vegan crisis !!! ( no bashing please )

[bbyvegan]

Basically I became vegan overnight after becoming aware of the industry and realising how detrimental eating meat / dairy is to our bodies, the environment and the animals, I literally transitioned overnight and did so so well for a year, and then cheese happened, and it was a slippery slope, all of my family were just glad this "phase" was over and eventually I became a full on meat/dairy eater again and I HATE it, i hate the guilt it makes me feel, I hate how bloated it makes me, how thirsty it makes me, I just hate all of it.

I'm looking now at transitioning again into full veganism again and I'm really just looking for some yummy cheap meals that I can make as I'm on a pretty cheap budget that aren't really repetitive as I think that was an issue last time, also I have a one year old daughter who I want to be veggie / vegan so need snack ideas for her also !

Please no bashing, I'm trying to improve and grow ! Help me through this, don't make me feel worse than I already do ! X

Maybe some basic vegan shopping items would be really useful, just anything really x

veganuary website to have a root (geddit) through for starters.

Research veganism/babies carefully. You'll be grand.

(From a non vegan)

A list of vegan meals we eat regularly are:

Thai type meals with tofu - laksa, stir fries
Lentil and veggie cottage pie
Various mixes of grains and pulses - a particular favourite is kale, chilli, quinoa and cashew nut (keeps in the fridge for ages)
A bit of quorn occasionally in a spag Bol
Falafels and pitta, hummus, salad etc
Veggie stews now it’s getting colder
Sweet potato and black bean chilli
Chickpea and spinach curry

Might give you some ideas! We do eat a bit of fish but not meat or dairy. My toddler does eat dairy though, i’m not sure what I’d feed her if not cheese as she’s a fusspot.

Tofu or cashew nut stir fry
Veggie chilli
Brocolli and bean soup - basically fried onions and garlic, then cooked with broccoli, potato, white beans and stock until soft. Then purée.
Butternut squash and chickpea stew
Linda McCartney sausages are nice and quite often on offer
Coleslaw made with vinegrette instead of mayo. home made coleslaw is very cheap, I use red cabbage as it’s more colorful.

There’s loads more veggie food around now than previously. Some of is it quite expensive. Some seems to be very overprocessed, and I wonder about the nutritional value of it.

I love a pilaf with sprouts, chestnuts and cranberries 😋

Random ideas:
– Lentil burgers
– Tom Kha soup (just leave out the fish sauce)
– Peanut butter and jam toast
– Porridge with soy/almond/coconut milk and fruit for breakfast
– Hummus and carrot sticks (or other veg sticks...)
– Veggie curries with rice
– Spaghetti with tomato sauce
– Oven baked veggie mix such as potato, sweet potato, garlic, onion, kale, broccoli, carrots, etc... Just toss in olive oil/garlic/salt and pop in the oven.

I also really like tangy salads to spruce up otherwise slightly boring meals, such as:
– Onion/tomato salad (google Sri Lankan Onion Tomato salad...)
– Pickled cucumber salad
– Courgette salad (raw, very thinly cut courgette left to marinade in lemon juice/olive oil/mint/salt/pepper dressing)
– Avocado/tomato/chilli salad with lemon juice/olive oil/honey dressing

If you work then it's a good idea to cook once a week, when you have the time, e.g. cook whole rice and or quinoa, pasta etc. and keep it in the freezer in small enough containers for one meal. Also steam fresh veg. which can be curried or made into soup etc and also frozen. Always have fresh onions and garlic, and spices around to add flavour to your meals.

Have a salad for lunch good spelt bread with olive oil, I use it as a spread on toast. Good fruit for breakfst with ground almonds ( I make seasonal smoothies to last 2 days).

The smoothies are lovely for your baby too! (well all the foods are great for everyone!) I add ground linseeds and ground almonds, for creaminess, to the smoothies to get the omega 3 that we all need. Oh and yeast flakes are good for soup stock , they give a good vegan source of vitamin B12 / protein.

There was a bit on Radio 4 about veganism yesterday which was quite interesting (I'm not a vegan) and there seemed to be a lot more available in terms of protein than ever before and lots of interesting recipes.

I particularly like Indian flavours and spices and am a massive fan of daals.

You should borrow a book on vegan nutrition from the library because you need to understand how to balance the nutrients especially for your 1 y old child.
You will need a Vitamin B12 supplements. Your DD's will be in drops, yours in a pill.
You need to be mindful of :

• iron
• iodine - especially
• calcium
• protein
• omega 3
• Vit D, as you are going towards winter

Vegan plant-based is totally inexpensive. It is when you go for substitute, fake cheese, fake ham, fake yogurt fake ice-cream, fake burger, .... that the price get up.
You need to learn how to prepare and cook beans, lentils, chickpeas and how to buy and marinate tofu.

It is very easy to fall in the high processed, high carb trap. Doritos , oreos and chips are vegan but probably not what you should feed your daughter.
You might want to learn how to bake, so you can use chickpea flour for muffins.
You will certainly need to prepare your own mix of seeds or even bake your seeds crackers, for the minerals and vitamins.
Vegans eat nuts so this is something you might want to discuss with your GP if there is a risk of allergies.

King There is no need for B12 supplements if you (as I said) have yeast flakes in your cooking, and also linseeds for omega 3 .

