I'm preparing to take the plunge from meat eater to vegetarian, and hopefully go all the way to vegan.

The problem is that I'm an "instant fix" kind of guy. Microwaves are my oven of choice, along with quick-fix type meals. Is this going to become a thing of the past?

Also, I'm on a somewhat limited budget. I haven't actually made it as far as pricing but I'm fairly certain this lifestyle will be more expensive. Am I wrong? Is there a way to get around it?

I do all my shopping at Wal-Mart, and occasionally Kroger's. To my knowledge there isn't a health food store nearby. I'm not sure that I'll be able to find everything I'd need.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

I'm preparing to take the plunge from meat eater to vegetarian, and hopefully go all the way to vegan.

The problem is that I'm an "instant fix" kind of guy. Microwaves are my oven of choice, along with quick-fix type meals. Is this going to become a thing of the past?

Also, I'm on a somewhat limited budget. I haven't actually made it as far as pricing but I'm fairly certain this lifestyle will be more expensive. Am I wrong? Is there a way to get around it?

I do all my shopping at Wal-Mart, and occasionally Kroger's. To my knowledge there isn't a health food store nearby. I'm not sure that I'll be able to find everything I'd need.

Thanks in advance for any replies.



Ok, first of all congrats! on going veggie. Secondly, I'm pretty sure Kroger has a health food section with organic pizza, veggie burgers, soy ice cream and milk, instand soups, stuff like that. also wal mart has soy milk and frozen veggie foods. The cost is kinda high for veggie food, but not too much higher. just shop around and look. more than likely your gonna have to get used to cooking lol.

~kay~

I'm preparing to take the plunge from meat eater to vegetarian, and hopefully go all the way to vegan.

The problem is that I'm an "instant fix" kind of guy. Microwaves are my oven of choice, along with quick-fix type meals. Is this going to become a thing of the past?

Also, I'm on a somewhat limited budget. I haven't actually made it as far as pricing but I'm fairly certain this lifestyle will be more expensive. Am I wrong? Is there a way to get around it?

I do all my shopping at Wal-Mart, and occasionally Kroger's. To my knowledge there isn't a health food store nearby. I'm not sure that I'll be able to find everything I'd need.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

being a veg*n is much cheaper than being Omni., as long as you stay away from the conveience processed foods, like the ones mentioned in the post above. it's a huge misconception that you need all kinds of special weird foods.

a bag of dried beans is good for at least 5 meals- .99 cents. you can't beat it!

make a pot of rice or pasta for the week.
you can make tacos and just sub the meat for black beans.
get a bag of mixed veggies and nuke them while you stirfry some tempeh. toss the whole thing in a bowl with some olive oil and spices, serve over the pasta or rice.
pasta with sauce and a big green salad.

good luck... there are lots of threads in the New to Veg*n Forum about this stuff, check them out!

here's Tess's Tip of the Day thread.

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=50249

there are tons of links.:bow:

Welcome to VB! Here's the perfect beginner's cookbook for you: The Starving Student's vegetarian cookbook.

http://www.fabulousfoods.com/shop/prods/bookrev/starvstudentveg.html

Nearly everything can be made in the microwave, there are a few stovetop recipes, and some that require a toaster oven / oven (to make tator tots, for instance!) but the recipes are all ridiculously easy and cheap. It was one of my first veggie cookbooks - the recipes are definitely not gourmet, but they are good.

Welcome and congrats on beginning your veg adventure!

Purpelle hit it on the head in saying that the processed veg foods will be more expensive (depending on what you buy, it could be as much or more than the things you're probably getting now). If you're on a tight budget this might be a problem, I fear. :no:

I'm kinda of a quick-fix person as well, so I get on with rice that I've made up in advance (I make a biiiig pot of rice, then break it down to smaller packages for nuking during the week), canned tomatoes, canned beans, frozen veggie blends and corn tortillas. From just this simple list, I can make tons of stuff and have it zapped up in no time at all. AND I can do it for not much cost at all. Lovely. :)

I've never had good luck with finding things at Wal-mart, but I have had very good luck with my local Kroger's market. But each area is different, so you might have to explore around in your area to see which place will be the better shopping for you. There are a lot of people round here (me, being one) that doesn't shop at a HFS for their things so don't think you have to shop at one to be vegetarian.

