Poor vegan, cheap living

[Ananas]

Great! Swiss Chard is so rare here, i can only buy it very high priced at a health food store.

May i ask how much you spend on grocerys per week, Amethyst? just interested because you seem to eat so low budget. i've managed to stay below 30 dollars a week for a while, but somehow i got a more expensive taste now... and i try to buy organic which i didnt do back then.

[amethyst]

Ananas, I have been vegan since spring of this year, so I am still a work in progress on budgeting and meal planning. I was vegetarian for 6+ years, so I have the general idea down. Just had to do some tweaking to go full-on vegan. No eggs, cheese, etc. Best decision I ever made for my health, not to mention the health of the innocents.

I don't really know what I average for my vegan groceries. One week, I might stock up on dried beans, rice, whole wheat flour, and then the next week, I buy whatever fruit and veg are on sale, whether it be frozen or fresh. I don't really track it but I know it is a very small portion of my overall bill.

I CAN tell you that I spend about a thousand dollars a month for groceries, paper items like toilet paper, health and beauty, cleansers that I don't make homemade, etc. I have 4 kids and a hubby, and they eat like a swarm of locusts! LOL Only one of them is vegetarian, no other vegans, and most have a carnivorous malfunction. o_O

My college kids pitch in on the grocery budget, and I do the shopping and most of the food prep since they work and go to school. Anything to keep them on that path, and I am at home anyway. I homeschool my 13 year old. He's the baby of the family., although he already weighs as much as me, and is taller. LOL

If I had to bet, I probably only spend $150 a month on me, and that's overestimating it. I don't eat that much. I live in hysterectomy and hormone hell, and am enjoying slimming down a bit from all of the healthier food in my diet. Seems that eating like a poor person is healthier, simpler, and cheaper. Oh, if I could just get the others to see it my way!

Well, I really went off on a tangent or two. Sorry for the oversharing. I do tend to do that a lot.

[Pthalo]

wow.

[amethyst]

Oh come on, Pthalo. Gimme more than that.

Wow, because of my personal $150 a month? Wow, because of my meat-eating offspring and mate's remainder of the approx $1000 a month. (I cringe just to type that!)

Wait. Need to catch my breath....

With everything being more expensive these days, the paper and household goods do cost a decent amount, but I kid you not. These people are like a swarm of locusts. It is the best description I can come up with. Except that I feel that I am insulting those vegan locusts. LOL

AND.....they are all trim and in good physical shape. I am probably making them sound like they need to go on that biggest loser show.

[Pthalo]

I am in awe , amethyst, of such numbers. Is that $1,000 divided by 6? If you can afford it, I say why complain? Eat your vegan goodness and let them be. The exception being if one or more gets sick from their diet.

[amethyst]

Yeah, Pthalo. I am in awe of it, too. Or disgust, actually. If I am spending $120-150 per month, and I think those are high numbers + it includes the paper products, health and beauty, cleaners, etc, as I mentioned before........then we have to divide the remaining $850 or so by 5 people for food only. That's too much. My college kids work while they are students, and they give me money to contribute, but it's still ridiculous.

Meanwhile, I personally live a frugal life in all other aspects. Recycle, repurpose and reuse, no lights during the day and curtains and blinds open, low water usage, homemade cleansers and household products when I can, etc.

I have really been looking at ways to cut back, and slowly do better each month.

I think our grocery bill is the worst of everything. Ironically, I live off of beans, bulk grains, and simple veggies. There is something wrong with this picture!

Oh, if I could get them all to eat the vegan way. Better health, and better finances. Sigh.

[Glory]

Amethyst, not to pry or anything, but if you are the one doing the shopping and the cooking then they should be eating like you. I mean, your 13-year old for sure should be eating what you're eating.

I know it's not easy for folks with families, but aside from some non-vegan granola bars and Doritos, my hubby pretty much eats all vegan foods at home. He only very rarely has meat in the house and will order it when we go out to eat. He's what I call and "at home" vegan. I'm sure you're family could become that way too, with just a little bit of tweaking.

