Chapter Planning Your Meals to Stay on Track In This Chapter ▶ Planning healthy vegan meals ▶ Understanding the importance of breakfast ▶ Discovering some preplanned menu options ▶ Snacking vegan style to satisfy your cravings L iving vegan means becoming a skilled food detective Navigating the grocery store can be like picking your way through a field of land mines — but only in the first couple of weeks You’ll quickly pick up on the ingredients to avoid and discover new favorite products to fill up your cupboard This chapter can help you plan a healthy week of meals to get you started in la vida vegan Shopping from lists of staple supplies, planning well-rounded meals, and stocking up on snacks all ensure that your best vegan intentions are successful So grab your magnifying glass, your shopping list, a quick swig of hemp milk from your hip flask, and then head out the door to your local health food store And don’t forget to bring your reusable shopping bags for extra eco-vegan street-cred Building a Plan for Vegan-rific Success Looking at lists of possible vegan staples can help you understand what’s necessary to round out your kitchen supply After all, creating your own lists and planning out meals is your key to success and really owning this process As many coaches have said, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.” As you begin planning, first think about what types of foods you want to eat on a regular basis and begin amassing recipes that you can go to time and again Then use the lists provided later in this section to plan your own shopping trips 110 Part III: Sticking to Your Guns: Staying Vegan As you’re making the transition to a vegan lifestyle, you can start with a clean slate and dump every nonvegan item in your cupboard (giving the items away to someone who will use them, of course) Or, to make the switch a little more sane, you can begin by planning to eat one or two vegan meals each day Doing so allows you to keep some of your old food habits while transforming your shopping, cooking, and eating habits slowly Gathering easy and appealing recipes for meal planning Begin your vegan adventure by looking through recipes and choosing several that fit your taste preferences and cooking abilities Selecting simple foods and recipes that don’t require too many sophisticated cooking tools or techniques can help you transition in the beginning Also, starting your cooking projects on the weekend will allow you more time and flexibility Running to the store for a missing ingredient will be less stressful on a Saturday afternoon compared to a Tuesday night Include complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fat sources throughout your day And don’t rely too heavily on processed “fake” vegan foods like soy hot dogs and deli meats These foods are fine every once in a while, but you can easily fall into the habit of using them every day instead of cooking with fresh food These soy foods aren’t inherently unhealthy, but they aren’t whole, vital foods like vegetables and whole grains either Make sure you have a healthy breakfast every day so you don’t get stuck starving out in the wilds of your office or in the car on the way to school Keep a variety of snack options stocked at home so you can take a couple with you to help you through the day Here are some smart and simple menu planning tips to help you succeed: ✓ Provide variety and choice Start with foods you know that you and/or your family enjoy and offer several healthy options that they can pick and choose from ✓ Offer a variety of textures, tastes, and temperatures A variety of textures, tastes, and temperatures, including smooth, creamy, crunchy, chewy, cold, spicy, hot, sweet, salty, bitter, and sour, can make mealtimes more interesting ✓ Appeal to the senses with colors, smells, and presentation Food should be visually appealing and fragrant as well as tasty Choose foods of different colors and arrange them with some care and attention to make the dish look nice and appetizing Include herbs, spices, garlic, and onions to fill the air with delicious smells to stimulate your appetite Chapter 9: Planning Your Meals to Stay on Track Shopping smarter with vegan shopping lists If you become a wiser shopper, you’ll find it much easier to stick to your vegan lifestyle Shop smarter by doing the following: ✓ Take a list and hit the right stores at the right times To avoid long lines and crowded aisles, try shopping during off-peak hours like weekend evenings or early in the morning ✓ Don’t shop when you’re starving — you’re more likely to fill your cart with junk food Eat a small, healthy snack before you leave the house ✓ Choose a grocery store that offers you most, if not all, of the items on your list Store hopping to find everything you need will only become a chore and cause you to resent your new diet ✓ Get to know a few stores to help you find better priced items, and you’ll learn the lay of the land, making for a faster shopping experience Get ready, get set, shop! The following sections provide you with lists of basic vegan foods that you can begin accumulating to ensure healthy, delicious vegan cooking You certainly don’t need to buy these