I have been craving vegetables something fierce, ever since I got back from Portland. I’m pretty sure it started when we were heading north, right around the California/Oregon border. We were three Angelinos in awe of the Pacific Northwest, driving through beautful mountains and evergreen trees. Someone rolled down a window, and I inhaled the fresh air, and enjoyed that beautiful, green smell. And I thought to myself: I’m hungry.
Then I thought: God, I am so vegan. The smell of trees makes me hungry.
The week numbers may be getting a little confusing at this point, so I will clarify: I’m doing my budget in four week increments. I’m spending $80, plus four free meals each time. I re-started the dollar menu on week 8, when I returned from Portland. By the end of week 10 I had spent $63.21, which leaves $16.79 for week 11.
Week 9 (July 8-14) I somehow misplaced my Trader Joe’s receipt for week 9, so I just referenced my bank statement for my total this week. The sundried tomatoes in the photo did NOT get used – I used some for my potluck pizzas on the 4th, and gave the rest to my mom.
My free meal this week was a benefit dinner for the AETA 4, at Veggie Grill West Hollywood. It was my first time at Veggie Grill – shocking, I know – and I had the Bali Bliss (Indonesian styled tempeh), on a bed of steamed kale, with a side of corn chowder. I love tempeh, and this meal was simple but delicious, and the kale satisfied my veggie craving. And it was very reasonably priced, at $6.75 for the meal, and $1.95 for the chowder.
Week 9 groceries: Soy milk, sunflower butter, whole wheat pitas, pumpernickel pretzel sticks, bruschetta topping, romaine salad, avocados (4), firm tofu, bananas (4), blueberry muesli, basmati rice medly.
Total: $24.12
I. Love. Soy Chorizo. I froze half of the chorizo I bought during week 8, and defrosted it under hot water just enough to remove the casing, before heating it up in a skillet. It tasted just as good as it did when I bought it. The basmati rice medly I bought was not really tasty enough to stand on it’s own, but I was surprised at how well it worked with other things, especially the soy chorizo. The pico de gallo in this pita is thanks to my parents lunch at Poquito Mas – I’ve gotten in the habit of asking anyone who might be going to a Mexican restaurant to bring me back a free cup of salsa. I really love pretty much any kind of salsa, especially free kinds.
Week 10 (July 15-21) I knew there were some events coming up that I wouldn’t want to miss, so I saved my free meal for week 11. The soy milk and cereal came from Whole Foods, and the rest of my groceries this week came from Vons.
- 1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz) $1.00
- 1 can tomato sauce (15 0z) $0.89
- 1 yellow onion $0.77
- 1 garlic clove $0.50
- 3 serrano peppers $0.12
- panda puffs (cereal) $2.69
- vanilla soy milk $1.69
Total: $7.66
I am suprised at how many positive comments the dish above got from omnivores! This is tofu fried in olive oil, with sliced avocado and bruschetta topping, served over basmati rice medley. Two important things about this meal: (1) It was the first time I fried tofu without getting anxious and ending up with scrambled tofu. I was pretty excited about that! (2) Your preferences are probably different than mine, but if this were salsa, it would not be appetizing to me. But the bruschetta was perfect.
I made some pretty good chili with a bag of dry pinto beans I had leftover from week 3. I added carrots from week 8, fresh onion, garlic, serrano peppers, canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and black pepper. The recipe I was referencing also used a small amount of cocoa powder, which I happened to have around, so I added that as well. I was a little worried when I started making this, but it was actually really good, and I’m looking forward to personalizing a chili recipe of my own.
I realized I hadn’t made muffins in while, so I made six of the blueberry-banana-flax muffins from How It All Vegan, and popped ‘em in the freezer to eat throughout the week. Then I remembered why I hadn’t made muffins in a while – the last bag of frozen blueberries I bought had a really funky taste to them. After the last batch I made, I blamed myself – did I somehow screw up the recipe? But after this batch, I know the fault lies with these funky blueberries. But I discovered that if I smother the muffins with sunflower butter, they are edible. I just hope I’m not covering up strychnine, or something.
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