I'm thinking of turning my family vegan, or vegetarian. But we are on a very strict budget, is it more costly?!
Answers: Please reply if you were once a "meat eater" and switched over to vegetarian/vegan and really know the difference between the two grocery bills. I know I know... cost is nothing compared to your health... but for us, cost is definatly an issue!
Meat is more expensive I think. If you can cook you can make soups, casseroles, pies, vegetarian roasts, dips, etc all from vegetables without the added cost of meat.
There are 1000's of vegetarian recipes out there . I personally dont think being a vegetarian is costly and we are on a budget to. A packet of beans is aboy 90 cents. You can make lentil cottage pie, bean lassagne, mushroom pasta etc.
Mushroom & Cheese Macaroni
Ingredients
400g macoroni
60g butter or margarine
2tbs chopped parsley
450g mushrooms
60g grated cheese
Method
1. Cook macaroni according to manufacturer's instructions.
Slice mushrooms and fry in the fat for 8 mins then add the parsley.
Drain macaroni and mushrooms and toss together lightly.
2. Serve sprinkled with grated cheese.
Spinach & Cream Cheese Pancakes
Ingredients
Batter
120g 85% wholewheat flour
Pinch salt
1 free range egg
300 ml milk
Oil for frying
Filling
900g spinach washed and chopped (or frozen)
45g margarine
1 large onion
1 clove garlic crushed
?tsp grated nutmeg
?tsp pepper
60g cream cheese
60g grated hard cheese
Method
1. Make the pancakes and keep them warm.
Cook the spinach and drain in a sieve pressing with a wooden spoon to remove excess water.
Set aside.
2. Cook chopped onion and garlic in the margarine but do not allow to brown.
Stir in the spinach, nutmeg and pepper; mix well.
Add the cream cheese and cook on a low heat for 3 mins with stirring.
3. Spread over each of the 8 pancakes, roll up and place on the serving dish.
Sprinkle the grated cheese and place under the grill for 3 to 4 mins until the cheese melts and browns.
Brown Rice Risotto
Ingredients
200g brown rice, washed
400ml water
1 medium onion
? red pepper
200g sunflower seeds
Mixed herbs to toss
Pinch salt
100g sweetcorn/frozen peas
Soya sauce to taste
1 rounded tsp Marmite
Method
1. Cook the chopped onion in the oil to soften, wash rice and drain well, add to the onion and cook for several seconds turning with a fork.
Add the hot water in which the Marmite, soya sauce and herbs have been mixed.
Bring to the boil and simmer gently.
2. After 15 mins add the chopped mushrooms and sweetcorn/peas and simmer for a further 20 to 25 mins until the rice is cooked.
3. Season to taste, top with toasted sunflower seeds and serve.
The addition of chopped red pepper gives colour to the dish.
http://www.vegsoc.org/cordonvert/recipes...
Leek & Potato Soup
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Serves 2
Ingredients
2 medium sized leeks chopped
2 medium sized potatoes diced
2tbsp/30ml light olive oil
?pint/450ml oatmilk
?tsp/2.5ml salt, pinch of white pepper
finely chopped parsley to garnish
Method
Fry the leeks and potatoes in the oil over a low heat for about 10 minutes.
Add the salt and oatmilk, Stir well, put on lid and leave for 15 minutes on the same low heat.
Check the potatoes with a fork to see if they are tender.
When ready, purée with a hand-held blender until almost smooth.
Add pepper to taste and if the soup is too thick, add a little more oatmilk and reheat before serving, garnished with the parsley.
Serve with cro?tons* or crusty bread.
Do not freeze.
Lentil Soup with Garlic Bread
Serves 8
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Ingredients
2tbsp oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely grated or pureed
1 leek, finely chopped
3 large carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1tsp paprika
1tsp died mixed herbs
1tsp Gramma's Mild Pepper Sauce
2tsp wine vinegar
3oz red lentils, rinsed
1 x 4oz can tomatoes
2pts vegetable stock
Method
1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions until soft (about 5 minutes).
2. Add the garlic, leeks, carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the paprika, herbs, pepper sauce, vinegar, lentils, tomatoes and stock. Stir well.
4. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat, leave to cool slightly, then liquidise in a food processor or blender, or pass through a large sieve.
6. Pour back into pan and reheat. Serve with hot toasted garlic bread.
i dont know how your children will go if you have never eaten a vegetarian meal but you could cut down. here are some helpful websites http://greekfood.about.com/od/vegetarian... or http://www.webvalue.net/recipes/ orhttp://www.veggiefriendly.com.au/categor... good luck
I never really switched completely to vegan, but have at least cut back on some kinds of meat.
This guy:
http://dadamo.com/
supposed that the healthiness of a vegan diet for a particular individual depends on blood type, and has revised his hypothesis to include a few other factors.
To some extent, the cost will depend on the quality (Pork? Alaskan Snow Crab?) and quantities (1-pound steaks or 3oz of Tuna per day) of meat you are switching away from and the veggies you switch toward. "organic" always seems to cost more, and if you can grow your own veggies, this *might* save money.
Well, depends if you eat oatmeal and dried beans alot or fancy stuff....ie canned frozen fruit juice is cheaper than bottled or refrigerated fruit juice.You can make seitan "fake meat" from vital wheat gluten (expensive) or use whole wheat flour and rinse the starches out while kneading to leave the gluten protein...of course then you still might want some artificial beef or chicken vegan broth to flavor it with...or it could be flavored with vegetable soup stock.