items all at once (you likely already have some of them); start with what you think you’ll use most often or with what’s on sale and work from there Staples and dry goods You’ll be able to whip up any number of yummy vegan meals and treats with these items: ✓ Baking ingredients: baking powder, baking soda, dry active yeast ✓ Dried beans: black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, pintos, white beans ✓ Dried mushrooms: morels, porcini, shiitake ✓ Egg replacements: Ener-G Egg Replacer, ground flax meal, whole flaxseeds ✓ Flavorings: carob or cocoa powder, kosher salt, sea salt, vanilla extract, vegetable broth cubes, wasabi powder ✓ Flours: buckwheat flour, cornmeal, oat flour, spelt, unbleached white flour, whole-wheat flour ✓ Herbs and spices: allspice, basil, bay leaves, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, curry powder, five spice powder, garlic powder, ground ginger, ground mustard, marjoram, onion flakes, oregano, paprika, red pepper flakes, rosemary, sage, thyme, turmeric, whole black peppercorns, whole nutmeg 111 112 Part III: Sticking to Your Guns: Staying Vegan As a general rule when cooking with herbs, teaspoon of dried herb may be substituted for tablespoon of chopped fresh herb Store your herbs and spices away from heat and light sources Similarly, don’t store them over the oven or in the window because heat and light cause them to lose their flavor faster Replace herbs and spices that are older than year ✓ Milks: boxes of almond, carob, hemp, oat, plain chocolate or vanilla, rice, or soymilks ✓ Natural sweeteners: agave, blackstrap molasses, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, rapadura ✓ Nuts and seeds: almonds, cashews, pecans, popcorn kernels, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, shelled sunflower seeds, walnuts ✓ Pasta and noodles (whole-grain flour): buckwheat soba noodles, couscous, elbow noodles, spaghetti, lasagna noodles, rice ✓ Sea vegetables: arama, dulse, hijiki, kombu, nori paper, wakame ✓ Organic soy products: silken tofu in aseptic packages, frozen edamame beans ✓ Teas: black, green, herbal ✓ Thickeners: agar, arrowroot, cornstarch, kudzu ✓ Unsweetened dried fruit: banana chips, dried apples, Medjool dates, raisins ✓ Whole grains: barley, brown rice, bulgur, corn grits, millet, oat groats, quinoa ✓ Whole-grain products: cereals, bagels, multigrain bread, pita, wraps Canned goods and condiments The following pantry items will last for months or even years, so stock up when they’re on sale: ✓ Canned tomatoes in diced, crushed, paste, or whole form ✓ Capers ✓ Hearts of palm ✓ Jams and fruit butters, including strawberry, blackberry, marmalade, apple butter, and pumpkin butter ✓ Marinated artichoke hearts ✓ Mustards such as yellow, Dijon-style, and spicy ✓ Naturally brewed soy sauce like Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, shoyu, and tamari (wheat free) ✓ Naturally sweetened ketchup (the regular stuff is vegan, but full of highfructose corn syrup, which isn’t healthy) ✓ Nut and seed butters like almond, peanut, cashew, and tahini Chapter 9: Planning Your Meals to Stay on Track ✓ Oils, including extra-virgin olive, flaxseed, coconut, canola, and toasted sesame ✓ Pasta sauce ✓ Salad dressing (vegan varieties, of course) ✓ Salsa ✓ Unsweetened coconut milk ✓ Vegan mayonnaise ✓ Vegetable broths in different varieties, including salted, unsalted, mushroom flavored, and onion flavored (buy cans or aseptic boxes) ✓ Vinegars such as Balsamic, red wine, unpasteurized apple cider, umeboshi, and white Refrigerated products You’ll be buying these products more often, but still be on the lookout for sales Just make sure you don’t buy more than you’ll actually eat before the expiration date: ✓ Fresh ginger ✓ Hummus in all kinds of flavors, including plain, garlic, roasted red pepper, green onion, and kalamata olive ✓ Leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, bok choy, cabbage, lettuce, and spinach ✓ Mushrooms in varieties like portabella, button, shiitake ✓ Olives and pickles ✓ Seitan ✓ Soy-based margarines like Earth Balance ✓ Soy foods, including chickpea miso, barley miso, tofu, tempeh, hot dogs, veggie sausages, and deli meats ✓ Tofu cream cheese and sour cream ✓ Yogurt, including soy or coconut milk-based, plain, unsweetened, and vanilla Freezer items Having some convenience food and treats on hand is a great way to stay on track with your vegan meals Stock your freezer with the following essentials: ✓ Frozen vegan meals or pizzas ✓ Fruits like berries, pitted cherries, and peaches ✓ Juices such as apple, cranberry, and orange 113 ... Part III: Sticking to Your Guns: Staying Vegan As you’re making the transition to a vegan lifestyle, you can start with a clean slate and dump every nonvegan item in your cupboard (giving the... two vegan meals each day Doing so allows you to keep some of your old food habits while transforming your shopping, cooking, and eating habits slowly Gathering easy and appealing recipes for. .. making for a faster shopping experience Get ready, get set, shop! The following sections provide you with lists of basic vegan foods that you can begin accumulating to ensure healthy, delicious vegan