Foods that you keep on a regular basis: your shopping list

[aubergine]

Wow. You're in Bromley. Is that the one in south london, or by Bow?

Locally I buy a lot of salad, because it's the only non-cereal thing I can snack on. I can't wait until I get my own place again and have the room to store enough of my own food.

[Cherry]

I'm not sure if I'm the best person to answer this, or if this is the best example, but I have this week's (morrison's) shopping list right here:

Mango sorbet 1.45
Meat free mince 1.79
McCartney Rolls 0.99 :o
Oven Chips 1.00 for 2
Living basil 0.69
Soya drink 0.65 x2
Spaghetti hoops 0.41 - BOGOF, couldn't resist :o
Orange juice 0.41
Cranberry drink 1.39
Organic courgettes 1.49
Redwoods Slices 0.89
Blueberries 1.99
Vine tomatoes 1.39
Red Onions 0.31
Avocado x 2 1.39
Black bean sauce 0.46
Baby spinach 1.29
Chick peas 0.42
New York Bagels 1.90 x 2 special offer
Comice pears (3) 0.80
Red pepper 0.66
Broccoli 0.32
Organic cucumber 0.99
Aubergine 0.99


Total - £25.10

With that lot, I have bagels for breakfast/sandwiches with redwood slices/salad, stuff for chickpea & spinach curry (already have rice), vegetable & chickpea cous cous (have cous cous), aubergine pasta sauce (yup, have pasta), black bean stir fry, pears to snack on, nice desserts (sorbet&blueberries), and spaghetti hoops on toast or chips/sausage roll/salad for easy food (in my defense I'm moving house and busy packing :o should be busy packing :o ).

[herbwormwood]

seasonal vegetables and fruit, dried beans and pulses, dried fruit, nuts and seeds, vegetable oil to cook with and make salads with, cider vinegar, herb salt, fruit juice, vegetable stock, vegan cheese, tinned tomatoes, soya milk, tofu, vegan margarine, rice cakes. I also keep frozen veg in the freezer- sweetcorn, peas, green beans and spinach. Sometimes I use the stir fry frozen veg. Next shopping trip I am getting Udo's choice health oil, grafitti tofu terrine, fruity soya yoghurt.

[Tigerlily]

Check out the "What Did You Buy Today" thread. :)

[cedarblue]

always fruit, veg, fruit leathers, water and juice but the rest depends on what menu i have planned for the week. then i only (mostly :rolleyes: ) buy whats on the list and avoid extra cost or impulse buys.

i reckon i could live much more cheaply if i was only buying for myself. *mental note to self "make plans to sell rest of family on e-bay" :D )*

[Cherry]

Sort of tough, chewy baked fruit things. Think you can make your own 100% fruit ones I believe.

[DancingWillow]

For anyone interested: Stretch Island Fruit Leather (http://www.stretch-island.com/)

[Roxy]

I'm not in the UK, but regular items on my shopping list are:

hummus
guacamole
salad (eg, box of organic mixed leaves)
red peppers
green peppers
carrots
tomatoes
cucumbers
in season fruits
bread
flour tortillas
vegan waffles
fair trade organic coffee
cereal
soy milk
crackers
vegan chips
chocolate
energy bars
baked beans

[DancingWillow]

BluEyze, you said you shop a lot more often. How often? I believe that to be a healthy vegan, you probably have to shop at least once a week, because that's the max that many fruits and veggies will last.

If you'd like to stock up on items that you don't have buy every week, I'd suggest lentils, different kinds of beans, various nuts and nut butters, rice, pasta, quinoa, cous-cous, nutritional yeast, and soy milk or almond milk that comes in cartons that don't need to be refrigerated until they're opened.

There are also vegan frozen meals, but they might be somewhat expensive if you're on a budget.

[my3labs]

Blueyze - Get yourself a few good cookbooks to give you an idea of what you might like to eat. Our favorite is "The Vegetarian Meat & Potatoes Cookbook" by Robin Robertson. Also check out the recipes thread on VF.

Standard shopping includes:
Salad stuff
Avocado
Ex. Firm Tofu
Salad Dressing
Watermelon, Bananas, Oranges, Grapes, etc.
Red & Orange peppers
Potatoes
Soy Milk
Soy Sour Cream
Soy Cheese (sometimes)
Onions
Garlic
Hummus
Pita Chips
Canned or fresh green beans and corn
French Fried Onions (for salads)
Black beans
Vegetarian Refried Beans
Salsa
Tortillas (flour and corn - we like Mexican)


Staples we always have on hand:
Soy Sauce
Veganaise
Flour (my family loves homemade bread)

I'm sure there's more but that's all that comes to mind at the moment.

