Be Smart with Your Food Budget!
I read a post today on a forum by an aspiring vegan concerned about the cost of a vegan lifestyle, as far as food goes, and it got me thinking about how much money vegans waste on pre-made food items and take-out. It's a magical thing when a new restaurant opens up in your area with vegan options, but it can quickly become a curse for vegans on a budget.
Myself included, vegans tend to get super excited when they discover new items at Whole Foods, new vegan baked goods at x-amount of cafes and bakeries, and new deli items at coops. And, if I'm any measure, discovering that I can get a tofu po-boy and vegan mac and cheese at the same location, I may end up at Wheatsville several times a week.
Bearing in mind that I'm just one person with one head, I would like to share my personal tips for vegans concerned about losing money to their dietary choices.
A) Stay the heck away from Amy. She doesn't care about you and she's not worth the $5-$10 you spend on one frozen meal. Sure, she makes vegan food for you. But remember: she makes it for about $2 per entree. Not kidding. Try making tamales at home. You'll have enough masa, black beans and salsa verde in your kitchen to last you until Diez y Seis 2015 with the amount you would spend on a couple frozen Amy's entrees. I'm exaggerating, but seriously, try to stay away from the frozen stuff, it costs more than its worth.
B) Bake your own bread. Vegans love bread, right? I love bread and I'm vegan, so I'm going to assume it's the same for all of us. I love making sandwiches so much that I have to buy almost a whole loaf per week just for myself. Combine that with the cost of lunch meats and you're looking at about $11/week spent on the guarantee that you can have one sandwich per day. $572/year. Here's a Vegan Bread Recipe. It makes two loaves. I estimated the cost of the ingredients and it's about 75% of the cost of one loaf of store-bought bread. You save almost $200/year. That's a whole month of eating Amy's Frozen Dinners.
C) Freeze your Food. Seriously, learn some good bean and vegetable soup recipes with tempeh or textured vegetable protein and freeze those suckers. when you buy produce, freeze it, when you have leftovers, freeze them! It keeps you from making excuses when things start decomposing in the pantry or the fridge. It's also great for vegans, like me, who appreciate convenience. If you have something already made and frozen, stick it in the microwave, oven, or on the stove for all of 5 minutes and you have something quick. It's a good money-saver because it encourages you to cook at home and to buy in bulk. Imagine how many days worth of chili you could have in your fridge right now. Wow!
D) Buy Fresh! Buy produce when it's either on sale or in season. Check your junk mail for grocery store coupons instead of throwing them away and buy in bulk and freeze the fresh produce. Often, and this may come as a surprise, it is better to buy fresh produce than from the frozen section. Just be smart. Know the seasons of your favorite fruit and veggies because, most likely, this is not only when they're cheapest and biggest, but because they're coming off the trucks every day in big loads, they're most likely going to be the ones in the coupon books. Believe me, I work for a grocery store.
E) Learn how to make Cupcakes! This was a big problem for me, personally. I've actually been baking since before I can remember, but if you're anything like me, you get excited when a bakery offers vegan sweets, especially good ones. I used to go to Dhaba Joy (RIP) almost every day and get a cupcake or a scone. I spent a good deal of money on something I could be making at home. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great to support local business, but they don't love you like you love you. Cupcakes are so cheap to make that I give them away immediately after baking them. Learn how to make your own desserts from home and from scratch and you'll never find yourself signing a credit card receipt + tip for one cupcake again.
If You Must. Go to restaurants on deal night. For instance, I never get pizza unless it's at Z Pizza on Mondays or Tuesdays, where you can buy one pizza and get the other free, with vegan cheese and several vegan toppings. Also, a smart thing is to share meals. At Titaya's Thai in Austin, an extra side of rice and an extra helping of tofu are not only generous, but are only $1 each. If you get a curry dish, it easily makes a dinner for two. And they won't make you feel bad about it. Another hint is to go to Souper Salad and get soup takeout. It's only $5 for two large bowls of soup and a small bag of vegan cornbread if you get a "To-Go-Soup-Bar". Call ahead for a vegan soup option because it's not every day.
Those are my tips for tonight. They've helped me, at the very least. As an aside, you should also check out these websites for super duper coupons and deals. I have a couple of friends that swear by Groupon, specifically. It's not too common, but they often have vegan-friendly deals. Have fun.
