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| Forums: March 2010 Kickstart Forum Archive: Interested in the vegan diet but... | |||
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| dandy123
Joined: 03/06/10 Posts: 1 |
Interested in the vegan diet but... Posted Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 6:41 PM Hi, I am very interested in eating vegan and changing my family's eating habits, but I am a single mom on a very tight food budget. I can't spend over $180 a month, I have one child and pack both of our lunches each weekday. We do eat a lot of pasta, rice, and things like that, but I am sick of it and feel run down a lot. Any suggestions? |
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Wild4Stars
 Location: Florida Posts: 832 |
RE: Interested in the vegan diet but... Posted Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 6:48 PM My suggestion would be more veggies and more beans. I'm sure there are other things, but green veggies and beans are very nutrient dense. Should give you the boost you need. Vikki ~ Wild4Stars@gmail.com |
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| Stacey
Joined: 03/06/10 Location: Chevy Chase, MD Posts: 1 |
RE: Interested in the vegan diet but... Posted Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 7:00 PM Hi, Today I attended a "Kids in the Kitchen" event at the YMCA in Washington, DC. My coworker and I served samples of a vegan sloppy joe that was SOOO DELICIOUS not to mention packed full of nutrition! We served at least 300 samples - total cost was under $40!
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craftycat70
 Location: Southern California Posts: 139 |
RE: Interested in the vegan diet but... Posted Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 10:30 PM You will find by cutting the meat & dairy out of your diet you will probably be spending less on your grocery bill. Don't know how old your child is, but you could involve him/her in helping out with preparing the meals and your packed lunches. Have your child pick something off the kickstart menu, or vegan websites or cookbooks that sounds good to him/her. Then shop together for indgredients and have him/her make it or you can help them prepare it. Kids seem to adapt better to these kinds of healthy recipes and diets if they are involved in the process. Think about what a legacy of good health choices you will be instilling in your child, from a young age. Just an idea.......best of luck. Craftycat - Southern, CA |
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| LisaW45
Joined: 02/25/10 Posts: 42 |
RE: Interested in the vegan diet but... Posted Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 8:06 AM Another tip I use is, even though I would rather buy fresh fruit and veggies, I do buy a lot of frozen and some canned as well. I also freeze things if I need to to keep from wasting food. I too am on a budget, so sometimes frozen and canned will help. I hope that might help you as well. I do know your struggles because I too am a single mom. Best of luck to you. |
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| Wild4Stars
Location: Florida Posts: 832 |
RE: Interested in the vegan diet but... Posted Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 8:41 AM Do you have any other single-mom friends that you could go together, buy in bulk and share? That could save everyone some money. Before I moved, a friend and I use to go to Sam's Club once a month and do that. It saved us both some money and we didn't have to store a huge amount of stuff. Vikki ~ Wild4Stars@gmail.com |
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| essie
Joined: 02/26/10 Posts: 163 |
RE: Interested in the vegan diet but... Posted Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 9:04 AM There was a good thread on this in the January forum. I can't remember what it was called, but maybe the search function will help you find it. I actually found our grocery bill went down after going vegan. It does make a difference if you buy mostly ingredients (whole foods) vs. prepared (processed) foods though. And regular grocery stores have a REALLY bad habit of jacking up the prices on anything that can be considered "specialty" or "health food." For instance, the regular supermarket in my town charges $1-$2 more than Whole Foods on stuff like Amy's veggie burgers and Silk soymilk. And the Whole Foods store brand 365 items are even less. That was not the result I was expecting when I started comparison shopping! Here are some of the basic tips: 1. Check Local Harvest for a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. This is the cheapest way to get veggies! And they are super fresh, and usually organic. We spend approx $14 a week from May-Nov on a huge box of veggies that's enough to feed 2 adult vegans. I still have some broccoli in the freezer from last season. Family-sized shares can be an even better deal, and you can partner up with friends or other families, to split a large share: http://www.localharvest.org The same site will also list farmer's markets in your area, another great deal. 2. Make the time to comparison shop in your area, at least once. With a notebook and basic list of the things we eat most often, I went to several of the local stores in my new area