[9/11/06]

I'm new here and new to bein a vegetarian, it'll be 2 weeks on monday <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/hungry.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":hungry:"> I just wanted to see what people recommend picking up at the grocery store cause this is a whole lifestyle change and i really don't know what foods are good or what you can't leave the grocery store without or just what you think every vegetarian should pick up. Anyone's opinion would be great! I'm really getting tired of eatin top ramen <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/inquisitive.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":stinkeye:">

 

[duck]

I personally am a pretty picky eater. Whenever I go to the grocery store... I purchase lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.<br><br><br><br>
As for pre-packaged items I usually buy:<br><br><br><br>
bread<br><br>
peanut butter<br><br>
jelly<br><br>
soup cans or packages (vegetable, lentil couscous, split pea)<br><br>
cereal<br><br>
soymilk<br><br>
baked lays<br><br>
pickles<br><br>
tofu<br><br>
flavored prebaked tofu<br><br>
dr. praegers burgers<br><br>
frozen vegetables (corn, stir fry)<br><br>
rice<br><br>
pasta<br><br>
nutritional yeast<br><br>
frozen berries<br><br>
oatmeal<br><br>
crystal light mix<br><br>
yogurt<br><br><br><br>
That's all I can think of for now.........<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/broccoli.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":bobo:">

 

[nigel]

Read some cookbooks and plan a weekly menu. Then go shopping. There are plenty of prepackaged products (Morningstar Farms, Amys, others) that cost more but take some of the stress off of cooking, and might give you some fresh ideas.<br><br><br><br>
look at the recipes forums for ideas on meals.<br><br><br><br>
When you have the time, please fill out some info on yourself in your profile. I'm sure we'd all love to know something about you.

 

[Laura_I]

What I have is a binder full of 6 weeks worth of recipes, and a grocery list for each week, this makes it easy and hassle free. As far as 'convenience' foods go, I like:<br><br><br><br>
Instant cous cous (comes in lots of flavors)<br><br>
soy milk<br><br>
morning star farms stir fry's, etc<br><br>
bread + peanut butter and jelly<br><br>
hummus and pita bread<br><br>
taupenade and crusty bread (some taupenade is made with anchovies, check ingredients, most isnt' though)

 

[Tesseract]

I usually start by coming up with a menu plan for the week bsade on what recipes sound good and what I already have in the house. Then I round it out with fresh produce, particularly whatever's fresh in season and on sale. Some of my usual staples include:<br><br><br><br>
onions<br><br>
potatoes<br><br>
bananas<br><br>
Bread<br><br>
soymilk<br><br>
calcium fortified orange juice<br><br>
canned beans (different kinds)<br><br>
Canned tomatoes<br><br>
Frozen veggies (esp. corn)<br><br>
dry pasta<br><br>
jar pasta sauce<br><br>
Tofu<br><br>
Smart Balance Light<br><br>
olive oil<br><br>
corn muffin mix<br><br>
peanut butter<br><br>
hummus<br><br>
pita chips<br><br>
chocolate<br><br><br><br>
Some other threads with related info:<br><br><a href="http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=48636" target="_blank">Your Favorite (and Least Favorite) Commercial Food Products</a><br><br><br><br><a href="http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=45326" target="_blank">What's In YOUR Pantry?</a><br><br><a href="http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=31023" target="_blank"><br><br>
What's Your Grocery List?</a>

 

[flvegnewbie]



What I have is a binder full of 6 weeks worth of recipes, and a grocery list for each week, this makes it easy and hassle free. As far as 'convenience' foods go, I like:<br><br><br><br>
Yep, that's what I do too. If you'll put your recipes inside some page protectors you can just pull them out & take them into the kitchen with you & then if you splatter something on it, you can just wipe them clean!!<br><br><br><br>
As far as what to buy when shopping? I say start out slow. Look at how you cook now & see what you can just veganise. If you like spaghetti, just use a marinara sauce (you really don't even need a meat sub. for this).<br><br>
What about just making some beans in the crockpot & serve it over some rice, or a veggie stir-fry? Also you could do black bean tacos with any toppings you want.<br><br><br><br>
My kids like those Morningstar corn dogs & nuggets, Gardenburger riblets, and those Lightlife soy dogs.<br><br>
But you really don't need to eat meat replacements if you don't want, I've found though it does help during the transition stage. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/yes.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":yes:"> Especially until you get more confident in cooking a more vegetarian menu.<br><br><br><br>
If you'd like a basic pantry staples list, just let me know & I can pass along one that was given to me here by another member.<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/rockon.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":rockon:"><br><br><br><br>
Congratulations on going VEG & WELCOME to VB too!!!!! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/carrot.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":vebo:"> That's really GREAT!!<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":up:"><br><br><br><br><br><br>
HTH,<br><br>
Michelle

