Sunday, May 29, 2011

Project: Food Budget Week 8


Week: May 22-May 28
Budget: $ 120
Spent: $ 189

This has been another busy week for me.  I am posting this a few days late, but I guess it's better late than never.  This week I went way over budget!  However, it was expected since last week I didn't do any shopping at all.  I needed to restock just about everything since I had to use everything in the pantry just to get through last week.  So if you consider that I should have spent $120 last week and $120 this week, I'm really under budget after all. 

I started this week's shopping at Whole Foods.  I am only buying things there that I can not get at my local grocery store.  I try for a budget of $30-$40 for each trip.  This week I spent around $50, but I bought some extra stuff that I had been looking for.  And I also had lunch from the salad bar while I was there, not on the list, but it was good!

From Whole Foods, I went on to my local grocery store and completed my shopping there.  Unlike other weeks, I was not prepared with my weekly coupons (another reason I blew the budget).  I usually keep them in my bag, but I had removed them and forgot to put them back.  Oh well, I guess you can't always be prepared.  I spent a long time in the store trying to get all that we needed without going too much over budget.  That wasn't easy!!

This week's lesson learned: skipping shopping trips will only lead to a very long trip for the next visit and always try to be prepared. 

On This Week's Menu:
Veggie Tacos
Sloppy Joes
Tofu Scramble
Homemade Pizza
Veggie Picadillo
Southern Greens with Beans

This Week's Participating Blogs:

Emily Levenson
Veggie Converter
Dairy-Free Cooking
Motor City Girl In the Steel City
Veggie Burgher
The Happy Cactus
Test Kitchen Tuesday
Newly Vegan
Veggie on the Cheap
MeloMeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day
Caroline Cain Holistic Health
Going Veggie
Under The Apple Tree
Be the Change

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Best Meat-Free Burger

Ever since we decided to leave meat off our plates, I have been looking for a good meat-free burger. If there was one meal I knew my family would miss, it was burgers!  So in my quest to find a veggie option for all my family's favorite meals, I was on the hunt for a great burger.

I wasn't sure at first what kind my family would like.  There are so many varieties out there, like veggie burgers, meat-free burgers and black bean burgers, just to mention a few. Not knowing how to make a meat-free burger, I tried the frozen meat-free patties, and they seemed to work well for us.  They are not exactly like a burger, but I figured with ketchup, lettuce and mustard, who would know the difference?  The kids seemed to like them, or maybe they just ate them and pretended.  But that wasn't enough for me. I still wanted to find something that was yummy and savory and felt like that big juicy burger we were used to getting at BBQ. 

So then I tried black bean burgers.  I tested this on my husband first, and it was a good thing I did! They weren't bad, but they were not at all a substitute for a burger. The texture just isn't the same and they sort of feel a bit uncooked inside. I knew my kids were not going to like them so I will not even attempt to serve them the black bean burgers.

Then recently, at a trip to Whole Foods, I came across Gimme Lean by Lightlife. There are two varieties, ground beef style and ground sausage style.  I have used the ground sausage style before in lasagna and it was good, so I picked up the ground beef style,originally thinking I would make "meatballs".  But then later I thought that if it could make "meatballs", then it just might make a good burger.

So I formed patties out of the mixture, seasoned them with a little salt and pepper, and then I rubbed them with a bit of Worcestershire Sauce.  I have this notion that everything tastes meatier with Worcestershire Sauce (you can find a vegan one at Whole Foods). It's what I use when I want people to think they are eating meat (I also add it to my soup to make it taste more like beef vegetable).  I cooked them in a pan with a little oil, just a few minutes on each side and topped them with sauted oinons.  Then I put them on a toasted burger bun with Nayonaise and lettuce and served them with homemade baked french fries.  They were yummy! My husband loved it, as did I. 