[missbettie]

I agree. My SO normally just adds cheese to some of the foods I make. And if he doesn't like what i'm making he figures out his own food.

[Risker]

^ Oh, I'd be so cross if someone did that. I'd see ingredients being added by people as them suggesting that the food I made wasn't good enough as it was.

[missbettie]

yes....we do have issues with this..... Its more food that typically has cheese anyway, I just don't add it in. But we do have some big issues about my cooking. So I stopped cooking for him for a while. And he had to live on fast food and tv dinners and sandwiches....he wasn't happy about that....so he stopped complaining. Cooking to me is art....I understand you're not going to like everything I cook, but I really do not like responses like "this is okay" or different things on how I could improve the dish. If you never cook, or offer to help, you shouldn't have an opinion about the food i'm so graciously prepairing for you, the only opinion you should voice is "wow this is amazing!" or "Thank you darling."

sorry, this is a bit of a sore spot for me. ggrrrrr....

[amethyst]

[QUOTE=Glory;694109]Amethyst, not to pry or anything, but if you are the one doing the shopping and the cooking then they should be eating like you. I mean, your 13-year old for sure should be eating what you're eating. QUOTE]

Glory, I hear ya, but I cannot control my 21, 22, and 24 year olds. Just not gonna happen. They all love vegan food, but they also love their meat and other junk.

As for my 13 year old, he ate dinner with me tonight. White beans and brown rice, with sauteed kale on the side. He loved it. I don't force him to eat vegan, because I feel that it is his choice to make when he is ready. I don't parent that way. I DO believe in showing him the yummy foods available, and obviously he is eating it.

And we don't have a tone button here, so I hope this doesn't sound defensive. I completely see where you are coming from, and don't feel defensive, in case it 'sounds' that way when you read this.

[FaerieSuzy]

Amethyst - don't know whether you do this or not.... my dad still eats meat, cheese etc. BUT if he wants it, he buys it. My mum provides vegan meals for the family and if he wants anything else, he must get it himself. Maybe with your older kids you could adopt a similar rule? As they are more than old enough to buy some bits themselves, you are putting good nutritous food on the table, and then leaving it up to them to buy an extra they want. It works for our family, maybe you could give it a try?
My brother is only 13, and is a vegetarian, and doesn't eat eggs, cheese or milk anyway, but he does still eat things like milk chocolate or cereal that contains milk, but it is out of his pocket money if he wants those things.
I know it's not everyone's way of running a family, just a suggestion though!

[Maître]

When I went veggie at age 10 I had to prepare all my own meals from then on, but it was my choice to eat differently to what my mother cooked for everyone else - I don't see why it should be any different for meat eaters with a vegan mother to be honest, and you'll probably notice that their 'pro meat' convictions aren't strong enough to make them cook every meal when you're offering perfectly good vegan ones

[Glory]

Amethyst, you weren't defensive at all! And I'm sorry if I came across as snooty! I just was curious as it is always interesting to me to see how other folks deal with veganism/vegetarianism in their homes.

Plus, I was still pondering on something Korn said in another thread. It was along the lines of, "People are raised to be meat eaters and not raised to be vegans." So, I thought to myself, if hubby and I ever have kids, what will we raise them as: omnis or vegans (or vegetarians). I think they'd definitely be veg, but maybe not vegan. Not sure. So, you, with a 13 yo at home, would be the perfect person to raise a vegan/veggie. Does that make sense?

[amethyst]

FaerieSuzy-I agree about not paying for the meat, and that is why the older kids have to take part in the food budget. They eat more expensive things, and more drive thru, than I do. Therefore, they have to pay for it, not to mention the whole vegan thing of course! They are all full time college kids and part time workers. Age 21-24.

Maitre and Glory-I have only been vegan for a few months, and have been making adjustments as I go with the family dynamic. If I had been vegan before having kids, I am positive that I would have had a different attitude about what to feed them. Just as I did feed them meat and dairy, since that is the way my mind was set at the time that I had those kids.