after we moved in 2007. I hit a family-own grocery, a large Stop & Shop, Wegmans, Whole Foods, and two health food stores. I found that for most of the things I buy, Whole Foods is actually the best deal! Their store-brand organic tofu is $1.49/lb. They have a much better selection of organic frozen fruits and veggies, at better prices than Stop & Shop or Wegman's. They carry many key items that are simply hard to find elsewhere (tahini, raw nuts and seeds), and their bulk section is large and well-priced. One of the health food stores has a big bulk section too, which includes spices at the best price in town, and a few other things--though the rest of their stuff is high. Later we got a Trader Joe's and it's on the way to Whole Foods, so I stop there first and get whatever is a better deal before heading on to WF to do the rest. Once you get an idea of which store has what, it's just a matter of rotating so you don't have to make several trips in the same week. I do WF every week or 2 weeks (less during CSA season), TJ's 1-2 a month, Costco (see below) every 2 months or so, the health food store when I need spices or other bulk items I know they have, and Stop & Shop only when I need to quickly pick something up. 3. Discount clubs: Don't underestimate Costco and Sam's! Last weekend at Costco I got 4 lb bags of organic quinoa and 12lb bags of organic brown rice, along with organic mixed baby greens and spinach at prices way better than any of the groceries. The quinoa figured to about $2/lb and the rice $1.10. That's several dollars less per lb than any of the local groceries. They also have organic soymilk, frozen vegetables and fruits, Boca veggie burgers, etc. I don't usually shop their produce section because we have the CSA, but there are very cheap deals there too, especially if you are flexible about organics. Our store is a few towns away, so I got once every 2 months or so. 4. Shop online for pantry staples. Amazon.com has a large selection of pantry items in their grocery section and things frequently go on sale or come in cases at a discounted price. We have a prime shipping account (flat fee for the year with free shipping on most items after that), so it's actually less expensive than driving to the store. 5. If you do tend to buy packaged/convenience foods, search online for coupons, and pick up the store circulars. Whole Foods prints one called The Whole Deal which had coupons for tofu, Lara Bars, etc. this week. The One Frugal Foodie blog frequently highlights online printable coupons (note that she's not completely vegan but features a lot of vegetarian/vegan stuff): http://www.onefrugalfoodie.com/ Hope those things help! |
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| dakini
Joined: 03/07/10 Posts: 7 |
RE: Interested in the vegan diet but... Posted Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 12:03 PM For lunchbox ideas, check out out veganlunchbox.com, she has a really interesting blog, you might get some inexpensive menu ideas there, or at least, inspiration. |
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| Wild4Stars
Location: Florida Posts: 832 |
RE: Interested in the vegan diet but... Posted Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 6:08 PM Essie - RE: Whole Foods 365 brand, read the post about organic foods from China. It's a real eye opener! Vikki ~ Wild4Stars@gmail.com |
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| essie
Joined: 02/26/10 Posts: 163 |
RE: Interested in the vegan diet but... Posted Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 6:25 PM Hee hee, you must not have seen the novel I wrote in reply. |
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| Wild4Stars
Location: Florida Posts: 832 |
RE: Interested in the vegan diet but... Posted Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 7:41 PM Essie - very valid point. We can only make the best choices we can make. With all that has gone on recently with things from China, eating food from China, organic or not, seems like a poor choice. I'm a Realtor in Florida and Chinese drywall comes to mind! Dog food from China and all the pets that got sick or died. Knowledge is power and knowing where my food comes from allows me to make choices accordingly. If Whole Foods has criteria in place I would love to learn how they oversee and enforce it. We are constantly bombarded with food recalls, to the point it is almost scary to eat ANYTHING. Bottom line, it is my responsibility to read the labels and make my own decisions. We live in a global marketplace and that is not going to change. Every day I affirm - "I have a strong, healthy immune system." !! Vikki ~ Wild4Stars@gmail.com |
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That report is seriously flawed and exaggerated to be sensational. The truth is you will not find an organic company dustributing frozen foods in national chain supermarkets that doesn't import from China and a bunch of other places besides. Our food system is thoroughly global, and almost completely industrialized, and for years the public has not paid the slightest attention (myself included). That report may open eyes...but they're looking in the wrong direction.| New Topic Reply Subscription Options |
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