Apricot Tri-Color Couscous: YUM
Last Saturday, I put my feelers out on Facebook to see if there would be any interest in having me go vegan for the month of February and blog about it. The response was very strong and positive, so thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts. This is an idea I’ve had for the better part of a year now, and have decided to go for it!
Why I’m Doing This
I’m tired of hearing that you can’t save money on a healthy diet. Or that there are no coupons for things that are good for you. I’m a firm believer that you can save money and eat well. So I’ve decided to step into a very different way of eating in hopes of demonstrating that it can be done. For the entire month of February, I’ll be going vegan. Here are my goals in this challenge:
- To reach out to my readers that are following specialty diets (such as vegetarian, vegan, GF, etc.). Whether or not you are vegan, I hope that my adventures and approach will be of value to you.
- To learn from doing. Instead of just saying “hey, you can do it!” I want to gain the knowledge that can only come with actually doing it for myself.
- To challenge my couponing and saving abilities in a new way.
- To stay within our family’s $350/month food and household goods budget.
- On a personal level, to see what kind of health benefits can be realized from a plant-based diet.
Some of you tried to convince me of picking another diet. Well, sorry, no. This is the one I chose for various reasons which I won’t get into and don’t wish to debate. Needless to say, whether or not you agree with veganism, I hope that you’ll be able to follow me on my adventure and maybe gain some new ideas for eating healthfully or on a specialty diet while still saving money.
As a bit of a caveat, I should also mention that I was a vegetarian for a good chunk of my college days, so I am coming into this challenge with a little bit of know-how. I’ve also eaten vegan for a few days at a stretch before, but never a full month.
How I will be doing this
I’ve spent some time doing some research and contemplating how this will work. Here is what I’ve decided:
- My family will NOT be joining me on this adventure. At this time, I don’t feel it’s best to drastically change my children’s diets. There is much to learn about doing veganism healthfully, and I would rather focus my efforts on how to save money and eat well versus being consumed with food battles with my children. However, I do plan on introducing some new flavors and foods to them during February, and I hope to get more plant-based foods into their growing bodies! As for my husband? It’s up to him to do what he wants! I may try to coerce him into eating a few meatless meals each week. We’ll see how it goes.
- Whole foods eating wherever possible. I’m not a fan of margarine, or soy, or fakey type processed foods. My goal will be to do this as from-scratch, and healthfully as possibly. I love to cook and bake, so I’m looking forward to a new adventure in the kitchen. I’ve worked out a lot of sugar from my diet in January and hope to continue that trend in February.
- I’ll update you once a week. Watch for a post once a week where I’ll share with you stuff I ate, what I learned, and how I saved money doing it. I’ll also share how I’m feeling health wise for those who are curious. There may be some other posts thrown in throughout the month if I find particular inspiration.
- I probably won’t become vegan for life. I say “probably,” because who knows what the end of the month will bring and how I’ll feel? Regardless, I hope that I learn a lot about building meals that focus on plants, making good food choices, and saving money in the process.
Books I picked up at the library today!
A final word, for disclosure’s sake. I’m not a nutritionist, doctor, or fitness guru.Please don’t do something silly, and say “Angela at The Coupon Project made me do it.” You get the idea.
With that? Let’s get started!
If you’re vegan, I would love your advice, tips, and recipes. Feel free to leave a comment or email me at angela @ thecouponproject dot com.
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{ 43 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t wait to see how it goes and hear your updates! We have been trending towards a much more whole foods, less processed style of eating and our budget has definitely increased. However, there are thousands of ways to save money on natural foods. Even if I don’t “use coupons” to save money on most of the foods we buy, I’m still doing my best to track down good price points and keep a stock-up price list. We’ve just come to the terms with the fact that while we aren’t getting things for free or making money, we are buying what is in our best interest as a family for the best price that we know.
Good luck!
Yes, Melody – not everything I buy may be with a coupon.
I also plan to explore the cost of making vs. buying. For instance, seitan I’ve heard is spendy to buy. How spendy is it to make? Also, you can make almond milk. How spendy is that?
I’m also curious – if I cut out meat, so I now have more $$ to spend on produce? What about online shopping? And how about reducing the $$ I spend on eating out and such? I’m curious to see what I will discover.
I love learning to make new things, you are definitely more adventurous than I am. P.S. I don’t even know what seitan is!
P.S. Going vegan and learning how to shop this way is obviously going to take some time, but I’ve noticed that the better we are eating, the less time I spend planning my shopping trips. I’m not cutting zillions of coupons or spending extra time at the register. That’s definitely been a pay-off for me. Time is money!
Thanks Melody! I think it will be an adventure, for sure.
We lovingly call it “wheat meat” at our house… We’ve tried different recipes, but so far our favorite is the ground beef/sausage in “The Amazing Wheat Book” by LeArta Moulton.