Try some books at the library called "The Tightwad Gazzette" for saving money and recipes of all sorts.
we have done exactly this recently
vegetarian, not vegan
i notice a huge difference in my food bills,
yesterday we had lasagne made with quorn mince instead of beef, less than half the cost, and thats just one example, 3 teens in the house too, so cutting some of your food stuffs cost in half is beneficial on the pocket as well as health,
well, I hope you do not mind me answering. I am life time vegetarain, now vegan. Here are my tips. - I grew up on welfare so money was very tight. - It was just me and my elderly grandmother.
1) buy your fruits and veggie in season,
2) raw beans - protein - are very cheap.you can soak the beans, and use them in many different dishes.
3) plan your meals a head,
4) buy a book called Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet
5) buy from local places
6) grown your own herbs, that can be fun for family activity and cheap
7) cook more at home
8) Go to places like costco, or sams club.
9) don't buy fancy crap, that is really not that healthy -
Start with being vegetrain, then make the move to be a vegan. - vegetarain, you will have more options.
yes your health will be good too - good luck!
Surprisingly no! If you do it right...
My husband and I are fairly new vegans, we've been living it up vegan style since October. Before then, I was a vegetarian, and he was a full fledged meat eater. We have been on a very tight budget both before and after the switch, and we have actually spent the same or less consistently on groceries. Not to mention we've both lost weight. The trick is not always buying the pre-made specialized vegan things such as the vegan cheese, mayo, sour cream, etc. Become familiar with the stock items such as Nutritional Yeast, Firm tofu, Tempah, and others. there are alot of ways to make your own vegan sour cream, mac and cheese, and more. If you and your family enjoy pasta, beans and rice, veggie tacos/fajitas, vegetable stir fry, and baked potatos, etc, you will be fine. They are all super cheap. Believe me, my husband is going to school full time and I am starting my own business...we know the word budget well!
I am paying abou the same for my food now as a vegan although maybe slightly less because I have money starting to pile up in my savings account finally. Also, you won't be eating out as often, probably, so that saves a ton.
It really depends on what you eat - modern vegetarianism is rather expensive, with a focus on processed foods like fake meats, while traditional vegetarianism, with a focus on grains, legumes, and produce is much cheaper. It's not as though you havve to go strictly either direction - for myself, the bulk of my diet is whole grains, pasta, soups, sandwiches, lentils, and rice dishes, and because these are so cheap I can also afford some veggie ground round, veggie burgers, and soy milk. I don't know what the prices are like where you live, but I shop in a regular grocery store and the weekly bill (for me and my boyfriend) is around $80 Canadian.
The only expensive vegan/vegetarian foods are the meat analogues. If you do your own cooking you can eat VERY inexpensively--think beans, pastas, and grains.
TVP is inexpensive and is a great addition to things like chili, tacos, and sloppy joes.
Lots of soups and stews can be very inexpensive to make and can feed lots of people.
YOu can find lots of recipes in the 'Vegetarian" section at http://www.myspace.com/animalrightswebsi...
There are many vegan dishes that can be made very cheaply. Beans are a staple for most vegans, but buying the pre-cooked ones in the cans is very expensive; buy dry beans instead, and cook them yourself. Rice also plays many different roles in vegan cooking. Paired with beans, it will give you a complete protein, such as you might derive from meat or tofu, but at a much lower cost.
With modern freezer technology, getting satisfactory vegetables all year round isn't a problem; you'll probably find the cost between fresh and frozen vegetables pretty comparable, too. As an added bonus, frozen vegetables usually contain more vitamins because they're picked at the peak of ripeness (this is opposed to fresh produce, which is picked before ripeness for ease of shipping).
Peanut butter is certainly cheaper for sandwiches than meat, but hummus might be a little more expensive. If you're up to it, you might want to make your own bread as well.
Another fairly inexpensive food that you'll probably use often is protein beverage powder. It gives you tons of nutrients, is reasonably priced (if you buy it in large amounts), and often tastes pretty good. Whole Foods has a chocolate flavored mix that I like a lot.
With a vegan diet, as with an onmivorous diet, the key to saving money is to make most of the food yourself and not get caught up in pre-prepared products. Don't bother with vegan imitations of other foods, such as dairy-free "cheese," soy ice cream, or anything like that (they're expensive and don't taste anything like the real thing). Buy nuts, dried fruit, and flour in bulk when you can.
special diets will increase your food bill. quit labeling yourself and make healthy meals that taste good.
Whether or not it's more expensive depends largely on what kinds of foods you're buying and cooking. If you rely on lots of processed convenience foods and faux meats, it can be pricey. If you buy more whole foods and cook from scratch, it can be incredibly cheap. Beans, rice, flour, and many other staples can be purchased in bulk (if you have a source, definitely buy your spices in bulk - it can be a quarter the price of buying them in bottles and cans at the grocery store.) I went vegetarian at 16 so I never did the groceries as a meat eater, but I do know the reason we ate so little meat in my house before the switch ws because my mom was stretching the grocery bill by cooking lots of meatless meals and using small amounts of meat as more of a garnish in other meals. When I switched from vegetarian to vegan I started doing a lot more whole foods cooking instead of relying on convenience foods. My grocery bill stayed pretty much the same, but we're definitely getting more bang for our buck in terms of food quality and healthfulness.