Peace!
Update*
With so many stores out of products like meat and dairy, I figured I would share this post to update for folks who many only have access to vegetables during this Coronavirus pandemic.
When I tell people that I am vegan, they always mention how expensive it must be as a reason they have not tried it themselves. It has been in my experience that vegan food typically costs less than buying meat and fish products, especially if you cook. Cooking is key to saving money and eating vegan.
In order to help others consider eating less meat, I created a grocery list, inspired by Care2 to show that you can eat vegan food all week for under $50. This list is typically for one person, and you can mix and match as I did to add more of what you love, and less of what you do not. I should say up front, that I had a lot of ingredients already at home, and will list those. It’s wise to build your spices #stepyourspicegameup, and keep basics in the house such as fruit and canned goods on deck. Buying these things regularly can help you build out more recipes you may find along the way.
Vegan Grocery List Items
Organic Pasta Sauce $2.19
Canned Black Beans: $.49
Canned Chickpeas (Garbanzos) (x2): $1.00
Canned Diced Tomatoes (x2)**
Small Flour Tortillas: $.99
Rice **
Oats**
Gardein “beef” crumbles
Brown Rice Pasta: $2.89
Whole Grain Bread: $1.79
Italian Salad Dressing: $1.89
Creamy no nut Butter**
Unsweetened Almond Milk: $1.69
Fresh Salsa: $1,19
Hummus: $1.89
Avocados**
Bell Peppers Tri-pack: $2.49
Bag of Onions: $1.89
Baby Spinach (5 oz): $1.19
Garlic 3-pack: $.89
Bananas: $.98
Frozen Berry Medley***
Cucumber: $.49
Organic Cherry Tomatoes: $1.99
Turmeric (1 oz)**
*Garam Masala Spice**
Orange juice ***
Pizza Crust 4.99
Total: $33.05
* Already had these at home
As you can see I spent a lot less than $50, but you might spend that much if you need to buy a few of those things on the list
The Recipes
Refried Bean Tostadas and Black Bean Tacos
Top tostadas with refried, guacamole and salsa. You can add chopped onions. For tacos, use the black beans and peppers, and onions, as well as salsa and gaucamole.
Curried Chickpeas with Rice
Use this recipe here for curried chickpeas and rice. Super easy recipe with two cans of chickpeas, diced tomatoes, and garam masala.
Veggie Crumbles Pasta
Cook 1 1/2 cups of beef crumbles and set aside. Prepare pasta and set aside. Heat marinara sauce minced garlic, chopped onions, and some spinach. . Mix together
Avocado/Guacamole Toast
Make a paste out an avocado. Feel free to add tomatoes, onions, minced garlic if you like to make it into a guacamole. Add to toast
Berry/ Green Smoothie
Use 1 banana, a 1/2 cup of almond milk and 1/2 orange juice or water, and add 1 cup of fruit of your choice. Add a handful of spinach. I used pineapple that I had left over.
Overnight Oats
Mix 1/2 cup of almond milk and 1/3 cup of oats with no nut butter. Let sit fridge (in a jar) overnight. overnight.
Weekly Meal Plan
Meal Plan:
Monday:
Breakfast: Smoothie
Lunch: Hummus, Cucumber, & Tomato Sandwich and Banana
Dinner: Tostadas w/ Refried Beans, Veggies, Salsa
Tuesday:
Breakfast: Oats w/ No nut Butter
Lunch: Rice Bowl w/ Refried Beans, Veggies, Salsa
Dinner: Beef Crumbles Pasta
Wednesday:
Breakfast: Smoothie
Lunch: Hummus, Cucumber, & Tomato Sandwich and Banana
Dinner: Tacos w/ Refried Beans, Veggies, Salsa
Thursday:
Breakfast: Overnight Oats w/ no-nut Butter
Lunch: Beef Crumble Pasta
Dinner: Curried Chickpeas w/ Rice
Friday:
Breakfast: Smoothie
Lunch: Hummus, Cucumber, & Tomato Sandwich and Banana
Dinner: Spinach Salad w/black beans, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Italian Dressing
Saturday:
Breakfast: Avocado Toast
Lunch: Curried Chickpeas w/ Rice
Dinner: Tostadas w/ Refried Beans, Veggies, Salsa
Sunday:
Breakfast: Avocado Toast
Lunch: Beef Crumbles Pasta
Ddinner: Curried Chickpeas w/ Rice
I hope this helps you start off a great week of making vegan food at home. I should mention I bought the pizza crust to make something with some other ingredients I had at home. I just wanted to add it, just in case, you wanted a little treat you can use the marinara sauce and some arugula if you have it.
