ficbot
December 24th, 2007, 04:22 PM
I did a little price-checking in the grocery store today. It is amazing how much cheaper the veg stuff was! I get TVP and various lentils at the bulk food store. They have a $10 minimum for debit card use, and I struggle to find $10 worth of things to buy when I go. I find these items so cheap that I always have them at home and consider them practically 'free' to use. I can throw in a handful of red lentils into a soup and it is pennies, if that.
Anyway, taking a look at some other protein sources today...
Meatless steak/chicken strips were $4-5 a package depending on the brand. I could get maybe 3 meals out of that, so average cost per meal is, say, 60 cents. Now, I have yet to find a brand that is not horrible-tasting, so I wouldn't buy them, but they are an option if you want them.The omni equiv was pre-cut steak or chicken strips for stir-frys, which go for $6 and up (you pay for the convenience of having them slice it). Veg version is cheaper!
Vegan cheese was $6 and up per block, which is a lot. And I would never base a whole meal on it. But as a garnish in a salad or sandwich, I can get 7-8 meals out of it. Regular cheese (which I cannot eat due to allergies) is $3 and up, so the vegan version is much more expensive---but when you look at the per meal cost, the vegan cheese is still not a bad deal.
As an omni, I ate a lot of baked chicken, which in its cheapest form was $3 and up per serving. I can get a brick of tofu (which I am starting to find good ways to cook with!) for $2, and get 2-3 servings out of it. Veg version MUCH cheaper here!
Beans in dry form are, as I said, so cheap they are inconsequential from a budget standpoint. How about canned beans? Very common types (chickpeas, beans in tomato sauce, white beans) are about $1 a can in my area. Fancier ones (refried beans, etc.) can be anywhere from $1.50-2.00 a can. But assuming you can get 3-4 servings per can (I easily do this, throwing them in salads, pastas, soups etc. with other ingredients) the cost per serving is still quite low, even with the sticker shock of high grocery prices!
The only fake meat ingredient I like is ground veggie crumbles, and those are about $3-4 a package. The equivalent in omni meat is $4-6 depending on how lean a cut you get. If I can figure out a way to satisfactorily make this myself with tvp granules (I haven't yet) I can get this cost way down.
Veggie burgers, these are on par with the cost of regular burgers, and sometimes are a dollar or two more expensive. The best brand here is a local restaurant brand who sells their veggie versions for $7 a box! That is really high compared to other 'burger' options, but again, if you look at the cost per serving, it is a little more than a dollar per burger.
So, in some cases, you pay for an expensive package up front, but the cost per serving is reasonable if you amortize it out over how much you get. In other cases, the cost per serving is MUCH lower for the veg version. In only two case (the veggie burgers and the vegan cheese) was the veg version MUCH more expensive than the omni version, and even then, the cost per serving could get down to the 'just over $1' range depending on whether you could stretch the number of servings you get.
Finally, I will finish with a recipe that proves just how frugal a veg diet can be, I can make this with ingredients I always have on hand for literally pennies per serving.
Lentil Vegetable Soup
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 tbsp cooking oil
mixed spices, to taste
1/2 cup red lentils
water
broth powder or miso paste (optional)
Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables, sprinkle with salt and pepper, or other spices to taste. Stir-fry about two minutes. Add water to cover, then add broth powder or miso paste if using and stir very well. Add red lentils. Cover, reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes. Enjoy!
Estimated cost in my high-priced area:
Potato: 4 are usually $1 or so, so 1 would be about 0.25
Carrots: Large bags are usually $1.99 so 1 would be maybe 0.05
Cooking oil: Less than 0.05. A whole bottle is under $3 and it lasts me ages
Red lentils: A whole bag is about $1.50, so one serving is maybe 0.25
Broth or miso paste: A whole jar of broth is $2-3. So a serving, maybe 0.15
Seasoning: Pennies, if you buy in bulk. Let's err on the high side and say 0.05
So, this two-serving recipe is maybe $5-7 to buy all ingredients if you have no food in the house at all. But if you have a well-stocked pantry and are making this with stuff you already have on hand e.g. spices, staples, etc, it comes out to under a dollar for two servings. Not bad!