Maybe I am different than all of you. I tend to try to allow others to make their own decisions, without forcing my own lifestyle on them, whether they are friends or family. I have always encouraged my kids to find their own path, just as my own mother did for me. I would not even consider telling them that as of today, things are going to be totally different, and they will be forced to live their life the way I insist that they do it. I am still the mother they have always been able to rely on, and I will only try to influence them by answering their questions about veganism, and by teaching by example.

I have not forced my own spiritual beliefs on them, but have made them aware of what I believe in, and good morals and practices in general. They tend to be like me, whether I told them to or not.

I have not tried to force them to become vegan since I did only a few months ago. I have always fed them a mostly healthy diet, and educated them on nutrition and antioxidants and immunity boosting foods. I did this even when I was still eating meat and dairy. We eat almost all homecooked meals. I tend to lean toward natural foods and alternative medicine, herbs and homeopathics. This medical approach is not anymore mainstream than being a vegan. And they all tend to do the same thing.

We have always rescued stray animals, giving them a gentle life, and keeping them until they die of old age.

I come from a long line of nature lovers, and my kids know the importance of loving their surroundings.

I have no idea why this one thing in my life took so long. My witchy, new agey gene pool should have pegged me vegan a long time ago.

I do believe in teaching through example, and in most subjects, I can see that type of parenting has been effective. Since I am so independent and shall I say...hmm, hard-headed....I do better when someone is not judging or trying to force their ideals on me. I can't imagine why, but my kids also tend to be a bit stubborn (), so I can only hope that this new change in our household will be another example that they will gravitate toward.

Meanwhile, I will continue cooking at home, as I always have. Providing a rainbow of veg and fruit, grains, beans, etc, as I always have. And hope that as each of them matures, they will see the benefit and ethical choice of being vegan.

[amethyst]

Wow, I had no idea how long that post was going to be until I had already hit 'enter'. Sorry 'bout that.

[harpy]

It's up to everyone how to handle this situation for themselves, and you can't tell how someone else's family are going to react to a sudden switch to vegan food. I agree that if people feel a change is being forced on them they tend to rebel.

I haven't any children so it was probably a bit easier for me - when I first went vegan we both went over to cooking vegan meals (though OH was omnivorous at the time - he is veggie now). IIRC that he went on buying the odd non-vegan thing for himself for a while, but I wouldn't have bought or cooked it for him. I don't recall it being a bone (as it were) of contention. He ate, and continues to eat, whatever he wants when he's out.

So that was a compromise that worked for us.

[FaerieSuzy]

Absolutely Amethyst, it is completely different for each family and whatever dynamic works for you, carry on with!! I suppose my family are different as 4 out of the 5 of us are vegan so only my dad was the one left to buy any animal products, which I imagine makes buying it himself a less 'forceful' option. Luckily he doesn't mind You'll probably find as you cook more vegan meals they realise how much gorgeous, non-animal food there is and buy less of the expensive stuff as a result. If so, winner!

[Pthalo]

Well said, Amethyst

[amethyst]

Thanks for your support. And I apologize for veering off topic somewhat. I am not sure how we went over 'there', but now we can come back over 'here' to talk about cheap vegan food. And cheap living in general.

It's a personal mission of mine to spend less everytime I go to the store. As long as I am eating something delish.

[VeganAthlete]

I'm also on a grocery budget considering I have to pay my way through graduate school and other bills. I usually spend between $50 to $80 per week. I am vegan (obviously) and my partner is a vegetarian. We usually go shopping together and purchase food items that we can both eat (fruits, veggies, grains, tofu, etc.) and additional items that are either vegan or vegetarian.

