Veganing on a Budget

[Redbeard the Scruffy]

Hi. Almost new vegan here. (Lacto-veggie currently working on systematically desensitizing myself from a strong craving for dairy, if you want more specifics.)

So, I know my basics on vegan nutrition, since I read all the books before I cut out meat n' eggs. I know about B12. I know about protein, combos, etc. I know about calcium, n' iron, n' omega 3, n' so forth...

Really, some of the practical stuff is where I need help. You know, vegan'in' on a budget.

Like yogurt cultures. I know ladies truly benefit from a regular influx of that stuff, so as to prevent difficulties in the nether regions. Not to mention they're just good for you. If you're not the kind of person who can afford to shell out for coconut milk kefir, on account of you live on a budget and are trying to pay off school debt, etc., where would you get some? Soy yogurt tastes great, but it costs like 3x as much as regular yogurt and isn't exactly at the corner store!

Or what about...for lack of a better phrase...fake meat? Yes, after a while the cravings die down a lot, but if it weren't for Boca Burgers I'd never had made it through the last year. TVP is great and cheap and easy, but it gets old after a while. Tofu is awesome, but it's expensive. (I have read that you can find it dehydrated or powdered but no such luck in finding it for any less than 2/3 what it would cost ready-made.)

And convenience food. Look, I know a lot of you like to cook from scratch. On the weekends, I do too. But M-F I'm out from 8am-almost 7pm, and I'm tired, and don't want to take a long time to cook something up. My wife will throw a salad together most days, but after a week we run out of lettuce and any later than that and it would go bad even in the fridge (we go shopping every 2 weeks when we get paid). Most easy food includes dairy and/or eggs, and even finding without eggs has been difficult and severely narrowed our options. Yeah, health food stores have the vegan stuff, but once again, at 3x or so the price.

I know about grabbing cheap stuff like rice, beans, frozen store-brand veggies, potatoes, egg-free pasta...

all great if you don't mind taking a long time to cook. We do that. Just looking for a few tips, pointers, etc, to make it easier.

Thanks in advance - RB

[xrodolfox]

We found that substituting is expensive.

Instead, we focus on getting enough calories. We do not worry about protein at all. Just B12 and Vitamin D.

If the focus is on calories, it is easy. Beans. Starches. Veggies. Soups. When we go out, we eat cheap college eats like burritos. If we stay home, we eat veggies. We always have peanut butter around. We try to buy in bulk. We make our seitan. We do not buy in fancy expensive stores. I know that it is easy to make your own yogurt too.

But the biggest thing we do is not buy processed, and avoid thinking about substitutions. Boca Burgers ARE great. But we would be piss poor if we got them regularly.

Tonight I cooked. I chopped up some brussel sprouts and put them in the oven covered in salt and olive oil. Dish 1 done. Chopped up tofu, pan fried it with olive oil and garlic. Added 1 bunch of spinach and veganaise. Dish 2 done. Boiled two large beets. Peeled them. Garnished with lots of lemon juice and some salt. Cut up a tomato, and sliced it on top. Dish #3 done. Cut up some pears and pealed some clementines. Dish #4 done. Left over pasta on the side (that was lunch). Plated. Done.

I fed two kids, one wife, and one of me with that meal today. It must have cost me under $10 for all of it, for four people.

[Redbeard the Scruffy]

I just realized this probably should've gone in the "New Vegan" section.

Oops.

Is it possible to move?

[vegan hal]

one suggestion for a good budget is to stock up on big bags of brown rice and pinto beans. very cheap. other beans too. bag of beans take a bit longer to prepare, but if you prepare a bunch at a time, it'll last. much less sodium and cheaper than canned beans.

then just add different mixtures of veggies, and spices to keep it from getting boring. I like to add Spinach and other greens. onions of course and definitely Olive Oil.

[fredrikw]

I just realized this probably should've gone in the "New Vegan" section.

Oops.

Is it possible to move?

yes. moved.

[baldy]

Tofu can be expensive if you buy it from supermarket or health stores. You need to find a Asian supermarket which will usually be cheaper and have loads of other things you need.

No one mentioned lentils? Cheap and brilliant to chuck in curries, soups and stews.

Pasta is also really cheap and has protein in it, so better than potatoes for example.

[Redbeard the Scruffy]

Tofu can be expensive if you buy it from supermarket or health stores. You need to find a Asian supermarket which will usually be cheaper and have loads of other things you need.

