the door. They’re fantastic!
In fact, I wrote two short books about how and why to eat sardines. The Sardine Solution and Recipes with Sardines. Sardines are a convenient and cheap source of protein, and more people need to eat them.
Eggs are also a frugal carnivore source of animal protein.
If I’m eating eggs, then I’ll scramble or fry up 4 to 5 of them, and enjoy them doused with butter. Good protein and fat! Sometimes I eat three eggs and then top them with a can of sardines and some hot sauce. Though, I will say that eggs won’t keep me satisfied all day like beef does. So I’ll end up eating a lunch, typically, when I eat eggs for breakfast.
Most often though it’s just beef 2 x a day. Plus Water. Plus Coffee.
On rare occasions I’ll use condiments for fun. Things like mustard or sliced jalapenos. It’s not about being dogmatic on a carnivore diet, if those things don’t bother my system.
If you want to learn more about how to try the carnivore diet for yourself, then check out my book The Carnivore Diet Handbook.
If you have any questions, let’s chat! You can find me on Twitter and Instagram.
Similar Posts:
- I Wish I Were Still Eating A Carnivore Diet With Ribeyes.
- My Carnivore Diet: I Eat 2 Pounds of Beef a Day!
- Carnivore Around the World: Denmark (Digital Nomad)
- I’m a Naughty, Dirty Carnivore
- My Carnivore Dieter’s Desk