Our shopping list usually consists of the following items:

• Quinoa
• Brown Rice
• Red Kidney Beans
• Black Beans
• Garbanzo Beans
• Barley
• Wheat Berries
• Broccoli (frozen)
• Cauliflower (frozen)
• Stirfry veggies (frozen)
• Firm & Extra Firm Tofu
• Firm Silken tofu
• Canned Pumpkin
• TVP
• Better than Milk Vegan Milk
• Soy Milk Vanilla Light
• Soy Milk Chocolate Light (my indulgence)
• Soy Milk Plain Original (for my partner)
• 7-Grain Hot Cereal
• Apples
• Strawberries
• Dark Cherries
• Blue Berries
• Hummus (Spinach & Artichoke)
• Garlic & Herb Crackers (for my partner--still can't figure out if they are both vegan & vegetarian)
• Baby Carrots
• Celery
• Bamboo Shots
• Mushrooms
• Tofu Noodles
• Onion
• Tomatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Edamame
• Boca Burgers (Original Vegan)
• Tofutti Cream Cheese (for partner)
• Follow Your Heart Jalapeno Cheese
• Cinnamon (My GREATEST ADDICTION)
• So Delicious Coconut milk (Light)
• Thai Green Curry Paste
• Soychorizo (for partner)
• Egg substitutes (for partner)

There are several things I clearly will not eat and same goes for him. Believe it or not, all of these items average to be $50-$80....never really go over. Some of the stuff will carry over to the next week as well.

[Korn]

[rianaelf]

but Amethyst by buying meat you are in a sense killing another creature to feed your children who are well old enough to go out and buy their own food and cook it!

Why should you have to cut up and cook a carcass for them!!!

[amethyst]

but Amethyst by buying meat you are in a sense killing another creature to feed your children who are well old enough to go out and buy their own food and cook it!

Why should you have to cut up and cook a carcass for them!!!

I think you have misread some things in your haste to judge me. I promise not to judge you, no matter what you post. It is not my reason for being here.

Blessings to you as you walk your path.

[rianaelf]

I think you have misread some things in your haste to judge me. I promise not to judge you, no matter what you post. It is not my reason for being here.

Blessings to you as you walk your path.

sorry I was not trying to judge you, really that was the last thing on my mind!

[friend]

Dunno if anyone is poor or not.
Jack Fultons are stocking delicious provamel chocolate puds..in the tall cartons..2 for a quid..get over there and buy them up!!!

[KattJohnson]

rice is a wonderful thing! i am a brand new vegan, however i have found that when all else fails, i make rice and mix it with a vegan friendly salsa. a dear friend of mine informed me of the importance of making sure you can keep up with all those essential vitamins, proteins, and iron.

[bry_nat]

How do you make your bread?

oh! thats what i do. i make homemade bread for my sister and boyfriend and its alot cheaper. (my sister and i cant have normal bread because of celiac disease, so i make homemade rice bread. otherwise, a loaf of ricebread is 7-10$ a loaf!)

[Verencemos]

Just discovered chick pea pancakes (thanks to Vivien of TVV). For each 25g of gram (chickpea) flour, use 50ml water to make a thin batter. Add spices and herbs, salt and pepper. Fry Makes very thin crepe like pancakes. Alternatively, add grated veg and liquidise to make a thicker and more flavoured batter. Either way, fry, fill and roll

Nutritious. Fairly quick, cheap, endless variations. V

[Lentils]

Just discovered chick pea pancakes (thanks to Vivien of TVV). For each 25g of gram (chickpea) flour, use 50ml water to make a thin batter. Add spices and herbs, salt and pepper. Fry Makes very thin crepe like pancakes. Alternatively, add grated veg and liquidise to make a thicker and more flavoured batter. Either way, fry, fill and roll

Nutritious. Fairly quick, cheap, endless variations. V

I recently discovered these as well and am a big fan! They are known as chillas and are served as street food in India but can also easily be adapted into 'omelettes' ending up with the exact same look and feel as their egg based cousins. Gram flour can also be used as an egg replacer in many recipes and over here atleast is very cheap.

[pusskins]

Pasta bake. My standby. Lasts a few days. Lentils or pulses, frozen veg, chopped toms. Boil. Load of boiled pasta. Mix together. Use flavourings, herbs, spices. Put in large baking dish. Bake.

[Blueberries]

Pasta bake. My standby. Lasts a few days. Lentils or pulses, frozen veg, chopped toms. Boil. Load of boiled pasta. Mix together. Use flavourings, herbs, spices. Put in large baking dish. Bake.

^^ Sounds good Pusskins!