Don't go to Snack Bar after 4pm
My boyfriend Stephen and I went to Snack Bar last night with our friend Brian. Originally, I was excited to go because I heard they had vegan waffles, which would make them the only place in town with such an item.We found out, however, that the brunch menu is only served until 4pm, and after that, they go on to their "nighttime menu," where they refer to themselves as a "lounge."
When we got there, we noticed they have a dog-friendly patio (A+). They also seemed to have spent a lot of money on the furniture and wall fixtures. Eating there was like dining in an Ikea fantasy. Their waitstaff was a little too-cool-for-school, but we were provided immediate table service given that there was absolutely no one in the restaurant (this is at 7pm). We were served water from Erlenmeyer flasks (refer to your high school chemistry vocabulary), and given our silverware and napkins in a fancy water glass.
The good thing seemed to be that, for the most part, they had a vegan-friendly menu for a restaurant that serves meat and dairy. The "lounge" menu consisted of tapas and appetizers, so we had to choose from those.
We ordered the Edamole (similar to guacamole but with wasabi and other Asian ingredients, served with bean chips), the Spring Rolls (the fresh kind, served with peanut sauce), the Coconut Curry (the most expensive of the four, with vegetables, seitan and rice), and lastly, the Tres Sopes (traditional sopes: The vegan version was a masa cake with black beans on top).
My notes are as follows:
Spring Rolls: Overstuffed with dry vermicelli, seems to be making up for a lack of tasty, quality ingredients. Contain tomato and cucumber, seem understated when paired with heavy, spicy peanut sauce. I want avocado or tofu, not tomato. If going for color, I'd rather have a big hunk of red bell pepper.
Edamole: Best vegan option on menu. Very light, but lasted the duration of the meal. Does not qualify as an actual meal, and not worth $6.
Coconut Curry: Tastes neither like coconut NOR curry. Resembles a $5 bowl at Pei Wei with half the ingredients. Could also remind one of a frozen Amy's Asian dinner entree.
Tres Sopes: Worst item by far. Masa cakes were over-fried, unseasoned. Topped with what seems to be not-quite-refried black beans. Beans are absolutely unseasoned, yet mysteriously spicy. Cayenne? Needs an acid to cut the fat.
We left the restaurant hungry and set back $30. Overall, I appreciate a menu that clearly labels their vegan items and the items that can be made vegan. The problem was, I didn't feel very respected as a vegan consumer. It was as if they put no thought into the proper seasoning of the dishes we ordered. This restaurant does not cater to vegans, but merely accommodates. Our friend Brian suggested that perhaps the omnivorous dishes had more flavor.
We do intend and look forward to going back for their brunch menu, where we can try out some non-lounge food and perhaps "get our breakfast on." So far, the vegans at Vegans Rock Austin haven't had too many good reviews posted, but I will nonetheless try it out for myself.
What this all could be is just a sad story of a new restaurant needing to get their act together, but as it stands, I strongly suggest, as a vegan, to not waste your money on the night menu at Snack Bar.
I Don't Use Vegan Recipes
What got me thinking about this fact is my horrible oven. It's a gas oven, which is something that everyone living in large apartment communities covets, and you think it would work magically, but its beginning to show its true, ugly colors.
I make the best-tasting pumpkin pie in the world. It's awesome. I also enjoy not making my own crust from time to time, so I'll often find myself buying Keebler Graham Cracker Crusts from the supermarket. When you have a premade crust, vegan pumpkin pie is the simplest, most wonderful, smartest thing you can make for the holidays.
The last two pies I made, however, had charred within thirty minutes of being in the oven. Not the actual filling, but the pie crust. My oven is overheating, and I'm a baker: This is not good. I think the problem is that the temperature continues to rise beyond the dial temperature, and once I've preheated my oven and set in my pies, they begin almost broiling before they're done. The steadily rising temperature is making my pies taste like I don't care about my friends and family.
My last 2 burnt crusts have forced me to call it Pumpkin Pudding (this being that when you have a charred crust and delicious tasting pumpkin filling, you find yourself scraping out the innerds and just eating the pie sans crust.) It's good, but I don't make Pumpkin Pudding, I make pumpkin pie.
I'm going to figure this thing out, though.
I don't use vegan recipes, however. I actually prefer to use non-vegan recipes and substitute from there. The older I get, the more I realize why this is: I don't like using cornstarch and apple cider vinegar in every recipe. It gets old after a while. I've been so used to using Ener-G Egg Replacer I couldn't imagine going back to the days of bananas and apple sauce.