If you cook from scratch with plenty of fresh veg. and fruit. It 's best to avoid all the ready made industrial foods (which is true for everyone not just vegans).

There is not a consensus over yeast and vit b12 veganhealth.org/vitamin-b12-vegan-sources/
As supplements are very cheap and the deficiencies quite severe especially for a child’s growth, I strongly believe a newbie vegan should 100% supplement in b12 while learning to eat appropriately. The daughter is 1 year old. You don’t take risk at that stage.
I only recommended b12 supplement and told the OP to be mindful while planning meal of other known critical mineral and vitamins. If she doesn’t add fortified salt to her child’s meals, iodine can become an issue.
The decision to change a child’s diet needs to be accompanied by knowledge and possibly the advice of a nutritionist, because there have been incidents with children becoming ill despite the parents’ best intentions.
There is a brain and a body in transformation. It is necessary to spend some time investigating on books, medical professionals how to do it right. Mumsnet can add info and ideas but the first port of call is the health section at the library.
OP, don’t put the health of your child in the hand of random strangers on the internet.
There are books - not written by Instagram stars - about raising vegan children. Don’t rush into it, and while you learn how, how much, when to find all the nutrients in real food, do not hesitate to supplement.

It isn’t a decision to take lightly after a Netflix movie. Talk to your GP and don’t forget that there is the prefix VEG in vegan. A lot of vegan have a crap high carb high fat diet that I call fifty-shades-of-beige.
Your daughter must get her calories from rice, oats, pulses, good fats and a rainbow of colours in her plate.
It can be done, but you must be aware of the risks if rushed and not well planned.

And her protein from fresh vegetables and fruit, there is a lot of evidence showing how much protein is in org. soya etc. The Japanese wean their children on it.
The majority of omnivorous people eat so much ready made food rubbish, that I would suggest that for OP to even THINK about what she eats is a good thing and shows that she cares about herself and her child.
Of course she won't take OUR advice over other reliable data. (though a lot of data is skewed by the manufacturers) It's nice to get other people's experiences etc.

This fortnight's menu (me, DH, DS 6 and DD 4) -Creamy mushroom pasta (pasta, mushrooms, garlic and vegan cream cheese from Tesco)
Biryani with tofu, mushrooms and peppers, naan bread
Pitta and houmous, salad
Mac and cheese (cheese sauce using Tesco cheddar and violife parmesan in a basic roux) with kale
Tomato soup (I get biona organic, aldi tomato and basil is vegan), ciabatta and veggie sticks
Sunday roast and trimmings
Leek and potato soup
Tofu nuggets and tabbouleh, houmous
Homemade pizza
Beans on toast
Lentil spaghetti bolognese

Hope that helps! I work full time and am 36 weeks pregnant so they're all easy quick things at the moment, except Sunday roast which is DS's favourite meal.

JessBeautician on YouTube has tons of recipes which are easy, affordable and don’t use loads of weird ingredients.

Some of our fave things are mushroom bouerginhoweveryouspell it, vegan enchiladas, lentil bolognese, mash loaded with veg in onion gravy, stir fries. Try Easy Vegan on YouTube too, his videos are comedic but his recipes are legit!

P.S. I do take a B12 supplement along with some others just to be sure :)

wejammin I make a lovely vegan "Mac n 'Cheese'" . I use a tin of white beans blended with a little olive oil, gently fried onions, garlic and yeast flakes or mamite. You can make it into a dip if you make it thick or add it to the pasta as a sauce. It has that nice texture. Then you crunch up some breadcrumbs with more yeast flakes and or fake cheese for the topping.

Well done OP! It’s not easy to try again but I believe you can do it!

You can try this www.challenge22.com/challenge22/
If you find it helpful, it’s free and you get dietician support, mentors, recipes, tips and more. It’s just individuals who have given up their time to help out others because we believe veganism is the best for the animals and the planet and we know it can be very healthy but we recognise it can be hard.

17,000+ people participated in the challenge in July and August this year alone.

Good luck!

Also I’d supplement b12, D, iodine and omega 3 (flax or algae) to get started until you’re used to what foods are fortified/ other dietary sources.

Not RTFT and apologies if already mentioned but Iceland do a new vegan range - DD has the no-bull burgers and v impressed and there's also no- porky sausages etc if u are looking for a meat substitute

The truck with tofu!
I was veggie for years before I found it and have never looked back.
Using firm tofu (not silken), unwrap, wrap in kitchen paper/towels, press firmly and evenly to squeeze out some water (try not to break it too much. Cut it in half width wise, then into cubes. Silicone mat or baking paper covered tray roughly lay out the pieces, bake for about 25 mins in an oven around 180 until the pieces dry out and become crispy. Then add to stir fry etc. This is such a tasty way to have it! Texture even better if the original block was frozen and then thawed before squeezing.
This is great with say satay, home made, 2/3 huge spoons of crunchy peanut butter, 2/3 spoons soy sauce and 2/3 spoons sweet chill sauce in a bowl two spoons to blend together. Stir fry peppers onions peas, add sauce (add water if it starts to stick) then when done stir in the tofu. (Cook double and eat again)
Serve with rice. (Cook fresh rice the next time)

Thankyou all!!! This is so helpful and have already made a few good meals from this list ?! Keep it coming !! Xxx

I like to batch cook chilli, curry and Bolognese