No one mentioned lentils? Cheap and brilliant to chuck in curries, soups and stews.

Pasta is also really cheap and has protein in it, so better than potatoes for example.

Other things such as? This is good info...maybe I can make a list before my trip to look for the tofu.

I did forget lentils. Delicious. Also, curries are the greatest thing to hit this planet since, I don't know, oxygen.

[Hiking Fox]

Redbeard, I love your user name.

I work full time and also study at university, but I also love cooking as I used to be a chef and I miss it. I generally only eat processed stuff like Fry's sosages at weekends, when I fancy a good old Full English, vegan style.

Anyway, my advice is as follows:

Cook curries, soups, pasta sauce, stews etc. in large batches, then freeze in meal-sized portions. If you have a microwave, you can defrost stuff on a whim, whenever you want. If you don't, you have to plan ahead a bit and get your meals out of the freezer a few hours before. Either way, you get to eat cheap, home-cooked food with all the convenience of takeaways and TV dinners costing nearly ten times more.

Basic Tomato Sauce
Gently fry thinly-sliced onions and a little crushed, chopped garlic in olive oil with a little salt and pepper. When the onions have gone see-through and are starting to turn soft, stir in passata or tinned chopped tomatoes, some paprika, a little chilli and some cumin. Simmer for 20 mins. Cool and freeze in portions.

You can use this as a base for pizzas, pasta dishes, curries, lasagne, Moroccan Tagine etc. etc. Just stir in the appropriate pulses, vegetables etc. each time. It gives you a head start when you cook.

Roast Vegetables
You can make a big tray of roast veg that will last several days and be versatile enough to use in all sorts of dishes, even pies and salads. I suggest red onions, red, orange and yellow peppers, aubergines (egg plant, to you), courgettes (zucchini, to you), sliced carrots, cherry tomatoes and butternut squash.

Coconut Sauce
(I make this in big batches and then mix with the roast veg above, boiled new potatoes, boiled broccoli, chopped spring onions and tofu or tempeh to make a great Thai-style curry.)
Gently fry red onions and garlic in just enough oil, then stir in chilli (either powder or chopped fresh ones), ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, galangal (not essential), a dash of sesame oil (not essential) and lemongrass. Cook for another couple of mins, then add creamed coconut (you can buy it in blocks dirt cheap), soy sauce, and enough water for the consistency you want. Freeze in portions.

When serving, stir in chopped fresh coriander and basil leaves. Chick peas also work well.

[Enhydra Lutris]

Lentils and tinned beans are your friends. Anything soupy or stewy you do, put in a handfull of red lentils and let boil until mashed up. Also, stirfrys are great for a quick dinner. Nothing fancy necessary, just chop some courgettes/butternut squash, mushrooms, bell peppers, beansprouts and any other veggi you want up and fry in a pan. Add beans, chickpeas, tofu etc if you feel like it.

Dried chickpeas and beans are very cheap in bulk, but takes a lot of preparation and cooking time. So it might well be worth it to stock up on tinned ones (check for minimum salt addition and rinse well) for quick and filling meals.

Don't be afraid of mix and matching or making up new things. I often make a side dish of fried onions, mushrooms and courgettes with some bullion powder. It adds flavour and bulk to most any meal.

On the weekend you can prepare food for the week. Either make lots and freeze it, or just for 2-3 days extra and put in the fridge. If you save time on some meals in the week, you might feel more inclined to do something more time consuming during the remaining days.

Oatmeal, quinoa or other porridges are filling, very cheap, easy to vary from day to day and often takes little time to prepare. Good for a filling snack or breakfast.

[FAQ]

Cheap Eats
Brown Rice
Oatmeal
Wheat germ
Soy beans
Most beans are cheap
Bananas
Oranges
Dark leafy greens
Flax seeds
Peanuts

[beforewisdom]

Hi Redbeard the Scruffy;

The first thing you have to do is to change your thinking


1. Making healthier choices on any diet will cost you more money upfront.

2. Any diet is cheaper or more expensive when you make more or less of your own food.

I understand about not wanting to do major cooking during the work week.

1. Make large batches when you do cook so you can store/freeze the leftovers for reheating later.

You can make large pots of soup, stew, beans, or anything else on the weekend. Then get a bunch of small ziploc bags and freeze those things in individual portions. When you don't feel like cooking you can just grab them out of the freezer and heat them up.