Best of luck to you and welcome to VB :hi:

Thanks again for the suggestions. I see a potential snag with this lifestyle: beans. I've never been a big bean eater, except for maybe green beans and baked beans.

For the first time in a long time I'm actually looking forward to going shopping. :)

I'm mostly a 30 minutes or less to the table kind of cook. A lot of our meals involve while the brown rice is cooking chop the veg and then stir it in when the rice is nearly done and then pour over a sauce. We don't have a microwave so we make our rice fresh every day but it could be faster if you nuked leftover rice and then when the rice was hot stirred in the veg. Some sample recipes are:
Cook rice
While rice is cooking chop 3 ribs celery, 1 yellow 1 red pepper and green onions. When rice is hot stir in all veg, 1 cup frozen corn and 2 TB olive oil and 1/4 cup nutrtional yeast. Let sit with lid for a few minutes to let corn defrost. Add a handful of nuts. Done.

or
Cook rice (we use red rice or Konriko pecan rice for this one)
While rice cooks chop 2 ribs celery, 1 red pepper, 1 mango (I used tinned mango) green onions. Drain and rinse a tin of white beans.When rice is ready add veg and beans and top with 1/4 cup orange juice 2 TB lime juice. Done.

or

Cook rice. While rice cooks chop a green pepper, 1/2 a red onion, a tin of water chestnuts, grate a carrot. Drain and rinse a tin of beans. When rice is done stir in all veg, beans and a cup of frozen peas. Let sit with a lid to defrost the peas then pour over a sauce of 2 TB each red wine vinegar, olive oil and soy sauce and a 1/2 tsp tamarind paste (if you can find it) . Done.

These may still be too much chopping for you but they do go fast.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I see a potential snag with this lifestyle: beans. I've never been a big bean eater, except for maybe green beans and baked beans.

For the first time in a long time I'm actually looking forward to going shopping. :)

other non bean-y protein sources:

lima beans
chickpeas and hummus
peas

portabella mushrooms are great grilled or roasted with olive oil and salt. they have a "meaty' texture.
or you can throw some spinach on top and cover it with cheese (soy or dairy)

Don't forget nuts and seeds! :drool:

Don't forget nuts and seeds! :drool:

oh yeah. :dunce::o

other non bean-y protein sources:

lima beans
chickpeas and hummus
peas

portabella mushrooms are great grilled or roasted with olive oil and salt. they have a "meaty' texture.
or you can throw some spinach on top and cover it with cheese (soy or dairy)

Mmmm ... mushrooms! I love mushrooms. I'm not exactly sure what hummus is, but I've seen it in the store and thought about trying it.

Peas and lima beans. *sigh* I hate them. In fact, "hate" doesn't even begin to cover it. Abhor, loathe, despise ... :gun: :D

It looks like I'm going to have some difficulties unless I aquire a taste for some things I can't stand or figure out a way to make them taste less revolting.

Mmmm ... mushrooms! I love mushrooms. I'm not exactly sure what hummus is, but I've seen it in the store and thought about trying it.

Peas and lima beans. *sigh* I hate them. In fact, "hate" doesn't even begin to cover it. Abhor, loathe, despise ... :gun: :D

It looks like I'm going to have some difficulties unless I aquire a taste for some things I can't stand or figure out a way to make them taste less revolting.

well, if you don't like something, don't eat it. hummus is a great dip or sandwich spread.

BTW, you could live off of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. they are vegan.:D

well, if you don't like something, don't eat it. hummus is a great dip or sandwich spread.

BTW, you could live off of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. they are vegan.:D

I just want to make sure I'm covering all the bases as far as nutrition is concerned. I'd hate to have to rely on supplements just because I didn't like enough of a certain kind of food.

I had another question, and hopefully this is a good place to ask it, though it isn't related to my topic.

