Working on being Vegetarian/Vegan

SanguineAllure

I used to be vegan a few years ago but found it so hard to maintain as I came to live with and care for my mother. I live in a household where 90% of the food is meat based and it's been so hard to maintain a vegetarian diet, let alone vegan. I do buy food, but since I'm the main one buying groceries on a very limited budget, I am not much able to buy the fruits and vegetables that I want/need.

Right now I do mainly eat a mixture of rice, beans, eggs and a variety of veggies we do get sometimes (mainly onions and tomatoes) This morning I had quick oats with blueberries, walnuts, and peanut butter. But I would love some more ideas on ways I could stick to being vegetarian at the very least.

Has anyone else been through something like this?
If so, what was your solution?

littlebabekitty

Hi. I am a partial vegan. I know how hard it is to be on a budget. I live in nyc and we have many vegan options. I buy vegan faux meats like gardein and tofurky. I also use garbanzos and other beans and tofu for protein . then you pair it with carbs and veggies for a meal. I will add u so u can see my diary for ideas.

SanguineAllure

That's amazing!
I have to be vegetarian/vegan because meats and dairy make me quite ill.
I live in Cali, but in a small town of it so I don't have a large variety of options lol.
How do you prepare tofu? I love it, but I'm always a bit nervous about getting/making it.

apullum

I usually press my water-packed tofu and bake it so it gets crispy without frying. The first three steps of this recipe are what I generally do: https://minimalistbaker.com/crispy-peanut-tofu-cauliflower-rice-stir-fry/ Just don't cut your cubes too small or you'll wind up with tough tofu.

If it's shelf-stable silken tofu, I like to make chocolate mousse/pie filling out of it. You can order Mori-Nu silken tofu on Amazon if you can't find it locally. https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/02/06/chocolate-chocolate-chocolate-mousse/

As far as produce, many frozen veggies are a decent substitute for fresh.

Depending on just how small your town is, you might be able to find tempeh, which is a nice change from tofu. I'm in a pretty small place in California as well, but we have a Trader Joe's not too far away, and they have many good options.

You can also make seitan yourself--I order vital wheat gluten on Amazon. https://vegandad.blogspot.com/2008/09/hickory-smoked-veggie-turkey-lunchmeat.html

SanguineAllure

Thank you so much for that info and the links