Hummus Recipe

You love hummus – admit it!  But, you know that buying hummus at the store can get expensive.  So, here’s a way to make your own and save money.

You will need:

1 15 oz can of chickpeas (organic if you can find it)

1 Lemon

A couple tablespoons of tahini

1 clove of garlic

Drain the chickpeas and pour them in a food processor.  Add two or three tablespoons of tahini and pulse them together.  Squeeze in some lemon juice and add the garlic clove and pulse them into the chickpeas and tahini. 

Additions:

If you want to mix it up, you can add in some other things like cayenne pepper, diced up red pepper or anything else that you love in hummus.

Once it’s done, enjoy!  Since this hummus is fresh, it should be enjoyed within a couple of days as that is when it tastes best. 

Composting

This is more of an environmental post, but it's still something every vegan should think about.

Even if you've never tried it, you've probably at least heard of composting.  It is something that more and more people are doing.  Composting can cut way down on the garbage and thus decrease the amount of things that end up sitting in a large pile at the landfill.

How do you compost, you ask?  Easy, peasy!

1. Get or build a simple container.  You can even make it out of chicken wire.

2. Get the ingredient mix right.  Compost piles should have a mix of brown and green material.

3. Take care of your compost pile.  Run little shovel through it and mix it around every week or two to keep it "fresh."

Since I am a compost newb, here is a link to a site that goes more in depth about how to compost:

http://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/


And here are some images that tell you what you can put in your compost pile and WHY you should compost.

Thrifty Shoes

Since the point of this blog is to save money being vegan, I am going to take a minute to write about shoes that are inexpensive.  This is not a food related post, but important nonetheless.



How many of you love to buy shoes?  I don't, but I'm not much for shopping in general.  Okay, that's a lie - kind of.  I love to shop for books and new yarn.  But stick me in a shoe or clothing store and I get a bit uncomfortable.  I like to know what I need before hand so I can get in and out as quickly as possible.



Well, that being said, we all know that shoes are a necessity.  I live in a cold weather state, so for many months out of the year, it's not possible to be outside without shoes.  However, it can be tough to find sturdy, inexpensive, (warm), vegan shoes. 


http://www.gojane.com - There are a lot of really cute vegan shoes here that are inexpensive.  My favorite is the sneaker section.


http://www.lulu.com - If you are one of those ladies who loves sparkly, feminine shoes, lulu.com has a great selection of vegan shoes that are cute!


http://www.planetshoes.com/vegan - This site has a host of vegan shoes to choose from. 


If you don't like shopping online, have no fear: Payless shoes is like heaven for vegans.  They have tons of shoes made from man made materials, that are completely affordable!  A lot of times, you can score vegan shoes for $10 or less.

Menu Planning and Cooking

I started out this post thinking about how cooking in bulk and in advance could save you money, but in reality that's a better time saver than anything.  So, this is *mostly* about menu planning with some cooking advice thrown in.

Have you ever gone to the grocery store hungry?  Have you ever purchased items only to throw them out because you didn't use them?  I think everyone is guilty of doing this. 

To eliminate food waste, here are some things you should do:

1. Don't shop while you're hungry.  I know, this is a cliche, but it's true.  When I shop while hungry, I spend more money on food that I don't eat, and it's a waste of money, and a waste of food.  You can save yourself even just a little bit of money by NOT shopping while you are hungry.

2. Make a list, and stick to it.  Sit down before you go grocery shopping and write down everything you need.  When you go to the store, by the items on your list.  If you start veering from the list, the money can really add up. 

3. Plan your weekly menu before you go shopping.  By doing this, you will also be able to stick to your list, because you will know exactly what you are eating for the week.  Make sure you add a variety of items to your menu.  It is important to get variety even while saving money.


These items can help you save money on food in the long run.  Something else you can do to save yourself some TIME is to cook in advance.  For example, take a look at your menu and check what you'll be eating Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Cook the meals for those three days in advance.  You can freeze the items and pull them out the morning of.  You'll have time to do other things on these days instead.

Now, what are you waiting for: get out and plan those menus ;)

Eating out...

