Cauliflower can now cost up to $8. What the actual hell? This shift makes meatless Mondays, or full vegetarian diets, a little harder as of late. Here are some tips to make sure you get the most out of your veggies, and do some good for our animal friends, all while not breaking the bank.
<strong>Legumes</strong>
Lentils, beans, chickpeas: your new best friends. Super filling and perfect additions to stews, chili, and soups, legumes are a super cheap way to add substance to your dishes.
<strong>Hummus</strong>
Put it on absolutely everything. Perfect with veggies, pitas, and on sandwiches. Dip, spread, pack it as part of your lunch or take it as a filling snack.
<strong>Plan meals in advance</strong>
This is especially important when cooking vegetarian since it’s difficult to do an interchangeable starch, veggie, and meat equivalent. You will be making actual dishes, plan ahead so you aren’t buying random stuff!
<strong>Shop in bulk</strong>
Cheap rice, pasta, oats, dried beans, mixes, and snacks… what more could you want? Go to Bulk Burn and/or Costco and get enough food to last you through a blizzard or zombie apocalypse.
<strong>Overnight oats</strong>
Not only are overnight oats a present from your past self to your groggy morning self, but they are stupid cheap when buying in bulk. Experiment with different flavours. I personally always add in a cut up banana for sweetness no matter the combo.
<strong>Soups are your new best friend</strong>
Get yourself some vegetable bouillon cubes and whenever you’ve got veggies, potatoes, or legumes lying around toss them in with a few cubes and garlic. If you are feeling it, add a few noodles and tomato paste and you’ve got yourself an instant soup!
<strong>Freeze what you don’t use</strong>
Freezing fruit, veggies, meals, and even sliced bread if you don’t finish it right before the best before date is a great way to save cash and have staples on hand when you need them.