How long were you people on this diet before you began feeling healthier? I saw statements on goveg.com or a similar site that said I'd have more energy, need less sleep, etc. but not how long before I started feeling the effects. Not that I'm in a tearing hurry but it'd be nice to have a general time frame. I'm 38 and in a fairly physical job. I could always use an energy boost.

i don't know, really. I don't think my energy levels or sleep habits changed at all.

what I did notice was that I got fewer colds once I gave up dairy products, and generally my digestion is better. my hair is healthier though.

to track your nutrition, log all your foods into www.fitday.com. that'll tell you if you are missing anything.

don't forget, that most vitamin deficencies that vegetarians might have omnivores have too- B-12, Iron, calcium. if you are eating enough calories of whole foods you'll get what you need. eventually you should look into a b-12 supplement once you go strict vegan, if you decide to.

How long were you people on this diet before you began feeling healthier? I saw statements on goveg.com or a similar site that said I'd have more energy, need less sleep, etc. but not how long before I started feeling the effects. Not that I'm in a tearing hurry but it'd be nice to have a general time frame. I'm 38 and in a fairly physical job. I could always use an energy boost.
I felt healthier within two weeks. I was plagued with debilitating frequent migraines and they cleared right up. I almost never get them now. What a blessing! A lot of people also say their chronic sinus and allergy problems improved, but I think this is more from the vegans than the L/O people-- there seems to be a dairy connection there. I didn't really notice a change in my energy level or sleep patterns one way or the other. However, I did notice that I made it through this past winter and spring without any colds, sinus, or allergy problems, which is unusual, but doesn't prove anything.

Welcome! I don't have a lot to offer in the way of advice that hasn't already been given by some of our top "Newbie Advice Givers"...

I CAN say that I have three daughters, two of whom are teens and PICKY and if they were allowed they WOULD live on vegan "instant" meals... I do let them have "instant stuff" for lunches because I feel it's STILL better than eating Omni school cafeteria food... so... I guess being a "instant microwave food" veggie person IS possible...

So, that said, here's my thoughts...

If you don't like beans don't eat them. There's plenty of other sources of protein.

Hummus is made of garbanzo beans, but has garlic and seasonings that make it a really tasty sandwich-spread and dip - give it a try at least once...

If you stick with this way of eating you may very well find your tastes gradually changing too. I learned to like a lot of items I hadn't cared for at ALL before going vegan...

If you really prefer the "quick" meals, there's plenty of them out there, Walmart has a good selection - Gardenburger, Linda McCartney and Hain all make ones that I know of right off the top of my head - you could also suppliment with meals you spend a little more time making and freezing or storing in the fridge for the week and then micro-re-heating... (if you like to - or know how to cook, that is...)

Sometimes there's frozen vegetable blends that are seasoned and heat up really fast and are really tasty (I thik it's Bird's Eye that makes several of them, that WalMart sells) - if you need more protein, add some Morningstar Meal Starter Strips (sorta a fake-chicken product) or some crumbled veggie-burger (or tofu if you're adventurous)... My kids make this in the mcrowave and love the different combinations they can come up with...

Try the different fake "meats" out there... they aren't something you'd want all the time, but can suppliment a more plain meal nicely, there's "fake chicken" and veggie-dogs, veggie-burgers, even veggie "tuna" and stuff... The Gardenburger Riblets are SO YUMMY and seem to be a real favorite with some people on these boards...

Fake "meats" are NOT all the same though - if you try one brand of, say, veggie dogs and you hate it, don't give up, you may find a brand thats more tasty...

Above all, keep an open mind... you may suprise yourself one day. And if you don't ever like beans or peas, you'll still be fine I think.

Still worried? Track your eating on a site like www.nutritiondata.com.

You may or may not start feeling amazing benefits, as others here have mentioned, some people find relief from headaches, joint pain, allergies and a host of other problems after switching to a veg lifestyle... but others barely notice... I think the most drastic results are probably with those who go vegan AND eat a primarily whole-foods diet though that could be my own personal bias, I don't know for sure...

At any rate, good luck and welcome to VB!

I just may have discovered a cookbook for you Brygy. It is the "15-Minute Vegetarian" by Susan Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay. Great recipes that really are fast. I found it at Borders but I am sure you can find it online.

I was nervous about becoming vegetarian because I can't eat soy (it gives me hives) and I'm not a huge bean fan (I don't mind a good pot of chili every now and then, but couldn't imagine eating beans every day). But after tracking my food on fitday.com for a few weeks, I realized that I get plenty of protein!

