Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half! with Stephanie Nelson, The Coupon Mom

 

4 Vegan Recipes to Keep You Healthy and Fit

Veggies are, simply put, amazing. Eating a diet that is full of a variety of different vegetables gives you a well-rounded mix of proteins and phytonutrients that can help prevent cancer in addition to providing other health benefits. By mixing in some high-protein, grain-based foods and nuts, you can get a complete assortment of proteins and amino acids that are the building blocks for a strong body.

The following list of recipes contains some unique ideas as well as some plant-based variations on some of your favorite dishes. Do you love chili but want to stay away from red meat? Have you been phasing meats out of your diet but still long for the flavors of a club sandwich from a deli? This list contains vegan recipes that are delicious and nutritious, and anybody who has access to a kitchen can easily make them.

Sicilian Whole Wheat Pasta with Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a tasty vegetable that makes a great centerpiece for any dish. Whole wheat noodles make this dish rich in protein and filling as well. While boiling your pasta of choice, sauté cauliflower, garlic, and shallots. Once the cauliflower is browned, add raisins, vinegar, water, thyme, bay leaf, honey, fennel seeds, and capers. Continue cooking until the cauliflower is tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Turn off the heat and add parsley and pine nuts. Toss this mixture together with the pasta, and it’s ready to be served. Consider serving with a cheese topping, like parmesan.

Swiss Chard with Couscous and Chickpeas
Chickpeas are full of protein, and Swiss chard is one of the healthier greens available. Couscous is a great grain that will round out this power-plate. While you are preparing the couscous, toast some pine nuts over low heat. When they are ready, put them aside and raise the heat on the skillet to cook some garlic. Then add the chickpeas and chard, as well as some raisins, pepper, and salt. Once this mixture is ready, serve it on the couscous and top it all off with the pine nuts.

Two-Bean Vegan Chili
Chili is a savory and delicious dish that can be served spicy or mild, depending on how heavy you want to go with the chili powder. This meatless version makes a strong contender in any chili cook-off. Cook vinegar, jalapenos, and onions in oil until soft, then add garlic and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, chili powder, broth, and your chosen spices, and bring to a boil. After a minute, add your beans of choice and let it rise to a boil again. Simmer for another 5 minutes and add cilantro. This chili goes great on rice.

Avocado Club with Smashed White Beans

A club sandwich doesn’t have to use bacon or other meats. This vegan version gets you all the protein and flavor you would want without the fatty detriments of bacon. It’s also really quick and easy to make, especially if the beans are already cooked. Mash together the white beans with oil, salt, and pepper. Spread this mixture on your bread of choice, and top with onion, sprouts, cucumber, and avocado. If you want to top it off with a dressing, a great vegan option to try is Just Mayo by Hampton Creek.

Cooking Vegan is Healthy and Exciting

You may find, after eating dishes like these for a long period of time while excluding meat and dairy from your diet, that you have more energy and feel more satisfied after your meals. The health benefits of a vegetable-based diet are extraordinary. All of the above recipes use ingredients that can be switched out depending on your taste. That’s where the real fun of being your own chef begins. When you add your favorite vegetables to a preexisting dish, you will then have your own version that your friends will enjoy as well. That’s filling and fulfilling.

These dishes are great if you’re cooking for a family as well. If you have kids that are reluctant to eat their veggies, serve them the delightful club sandwich and you’ll be surprised at how fast they swallow it up. Anybody loves good cooking, even people who are accustomed to meat-heavy diets. Try these recipes out on different people you know and you’ll find yourself having even more new ideas to cook up.

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5 Creative Ways to Save Money While Eating Healthy
When it comes to staying healthy, one of the biggest challenges you face is how to choose healthy foods while balancing your grocery budget at the same time. While junk food and fast food meals are easy on your wallet, they are tough on your waistline and have shown to be an especially detrimental food choice for children. While you might think you need to eat cheap in order to keep your budget healthy, there are several creative and fun ways to save money and make healthier food choices for your family at the same time.

1. Use Apps That Help You Make Healthier Choices
If you want to make healthier choices when grocery shopping, there are a number of apps available that will track what you buy and help you choose healthy alternatives to junk food as well. For example, one app that I really like called MyFitnessPal allows you to scan a food item so that you can instantly learn about its sugar, fat, and sodium content before you buy the item.  Other apps will even suggest a healthier alternative. This will help you save money by allowing you to remove foods from your diet that may have high sodium or sugar hidden within their ingredients.

2. Prepare Healthy Meals Ahead of Time
We know that fast food and prepackaged meals are not always the best choices when it comes to eating healthy, but you may resort to them when you and your spouse both work full time and your children are involved in a number of after-school activities that make cooking healthy meals every evening a challenge. However, there is a simple solution for this issue. When you shop, choose healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, organic chicken (on sale), and ingredients for preparing fresh sauces and salads.
Once everything is purchased, set aside a few hours on a Sunday evening so that you can prepare and freeze meals and snacks as a family. Create grab-and-go snacks such as celery sticks, apple slices, soup, and whole grain muffins. Freeze ready-made casseroles, chicken dishes, and even desserts such as fruit smoothies. When you prepare and freeze whole meals and snacks for the week, you can save anywhere from $30-$70 a month by avoiding trips to the local fast food joint and teach your kids healthier eating habits at the same time.

3. Be Choosy About Organic Foods
When it comes to making healthier food choices, you may be tempted to buy all organic fruits and vegetables. The downside to this is that organic foods can be expensive. However, you can save money on your organic produce by doing a bit of research before you shop. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tests produce for pesticide levels each year and the Environmental Working Group releases a list of which fruits and vegetables should be purchased organically based on the results of the testing. The list of non-organic produce that generally tests low for pesticides includes onions, sweet potatoes, cabbage, and avocados,  to name a few. This will allow you to save money on your food bill without forcing you to cut back on buying produce.

4. Think Outside the Healthy Food Box
You will need to be especially creative about eating healthy if you aim to live a vegan lifestyle. Before you shop, look into companies that offer these alternatives and how they have been received by the public. You can find much of the information you need online; for example, the Hampton Creek Wikipedia page offers a wide variety of facts and statistics about the company’s plant-based food alternatives, including egg substitute, cookies made without butter or eggs, and a mayonnaise substitute made with the same plant-based ingredient, in a variety of flavors. The more you know about which healthy food alternatives you can use in order to create healthy vegan meals, the better you can plan meals and save on your food budget.

5. Plan Ahead Before You Shop
While using fun apps and doing a bit of research about healthy foods can help you save money while you shop, it is also important to plan ahead for your trip to the grocery store. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to shop on an empty stomach, as your appetite will fuel your desire to buy junk food and sugary, high-fat processed foods. Before you leave the house, eat a meal that is rich in protein and that will fill you up, such as a bowl of oatmeal or fiber-rich cold cereal with soy milk. When your stomach is satisfied, you will be able to concentrate on buying foods that will keep you, your family and your bank balance healthy.

 

Bigger isn’t always  better when it comes to bargains at warehouse clubs like Sam’s and Costco.  There are many items that are good bargains at warehouse clubs if you know how to shop strategically, but you’ll break the bank if you assume that every item on their shelves is a bargain.  Every week CouponMom.com lists the best deals at Sam’s Club and Costco to make it easy for you to sort through the savings–and we even break the items down by unit cost so you can compare prices with the smaller-sized packages you find at  your local grocery store.

Read the 8 Things Never to Buy at Sam’s or Costco for more details

Sam’s Club Deals List

Costco Deals List