@others, I also make what I call chickpea omelettes with gram/besan/chickpea flour. They're cheap, easy to make (I just mix chickpea flour, non-dairy milk & a tablespoon of sunflower oil) and will keep in the fridge for next-day lunches. I add chopped potato and onion and make it a Spanish omelette, which is great with pesto and sun-dried tomatoes.

[Robinwomb]

Just discovered chick pea pancakes (thanks to Vivien of TVV). For each 25g of gram (chickpea) flour, use 50ml water to make a thin batter. Add spices and herbs, salt and pepper. Fry Makes very thin crepe like pancakes. Alternatively, add grated veg and liquidise to make a thicker and more flavoured batter. Either way, fry, fill and roll

Nutritious. Fairly quick, cheap, endless variations. V

I have made this many times in many variations. They are also called socca if using a certain technique, or you could call them soy free chickpea flour omellettes if you use another technique. These are so filling and nutritious and yes oh so cheap and fast to make! I posted a pic of mine on the pics of good food you've eaten thread a while back. Good one!

[EpicLibrarian]

I love socca! Sometimes I do them in cast iron, sometimes fried like a crepe. Great with veg or with fruit as a dessert!

[Wraithling]

Pasta with tomato (and chilli?) sauce was a staple of mine when I was a student, particularly when I lived near an Asian grocers and could get hold of chillis very cheaply (and I generally find they're not too expensive in the supermarkets, either). Budget-range tinned tomatoes are not exactly the most flavoursome but they are pretty serviceable and in some places can cost as little as 15p a can. I bulk it up with chickpeas or flageolet beans (usually chickpeas) sometimes, too - about 180g cooked/canned chickpeas per 400g tomatoes is a good mix, or you can sprinkle a handful of the top of the plate when you're dishing up.

If I make a dhal, chile or stew and find I've portioned it out wrong and am left with a little bit, I'll add stock to it and eat it as soup. Red lentil dhal that's been in the fridge and stiffened also makes a pretty good sandwich spread or dip.

You can also make soup out of peanut butter! At its simplest, you just pour boiling water over the top. The recipe I use, though, involves a few cheap vegetables (carrots and celery), vegetable stock, a bit of flour and lots of black pepper.

The chickpea pancakes sound awesome: I don't think I've ever cooked with gram flour before but I'll give them a try. Can you pre-mix the batter and store it? Also, do they freeze well, like other pancakes?

[EpicLibrarian]

Okay, I have recently discovered the absolute best cheese sauce I have ever had, and it is super cheap! I got this off of the vegan thread on Reddit. I changed it a little, so here is how I made it (this was for 1 large and one medium size lasagna, so you might want to cut it down):

2 cans coconut milk
2 cans cannelloni beans (rinsed)
1 vegan veggie bouillon cube

Just throw it all in the blender until it makes a sauce. My veggie cube is the type that is soft, so I threw it in the blender too. Then I heated it up on the stove. I added a little corn starch to thicken it. When it baked, it actually got hard and gooey like cheese. It was really delicious in the lasagna! If you used one can of each, the whole huge thing of cheese sauce would cost less than $2.

[redshoes]

Cor, EpicLibrarian, that sounds fantastic. Quick, unfussy, easy and cheap. Me likee. How much coconut flavour comes through? I'm not big on stuff tasting strongly of coconut. (In curry recipes etc that call for coconut milk, I always use less than they ask for, so that it does the job but doesn't overpower the other flavours.) I'm quite keen to try this out.

[peanutbutter]

Ohhh epic librarian, I'm definitely going to try this - I can't wait til squashes start arriving as I've been dreaming of a butternut squash lasagne.

[Blueberries]

Thought I'd bump this thread up as I'm now in a situation where I'm trying to live as cheaply as possible (although aren't we all!). Where I'm living there are lots of vegan products and treats available, so I'm attempting to live cheaply most of the time and then splash out occasionally . I just made a huge pot of pinto beans and I'm going to use/freeze leftover stuff.

