(Or even flexitarian if you feel more comfo with that term) - Is what this household is now.. We have talked about it and 4 out of 7 dinner/lunch meals we have are going to be vegetarian now.. I managed to get hubby to agree to this with a "imagine how much money we can save" comment..
Our income is much lower than it used to be after I went on my leave, and with the formula, diapers and everything else the kid needs, our monthly "food" cost has been over budget every single month.. Being lazy and buying partly made meals, or even things like sauces in jar ect has also been a reason why we have been going over budget.. So I told him about my idea and he is agreeing to it.. So the idea is to have fish one day, chicken another, and meat of some sort the third and veggie dishes for the rest.. And I am really looking forward to cook up some new stuff and to try a bunch of recipes I have put on hold..
I bought the Happy Herbivore cookbooks from amazon and I have the skinny bitch cookbook (along with lovely Claires blog ) which are vegan recipes and I am hoping to use them to ease us into eating more and more plant-based food. I don't think I will ever manage to go 100% vegan or vegetarian for that matter, but I think this is a huge step into the right direction..
There is one thing I am really confused about though.. What do you eat for breakfast besides eggs/jams when you want to reduce animal based products??? Any ideas?
I am also hoping to introduce juicing (I juice from time to time, but hubby hates it.. ) to him and to the baby when that time comes..
Do you guys have any vegetarian blogs/ cookbooks/ recipies you love? - If you do, please do share..
Firstly- WOOHOO! Congrats on making this change and getting the hubs on board- it's so much easier working as a team :)
ReplyDeleteBreakfasts: Oats, buckwheat/quinoa cereals with fruit are my faves for the cold weather and smoothies/juices and salads with fruit and fruit juice dressings are faves for summer. I'm not really a traditional breakfast person so I'd say take a step outside your comfort zone- miso soup is actually a really nice winter breakfast. Tofu scramble is a fave of my husbands too.
Blogs: there are SO many great blogs, take a peek down my left sidebar at my blogroll and you'll be sure to find something you'll like. Healthy girls Kitchen and Carrie on Vegan are two super healthy ones that might inspire you?
Cookbooks: http://www.skinny-vegan-food.com/2011/10/veganmofo-15-cookbooks.html#.UWn707X-GOE
There are so many that are great though, Dreena Burton books are always good, happy herbivores are my fave but another great one is Kris Carr's new recipe book.
The other thing I would really suggest to you is bulk cooking. Put in some time one day to save yourself for the rest of the week. Pre-cooking grains, soups, stews etc makes it much easier to just bung in the oven/pot after a long day. Same deal with pre-chopping (and use the food processor if you have one)
Aww you're too kind :) Thanks gorgeous x If you're ever in need of a recipe don't hesitate to email! even if you're staring at the ingredients you have left in the fridge and need a hand I'm always happy to help. You can do this! xxx
flexitarian. sounds like a strange sex bondage term ok
ReplyDeleteimagine how much money we'll save!!!! also, i'll be tiny u asshole
oh so this is actually helping your monetary situation as well. that's brilliant, love! xo omg the SB one is just ugh xD she manages to convince you through all the book but cheese man i love my fucking cheese
ok yoghurt and bread and (crisps) yes i eat crisps in the morning and i also can eat chocolate in the morning
but its not animal-based which is what you asked
i do not know any cookbooks sorry bb
-Sam Lupin
I always thought that being vegetarian would increase food costs because fresh produce is so expensive. Let us know how it turns out!
ReplyDeleteYou could have cereal for breakfast... Or yogurt is always good. fresh fruit is also great.
Good luck on the flexitarian diet! I've been vegetarian for ages an I have to say I don't really miss it all. If you're already buying lots of produce then your bill shouldn't go up. You can do lots of cheap meals with beans and legumes too.
ReplyDeleteOatmeal for breakfast! It can be made so many different ways. I make a big pot on the weekends, refrigerate it, and eat it all week. I make the equivalent of 8 1/2 cup servings. I pour it hot into a storage container and when it is cool I cut it into 8 equal pieces. No measuring in the morning! Then I heat it with the extras (fruit, nuts etc) in the microwave.
That is good. Hubby and I are starting to cook at home a lot more which is hard with my fast food/ junk food addictions( according to hubby )
ReplyDeleteIt has not been bad but I am still not use to it and I still want a greasy burger from mickey d's with fries. I have gotten better with the fact now I get a medium or small fry depending on the day with a grilled onion cheese burger. Hubby calls that excuses but I have to have small victories somewhere.
I hope things are still moving forward in this plan.
PS I use to juice for breakfast. It was much easier, faster and perfect for me sallow those nasty vitamins.