If you start from flour, it’s a little more time consuming… If you buy gluten in bulk it’s a LOT quicker and still very economical. I look forward to reading about your adventures!
There is a really cute vegan blog and cookbook called “Peas and Thank You” that you could get ideas from.
THANKS for the tip! I’m collecting a number of these blogs as resources right now. Thanks.
I agree with Joni- definetly check out Peas and Thank you, it’s a wonderful blog. Our whole family is mainly vegetarian, but occasionally we do eat fish/shellfish- our almost 3 year old is addicted to scallops
I can’t wait to see what you come up with and how you can save money, I feel like we spend so much more than people with “normal” diets! I can’t wait for this to start! Thanks for doing it!
I’m new to your site as of today! I found you through our Fitness Challenge on FB with Michelle Tangen (who I think is your sister?). Anyway, I have never done coupons, but I will be looking at your Coupon 101 and also I want to know more about vegan. My husband grew up vegetarian, but we eat turkey and chicken now. I’m trying to find recipes for more meatless meals because I’m working on our budget too. So I’m excited to “meet” you and see what you will be sharing this month!
Hi Shonda! Welcome! Michelle is my first cousin!
OK! I knew you were related somehow. Just couldn’t remember. Great site you have here!
My family and I are on a mostly plant based whole foods diet. I am with you on the no soy and other modified products so I also stay clear of tofu etc. I am trying to go ‘back to basics’ and eat the way we were meant to eat. But I’m not going to lie. It’s HARD!!!!!!! I look forward to following this project and getting new ideas etc. I really like the Engine 2 diet book and we have made many recipes and they are delicious. We have made modifications ie:no tofu or soy products. The veggie lasagna is wonderful and the spelt blueberry pancakes.
A few suggested the Engine 2 diet and I’ve bookmarked the site. I watched Forks over Knives but was already familiar with the China Study as my parents have eaten mostly a plants-based diet for the last couple years.
I plan on taking another peak at the Engine 2 Diet and sharing with my hubby as he’s a firefighter! The guys (and gals!) on his crew always seem to eat so well. Undoubtedly, they’ve heard of this one.
THe only note I can think to make (have an amazing vegan friend or two) is 1) if you do soy meat (not sure if you will) Trader Joes Soy Chorizo is OMG so good
and 2) You’d be surprised what you can do with Butternut squash in place of meat – and I get the frozen cubed stuff at target.
Thanks for that suggestion! I’m not going to rule out ALL soy – I just want to limit it given that so much of it is GMO.
I do big heart love Field Roast for meat substitutes and I’ve tried a number of different things. Field Roast is gluten based and oh so good.
Good luck Angela! I went vegetarian (almost vegan) 6 years ago and it absolutely changed my life. I quickly went from a size 18 to a size 4 and drastically lowered my blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. I have so much energy now that I’m sure I will never eat meat again. Also, thanks to the cheap produce and bulk foods at Winco you definitely can eat real food on a low budget. I recommend engine2diet.com, kathyfreston.com and fatfreevegan.com. Have fun!
Thanks Lisa! I found fatfreevegan last night. I still have 15 pounds more on me than I did before babies. I’m super curious if this will help me finish my weight loss journey.
Oh, yay! I’m so glad you are doing this! I’ve been mostly vegan for 15 years or so. And a cheapskate for even longer! In fact, the reason I first became vegetarian was to save money. I cook all my beans in a pressure cooker (saves time and electricity). I also love to bake and am pretty good at it, if I do say so myself! Ground flax seeds are a great substitute for eggs in cookies. I’m waiting to pick up a book from the library called “Eating Vegan on $4 a Day” that’s just been published. I’m pretty sure my family is doing it for a bit less than that. We are a family of 4 and spend an average of $350 a month on food. That’s closer to $3/day, I think. I’m excited to follow your blog!
OH! I love that book title – I might have to check it out! Thanks!
That’s what we spend – $350. How encouraging!
I JUST ground up some flax this morning – put a little on my oatmeal and snuck some in my kids’ foods today, too! Hey – they might not be going vegan, but if I can find ways of upping their nutrition, this Mama is all for it.
I appreciate your encouragement!
Oh and somewhere.. I have a recipe for blackbean vegan brownies (yeah I know not exactly low sugar – but I think its mostly banana for sugar)
http://veganplanet.blogspot.com/2010/04/chocolate-surprise-brownies.html
A friend of mine on Facebook posted a link to you here and as a vegan, I’m excited to follow your journey during the upcoming month and maybe get some ideas myself! Some sites to check out that might be helpful for you are Post Punk Kitchen, Happy Herbivore and Vegan on $3.33 A Day (they’re all on Facebook too). Good luck and have fun with it!
I found Post Punk Kitchen a few days ago – LOVE it. Thanks for the other resources, too!
