This blog post contains affiliate links.
If you follow those links and purchase the product I make a small profit.
Thank you for the support!
People often assume that going vegan is expensive. That was one reason why I postponed going vegan in the past. I told myself, “When I make more money I’ll go vegan.” I also wasn’t “ready” to give up pizza at that time either but that’s a different story! A vegan lifestyle does not have to be expensive. I would say purchasing animal products is more pricey anyway, for your wallet and your health!
Unfortunately, most vegan versions of food are more expensive than the original…for example, something like Cheez Its sell for what like $3 or so per box? The vegan version sells for maybe $5-$6. However, you don’t need things like that and you should actually try avoiding highly processed items like that anyway.
A vegan diet that focuses more on a whole foods approach is definitely affordable. What do I mean by whole foods? Fruits, veggies, beans, legumes, nuts, etc.
So with that being said, here’s a simple week of prepped food to get you started! For this week I shopped at Sprouts Farmers Market as well as Kroger for a couple of items. Prices obviously vary by store so this shopping trip could definitely come out cheaper than what I spent!
Grocery List
Tools:
I suggest these meal prep containers. I’ve had them over a year and they’re all still going strong. They’re a great size too.
Lemons are a lot easier to squeeze with this and garlic is super easy to mince with this.
For the meals:
- Orzo
- Parsley
- Quinoa
- Frozen peas (2 bags)
- Frozen broccoli cuts (2 bags)
- Asparagus bundle
- Low sodium vegetable broth
- Sweet potatoes (6)
- Bell Peppers (4)
- Lemons (2)
- Garlic (2 cloves)
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Garlic powder
- Salt and Pepper
Snacks:
- Larabars (Chocolate chip brownie and peanut butter chocolate chip are my favorite)
- Rice cakes (cinnamon toast)
- Berries (I got one pack blackberries and 2 packs of blueberries)
- Red apples
- Red grapes
Lunch Meal: Quinoa, broccoli, and sweet potato
Super simple, high in fiber, and a great source of micronutrients and fiber!
Quinoa: My favorite kind is tri-color quinoa and I bought the bag from Ancient Harvest. Super easy to cook: I used 2 cups quinoa (that was WAY too much, maybe 1.5 cups for 6 days) and 4 cups water. Bring it to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cover until all water is absorbed!
Broccoli: I purchased some frozen microwave steam bags because it makes life a little bit easier to just pop them in the microwave for 5 minutes.
Sweet potatoes: For a crispier outside, just scrub the skin, place them on a baking dish, and put them in the oven at 450 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Potentially longer if you like them really soft like I do. If you want the skin to be softer wrap them in foil!
Dinner meal: Lemon, garlic orzo
This was actually one of my favorite meals I’ve made ever! It was so good and I looked forward to it every evening. I found the recipe on Instagram but I can’t for the life of me remember who posted it. I did change it up a bit though.
- Boil about 10 oz of orzo in about 4 cups vegetable broth (I used about half a box of orzo). Once thoroughly cooked, drain the orzo if necessary, when I made this all of the vegetable broth was absorbed!
- Chop up asparagus and place in a small bowl. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, plus preferred amount of pepper and garlic powder. Mix it all up. Spread the asparagus on a baking sheet, and bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes.
- Boil the peas for a few minutes, drain them.
- Combine the juice of 2 lemons, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a handful of chopped parsley, 2 cloves of garlic, and salt and pepper.
- Add the asparagus and peas to the pasta, mix.
- Pour the lemon juice mixture over the pasta, mix, and allow to marinate for a bit.
That’s it! Super simple and affordable! I also mentioned the snack I ate for the week just to give you an idea. It’s definitely possible to eat plant based on a budget.
Below is a video version of everything if you would prefer that. I would also greatly appreciate it if you like, comment, share, and subscribe to my channel!