[charliko]

Okay, I have recently discovered the absolute best cheese sauce I have ever had, and it is super cheap! I got this off of the vegan thread on Reddit. I changed it a little, so here is how I made it (this was for 1 large and one medium size lasagna, so you might want to cut it down):

2 cans coconut milk
2 cans cannelloni beans (rinsed)
1 vegan veggie bouillon cube

Just throw it all in the blender until it makes a sauce. My veggie cube is the type that is soft, so I threw it in the blender too. Then I heated it up on the stove. I added a little corn starch to thicken it. When it baked, it actually got hard and gooey like cheese. It was really delicious in the lasagna! If you used one can of each, the whole huge thing of cheese sauce would cost less than $2.

I am hoping someone can expand upon the recipe. Is a tomato sauce or tomatoes used as well as the cheese sauce for Lasagna? Any others tried the recipe, I am wondering about cocoanut being overpowering as well. Hope to hear other opinions. Cooking reasonably without soy is something I can always improve upon.

[BellaTanie]

I spend about $100/weekly on food.....but I am also feeding 4 kids, my husband and myself. I try to buy organically, especially produce, but it does get expensive.

[Blueberries]

I spend about $100/weekly on food.....but I am also feeding 4 kids, my husband and myself. I try to buy organically, especially produce, but it does get expensive.

$100 a week isn't bad for 6 people!

[BellaTanie]

Thanks Blueberries, I try!

[Blueberries]

I'm continuing to try to live cheaply by buying own-brand things, getting veg/fruit that's frozen and/or cheap/on special offer, eating lots of beans, making my own seitan (wheat gluten flour is fairly cheaply available), bringing my lunch to work and trying to curb my impulse supermarket purchases. I bought a water filter so I don't have to buy bottles of water (tap water here is drinkable but not great). Any other ideas? I like to save money and then as a treat splash out on nice vegan things, or go out for a vegan meal .

[Robinwomb]

I might be joining you soon Blueberries as I am living on student loans and inherited money that will run out soon (my job alone doesnt cover all my expenses including school). When I finish school I sure hope to get a better job to pay off my enormous student loan debt.

Have you ever had either steel cut oats, oat groats, or millet in the crockpot overnight? Just add chopped fresh apple or other fruit, cinammon, and vegan sweetener if you want and water (1/4 cup of grain to 1 cup of water so four servings would be one cup grain to four cups water) and in the morning you can have a nice batch of great comforting cereal. If you live alone but make four servings you can have enough for a few days as it keeps several days in the refrigerator. I really love millet because it absorbs so many flavors and foods and it is very cheap (I buy it in bulk from the healthfood store), not to mention nutritious. 1/4 cup dry makes a cup cooked so a little goes a long way. For a treat add fresh or canned coconut milk to the crockpot. My Dad was here from out of state to visit last weekend and I made crockpot steel cut oats for him for breakfast and he loved it. He ate vegan all weekend with me except when the whole family got together and went out to eat Sunday night. He has diverticulosis so I had to be careful with what to feed him but it worked out well.

I make a list to follow for grocery shopping (I am anal) but if I dont I get a little impulsive too lol. Baked potatoes make a good meal base. I like to add nutritional yeast sauce and steamed brocoli or brussel sprouts with it. You can add so many sauces, beans, and veggies to potatoes to make a meal. Just a thought.

[Lentils]

I'm continuing to try to live cheaply by buying own-brand things, getting veg/fruit that's frozen and/or cheap/on special offer, eating lots of beans, making my own seitan (wheat gluten flour is fairly cheaply available), bringing my lunch to work and trying to curb my impulse supermarket purchases. I bought a water filter so I don't have to buy bottles of water (tap water here is drinkable but not great). Any other ideas? I like to save money and then as a treat splash out on nice vegan things, or go out for a vegan meal .

You mentioned freezing beans, but you can just store them in an air tight box in the fridge and they'll be good for a week and take less time and hassle to reheat that way

[Blueberries]

Thanks robimwomb & lentils!

@Robinwomb, I would love nothing more than to have a crockpot, I was actually thinking of buying one but I'm not sure I can afford one right now, and if I got one I probably wouldn't have anywhere to put it in my tiny, rented kitchen- I'd have to put it in the living room with my microwave! I agree about baked potatoes, I made some the day before yesterday and they're divine! Nice cold in lunches if you're mad like me!

