Planning food for minimalist family

Currently we spend £400 a month on food our short term goal is to cut this in half. Feeding a family of 4 with good quality protein,  carbohydrates and fats on a reduced budget will take planning.

For months now I have been testing a diet that is suited for minimalists, as a large proportion can be grown on the allotment. The diet uses fat as a fuel opposed to carbohydrate this has been medically proven to benefit our bodies as fat is a more stable fuel, it also allows us to reduced our dependence on glucose which is addictive and a poor fuel, but cheap which is probably why we have grown to be so dependant on it. So far I have seen my blood sugar reduce to 4.2 and my cholesterol drop to 4.4 both now perfect in just two months.

The targeted ratio 

Carbohydrates- between 5 and 10% of daily

Protein- between 15 and 30% of daily

Fats- between 60 and 80% of daily

Targeted macros 

I have created 4 different weekly menus of foods we like to eat and eating them in the correct quantities will align with the above macros. If you are eating 30g of carbs in the morning then the other meals need to be carb free. These menus will reduce our shopping bill by more than half! They give us a guide for planning our trips to the shops, so we don't get distracted and buy other stuff. Currently we are still on the waiting list for a allotment, so we still need to buy all our food. Meals are planned in conjunction with what we plan to grow so eventually, we will be able to cut our shopping budget by half again.

PS where I put pasta this it either marrow/butternut pasta as it is lower in carbs

Maximum weekly spend to achieve the 50% reduction is £46.

On average we will spend £30 on the meal plans this will leave us £16pw for addition items like cleaning products and other sundries if and when required. Looking at the menus above it is clear we can save £2392 over the year which is a great reason to follow the plan.

Future planning "allotment" to save further!

allotment planning general overview a detailed allotment blog will follow soon.

our target allotment is 0.7miles from our house but we are 18th on the list, so we have a few years of waiting

Main food groups

Protein

Chicken, rabbit and fish will be raised on the allotment they all have a dual purposes outlined below

Chicken - these are split into two groups meat birds and layers. Eggs form an important part of our diet. We will need 16 eggs a week to feed our family of 4. The meat birds will be housed separately, we aim to have at least 1 to 2 chickens a week for our pot.

Rabbit  - These amazing animals provide good source of protein, and pelts for garment manufacture.

Fish - these form a key part in our garden as they fertilise and supply nutrients for all our green house plants as part of our aquaponics setup once there at size we will harvest and consume. Once experience is gained we will have prawns and fish.

There is also potential to generate a small additional income through these animals. At farmers markets and through a Facebook page, this is forward thinking but essentially it would be a sign of success as if we are selling we are well fed.

Carbohydrates and Vegetables 

Potatos, fruit trees and soft fruits and vegetables will be farmed on the allotment

Potatoes, sweet potatoes and sweed - well these are a must especially with children as they are versatile and store well

Fruit trees - apples, pears, cherry and plums will be grown at the allotment and in our garden what we don't eat fresh will be pressed and turned into alcohol. Apple and pear cider, the plums will be converted to spirit alcohol to be transformed into gin 

Soft fruits - raspberries, strawberries, gooseberry and currents will be grown these will be eaten fresh what's left will be frozen or preserved for winter months

Vegetables- salad items and various vegetable will be grown either conventionally or via aquaponics 

Herbs and botanicals - these will be grown to add to food and make essential oils for fragrances and soaps a small hobby we have interest in 

Fats

Nuts will make our only source of grown fat these will be walnut and hazelnut. dependant on quantity butters will be made from the surplus.

It is important to recognise it is impossible to grow everything, so surplus should raise sufficient capital to buy what we can't produce. Our goal is to live in balance with our planet if we can feed ourselves we don't need to work as hard, ultimately a life where we feel we are living for us is the ultimate goal.