[Risker]

These are my essentials;

Tinned tomatoes
Garlic
Onion
Assorted tinned beans
Rice
Pasta

[Tigerlily]

I try to keep veggie burgers in the freezer and jarred pasta sauce for quicky meals. :p

[veggiegirl3]

-Fresh Veggies: (baby carrots, dark leafies, bell peppers, cucumbers)
-Fruits: Apples, bananas, oranges
-Light extra firm tofu (the aseptically (sp?) packaged kind)
-Nonfat or light soymilk
-Frozen veggies
-Hummus
-beans
-granola bars (maybe once a month)
-Soy fro yo!!
-cereal (maybe once a month)
-veggie burgers (maybe once a month)

I always have on hand (they last me a long time): oatmeal, brown rice, grains like quinoa, bread (in the freezer), nut butters

[~Lenore]

Kale
Spinach
Red delicious apples
Gala apples
Mushrooms
Oranges
Frozen broccoli
Lentils
Raisins
Bananas
Red grapes
Almonds
V8
Peanuts
Extra firm tofu
Silken tofu
Strawberries
Blueberries
Zucchini
Carrots
Brown rice
Cantaloupe
Cauliflower
Black olives
Regular olives
Pickles & marinated jarred veggies
Different types of pretzels
Ketchup
Mustard
Soy sauce
Newman's Own sesame ginger dressing
Seaweed
Luna bars
Clif bars
Think organic bars
Gardenburger "Riblets"
Boca vegan burger
Morningstar Chik'n strips
Smartdogs
Roma tomatoes
Avocado
Assorted frozen veggies
Tomato sauce
Russet potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Pistachios
Sunflower seeds
Plain, vanilla, and chocolate soymilk
Creamy peanut butter
Semi-sweet chocolate chips (my store-brand is vegan, yay)
Van's waffles
Apple butter
Maple syrup
Whole-wheat flaxseed bread
Whole-wheat spaghetti, macaroni & penne
Young coconuts
Plums
Miso soup mix
Dried split peas
Dried red beans
Dried garbanzos
Dried black beans
Instant oatmeal

All I can think of right now. :p

[Wildflower]

I go grocery shopping all the time! I swear, several times a week, i can't even keep up to post it all in the What Did you Buy today Thread - but check that thread out, I really like to see what others buy and prices!

things I buy regularly (i am in the US)

red peppers
avacados
green onions
tomatoes
spinach
brocolli
mushrooms
garlic
potatoes
bananas, limes and lemons (we have those all year here)
in season fruits - now is blueberries, peaches, raspberries, cherries, strawberries, apricots, plums
soymilk
dairy free margarine - Smart Balance Light w/flax oil and Earth Balance
whole wheat bread
black refried beans and black bean soup (always have on hand)
chick peas (always have on hand)
kidney beans (always have on hand)
Salt Free Diced canned tomatoes (always have on hand)
Pasta Sauce (always have on hand)
Pasta - whole wheat spagetti, penne, cavatappi (always have on hand)
whole wheat pastry flour
herbs - dried and fresh like basil, cilantro (corriander) and rosemary
extra firm tofu
silken tofu
olives - green, black, kalamata, garlic stuffed
and sometimes i buy fake meats like tofurky products (smoked tofurky slices and keilbasa and itallian sausages), LightLife Smart Bacon and Sausage links and Fantastic Foods dehydrated tvp mixes - Taco Filling, Sloppy Joes, Chilli and Boca chickn nuggets.
tortillas
pico de gallo
tortilla chips
potato chips
chocolate chips

And I always have staples like 10 different mustards, ketchup, salad dressing, flour, sugar (brown and white) organic fair trade coffee, tea, vinegar (white, cider, balsamic), salt, peppercorns, tahinni, peanutbutter, jam, maple syrup, etc.

[purple.cow]

Since my last post on here (xwitchymagicx) my diet has changed a lot so I'll make a new list:

Brown Rice
Soya Milk
Butter
Main Vegetables (mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, spinach, cucumber, potatos)
Frozen Vegetables (peas, broccoli, onion)
Soya Chunks
Variety of Herbs and Spices
Nori Flakes (seaweed stuff)
Vegetable Stocks
Gluten Free Brown Seeded Rolls
Rasperry and Vanilla Soya Yogurts
Legumes (butterbeans, chickpeas, pinto beans, kidney beans)
Gluten Free Soya Sauce
Variety of nuts and seeds
Green tea
Hummus

Then, I just buy any extras I need.


