Going veg and need a hand

Hey siblings, so I've been wanting to go ovo-lacto vegetarian for a long time and originally my plan was to start that after I moved out but I figured I'd start while I was still with my parents because my mother's almost a dietician in her own right. She's given me a few weeks to work out what I'm going to eat and she's giving me some help on the way.

the twist is that I have a weekly budget of $100 and after those few weeks I'm totally on my own aside from said budget. I've done some googling and I've gotten some books but the problem is that pretty much the only recurring ingredient for lots of the stuff I've come across is lentils and tofu, neither are a problem for me but it won't be fruitful to have a few recipes with no ingredients in common because I'll end up spending too much money on bits and pieces that expire before they can be used up. Since this forum has so many vegetarians and vegans I'd imagine you guys would be able to help heaps here.

But long story short, I need a hand with getting some recipes that have lots of ingredients in common so I'm not wasting heaps. I'm not too fussed on what I eat though I would prefer more vegetables than mock meats and the processed junk that I see in stores, so long as I get the right stuff to function I'm pretty happy.

Thaaaaaaanks everyone.

updated by @brett: 01/13/15 09:48:11PM

The awesome thing about being veg on a budget is you can grow almost all your own food. Are you able to dig a garden? If not, you can grow food in containers. Like tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, all those grow really well in pots. I love upside down pots for tomatoes. This would save you a lot of money on food and you can leave them on the plant until ready to be eaten to cut back on waste. Things to buy would be things that grow on trees or deep underground like nuts and tubers. Although you can grow carrots and potatoes in a fish aquarium and it works nicely. The problem would be waiting on yield. Good luck!

Like you said lentils, split peas, beans, rices, grains, all last long enough you can buy them in surplus. Quinoa is a personal favorite of mine being super high in protein. Potatoes last a relatively long time, go with sweet potatoes for more nutrients. Broccoli and Cauliflower tends to last a bit longer than the softer veggies, onions, garlic and such also preserve themselves. Leafy greens spoil quickly, but also don't take long to grow so that would be one that's ideal to grow at home. For fruits, although they are best ripened on the plant, you can buy them somewhat raw and let them ripen in your home. I have been looking into eating seasonally recently and it seems to have quite a few benefits, so you might want to consider looking into that yourself.

1st off seitans way better then tofu

i kike stir fries with seitan peppers garlin ginger sweet anfd hot peppers brocoli maybe and maybe maKE A SOICY THAI PEANUT SAUCE to put over that

umm

100 dollars a weeks plenty

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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

Yeah man, I gave myself 100 to eat each week when I ate out a lot, and it was enough, going Veg means you will have more money to eat with if your doing your shopping right.

Thanks for mentioning the Seitan SE, never heard of it, and will be getting some now.

What I have come to REALLY enjoy about this way of living is that you get to eat a variety of fruits and veggies. Thats the key, variety.

setans awesome its very high in proteinwithout the hormone issues that come with eatung too much soy

only hemp seeds are better

speaking of wich ive had 18 course dinners where hemp was a main ingredient in every single dish

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

That's awesome guys thanks a lot. I'm not too sure about growing my own food because whenever we try and grow vegetables they don't last long and we're thinking its our soil. I've got the day off thanks to a migraine and a cold I've had since last week so I can look into all this. Speaking of which, my parents seem to think eating vegetarian is less healthy than being omnivorous?

You can supplement your soil with bags of organic gardening soil at first until you build up compost. And eating veg can be just as healthy if you know how to find nutrients in plants you normally get from meat.

Quinoa and amaranth and chia seeds are my favourites. I give chia oil to our toddler, it is the highest source of omega 3 you can get. Quinoa and amaranth are amazing, I forget the details, but they are basically super foods. Mung beans, when split are called moong dahl, I make an Indian dahl with that and add amaranth and quinoa to that and vegetables.

I put some recipes in a discussion called "simple living". Find it on my page. I was hoping others would add to it, but no one did.

Vegetarian is the best diet. I am vegetarian, no eggs and no garlic and onion, I found that to be the best diet for me. Go without garlic and onion for a month and then try to eat it, it is awful.

peace and blessings

almond milk is a good alternative!! so yummy and apparently easy to make..not that i have tried yet..dont ask me why.. I think you just blend almonds and water let it sit for a bit and drain out the chunks. it would be easy to findmeasurementsand methods im sure!