Vegan Family Grocery Haul | Wegmans

One of the reasons I've been able to stay on this vegan journey for 5 years is by always going to the grocery store with a detailed meal plan.

Tip for you:

Use a spiral notebook and jot down what you're eating for the week and what ingredients you need to pick up.

Not only does this keep your budget in check, but it will also get you in and out of the store in a reasonable time (even on crazy weekends).

I remember those days of being confused about what I should or shouldn't buy and wondering if my family would even embrace this new life with me. 

I will say that once you're consistent, patient with yourself and family (believe me I know the struggle) and open to learning a new way of doing things, you will find that it isn't too difficult to stay on track. 

Wegmans is my fave grocery store ever!

On this recent trip, we spent $151. This is enough groceries for about a week and a half for our family of 5.

Check out the full video here....

Recipes we made:

Green chickpea curry with couscous from Minimalist Baker

Lentil tacos

Coconut lentil soup 

Green chili veggie burgers from Minimalist Baker

BBQ tofu

Broccoli & vegan sausage stir-fry 

Chickpea Mac

Chipotle black bean tortilla soup from Minimalist Baker 

Brands mentioned:

Snapea Crisps - Only the lightly salted and pepper version of this brand are vegan 

GT's Kombucha 

Field Roast hotdogs

Field Roast sausage 

Earth Balance vegan margarine 

 

Where do you grocery shop? Leave a comment below 

What You Should Do BEFORE You Go Vegan

One of the questions I get often is, "I want to go vegan...where do I start?"

In the latest video I share some tips on how to start a successful vegan journey. 

Watch the video here.....

Recap from the video....

• Write down why you want to be vegan -There's so much power in getting it on paper
• Make the decision that you're going vegan-Something magical happens when you make that declaration! It will open you up to explore, research and do whatever you can to make the full transition to a vegan life.
• Recognize that this journey isn't perfect- I wish going vegan were perfect but even after 5 years it still isn't perfection for me. 
• Plan your meals-Meal planning can be overwhelming; especially since most of us aren't used to planning our meals in detail. Use Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and vegan cookbooks from the library to get ideas.  Try to focus on what you're already eating and figure out ways to veganize those meals.

I mentioned my podcast at the end of the video...Listen to episodes here

Where's Your Vegan Community?

Let's face it - this vegan life can get pretty lonely.

Your mama is worried that you're not eating enough and your best friend acts like you have 8 heads when you suggest a vegan restaurant.

It can be overwhelming at first - I've been there.

One of the most important things you can do is find a community to spend time with.

Interaction with like-minded people will: 

• keep you accountable
• show that you're not alone
• give you peeps to bounce ideas off of and vent to

How to find your vegan community:

• See what's going on in your local area using meetup.com - search for vegan/vegetarian groups that connect at restaurants and do other activities together. 
• Follow folks you resonate with on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (all of my real like vegan friends came from these sites). Be sure to connect with these folks, too! Be active :-)
• Join a few Facebook groups-Facebook groups are very different from regular pages....they feel more intimate and are a great way to ask questions and share experiences. 
• See if your county (or a neighboring one) offers vegan/vegetarian festivals - There are so many vegan festivals that happen during the summer/early fall that offer music, food, speakers and of course sooo many like-minded folks. Vegan.com has a list of festivals. Also, Google the nearest major city to you and "vegetarian festivals" and see what you get
• If all else fails, start your own community. :-) Start a Facebook group and/or blog and go from there. Like-minded folks will find and want to connect with you! Here's more info on how to start your own group.

In this video, I chatted with my friend Lisa (who isn't a vegan) about some of my vegan doubts and how I was able to feel better once I connected with some vegan friends the following week.

Enjoy the journey but don't do it alone! Find that community and order the whole menu like I do with Michelle. lol

Leave me a comment below when you find your vegan community. :-)

Quinoa & Sausage Skillet Recipe | What's for Dinner? (VIDEO)

I was a bit nervous about making this recipe for my family. They have a love/hate thing going on with quinoa, so I wasn't sure what the reaction would be...plus it doesn't look the most appetizing (at least not to me).

The verdict? All 5 of us loved it!

This meal is super simple, filling and the flavor is bomb. From start to finish, it will take about 35 minutes to put this together, so it's an awesome weeknight recipe.

The more I think about it, the more I realize my family just may not be the biggest fans of tri-color quinoa (who is more nutty and chewy) and actually probably just like the white quinoa that I used in this recipe.

Either way they loved this one and I've made it 3 times for them already. I usually double it so that we can eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. 

Once you make it, let me know what you think here or over on my Facebook page.

Recipe adapted from Peas and Thank You

Quinoa & Sausage Skillet

by Brown Vegan

Keywords: entree vegan

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 2 cups quinoa
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon oil (to saute vegetables)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 15 oz crushed tomatoes, canned
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 4 meatless sausage links, sliced (Field Roast & Tofurky are good brands)

Instructions

Add quinoa and water to a pot and bring to a boil.

Cover and cook on med-lo for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large skillet, saute onion, red bell pepper and celery for 7 minutes on medium heat.

Add in basil, oregano, salt, black pepper and garlic-cooking for another minute.

Stir in tomatoes and vegetable broth and bring to a low boil.

Next, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Mix in vegan sausage and quinoa and cook until the sausage is warm (about 5 minutes).

Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

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See more "What's for Dinner?" videos on this playlist

My Vegan Story

Click to watch the video

I just felt like chatting and wanted to share why I became a vegan and some of my views on the lifestyle.

It was so fun filming this video, that I will definitely have more candid conversations with you in the new year.

Watch the full video below and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more vlogs and cooking videos.