I try to keep veggie burgers in the freezer and jarred pasta sauce for quicky meals. :p


Me to, there just so expensive though I can't. :(

[sp00ki]

I apologize if this has been answered in another thread (i'm sure it has, but i didn't have much luck searching for it...).
Is there any sort of vegan "rule of thumb" list for getting essentials that aren't typically found in plants and veggies? i've already taken note of b-12 and omega-3... are there any other important vitamins/minerals/etc that i might be inadvertently missing? I want to make sure i cover all my bases when molding my new eating habits.

[eve]

Hay spOOki, As a long-term vegan, I'd say that there is no rule of thumb list - provided you eat plenty of fruits, veggies, nuts, legumes, and a spoonful of flaxseed oil, etc. That way you won't miss out on anything. One thing I will say though, is that although there are heaps and heaps of books around, one book that is essential and first class reading, is The China Study by Dr T Colin Campbell. You will read it and keep it as a reference for all time. Website at http://www.thechinastudy.com/about.html :)

[Pascale]

Make sure to get enough iodine. I really like the book "Becoming Vegan". It has a lot of health information and is just a really good book on veganism.

[=Sarah=]

Yay! I just bought this book today randomly. I'm past the beginning phase but it seemed to have a lot of good nutritional information that was worth having around.. glad to know its worth the money :)

[Mahk]

Don't rely on a singular source of protein, spOOki, mix it up a bit! Animal protein is a "complete protein" (it contains all the essential amino acids). Most plant proteins are not, but eating groupings such as beans and rice (perhaps the most classic), bread and peanut butter, etc. give the same results. Originally it was thought that you needed to do this in the same meal. It now seems eating a variety throughout the week is just as good. Learn new foods that you can barely pronounce (or me spell!) such as tempeh, seitan, tofu, tahini, hummus, dahl, texturized vegetable protein, as well as traditional nuts, seeds, beans, legumes (pulses), grains, soy/nut milk, and others. Vitamin B12 is the only thing I feel a vegan has to actively seek out. I simply take a multi-vitamin daily (with a meal) and don't worry about it, but it can also be found in (some) nutritional yeast and "Grape Nuts" and other fortified cereals.

[Bonobo]

Hey all :)

I was just curious... when you go grocery shopping, what are some of the main things, that as a vegan, you couldn't live without?

When I make the change in a week or so and go shopping, it would be great to have a better idea of what might be useful to have in the kitchen (ie. nutritional yeast - I had never heard of it until I read posts on this forum!)

Have a great day :D
Bonobo

[fiamma]

Hi Bonobo, and welcome :)

Some of my staples are canned beans - I know dried are better but having canned means you can whip up hummus or a bean pate in no time.

Tahini and good quality nut butters. Tahini for the aforementioned bean pates, nut butters for sauces and spreading on bread and so on.

Good quality olive oil.

Some tofu and tempeh.

Seeds - pumpkin, sunflower and sesame. And flax - get a coffee grinder if you don't already have one to grind them up. Also nuts.

And soy sauce, a must.

Fresh ginger, lemons and garlic.

Miso.

That should be enough to get you started :)

[sugarmouse]

I try to have frozen and canned veggies ( I buy fresh all the time but in case I am stuck its handy)
theyre good for making stir fries, soups and the like.
I usually have some tofu or soy mince in case I want something more substantial , and I usuauly have some quinoa or noodles.
I also try to have veggie stock and some dressings handy.
Its a good idea to have staples I agree... then you cannot go wrong!
Have a look at the 'waht did you eat today' thread:)

[twinkle]

I don't think my staples differ much from an omni kitchen really -

Flour (strong for bread, plain and wholemeal, self-raising),
Pasta
Rice
Cereals (boxed and oats for porridge)
Jam, marmalade and preserves
Sugar (white unbleached, and some variant on brown)
Pickles
Olives
Cooking oil (sunflower and corn)
Olive Oil
Canned tomatoes
Canned baked beans
Canned soups in case of emergency laziness :)
Jarred pasta sauce and curry sauce
Chilli and soya sauce bottles
Dried fruit for cake making and snacking
Chocolate!! (I can't believe nobody mentioned that yet ;) )
Condiments and herbs
Vanilla and peppermint essences

In the freezer I always have peas and sweetcorn and indian snacks like samosas and pakoras. Usually some kind of potato product such as oven chips or rosti.

I guess since I went vegan I may have added the following:

Boxed longlife silken tofu - handy if you want to whip up a quick white sauce or chocolate pudding or something.

I always had nuts and I don't really eat any more of them since I went vegan but I now store them in the freezer so they don't go rancid as quickly.

I also have flax seeds which I store in the freezer and add to fruit smoothies.

Hope that's helpful, I have a feeling it was just me rambling on about food :)