Anyway, taking a look at some other protein sources today...
Meatless steak/chicken strips were $4-5 a package depending on the brand. I could get maybe 3 meals out of that, so average cost per meal is, say, 60 cents. Now, I have yet to find a brand that is not horrible-tasting, so I wouldn't buy them, but they are an option if you want them.The omni equiv was pre-cut steak or chicken strips for stir-frys, which go for $6 and up (you pay for the convenience of having them slice it). Veg version is cheaper!
Vegan cheese was $6 and up per block, which is a lot. And I would never base a whole meal on it. But as a garnish in a salad or sandwich, I can get 7-8 meals out of it. Regular cheese (which I cannot eat due to allergies) is $3 and up, so the vegan version is much more expensive---but when you look at the per meal cost, the vegan cheese is still not a bad deal.
As an omni, I ate a lot of baked chicken, which in its cheapest form was $3 and up per serving. I can get a brick of tofu (which I am starting to find good ways to cook with!) for $2, and get 2-3 servings out of it. Veg version MUCH cheaper here!
Beans in dry form are, as I said, so cheap they are inconsequential from a budget standpoint. How about canned beans? Very common types (chickpeas, beans in tomato sauce, white beans) are about $1 a can in my area. Fancier ones (refried beans, etc.) can be anywhere from $1.50-2.00 a can. But assuming you can get 3-4 servings per can (I easily do this, throwing them in salads, pastas, soups etc. with other ingredients) the cost per serving is still quite low, even with the sticker shock of high grocery prices!
The only fake meat ingredient I like is ground veggie crumbles, and those are about $3-4 a package. The equivalent in omni meat is $4-6 depending on how lean a cut you get. If I can figure out a way to satisfactorily make this myself with tvp granules (I haven't yet) I can get this cost way down.
Veggie burgers, these are on par with the cost of regular burgers, and sometimes are a dollar or two more expensive. The best brand here is a local restaurant brand who sells their veggie versions for $7 a box! That is really high compared to other 'burger' options, but again, if you look at the cost per serving, it is a little more than a dollar per burger.
So, in some cases, you pay for an expensive package up front, but the cost per serving is reasonable if you amortize it out over how much you get. In other cases, the cost per serving is MUCH lower for the veg version. In only two case (the veggie burgers and the vegan cheese) was the veg version MUCH more expensive than the omni version, and even then, the cost per serving could get down to the 'just over $1' range depending on whether you could stretch the number of servings you get.
Finally, I will finish with a recipe that proves just how frugal a veg diet can be, I can make this with ingredients I always have on hand for literally pennies per serving.
Lentil Vegetable Soup
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 tbsp cooking oil
mixed spices, to taste
1/2 cup red lentils
water
broth powder or miso paste (optional)
Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables, sprinkle with salt and pepper, or other spices to taste. Stir-fry about two minutes. Add water to cover, then add broth powder or miso paste if using and stir very well. Add red lentils. Cover, reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes. Enjoy!
Estimated cost in my high-priced area:
Potato: 4 are usually $1 or so, so 1 would be about 0.25
Carrots: Large bags are usually $1.99 so 1 would be maybe 0.05
Cooking oil: Less than 0.05. A whole bottle is under $3 and it lasts me ages
Red lentils: A whole bag is about $1.50, so one serving is maybe 0.25
Broth or miso paste: A whole jar of broth is $2-3. So a serving, maybe 0.15
Seasoning: Pennies, if you buy in bulk. Let's err on the high side and say 0.05
So, this two-serving recipe is maybe $5-7 to buy all ingredients if you have no food in the house at all. But if you have a well-stocked pantry and are making this with stuff you already have on hand e.g. spices, staples, etc, it comes out to under a dollar for two servings. Not bad!