@Lentils, I cook huge amounts of beans at a time, more than I'd eat in a week but I could try keeping some in the fridge and some in the freezer

[Robinwomb]

Thanks robimwomb & lentils!

@Robinwomb, I would love nothing more than to have a crockpot, I was actually thinking of buying one but I'm not sure I can afford one right now, and if I got one I probably wouldn't have anywhere to put it in my tiny, rented kitchen- I'd have to put it in the living room with my microwave! I agree about baked potatoes, I made some the day before yesterday and they're divine! Nice cold in lunches if you're mad like me!

@Lentils, I cook huge amounts of beans at a time, more than I'd eat in a week but I could try keeping some in the fridge and some in the freezer

My sister is having this problem too. She has a tiny apartment with no room in the kitchen. I wanted to get her a crockpot. They did have them for sale used at a consignment shop for very cheap but there was no way to test how well they worked. It's an idea though if you are looking for one. Of course where to put it...

Another base to work with is cornmeal/polenta. You can make hot cereal out of it and add plant milk and molasses and other stuff, or make polenta and add baked beans on top or a tomato sauce and something else. You can even make cornmeal lemon sugar cookies for Christmas. I did that last year for work and got a lot of cookies out of it and it was one of the cheapest baking recipes I ever made.
When I am broke lentils are my best friend as I can do so many things with them...soups, burgers, loaves, stir fries, or plain with lemon pepper sprinkled on. I saw a recipe somewhere that uses red lentils in baking bread and sweets of all things. I did brownies once with black beans but coincidentally got violently ill shortly after due to eating what I thought were wild blueberries in the woods that turned out not to be. I couldn't even keep down water for several days and had to be treated in the ER. Ever since then I can not stomach the idea of beans in baking but it does make a nice egg substitute. You can make energy bars with white beans, oats, raisins and a few other items and get quite a few bars out of it and store them in the freezer. I think the nomeatathlete site has a good white bean energy bar recipe that can be tweaked so you aren't buying fifty ingredients for it. That's about all I can think of at the moment. You are more experienced as a vegan than I am so you have probably tried all my ideas.

[Blueberries]

Another base to work with is cornmeal/polenta. You can make hot cereal out of it and add plant milk and molasses and other stuff, or make polenta and add baked beans on top or a tomato sauce and something else. You can even make cornmeal lemon sugar cookies for Christmas. I did that last year for work and got a lot of cookies out of it and it was one of the cheapest baking recipes I ever made.)

I like poleta but haven't made it in a while, it doesn't come naturally to the Irish . I should get some corn flour and give it a go.

When I am broke lentils are my best friend as I can do so many things with them...soups, burgers, loaves, stir fries, or plain with lemon pepper sprinkled on. I saw a recipe somewhere that uses red lentils in baking bread and sweets of all things. I did brownies once with black beans but coincidentally got violently ill shortly after due to eating what I thought were wild blueberries in the woods that turned out not to be. I couldn't even keep down water for several days and had to be treated in the ER. Ever since then I can not stomach the idea of beans in baking but it does make a nice egg substitute. You can make energy bars with white beans, oats, raisins and a few other items and get quite a few bars out of it and store them in the freezer. I think the nomeatathlete site has a good white bean energy bar recipe that can be tweaked so you aren't buying fifty ingredients for it. That's about all I can think of at the moment. You are more experienced as a vegan than I am so you have probably tried all my ideas.

I love lentils and beans, but I had never thought of making bean-based energy bars, I'll have to look that recipe up. I'm always open to new ideas, thanks Robinwomb, you're always so helpful

[Robinwomb]

Thanks Blueberries! Here is the recipe for the white bean energy bars (the only item listed in there that isnt vegan is honey which can easily be substituted with agave or any other sweetener):
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/homemade-energy-bars/

This page has a generic template for making energy bars with a variety of options:
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/homemad...gy-bar-recipe/

I made the white bean energy bars once for my husband and I and didn't tell him what was in it and he loved them! lol.