Perhaps you are already following a vegan lifestyle, considering one or have signed up for veganuary2023, this blog is based on what to me is what I believe is a well-stocked store cupboard.
Things that I take into consideration are
- Cost
- Shelf life
- Quality
- Sustainability
- Storage room
You may be under the impression that a vegan lifestyle is expensive. It can be if you are buying ready meals or vegan meats. In its raw form though being vegan can be more cost-effective. Once you build up a stock of tin, dry or frozen foods it becomes much easier to quickly whip up a meal.
The thought of your first supermarket shop can be quite daunting. I know mine was. Before long though it becomes second nature.
My top tips for shopping are
- Make a list and stick to it
It seems obvious this but it helps to save money
- Do not shop on an empty stomach
We all know how easy it is to grab some extra goodies when the old belly is rumbling.
- Shop Less
It will save you money and time to do one big shop a week. If there are a few trips then the chance is you will buy a lot of extra food and open to more temptation.
- Shop around
Shop around for food just the same as you would shop around for household items. Supermarkets vary in price. Find out if there are any Eco shops in your area where you could take along your containers and buy just how much you need.
The Food
I will separate this into categories so it makes more sense.
Fresh
This is the food that would need to purchase weekly. This would depend on the meals that you are planning to make that week, so this will differ. We all have different tastes, so our choices will vary.
- Kale
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Fruit that you like
- Lemons and limes
- Vegan yoghurt
- Vegan cheese
- Dairy-free milk
- Onions
- Salad produce
- Fresh herbs
Dried and store cupboard goods
These will become the backbone of so many recipes. This is an important list as it does contain
your carbohydrates and protein
- Nuts and seeds brazil nuts, cashews, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, almonds, chia seeds, sunflower, pumpkin, hemp and flaxseeds etc
- Whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, wild rice etc
- Oats
- Pasta and noodles whole wheat pasta, rice noodles soba noodles
- Dried legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans and soy beans etc
- Tin tomatoes and passata
- Tin beans and lentils
- Good quality vegetable stock cubes
- Dried herbs such as cumin, coriander, thyme, oregano, sage, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, curry powder etc
- Oils vegetable, coconut, olive, extra virgin olive, or avocado oil, sesame seed and walnut oil etc
- Sauces soya, tamari, siracha, liquid aminos, sweet chilli
- Dried fruit apricots, dates, prunes, goji, raisins, figs etc
- Nutritional yeast
- Vinegars apple cider, balsamic, white wine, etc
- Flours plain, self-raising, chickpea, brown rice, white rice, buckwheat etc
- Baking ingredients baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, xanthan gum
- Nut butters
- Tofu
- TVP
Frozen
Some people assume that frozen foods are inferior to fresh. This is not the case in foods such as fruit and veg. There is also less food waste with frozen,
- Vegetables spinach, kale, peas, sweetcorn,
- Berries raspberries, blackberries, blueberries etc
- Meat substitute good quality vegan sausages, burgers, steaks, vegan mince etc
Of course all this is down to personal taste in the items we choose, Planning is the way forward, decide on your weekly menu and build your shopping list around that.
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