During the week I will make a full pot full of rice and beans, pasta and something else. Enough to make several meals. I will store it in the fridge then just heat it up. I will use this food for lunch and dinner; making something else for breakfast and maybe having a convenience item for 1 or 2 dinners during the week to break up the monotony.

Making soy yogurt at home can be done. All you need are directions ( free from the internet ), some recycled glass bottles and a stove. This is a good project to do on a weekend while you are doing something else. Make enough to get you through a week.

Linda McCartney and many other people put together incredible recipe books for using TVP. If you are bored with TVP get one of these and make big batches on the weekend to freeze the leftovers which will you over during the times you don't want to cook.

Seitan is very cheap when you make it yourself. You can buy mixes like "vital wheat gluten" which makes it fast and easy.

Bottled sauces are expensive. You can make your own sauces much more cheaply, more healthily, and mind numbingly fast with this vegan recipe book:


"The Saucy Vegetarian" by Joanne Stepianiak.



2. Convenience items do go on sale. When they do buy them in quantity if you can, freeze them if you have to and/or store them in your cupboard.




Tofu and soymilk are much cheaper in Asian grocery stores.




Buy a pressure cooker.
You can make beans that would 90 min in just 15 min. You can make most root vegetables in just 6 minutes and they will taste better.

Buy a crock pot
You can load it full of ingredients in the morning before you leave for work and have a cooked meal waiting for you when you get home.

Buy a good/long lasting food processor
Food prep will seem like less of a pain. You will also be able to do more interesting recipes so you will not get bored.


Some of things cost money which you may not have on a limited budget. Those appliances will SAVE you money. They will make cooking easier and diversify what you have to eat at home which will make you less likely to get fed up and go running out to buy convenience food.

Do what you have to do to get them.


Take a memo pad with you when you shop. Write down prices. After a while you will notice which stores have what items more cheaply.


Pick one half hour time slot, the same time slot, each weekend to plan your meals for the following week. Doing so can help you decide when/where to shop and when/how much to cook to minimize the burdens of each while giving you interesting cheap meals to look forward too.

HTH

[sosso]

Basic Tomato Sauce

Roast Vegetables

Coconut Sauce

I made each of these yesterday. I've just been picking one of the sauces, mixing it with some beans/chickpeas/lentils and serving that over the top of the roast veggies. Really good stuff.

[Redbeard the Scruffy]

Thanks for all the replies so far everyone.

To be honest, about half of these things we tend to do ourselves. My wife tends to cook in double-to-triple batches when she does so we have lunch the next day and possibly the day after, but we do get a little sick of the same thing after that.

I appreciate the suggestions of the Asian grocery stores. We did find tofu at about half the price, but not soy milk there. Luckily I love almond milk, and it's usually even cheaper than straight milk at the store near here.

What about stuff that isn't so starchy? My wife and I are trying to lose weight, and it's really hard to do when you're eating so much starch and heavy foods, but that seems to be like 90% of the cheap stuff available. We both exercise regularly, but it seems to be a lot of work to drop 90% rice, pasta, wheat, potatoes, etc. Produce rocks, but if it's not in season (yes, we do grab as much as we can in bulk when it's on sale) it's a real pain in the pocket.

[Enhydra Lutris]

What about stuff that isn't so starchy? My wife and I are trying to lose weight, and it's really hard to do when you're eating so much starch and heavy foods, but that seems to be like 90% of the cheap stuff available. We both exercise regularly, but it seems to be a lot of work to drop 90% rice, pasta, wheat, potatoes, etc. Produce rocks, but if it's not in season (yes, we do grab as much as we can in bulk when it's on sale) it's a real pain in the pocket.

Lentils, beans (both dried and green ones) and as you say root vegetables and leafy greens. Good thing about these are that they fill you up and make the fullness last, as well as provide lots of the nutrients you need. If you want to loose weight, rather than get full use out of your carbohydrates (so to speak) wholegrain cereals might be a good idea. Have you tried whole buckwheat? It's a nice change from rice and can be bought in bulk very cheaply.

Another way of creating some variation is to play around with seasoning and spices. That way you can have potatoes or rice every single day without getting tired of it.

[baldy]

Other things such as? This is good info...maybe I can make a list before my trip to look for the tofu.

I am not going to tell you because they are not cheap and once you have tried the dumplings you will be hooked