Vegetarian and/or vegan members of BYC!

[mom'sfolly]

Where I live prices are about:
Bananas $.40/pound, double that for organic
lemons/limes 6/$1
snap peas $.399/lb
apples $.80-1.99/ pound, organic $1.99-2.99
small Texas oranges and grapefruit 6-10/$1
spinach $1.39/bunch
avacados on special $.79/lb
iceberg lettuce <$1
cucumbers $.69 each
sweet potatoes $.88/pound
portabellas $3.99/pound
canned garbanzos $.69-1.50/can
pinto beans $.69/pound
broccoli crowns $1.99/pound
pineapple $3.99 each
whole coconut $1

I don't know grocery store meat prices, because I don't buy grocery store meat. But I do think vegetarian is much less expensive than meat, especially if you are comparing organic veggies to organic meat.

 

[Mom 2em All]

much cheaper for you to shop in Texas. Must be the climate/transport/etc that jacks the prices here. Well, among other things.
I could send my son there, he could afford to eat more there.

 

[Organics North]

Quote:
I was just at the store. One 16 ounce bag of black beans: $ 3.59, green apples $1.99 a pound= 3 apples, cauliflower $3.00 a pound, natural peanut butter (meaning I flip the switch and it grinds the peanuts into a container) $3.99 a pound, pale rubbery-looking tomatoes for five of them, $3.29, bananas $2.99 a pound, and I could go on and on. I am feeding a family of five- one being an almost-seventeen year old bottomless pit boy/man. I spent two hundred dollars in two days at two different grocery stores and I only brought home enough food for three meals a day for three days. We will live on left-overs for the remainder of the week.

Food costs are ridiculously high.

Sorry to do this too you mom'sfolly , but I have agree with mom 2em All. In the Wisconsin North Woods food is very expensive. We have 4 and 6 year old boys and it is tough. Quinoa at trader Joes is $4.99 a lb. (And that is a 3 hour drive one way!) Wild rice (which is harvested by local natives is $8.99 a pound. My organic brown Jasmine rice is $4 something a pound, and I have to order it in bulk off the internet! Not to gross people out but a whole deer is the cost of a $15 licence so that is $0.30 a lbs! Only our own produce is cheaper than that. We grow our own salad greens year around. I did not ever calculate the cost of the fluorescent lights but it is not much. Heck I can not even produce a dozen organic eggs for less than $1.

We dislike what we feel we are "forced" to buy foods we would rather not eat. We do have our goal and just love good wholesome enriching "poison free" meals.
(Mom 2em all, you pay tooooo much for bananas $2.99 a lbs!!! wow, I think the highest I have ever paid is like $1.29.)

ON

 

[Wifezilla]

We grow our own salad greens year around.

Really? What kind of set up do you have?​

 

[Organics North]

Quote:
Really? What kind of set up do you have?

OK,
Home made set up:
In the basement (about (60F at night and 70F in the day) we have an 8x8 room with our Orchids and greens I have 2x2 foot towers with adjustable shelves. Each level is lighted by 55W to 150W (or 1200 to 3600 Lumen per square foot) The 4 pin twin tube bulbs are 55 watts each and produce 4800 lumen! They are standard in Europe but new in the states. I grow the salad greens under 3600 lumen.

I can fit 18 plants on each level, average time from seed to harvest is about 40 days. We grow larger size plants not baby greens we like the texture and flavor of a larger leaf.

I make my own Organic soil, compost and worm castings teas the whole bit.... The soil is rich in humus and drains well. I layer the containers placing well aged compost near the bottom and let the roots go to it when it is ready. The containers are "hot" Lots of organic NPK but more importantly high levels of soil micro life. (As an organic gardener I do not feed the plants I feed the soil micro life which in return feeds the plants.)

Works great, if I keep the rotation up..... Our family of 4, eats salad greens at least once every day. Problem is you get spoiled, even makes the $4.99 box of organic greens from the store taste awful! We used to eat at least 2-3 boxes per week.

Lettuce and spinach are tricky to grow, everything has to be just right and you need to be sure they grow fast.

Steep learning curve but well worth it.. FRESH greens in the winter....Yes!

ON

 

[Wifezilla]

Sweet!

I have learned a lot about growing indoors...but I am only to the point where I can produce some really healthy starters. I haven't tried growing all year yet.

 

[SilverPhoenix]

I've really been enjoying this thread, everyone! Despite some rough beginnings, it's mostly turned into what I was hoping it would become.

Thanks to everyone who has shared recipes, experiences, ideas, and thoughts!

 

[JP33]

Others have mentioned table sugar and corn syrup in foods as something to keep an eye out for and just as a reminder to ALL, no matter how you eat, we should all pay really close attention not only to sugars in the foods we eat but in what we drink.

Stick with water and lemon (my suggestion) real fruit & vegetable juices (not from concentrate) and 86 sodas of all kinds.

Just doing this will cut back on sugar swings and lessen food cravings, thus causing one to consume less food & that will make it easier on the pocket book.

And hey, ya can't ever go wrong with beans and rice!


...JP

 

[Organics North]

Beverages for me:
1. Water
2. Herbal tea (Especially licorice teas)
3. Braggs Organic ACV with a little maple syrup or Honey in a huge glass of ice water.
4. Black tea (Just a tiny little caffeine fix in the am..

)

I have found that since removing alcohol from my diet, I do crave sweet more. (The AVC drink or licorice teas seems to satisfy that sweet craving.) If not nothing like a piece of quality dark chocolate!
ON

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
I like all that stuff, but a good beer is unbeatable. I'd hate to be lying on my death bed one day and look back - to realize that I am dying of nothing.

No sense hastening that day, mind you, so you are on the right track with healthy living now.

But when a beer, glass of wine or bit of dark chocolate is called for, well... that call should be answered!