How can I survive as vegan on beans 🫘 etc

[Sabrinaspellman01]

A vegan, living with 1 child on a basic vegan diet? Have some chickpeas and kidney beans, vegan nutritional yeast etc please don't be judgmental! Thanks in advance ☺️

Should add, I'm perpetually skint

So are you new to this? Because if so, I would caution against putting your child on a vegan diet until you have figured out a way to ensure they get all the nutrients they need. Which I'm sure you can get to grips with soon, but still.

Do you have any food dislikes? Might make it easier to recommend stuff.

Sorry should have said in my op, daughters 10 and recently decided she wants to join me x

Cheap vegan recipes:

chilli - multiple types of beans and you can add in peppers and other veg
pasta and various sauces - vegan pesto, spaghetti bolignese with quorn mince
Thai green curry/korma curry with various veg - carrots are generally pretty cheap
lentil dhal with naan bread
stir fry with sauce and either noodles or rice. Prepacked is quite expensive but onions, carrots cheap and add in green beans or mushrooms
jacket potato and baked beans
ratatouille and bread

I'd think about what meals you usually make that you could veganise. Things like chilli, spag bol and stir fry are very easy.

Some things will already be vegan like jacket potatoes and baked beans, beans on toast.

There's a huge range of vegan cook books available now but it's also worth googling. There are good vegan websites like Bosh and BBC Good Food also has plenty of vegan recipes.

I really like using Chat GPT for these kind of questions, its not great at everything but it can be really good for meal planning and will also give you recipes and a shopping list to help you get started.

Heres what it said for the scenario you have given:

“Here’s a 7‑day vegan meal plan designed for a low‑income household in the UK, feeding one adult female and one 1‑year‑old toddler. It’s based on NHS and UK Vegan Society guidelines, prioritises affordable ingredients (beans, oats, vegetables, fortified foods), and aims to meet critical nutrient needs for both of you .

⚠️ Important Guidance

• Supplements: Both you and your child should take vitamin B₁₂ daily, and vitamin D (especially in winter or low sun). Use iodised salt or supplement for iodine .
• Toddler oil & fats: Under‑2s need higher fat intake—use full‑fat plant milks (e.g. fortified soy), avocado, nut butters, oils .
• Toddler portioning: Offer soft finger‑size portions. Ensure three servings/day of protein sources like pulses, tofu, nut butter .
• Iron & vitamin C combo: Serve beans, lentils, tofu or spinach with vitamin C rich fruit or veg (e.g. pepper, citrus) to boost absorption .

🛒 Budget‑friendly staples (shop at budget supermarkets: Lidl, Aldi, Tesco Basics)

• Oats / porridge oats
• Dried or tinned beans (lentils, chickpeas, black beans)
• Fortified plant milk (soy)
• Brown rice, whole‑wheat pasta, oats
• Seasonal veg (carrot, potato, onion, cabbage)
• Frozen veg (peas, spinach)
• Canned tomatoes
• Peanut butter or generic nut butter
• Bananas, apples, oranges
• Sunflower seeds or ground flaxseed (for omega‑3)
• Tofu (budget brand or reduced‑price)
• Whole‑grain bread
• Fortified breakfast cereal (cheap brand with B₁₂ and iron)
• Iodised salt

7‑Day Meal Plan

Day 1

• Breakfast: Oats cooked with fortified soy milk, mashed banana, a spoon of peanut butter. Toddler served as soft finger-size porridge lumps.
• Lunch: Lentil & vegetable soup (red lentils, carrot, potato, onion) with whole‑grain toast. Sprinkle flaxseed.
• Snack: Apple slices with peanut butter.
• Dinner: Chickpea curry (onion, garlic, canned chickpeas, spinach, tomato, spices) served with rice. For toddler, mash soft bits.
• Evening Pudding: Fortified cereal with soy milk.

Day 2

• Breakfast: Fortified low‑sugar breakfast cereal with soy milk and sliced orange.
• Lunch: Tofu scramble (tofu, turmeric, onion, spinach) with whole‑grain toast.
• Snack: Banana.
• Dinner: Pasta with tomato‑lentil sauce plus frozen peas.
• Pudding: Mashed banana with oat milk.

Day 3

• Breakfast: Toast with peanut butter and mashed banana.
• Lunch: Baked beans on toast with side of shredded cabbage (vitamin C to boost iron).
• Snack: Orange segments.
• Dinner: Vegetable stir‑fry (mixed veg, tofu, soy sauce) over brown rice.
• Pudding: Oat porridge with a drizzle of maple syrup or spread.

Day 4

• Breakfast: Porridge oats with applesauce and sunflower seeds.
• Lunch: Chickpea & vegetable patties (mashed chickpeas, oats, carrot) with side salad.
• Snack: Fortified cereal snack or piece of fruit.
• Dinner: Bean chilli (kidney beans, canned tomatoes, peppers) with rice.
• Pudding: Fortified cereal with soy milk.

Day 5

• Breakfast: Smoothie (soy milk, banana, frozen berries, flaxseed).
• Lunch: Peanut butter & banana sandwich on whole‐grain bread.
• Snack: Carrot sticks with hummus (homemade from tinned chickpeas).
• Dinner: Dahl (red lentils, onion, spices) with naan or rice.
• Pudding: Banana and oat muffins (simple, inexpensive).

Day 6

• Breakfast: Fortified cereal with soy milk and berries or apple slices.
• Lunch: Leftover dahl or curry, served with rice.
• Snack: Sliced banana or orange.
• Dinner: Pasta with spinach‑tomato sauce and beans.
• Pudding: Oat porridge with peanut butter.

Day 7

• Breakfast: Toast with avocado (or mashed banana/peanut butter) and a glass of soy milk.
• Lunch: Minestrone soup (mixed beans, veg, pasta) and whole‑grain toast.
• Snack: Fruit slices.
• Dinner: Baked potato topped with bean chilli and peas.
• Pudding: Fortified cereal with soy milk.

🌱 Nutritional highlights

• Protein: At least two vegan‑protein portions/day (lentils, beans, tofu, peanut butter).
• Iron + Vitamin C: Beans or lentils always paired with fruit or veg high in vitamin C.
• Calcium & vitamin D: Fortified soy milk and cereal provide calcium and D; supplement vitamin D if needed.
• B₁₂: Fortified foods (cereal, plant milk) plus supplement are essential .
• Omega‑3 (ALA): Use flaxseed or sunflower seeds; toddler portions small.
• Iodine: Use iodised salt in cooking or supplement .

👶 Special toddler considerations

• Keep textures soft and cut into safe shapes.
• Feed 3 protein portions/day: legumes, nut butter, tofu.
• Avoid added sugar or salt; fortify with healthy fats.
• Offer water between meals.
• Vitamin D drops (NHS recommends all under‑5s) plus a vegan B₁₂ supplement; consider multi‑vitamin with iodine .

🛒 Tips to keep costs low

• Buy dried pulses in bulk; cook once, freeze portions.
• Use seasonal fruit/veg or frozen for bargains.
• Cook double batches and use leftovers in lunches.
• Shop “reduced to clear” tofu, bread, fruit.
• Make homemade snacks (oat muffins, carrot sticks & hummus) rather than buying prepackaged.”

One green planet used to be really good for vegan recipes.