Finally I had that savory and juciy flavor that was just lacking in all the other burgers I had tried.  I haven't made these for my kids yet, but I am going to. I'm sure they will love them too.  I know that there is probably a better meat-free burger out there, but until I find it, this is mine!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Project Food Budget: Week 7



Project Food Budget: Week 7


Week: May 15- May 21
Budget: $120
Spent: $0




This week, once again, I skipped my scheduled shopping trip. This was a busy week for me and I just could not find one day where I had the energy (or motivation) to go shopping. So thanks to enough left over food to make and a few days of take out, we made it through the week without having to visit the grocery store. Even though I put $0 for the amount spent for the week, we did spend on take out and maybe picking up a few things here and there. But I didn' keep count so I can't tell you how much we spent.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Project Food Budget: Week 6



Project Food Budget: Week 6

 Week: May 8- May 14
Budget: $120
Spent: $124


After taking a week off from my budget last week, I knew this week I would have to be extra careful not to go over budget. Well, I did pretty good! I was only over by $4. I decided to go to just one store this week and see if I could get everything I needed there without having to go to more than one place. So I went to my local grocery store and left Whole Foods for next week.


Each week I seem to find more things at my local grocery store. I'm not sure if they are carrying more items, or if I am just getting better at finding them. I am finding many things that I could only find at Whole Foods before. I recently found dairy free ice cream the other day. Sure they don't have the selection that Whole Foods has, but it will hold me over for now. Now if I could only get them to carry vegan cheese!


I used to have three stores that I would shop at, but after a recent shopping trip to one store, where I found old rotting food, mold in the garlic and even maggots in the potatoes, I have decided never to return to that store. Now I see why the prices are cheaper! I would rather have better food and pay more. I may have to increase my budget a bit, but I think it is worth it!!


This Week's Lesson Learned: Be careful shopping at cheap grocery stores...you just might get what you pay for!


On this week's menu:
Tofu Lo Mein
Sloppy Joe's
Shepherd's Pie
Veggie Pasta Marinara



This Week's Participating Blogs:
Emily Levenson
Veggie Converter
Dairy-Free Cooking
Motor City Girl In the Steel City
Veggie Burgher
The Happy Cactus
Test Kitchen Tuesday
Newly Vegan
Veggie on the Cheap
MeloMeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day
Caroline Cain Holistic Health
Going Veggie
Under The Apple Tree
Be the Change









Wednesday, May 4, 2011

My Toddler's Favorite Veggie Things

I would have to say the hardest part of my vegetarian/vegan transition is getting my toddler to eat and enjoy her new foods.  Toddlers already are picker eaters; but when you are trying to feed them a vegetarian diet, it can make it much harder. Not only do we have to be concerned with feeding them foods they will like, but we have to be extra aware that they are getting all their nutritional needs met.  And we must do this while still adhering to our vegetarian or vegan lifestyle...not an easy task!

When my toddler was a baby, she loved her veggies (with the exception of anything green). But as she began to eat more foods, she would push those veggies to the side of her plate. Then one day she discovered that the dog would eat them if she threw them on the floor (yes, my dog loves veggies...go figure). Well, I kept giving her veggies and she kept feeding them to the dog. Sometimes it can feel like a veggie war with her and neither of us is willing to give in.

So when I find something that my toddler loves, is good for her and fits in with our veggie life, I just have to share it!



I found Fruitables fruit and vegetable juice at my local grocery store during my last visit. Since removing milk from our diet, I wanted to get something other that just apple juice for her to drink.  After reading the labels on all the juices, I realized that most of them were just sugar with some juice.  Then I came across this one and it seemed great.  It's a combination of apple, carrot, sweet potato, beet, butternut squash and tomato juice.  Wow, that's a lot of veggies in one little juice box!  It has no added sugar and had the lowest sugar count out of all the juices I looked at.  It also has 100% vitamin C and also has some vitamins A and E.  The best part, she loved it! She likes it a bit too much and wants to drink them all day, so I told her they are for meals and snacks only and she can have water the rest of the day.  While nothing can replace the benefit of eating fresh veggies, I think this is a great addition to my toddlers diet just to make sure she's getting enough.

My toddler's other favorite item is Smart Strips by Lightlife.  Since she has to eat her preschool's lunch (which is not vegetarian), she does eat meat while there and has come to love the chicken.  This is a great substitute!  I wasn't sure if she was going to like it, but she loves it and has no idea that it's not real chicken.  In fact, she helped create the meal you see her enjoying above.  I made her some whole wheat spaghetti with Alfredo sauce (made from non dairy milk and butter).  While I was making it, she asked if she could have corn and chicken.   So I heated up the corn with the smart strips in a pan with a little olive oil and topped in on her pasta and then topped with some veggie cheese.  She loved it, as you can see by her big smile! Add a box of Fruitables juice and you have a yummy veggie meal.