Vegan Mofo!



Being that I'm only a year into the blogosphere, I'm a Vegan Mofo virgin. Even still, I decided to take the plunge this year. Hopefully I'm able to get in the recommended 20 posts this month. It would be a record for me, but I'm always up for a challenge. If you are wondering, "What the heck is Vegan Mofo?" click on the link to find out.

Demonstrating affordable, easy, and healthy vegan meals has always been a subject I wanted to tackle. So often people tell me, "I don't have time to cook" or "being vegan is too hard/expensive." During this month I hope to dispel these common misconceptions about a vegan lifestyle. While I still reminisce the days of leisurely spending time cooking in the kitchen, those days are long gone now that Elliott and Evelyn have arrived. Little kids do not understand waiting when they are hungry, so our schedule is limited by our 5:30/6:00 dinner start time.

My goal is to provide information about the time spent and cost of the meals I post, as well as whether or not it is all or partially organic. Our family always aspires to buy organic as much as possible, but like most people have to do so within our budget. We try to keep in mind which items are known to be particularly high in pesticides and either purchase organic or alternatives.

Now on to the good part, the food! Today was a quick meal that only took about 10 minutes preparation time and another 15 minutes of cooking time. It is noteworthy that while it was 25 minutes total to get it all ready, I wasn't always working on the meal during that time. This dinner consisted of Chick'n Scallopini lightly fried, sesame roasted asparagus, steamed potato medley, fresh raspberries, and french bread.

Items Used for Meal:
1) Chick'n Scallopini ($3.50, Super Target)
2) Bunch of Aparagus ($3.29, Trader Joe's)
3) Steamed Organic Potatoes, types: Yukon, Red, Blue, and Sweet Potatoes (approx. ~ $3.00, Trader Joes
4) Organic Raspberries ($3.29, Trader Joe's)
5) 2 Medium French Bread, ($2.50, Trader Joe's)

Total Time Spent Making Meal: 25 minutes
Total Cost of Meal for Family of Four: $15.58, or a little less than $4 per person

Dinner is by far the most expensive meal each day, so I'll be sure to include some breakfasts and lunches
No idea what it costs to feed a family of four on average per week? Check out the information at the USDA.