Q&A

I just found this comment on a past post, and I was so excited!! So I am answering it now even though swore I would go to bed. Writes Natalie,

"As far as going vegan goes, i think i am most concerned about how much money i will spend on groceries each month and how many hours per week i will spend cooking. i was wondering if maybe you could write a post about that?"

So there are a few answers to this question:
1. you may be buying more produce, but meat and cheese is pretty expensive and by cutting that out you could actually save quite a bit of money...grains are cheap. make sure you buy produce in season to get the best deals.

2. being vegan doesn't mean you have to change your eating habits completely, if you eat taco bell cause its cheap, order a bean burrito (they don't use lard) sans cheese and ask them to throw some lettuce and tomatoes in there. You can find something to eat at almost every restaurant, just be creative and ask questions...plus the vegetarian options are always a few bucks less than everything else

3. it may seem like a lot upfront as you try to stock your fridge and pantry with vegan staples, but eventually you will have most things you need at home and your weekly grocery bill will be low

4. don't feel like you have to follow every vegan recipe exactly. this is difficult to do at first because the recipes may be foreign to you but rarely do i have all the ingredients required, just whip something together with what you have. If you come across an ingredient that you question if it is worth buying/ keeping stock of, ask me and I will tell you my input.

Here is a quick list of good starter staples:
Nutritional Yeast
Non-dairy milk (almond or hemp recently, but soy is good too...everyone has their own preference, try a bunch)
tofu/ tempeh/ beans
vegan margarine/ olive oil