I like to fancy I've discovered the secret to it all, though. It's the reason that my cupcakes are the best in the world, the reason I make my own birthday cake, and the reason I make the most wonderful pumpkin pies, with the hope that I won't accidentally char the outer crust.
I always use earth balance instead of butter, or canola oil (depending on the recipe), and I make my own icing, or even buy it out of a jar and mix in ingredients from there. I like to think of myself as a vegan Semi-Homemade Lady: Because I can never remember her name.
I think that my vegan alternative powers will manifest soon and asist me in fixing my oven problem. Just like I have to adjust recipes to match my morals, I'm going to have to adjust the way I bake to please my oven in order to accomodate my moral cooking.
Vegans Don't Eat Protein
OK, we do. And I’m a pregnant vegan, so I need a lot of protein from multiple different sources. I was, of course, surprised to hear such an absurd-sounding order from my midwife back in July, given that I have been subsisting on mainly french fries and fried rice for the last eight years or so. (Only halfway true, I often enjoy Onion Rings and Sour Patch Kids)
This new protein thing has really turned me into an expert on vegan protein sources, though. So, this is my call to every vegan who comes up against that big ole argument that being vegan doesn’t get you anywhere as far as protein goes: Just tell your redneck uncle to shoot me an email, I’ll set him straight.
The normal woman in her early twenties (someone like myself) needs around 50g of protein per day, assuming she’s somewhat active and likes herself enough. Once you’re pregnant, however, you need to up that to about 60g of protein per day. The easy way to go about this is to load up on hamburgers and steak, but the healthy way to do it is generally to stay vegan and to go around it the hard way.
Also, as a side note, I realize that for vegans who eat more than their fair share of soy products, or even vegans who take a firm hand in calculating their daily protein intake may find this to be very natural and easy to achieve. However, for vegans like me who spend the majority of their time baking cupcakes and watching television, this might seem a little harder because of their overwhelming lack of enthusiasm for tempeh and clif bars.
The risks of not eating enough protein during pregnancy include low birth weight and negative effects on fetal brain development. For me, this is a scary concept, being that I would like to give birth to a healthy, fat vegan baby. That, mixed with the fear that eating too many soy products could turn my child into a Boca Burger, has led me down a path of needing to get 60g or more protein per day and get it from sources that aren’t solely soy-based.
My diet now consists of handfuls of almonds and sandwiches ranging from tofurkey to peanut butter and jelly. With each sandwich weighing in at about 16g of protein, I’m well on my way to building that baby. Almond milk has almost no protein, so I’m forced to down soymilk also, and I still eat plenty of tofu. One thing about the estrogen in soy, though, is that if you consume tempeh instead of actual tofu, since its fermented, it contains a lot less estrogen. (just something to think about if you’re particularly fond of tempeh, which I am not).
I’m sure there will be more to come on this protein issue, but for now, I would just like everyone to know that I’m an expert and all the hillbilly relatives who would like to argue about vegans and protein can go back up into their deer stands and bemoan the downfall of society.
Inconsistencies
Hey! You know what! I'm sick and tired!
I want to go somewhere other than Kerbey Lane to eat a quality vegan hamburger, and, unfortunately, only a few places in Austin actually sell such an animal. Even those restaurants rarely serve vegan cheese or mayonnaise, which are things that I appreciate on a burger.
Even worse, Hut’s Hamburgers has a vegan patty, but does not offer vegan bread, and BJ's Brewhouse has the same problem. At one time, Kerbey Lane also offered a vegan burger with no vegan bun but has since changed its evil ways. In fact, you can choose from any of their offered breads and be safe with a vegan choice for your burger.
But restaurants like Kerbey Lane with cruelty-free breads are rare. Red Oak Grill in Houston offered to substitute pita bread for my hamburger bun, as that was the only bread product they knew was vegan. Live Oak Grill (no relation) also has no vegan buns, even though they have an otherwise vegan portabello mushroom burger. At Thundercloud subs, they offer a delicious sounding veggie submarine sandwich, with no vegan bread option, as well as a veggie chicken patty that contains animal products.