Wow… I look forward to following your 29 day journey!!! Hope to get some recipes from you to try… I actually love chicken (a lot) and dairy…. sour cream, butter, eggs, cheese… but my body is not enjoying the dairy too much these days. I need to make some changes and fast! Okay… just remembered I have a great cookbook to help along the way for change, heard about it from my Natropathic Doctor… The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook…Whole Food Recipes for Personal and Planetary Health (over 200 gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free recipes)! It’s a nutritional and cooking guide. You can possibly find it at the library. I have skimmed through it, but think I need to start making some of the recipes and suggested changes for a more nutritional life. Thanks Angela, you helped already, dusting off the book and making a commitment to cook from it (at least once a week… I hope!).
Just checked out the Engine 2 website…! Inspired!
You should add “Real Food Daily” to your vegan cookbook collection – it is the best one I have ever found!
Will do!! I seriously need to add all this to my Vegan Pinterest board I’m building!
Thank you for the recommendation.
Wow! I so admire how you’re always able to come up with something new, Angela!
I know you said this will be a solo project, but I’ll definitely be curious what recipes you come up with. My impression, and this may be totally wrong, is that vegan eating means eating a lot of, “Weird,” stuff. You’ve made healthy things look yummy in the past, though, so I’m looking forward to being surprised again!
I think some of may be weird, but it doesn’t have to be! Lots of foods I already enjoy – are vegan! For instance, this morning I had oatmeal topped with coconut and almonds. Lunch was a vegetable bean soup and whole wheat toast. There are all kinds of salads, grains, peanut butter, hummus – lots of it quite tasty. I also believe looking outside traditional American cuisine for inspiration.
Thanks, Maegen!
Sounds yummy already!
We don’t eat a lot of meat, but we do eat a lot of pasta and cheese type things. I’m not a great cook, so I tend to make the same things over and over. I can’t wait to hear about your journey-I still miss adventures in produce.
I think that the Adventures in Produce has laid a lot of the groundwork for this. I’m not at all intimidated to build meals around plants and vegetables. In fact, I was thinking of unearthing some of those recipes. If I recall, I found a particularly amazing recipe using indian eggplant, sesame seeds, and peanuts last year.
Hmmm. Maybe I should do a Part Duex to that series at some point? I’ve been mulling over other adventures series ideas too.
And PS a comment you made recently has triggered my next entire series idea (in the works right now for spring – to be announced soon!). Your comments are always helpful & appreciated.
I’m interested in seeing where this takes you and what you will come up with. I’ve spent my life eating alot of the “sides” of a meal, thankfully while growing up my mom always made a variety of stuff for me to choose from since I refrained from the protein.
I’m also super excited to see how this goes for you! I was a vegetarian for a couple years, but could not manage to keep healthy while feeding my family of meat eaters. I was so busy, I’d often just do the cop-out “eat the sides” technique after making a full dinner for the family. I recently watched Forks Over Knives, and really want to go veggie again, but I have the same concern that I won’t be able to commit to it in a healthy and cost-effective way… Thanks for thinking of this and sharing your experience!
I loved Forks Over Knives! It inspired my meat-and-potatoes husband to eat more plant based meals.
I am halfway through watching that, too. I started watching it last Saturday after a few recommended it. Worth watching.
This is cool! I am really looking forward to seeing this journey blogged out in a common sense approach. I have been learning how couponing works for our family. The biggest thing I am finding is just being aware of the sales that are going on and when. My family has three separate food sensitivities and food allergies. It has made me have to learn how to make more things from scratch. Now it is finding the balance of time. What things are worth making from scratch or making more to freeze ahead etc. Bottom line, if it helps my family to be healthier, I have to try. I am looking forward to seeing how things work out this coming month. Thanks again for sharing this blog.
Awesome! I am a vegan couponer. It is nice to see this concept featured on your site. Check out one of my favorite blogs: Pass the Tofu. Also any cookbooks by Isa Chandra will be amazing. (I own nearly all of them.)
I found Isa’s blog last week and am intrigued. I’ve already pinned a few of her recipes.
Thanks for the blog recommendation!
I’m looking forward to this series. I doubt our family would ever consider a vegan diet, but we are very interested in eating mostly whole foods produced locally.
Does anyone else here frequent mambosprouts.com for coupons on organic/healthier items? They have a smaller selection but usually for things I’d be buying anyway.
Very cool that your husband is joining you in this! We are not vegan (my husband LOVES meat) but s I would suggest to check out Bountiful Baskets, you can get a big box of organic produce for $25. Also I have recently discovered chia seeds, you can get a big 3 pound bag on amazon for $20, and they are a powerhouse of nutrition.
Go Angela!!!! I can’t wait to read what you are able to do! I have been vegan for over 3 months and feel I don’t spend as much because I’m not buying the seriously expensive chicken, lean turkey and lean cuts of beef. Eating whole foods is so satisfying and my food budget has remained the same. Good luck!
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