Okay, show of hands: How many of you love to eat out?  Come on, I know you're out there!  Yep, I like eating out, too.  Here's the thing though, eating out can really add up!

Let's say that you go out with you husband or wife or girlfriend, boyfriend, partner or on a date with the cutie who lives next door to you.  You figure, hey this'll be fun!  Eating out with someone I like (and eating out can be a social experience, after all.)

So, you get to a restaurant that you both like that also happens to serve great vegetarian and vegan food.  You think, "Hey, an appetizer would be nice."  So you spend, let's say, $7 on your appetizer.  Your order a bottle of wine because you think it'll go well with supper.  The bottle cost $16.  Then you order your supper.  Let's say that you order an entree that costs $12.99 and your date orders an entree that costs $11.99.  Let's add that up:

Appetizer: $7.00
Wine: $16.00
Entree 1: $12.99
Entree 2: $11.99

Total: $47.99

Adding in tax, you've just eaten a meal that costs roughly $50.  Now, you add a tip, because the waitress did a good job and you're feeling generous.  So, you give her $10.  That means you just spent $60 on a meal out.  That's a lot of money, right?

Now, let's assume that the average single person living alone is like me: You spend about 40 to 60 a week on groceries.  If you have two people at home, I think that it's safe to assume that jumps to roughly 80 to 100 a week on food.  If you have kids, you probably spend 150 to 200 a week on food depending on how many kids you have and how much they eat (because, really some kids seem to have a hollow leg don't they?)

So, unless your Bill Gates, you probably don't have tons and tons of money to spend on eating out a lot.  It also takes money out of what you could be spending on food to cook at home!

So, save yourself a dime, go to the grocery store and cook at home!  It'll taste great, and you'll save some money.

The {Not So Secret} Garden

Gardens, really, are a great way to save money as a vegetarian or vegan.  You can grow your own produce and save yourself a ton of money, because we all know produce at the market doesn't come cheap!

Some gardening ideas:

*If you have a house, take up a plot in your yard.  You can determine the size based on how much space you have.  Grow whatever plants you feel like growing over the summer.

*If you live in an apartment with a balcony, consider doing some container balcony gardening.  It doesn't take a lot of space, and you can still get some awesome, great tasting veggies when you're done!  Here are some cool photos of container balcony gardens:

*If you just don't have the space, ask a friend if they'd be willing to share some yard space with you.  Afterwards, you can share some of your produce with them!

After your fruits and veggies start to grow, you may find that you have too much for just one person.  You don't want the fruits of your labor to spoil!  SO, get some freezer bags (or those vacuum bag things) and store the leftovers in your freezer.  You can take them out and use them as you need them.

And there you have it: a great way to save money and still have great tasting fruits and veggies!

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Ok, your probably wondering what high fructose corn syrup has to do with saving money on a veggie diet. But trust me, the two are related. Let's start by looking at some of the items that contain high fructose corn syrup. There's:

1. Soda
2. Granola Bars
3. Flavored Yogurt
4. Cereal
5. Salad Dressings
6. Some canned fruits and vegetables
7. Fast and Processed foods

Now, you may be thinking that some of these items are not bad for you. And while I will always encourage eating as many fruits and vegetables as possible, fresh is always best. Also, anyone who knows anything about soda wouldn't drink it anyway.

Now, how do you suppose you could save money and be veggie while avoiding high fructose corn syrup? Well, for starters, avoid processed foods and sodas. These items tend to be "empty calories" and give a full feeling after eating them, but don't really fill us up. This leads people to spend more money on food items that are similar to the ones that didn't fill them up in the first place.

You can also make your own granola or cereal with healthy items that will leave you feeling fuller longer and won't negatively impact your health like sugars or hfcs.

As for how to get fruits and veggies without hfcs in them: buy fresh! I know that it seems more convenient and inexpensive to go the prepackaged route even on fruits and vegetables, but when you buy your produce fresh, it hasn't been put through any sort of radiation process or flash freezing or anything else before it gets to you. So it's got more nutrients and therefore provides more for your body, leaving you fuller longer and, surprise, saving you money!