I commend Kerbey Lane, Terra Burger, and Bouldin Creek for offering vegan bread options, as they are an essential part of sandwich and hamburger eating. I will personally refuse to eat a burger if I am not offered the appropriate accoutrements, the most important one being bread. I am not gluten-free or on Atkins. I'm a vegan. I would rather eat shitty, accidentally vegan buns from Wal-Mart with a quality, handmade veggie patty than pay two-for-one prices on Mondays for a Hut's breadless vegan "burger."
My place of work recently underwent a huge menu change and created a wonderful recipe for a handmade veggie burger. The only problem was when they "couldn't find any other way to bind the blended ingredients" they gave up and chose to use egg whites. We also serve several tofu dishes that contain actual oyster sauce and noodles that contain egg products, one of those being the "Tofu Vegetable Noodles," which is often ordered, unquestioned, by Hindus, vegetarians, and vegans alike. Little do they know, these dishes don't even qualify as vegetarian. Our fries contain milk products though they are not advertised as "battered."
So, what I'm sick and tired of are the inconsistencies with the ethics of vegetarian options offered at restaurants. It's easy enough to simply not go to these restaurants after finding that they don't offer something vegans want, but what really irks me is that I know vegans and vegetarians who wouldn't think twice about ordering a burger advertised as having a vegan patty without asking about the bread. I know Hindus who wouldn't ask about ingredients in a veggie burger or a tofu dish whose ethics would deter them from eating egg and seafood products.
The biggest issue for me is the fact that vegans aren't asking. For a vegan to assume, even though I too can be guilty of assuming products are vegan when indeed they are not, is inexcusable for any plant-based practitioner. Every time you purchase something you don't ethically support, you're putting your stamp of approval on that product and stating to the company or person that produced it that you indeed support that product. And by placing that stamp of approval on that product, you are also saying that you support whatever means it took to create that product, be it animal testing, environmentally unsound farming methods, anti-labor employment practices, or whatever it is that you would otherwise speak out against.
Today's lesson on ethics: "Veggie" does not mean "vegan," and just because you think a bread or pasta or anything is vegan because you think it "must be," ask anyway. Because omnivores are crazy. And they hate you.
My Beef with Vegan Web Sites
Alright, not with all vegan websites -- just two of them. (So far.)
Two years ago, a friend told me the doughnuts at a particular Austin bakery were vegan and several months later told me the opposite. I think it's a pretty common thing in the vegan community to hear rumors and go with them, instead of checking ingredient information or restaurant resources. It's also something that's completely avoidable and, in some cases, inexcusable.
What I find funny, though, is that the mistake of believing rumors has infected vegan Web sites too. More importantly, it's Web sites that are designed specifically to inform fellow vegans as to where and what they can eat in their respective cities.
Veg Austin, which has been referred to me and other vegans with high enthusiasm, posted in its "Bakeries" section that Mrs. Johnson's Bakery, the bakery in question, offered "vegan donuts daily." Not only is it hearsay, but it took me and my boyfriend all of one question posed to the owner of Mrs. Johnson's Bakery to reinforce the fact that indeed, Mrs. Johnson's has never offered and currently does not offer any vegan doughnuts, ever. In fact, the owner exclaimed with gusto, "Don't buy doughnuts in America!" He told us that the dough used in all mainstream doughnut shops contains dairy products. Whether or not this is true, it strongly suggests that had someone indeed attempted to verify the veganness of said doughnuts, they would have had no trouble understanding that Mrs. Johnson's Bakery does not, never has, and most likely will never carry a vegan doughnut, much less one every day of the week.
Is it my imagination or is it that hard to ask some simple questions to make sure your information is accurate? Other media outlets, including Yelp.com and The Onion have made the vegan doughnut claim, so a number of people have dropped the ball on this one. Another example of vegans assuming too much was a blog I read today suggesting that BJ's Brewhouse offered vegan deep dish pizzas, when, after a quick phone call, I verified that they do not. Apparently the author assumed that a cheeseless pizza was automatically vegan.
Granted, I can attest that I have been faced with tough circumstances at places of business, including, but not limited to, lazy employees, ill-informed waiters and waitresses, and bull-headed restaurant owners refusing to check ingredients. After all the trouble, I usually give up and never return. As a Web site owner, any restaurants that don't help me out with specific ingredient information aren't listed under my restaurant section. I expect the same from other Web sites, especially those as heavily marketed as Veg Austin.