I live by myself. I actually really like to cook, but only when I have lots of time and I'm not too hungry. Don't ask me to come home from work and cook a healthy meal! So every weekend I make 2 big pots of food (a pasta dish and a curry dish, or a pot of soup and a rice dish, etc). This takes me through the whole week. Anything left on Friday gets put into individual containers and frozen so that I have a store of ready-made frozen dishes. It's MUCH easier to eat healthy food when you have it prepared in advance! I also have much less cleaning to do. I have a big clean-up on the weekend (pots, pans, etc), and then I just have to wash my plate every day.

Anyway, here's where I get my protein:

- lots of nuts and seeds - almonds, peanuts, cashews, brazil nuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds. I eat nuts and ground flax seed in my oatmeal every morning and will often snack on mixed nuts and seeds later in the day.
- quinoa (good source of protein and very subtle tasting. Very easy to add quinoa to dishes, salads, soups. It can also easily replace rice in a meal.)
- legumes - black beans, kidney beans, lentils, pinto beans, chickpeas. As I said, I don't really like plain beans, but I love adding beans to wraps, salads and soups. I also like hummus, indian dishes and vegetarian chili.
- whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat, etc)
- peanut butter, almond butter
- eggs, milk or cheese (I'm trying to cut back on dairy. As it stands, I usually have a cup of milk a day and maybe 5 eggs per week. I just ran out of milk. I'm going to try not to buy another jug.)
- fresh fruits and veggies do have some protein as well

Thanks to all of you for the tips. I'm going shopping tomorrow and this will be an interesting experience. I'll try the hummus. I'm not totally averse to trying different kinds of beans, since I do like some of them.

I need to discard some preconceptions. For me, "Vegetarian" was always synonymous with eating salad all day. :D I see that there's quite a bit of variety just in the brief time I've been poking around.

Do any of you experience cravings for food you don't eat anymore? If so, how do you handle that?

So far, so good ... literally. I didn't think I'd like hummus, but I was pleasantly surprised. And soy milk tastes pretty good too. I bought original and vanilla flavor, but haven't tried the vanilla yet.

It's probably all psychological, but I feel healthier. I think I can also start making myself cook.

Do any of you experience cravings for food you don't eat anymore? If so, how do you handle that?
I can't help you there, because I rarely have cravings for anything I don't eat anymore-- I always liked veggies and vegetarian dishes better. But there are several threads on this issue with lots of posts. It's surprisingly easy to make a lot of common dishes vegetarian, like enchiladas, tacos, swedish meatballs, lasagna, chili, shepherd's pie, meatball subs, fajitas... even crab cakes, believe it or not!

I mainly cook a big load of something-- several meals worth-- and then put it in divided plastic dishes which you can buy in the plastic section, and then you have several meals of microwaveable food. I eat a lot of the inexpensive staples (beans, rice, pasta, vegetables), only eating special vegitarian food on special occasions. The Wal-Mart here has a vegitarian frozen foods section-- you can buy Boca, morningstar farms, Yves "meat anologues" they are far cheaper at WM than I have seen anywhere else.

I couldnt afford to be a vegitarian if it only involved buying microwaveable meals. Cooking is a very interesting art-- you can make it as hands off as possible with a few tools like a crock pot, and a rice cooker. You can buy both at a Salvation army or goodwill, along with electric frying pan and so on, for very low cost. You can cook by just measuring and tossing in ingredients (always soak brown rice overnight if you use the rice cooker-- then it will take the same amount of time as white rice to cook). Some rice cookers have steamers on the top where you can put in vegies to get the whole meal. Pasta is easy to cook, and you can still use pasta sauces (check for minute trace ingredients if you are going to be a strict strict vegan-- which I am not).

good luck!

I think I can also start making myself cook.
Cooking can be a lot of fun, especially when you have so many exciting new foods to try out.

Another fast meal we eat that could be nuked is taco salad.
1 tin black beans drained and rinsed
1 jar salsa
1 cup corn
(I add in onion and peppers but you would n't have to)

heat and serve over tortilla chips and lettuce and top with veggie sour cream (like tofutti brand)

Sometimes we roll this up in tortillas and have burritos. Easy peasy.