Vegans: how do you shop at the food store?!
Mc Donald's have cream in it. so, how do you shop on a low budget? can you help thanks.
Answers:
Get some dried lentils or chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) brown rice, tinned tomatoes and if you don't have any spices buy some ground coriander (aka cilantro), cumin, fenugreek and turmeric. If you still have enough money buy fresh vegies, if not dumpster dive for whatever vegies you can get and make a nice curry. You can seriously live without ever spending money on food this way, I have friends who get ALL their stuff for free after the supermarkets throw them away.
As for eating out there are options but it depends where you live. Most Indian restaurants are vegan friendly provided they don't use ghee in their vegetarian dishes (about half the vego dishes normally have cream), thai and other SE Asian food is good if you ask them not to use anything with shrimp paste, fish sauce or oyster sauce.
I'm not a vegan, but I did the raw food diet for a long time. I found that fresh fruits and vegis are pretty cheap. Also, there are web sites that have great recipes for black bean burgers (really cheap) and stuff like that. Lentil soup is great too. I make it a lot because my fam and I try to eat vegan a couple of nights a week, at least. Lentil soup is primarily: dry lentils (cheap), vegi stock, onions, garlic, tomatoes and spinach. One pot lasts a couple of meals and the rest can be frozen.
nothing is cheaper than brown rice and beans, or lentils. Make a pot of chili or some tomato soup. Or black bean soup. Couldnt even BE cheaper. A bunch of kale is about 97 cents..with a little planning you will find you spend very little. Mangos are $1 right now, bananas are insanely cheap. I cant see your point.
I read ingredients.
I also go out to eat all the time.
Most dishes are easily-veganized.
I don't do fast food, though. Yuck.
~vegan, 5 years~
get salads and apples and that