As a final note, I'd like to make a suggestion to all vegans reading this blog. If you're unsure of anything you read on any vegan Web site advertising vegan ingredients at restaurants anywhere in the country, feel free to email me with the restaurant in question, and I'll get you an answer in five minutes. Yes, I'll do it for you.
You're welcome.
Am I supporting the Meat Industry by Consuming Vegan Dishes at Non Vegan Restaurants?
I think that by supporting vegan options of restaurants that carry non-vegan food items, you are (as a consumer) saying that I will support your restaurant so long as it continues providing vegan meals. However, one could argue that by consuming at that restaurant, you are also saying that you like what they serve and that they should serve more (which means the vegan items and the non vegan items).
This brings into question exactly what we are consuming as consumers: Are we consuming brands or products?
As an example, many vegans are urged not to consume any products from Proctor and Gamble for animal testing purposes. P & G has many, many products, however. This includes Aussie Haircare, Always Feminine Hygiene Products, Eukanuba, Duracell Batteries, Bounce Laundry Detergent, Zest, Tampax, Nice n Easy, Noxema, Pringles, Vicks, Febreeze, Herbal Essences, Oral-B, and many many other brands. Pringles, for example, have a few vegan options (and plenty vegetarian). All of these products, however, can be found in the homes of most people in the US.
Should I, as a consumer, be purchasing vegan pringles products because I want to support the growth of vegan options in the food industry, or should I not consume pringles products, even though they may be vegan? What exact statement am I making to a company that is widely known for causing the death of millions of animals by purchasing their products?
To translate that, I'd like to compare it to smaller business: such as a restaurant that serves meat products, but has vegan dishes available specifically for vegan people. By consuming their products am I saying that I want them to continue selling meat products? Or am I saying that I want them to continue conducting business as usual so long as they provide vegan products, and eventually, more of them. Furthermore, is paying for a buffet also supporting the death of animals, even though I am eating only vegan foods?
After thinking about all of this, I have come to the conclusion, that when it comes to large scale industry, such as Proctor and Gamble, McDonalds, etc, that it is best not to consume their products, no matter if they serve vegan options or not. The smaller the scale, the better it is to support non-vegan businesses, because the items you purchase say more to a small-business owner than they would to the actual decision-makers at McDonalds.
For the Reasons not to support P & G, go to:
http://www.uncaged.co.uk/pgtesting.htm
For a list of Products not to consume:
Why Polystyrene is Disgusting
While debating on whether or not to supply my future, or pretend Vegan Fast Food or Cafeteria Style Restaurant with Styrofoam containers, a friend provided me with this link. Enjoy.
http://www.grinningplanet.com/2008/04-08/foam-cups-polystyrene-cups-arti...
Vegans Don't Eat Honey
When I lived in Houston, I knew 20-30 Vegans. Granted, this was probably half the vegan population in Houston, but it's a big city. This isn't very many people.
What I have found since moving to Austin, is that there are proportionally WAY more vegetarians living in the Capital than there are in Houston. It sounds great on the outside, but I think this proportion difference can be detrimental to cruelty free society in that being that there are so many vegetarians, it lacks an environment where veganism is necessary.
What I mean by that is that in Austin, everyone is a Vegetarian, but no one is a Vegan. And even the Vegans aren't Vegan! 4 out of 5 Vegans I've met in Austin consume Bee Products.
Even I've begun to accept it: When someone exclaims to me "Hey, I'm Vegan, too!"...I drop the question "Are you a Honey-Vegan, or a No-Honey-Vegan?"
2 Years ago, in Houston I would have never asked this question. When you're coming from such a large city, where everyone eats meat, and just doesn't understand, accept or applaud veganism, you'll find more radicals--more animal rights activists--more concern from those Vegans that actually rise up from the depths of huge populations.
What Austin lacks is the Anti-population. Since everyone's a Vegetarian, there's no one to really go up against. And, therefore, laws of Veganism are lax. Everyone eats organic Dairy, and the ones that don't eat Dairy don't read labels, and the ones read labels Still consume Bee products.
In large cities, I've noticed that Vegetarian Restaurants are Vegan Restaurants. In Austin, there are a million Vegetarian restaurants and only ONE vegan restaurant. Houston has more VEGAN restaurants than Austin has Vegetarian restaurants--and that's saying a lot.
That being said, please check out this awesome web-page that was created by someone who knows his stuff about Honey.
