Friday, July 11, 2008

Frugal Vegetarian Fun


Our little family has eaten a 99% vegan diet so far this week, and so far, we've love it! I think my favorite new recipes are the Oatmeal Blender Waffles, Nacho UnCheese Sauce (as a part of a delicious taco salad) and a vegan version of this awesome Curry Recipe. We have eaten well...maybe that's why I haven't lost more weight;) Anyway, this way of eating can go either way as a budget friend or foe, depending on how you go about it. I am still learning, but I think the key is to may meat substitutions a treat, rather than your every day fare. My cousin Esme, a serious vegan gave me some excellent advice when we decided to do two weeks as (almost) vegans: she basically told me not to try to recreate dishes that have meat in them, but to rather try to make delicious vegan meals instead. I take that to mean that you look for new, delicious ways to prepare veggies, whole grains, beans, etc. rather than always re-creating old standbys. We are doing a little of both this week, but I've found that I can create equally delicious, economical meals with the same amount of effort as before, but they are generally healthier than what I would otherwise have prepared. This is good news!

The best news is that I spent my normal amount on food so far this month (our budget is $200 for food/toiletries for 2 hungrier-than-normal adults and one just starting to eat 9 month old) and it looks like I will end up under budget! Now whether we will continue to eat this way after two weeks is too soon to tell, but I will keep you all (on the edge of your seats I know;) posted.

More frugal tips here!

3 comments:

Michele @ Frugal Granola said...

We love the "UnCheeze" sauce too! We also like to sprinkle nutritional yeast on popcorn for a snack.

We have the same food budget, too. :)
Blessings,
Michele
www.frugalgranola.blogspot.com

valley view farm said...

We too eat vegan most of the time. Great job!! It is easy and super good isn't it? A really rough vegan recipe website I always fall back on is Fat Free. com, they have a ton of vegan recipes and some are really quick and easy. The site isn't terribly user friendly but once you get the hang of it you can always find what you want.
Cant wait to see how you guys do!

valley view farm said...

http://www.fatfree.com/

there is the link!