 

[kikke]

We're new too, or should I say my daughter is.<br><br><br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>flvegnewbie</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
I say start out slow</div>
</div>
<br>
. I have to agree with flvegnewbie, where possible change old favourites and make them vegetarian, e.g:<br><br><br><br>
* spaghetti bolognese with vegetable sauce & quorn mince/meatballs<br><br>
* soy beefburgers (really nice)<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/lick.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":lick:"><br><br>
* vegetable lasagne<br><br>
* stuffed pasta shells with vegetable sauce<br><br><br><br>
We're doing it this way to start with so that the whole family can get used to the different flavours and textures, and gradually I'll introduce new recipes made from scratch. "Vegetarian diet: A starter's guide to a plant-based diet" gives some really good advice for those just starting out. We were really big meat eaters before and the hardest thing I find is stuff to put in sandwiches without relying heavily on cheese.<br><br><br><br>
Here's my last short shopping list:<br><br><br><br>
Vegetarian beefburgers<br><br>
Quorn mushroom pies<br><br>
Eggs<br><br>
Dairylea dunkers<br><br>
Bagels<br><br>
Jaffa cakes (didn't know if these were veggie or not)<br><br>
Cereal bars (for school snacks)<br><br>
Fresh fruit<br><br>
Soft Cheese<br><br>
Lentil soup<br><br>
Soya milk<br><br>
Peanut butter<br><br><br><br>
Hope this helps.

 

[codemonkey]

Here's some staples that I try to keep around the house:<br><br><br><br>
Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables<br><br>
rice (I get brown basmati)<br><br>
pasta<br><br>
crackers<br><br>
oatmeal<br><br>
olive and canola oil<br><br>
canned beans (I'm lazy)<br><br>
canned tomatoes<br><br>
tomato paste<br><br>
cereal<br><br>
whole wheat bread<br><br>
peanut butter<br><br>
100% fruit spread<br><br>
sugar<br><br>
whole wheat flour<br><br>
silken tofu<br><br>
cocoa powder<br><br>
chocolate chips<br><br>
nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc)<br><br>
nutritional yeast<br><br>
flax seeds<br><br>
tofu (mostly extra-firm)<br><br>
tempeh<br><br>
tempeh bacon<br><br>
soy cheese<br><br>
soymilk (plain and vanilla)<br><br>
salsa<br><br>
bottled salad dressings<br><br>
soy sauce<br><br>
big jar of pre-minced garlic<br><br>
frozen peas<br><br>
frozen corn<br><br>
frozen edamame (soybeans)<br><br>
fake meat (boca crumbles, chickenless nuggets, etc)<br><br>
filo dough<br><br>
soy delicious ice cream<br><br><br><br>
That's just some stuff I could think of off the top of my head. Peruse some cookbooks and try some recipes.

 

[9/11/06]

Hey thanks everyone for your advice and opinions I really appreciate it! I got some great ideas and i picked up a really great cookbook "easy vegetarian" <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/rockon.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":rockon:">

 

[lillym]

I want to recommend the Vegetarin 5 Ingredient Gourmet. Althought I don't think it's really gourmet cooking. However, over all it's easy cooking! And a lot of the recipes have menu ideas associated with them. I checked it out from the library and copied out a ton of recipes and really liked them. Although because it's 5 ingredients including seasonings the dishes tend to be bland and need extra stuff. But it helped me with my transition.

 

[bethany17]

My advice, real quick because I know that everyone's basically said everything that I would- try a bunch of stuff, repeat what you like, and if you don't like soy meat now try other brands etc either now or later. And convenience-wise, try Amys pot pies! They are delicious and take like ten minutes.