Shopping Vegetarian-Not So Easy!!

Going to the grocery store has become a new source of frustration.  I never did enjoy doing grocery shopping, but now it has become quite a challenge.   The other day I went to do my first weekly shopping as a vegetarian.  Until then, I had been making little trips to the store because I really didn't know what to buy.  I was just trying to get through one day at a time.  Since becoming a vegetarian, I decided to try shopping at Publix since they have the Green Wise section and carry vegetarian foods.   But this still does not make it easy!!  I went in ready to buy for one week, but I could not find anything to put in my cart.  I was lost!  I found myself wondering around and around the store. I didn't know where to start and even if I did, I didn't know where to find anything.  It took me 30 minutes just to find where the veggie meats were, and I ended up finding them on accident.   After I found them, I had no idea what to get next.  As a meat eater, I knew the basics to get each week along with whatever meat was on sale.  I knew I could make a meal together out of anything I had.  It is not that simple anymore.  Without meat as the foundation for a meal, it is hard to know where to start. If I got steak or chicken, I knew I could always pair it with rice, potatoes or pasta.  But without the meat, that leaves me with just the sides.  Where do I go from there??  After wondering around and around the store, without a clue to what I should get, I bought for one meal and went home.  I think this would be easier if I was shopping for one or two.  But trying to shop for six people really makes this more difficult.  I need to make a meal that is big enough to feed everyone, good tasting, not too expensive and vegetarian.  I think I need to go back to the drawing board.  I need a plan!!

 So far I have cooked with the ground beef and ground sausage substitutes, veggie burgers and tofu.  But I want to use more than just that.  I think I need to spend some time finding some more veggie recipes.  I think maybe I should find a few new recipes for each week.  It might help if I plan each meal for the week and make a list for what I need to make for each one.  I always went shopping with a list before so I don't know why I tried this time without one.  Tomorrow I will try once again. I will spend some time in the morning looking up some new veggie recipes and will write what I need to make them.   I will go armed with a list and a knowledge for what I want to make.  Let's hope this time will be easier.  The next challenge is doing all this and staying within my weekly budget!  That's a whole other story.