A Guide for the Busy, Broke, and Vegan

A guide for the

busy Broke

and

VEGAN

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*

**all all foods foods shown shown are are vegan vegan

VEGAN VEGAN VEGAN VEGAN

noun . a person who does not eat or use animal products

to be...

Many adapt a plant based diet because it’s...

Healthy

Low in saturated fats and high in fiber, the plant based diet has been proven to curb obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

ethical

Often animals are housed in horrible conditions and treated cruelty.

eco-friendly

Animal agriculture strains the environment with its excess use of land, water, and greenhouse gas emissions.

or not to be But many shun the diet because it’s...

hard

“None of my friends are vegan.

At restaurants I can only eat salads.”

timely

“I don’t have time to cook on top of everything.”

expensive

“Have you seen the price of vegan cheese? I can’t afford to buy all those vegan products”

and who wants to give up pizza and ice cream?

but!

There are many...

tasty quick Frugal ways to be

vegan

starting off The Part-Time Vegan The best way start off is to be a part-time vegan. Many first go vegetarian before transitioning to a total plant-based diet. Learning how to balance a modified diet, shopping list, and new recipes takes practice and patience. Those seriously interested should research into recipes and look within themselves to determine their goals and purpose for adopting a plant-based diet. For those brave enough to try, starting with Meatless Mondays allows for a gradual segue into eating two days a week without meat, and eventually to none. Then the gradual elimination and substitution of diary products and eggs is next. For some people the process takes weeks and others years. Some practicers never go all the way, instead eating plant-based when convenient and adopting a vegetarian or even omnivorous diet when at restaurant or a friends house. The rejection of a world loaded with bakeries, delis, and ice cream parlors is challenging and even crazy to some. But with perseverance, and helpful tips, it is possible.

Tight on cash?

Staple foods and Bulk-Buying For those on a budget, you’re in luck. Eating vegan is cheaper. There are three staple inexpensive, filling, and healthy foods that every vegan should stock up on: rice, beans, and lentils. All can be bought inexpensively in bulk or in packages. Lentils are high in iron and fiber, beans in fiber, and brown rice in whole grains. These three can be combined in a bowl with spices and vegetables in a pinch or used as the base in complex and rich recipes.

1 lb green Lentils

1 lb black beans

1 lb Brown Rice

$1.54

$1.49

$2.16

short on time Meal-Prep and Smart Recipes For the busy, a rice cooker is a wise investment. The cheapest but efficient models can be purchased for as little as $20 from Amazon. To make the perfect batch of rice, the user only needs to add rice, add water, push a button. The rice cooker then automatically turns off when done, no stirring or watching needed. Some models come with a steamer tray, so vegetables can cook at the same time. Although specialized for rice, the device can also cook lentils in the same way.

Another way to save time is to cook in bulk. Many vegans use Meal-Prep Sunday to make large batches of food to divide into smaller portions to freeze. Throughout the week all that is needed it to heat up the portion and enjoy.

6-cup rice cooker

$18.76

VEGAN

VEGAN

Break-fast The Bisquick Trick Oatmeal with strawberries, peanut butter or avocado toast. All classic fast and yummy vegan breakfasts. But for an ultimate breakfast, consider pancakes. Although there are many from-scratch vegan pancake recipes online, Bisquick provides a mix that just so happens to be “accidentally” vegan. The official instructions call for eggs and milk to be mixed in, but using soy or almond milk and one mashed banana instead of egg creates the perfect and fluffy vegan pancakes with extra sweetness and flavor. Top your stacks with strawberries and Hersey’s chocolate sauce (yes it’s vegan!) for an easy, breezy, bananaful morning.

1 banana = 1 egg

Lunch to-go Taco Bell Fresco & Sofritas Supply meets demand. With more of the population becoming vegan, more restaurants and grocery stores are offering plant-based options. Chipotle is notable for its meat substitute, Sofritas, a shredded and flavored tofu. While fast, tasty, and filling, Chipotle everyday is bad news for the wallet. That’s where Taco Bell comes in clutch. The American Vegetarian Association (AVA) certified several of Taco Bell’s menu items as 100% vegan. Sound loco? All you have to do is ask to make your taco, crunch wrap supreme, burrito, or tostada “fresco”. Making a taco “fresco” replaces the meat with black beans, and removes the cheese, sour cream, and dairy-containing sauces. All that’s left is to hot sauce or guac it up to enjoy.

Got snacks?

Try the Ritz, Fritos, the Spicy Sweet Chili flavor of Doritios or Nature Valley’s Crunchy Peanut Butter bars.

Dinner Lentils, Beans, and Rice and Spice It’s time to put that rice cooker to use. Rice, beans, and lentils can be made quickly with low effort. The Lentils and rice can be cooked together in the rice cooker while canned beans can be heated up in the microwave or on the stove. The key to the taste, is the spice. Add the spices to the water before cooking the rice and lentils to ensure that the flavor is absorbed. Spice it up with ground cumin, chili pepper, garlic and onion powder, and cilantro for a Mexican taste, or curry powder, turmeric, cumin, and chile de arbol, for an Indian flavor. Experimenting with spices and beans results in a varied and versatile meal that never grows old. And don’t forget to add vegetables, avocado, and salsa or sriracha.

dessert The Great Substitution Surprisingly, most of Duncan Hines’s boxed cake mixes and frosting are vegan. While the recipe on the back calls for eggs, substituting 1/4 cup of apple sauce per egg works, instead. Eggs give cakes their moisture, and so will apple sauce! To help the cake rise, add an additional teaspoon of baking powder. For candy, Swedish Fish, Skittles, Jolly Ranchers and Sour Patch Kids are all vegan friendly.

And don’t forget about the most well-known World Hero of vegan desserts: Oreos.

For cake baking, replace each egg with 1/4 cup of apple sauce

VEGAN

REady, set, go!

For more info check out... minimalistbaker.com

for fast vegan recipes that use less than 10 ingredients

www.vegansociety.com

for learning about the impact of veganism

www.vegan.com

for tips and help on going vegan

Model Credits (in order of apperance): Miguel Angel Delgadillo, Carli Jordan, and Jordan Henningfield

By: Allie Durkin

@allie.durk