Quick and easy low-cost vegan menus

Vegetarian Journal, Jan-Feb, 2003 by Reed Mangels

MANY OF US WOULD LIKE to spend less time cooking. If you know what to buy and have some quick-to-prepare ideas, you can have "convenience food" on a budget. We've developed menus using a combination of easy-to-fix meals that are quick, inexpensive, and healthful.

The first set of menus was devised to meet the needs of those aged 19-50 years. The menus for women have around 2,200 calories per day, while the men's menus are around 2,500 calories. If you are very active, you will need more calories. You have several choices; you can eat more of the foods already on the menus, or you can add your favorite foods. Conversely, if you are not very active or wish to lose excess weight, you will need fewer calories. In that case, we recommend cutting out some of the "extras," like margarine, chips, desserts, and vegan mayonnaise.

The menus were planned to meet the average person's needs for most nutrients over a week-long period. Although these menus provide generous amounts of iron, women may require additional iron in the form of a supplement.

We used specific brand names of foods but have included information on other foods that can be substituted if you don't care for a particular item.

We were curious about how costly these menus would be. The average cost for one day's food for a man was a bit over $6 using conventional fruits and vegetables and around $8 using all organic products. The average cost for one day's food for a woman was around $5.50 using conventional fruits and vegetables and almost $7.50 using all organic products. Pricing was done in the winter in New England, so costs may vary depending on the season and your location. If you want to reduce food costs even more, you can buy products when they are on sale; see if your supermarket will offer case discounts for items you use often, like soymilk. Also, consider buying store brands instead of name brands, use coupons, and choose fruits and vegetables that are in season.

Day 1 for men and women, ages 19-50

Breakfast:

1 bagel with 2 teaspoons vegan margarine, 1 medium orange, 1 cup Cheerios cereal, and 1 cup Soy Dream Enriched soymilk

Lunch:

Sandwich of hummus made with 3/4 cup chickpeas and 2 teaspoons tahini on 2 slices of whole wheat bread with 3 slices of tomato (Men can eat 2 sandwiches using same amount of hummus and tomatoes, along with 4 slices of whole wheat bread.), and 1 medium apple

Dinner:

1 cup of cooked pasta with 1/4 cup marinara sauce, 1/3 cup carrot sticks, 1 cup cooked broccoli (frozen or fresh), 1 whole wheat roll (Men eat 2 rolls with 2 teaspoons vegan margarine.), and a juice pop made with 1 cup frozen grape juice

Snack:

1/2 cup trail mix (mix of nuts, raisins, and sunflower seeds), and 1 cup Soy Dream Enriched soymilk

Day One Menu Alternatives:

Cheerios can be replaced with any vegan fortified cereal; however, women should choose one providing 20% of the DV (Daily Value) for iron or more per cup.

Note: In all the menus Soy Dream Enriched soymilk can be replaced with Silk soymilk or any other calcium-fortified soymilk that provides at least 25% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin D and 20% of the DV for vitamin [B.sub.12] in an 8-ounce serving.

DAY 2 for men and women, ages 19-50

Breakfast:

1/2 cup calcium-fortified orange juice (Men should consume 1 cup calcium-fortified orange juice.), 1 medium banana, 2 slices whole wheat toast with 1 Tablespoon nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew, etc.), 1 cup Wheat Chex cereal, and 1 cup Soy Dream Enriched soymilk

Lunch:

1 bowl of Fantastic Foods Big Bowl of Noodles and Hot and Sour Soup, 10 saltines with 1 Tablespoon nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew, etc.) (Men should use 2 Tablespoons nut butter.), 1 medium orange, and 1/2 cup carrot sucks

Dinner:

1 Morningstar Farms Harvest Burger on a bun with a large slice of tomato, and 1 medium baked potato (Men should eat 1 large baked potato.)

Snack:

1 cup Soy Dream Enriched soymilk, and 1 cup kidney beans mixed with 1 Tablespoon salsa served with 1 ounce lowfat tortilla chips

Day Two Menu Alternatives:

Wheat Chex can be replaced with any vegan fortified cereal; however, women need to choose a cereal providing at least 20% of the DV for iron or more per cup.

Fantastic Foods Big Bowl of Noodles and Hot and Sour Soup can be replaced with any soup/entree cup providing 250-300 calories/cup; however, women should choose any soup/entree cup providing at least 8% of the DV for iron per serving, such as Health Valley Pasta Italiano Soup or Health Valley Lentil with Couscous Soup.

Morningstar Farms Harvest Burger can be replaced with any vegan burger, however, women should choose a burger providing at least 15% of the DV for iron, such as 2 Whole Foods Vegan Burgers.

DAY 3 for men and women, ages 19-50

Breakfast:

1 cup calcium-fortified orange juice, Scrambled tofu: 1/2 cup tofu, 1/4 cup onions, and 1 teaspoon oil (Men should use 2 teaspoons oil.), and 2 slices whole wheat toast with 2 teaspoons vegan margarine

Lunch:

Sandwich made with 1 large pita bread, 1/4 cup shredded lettuce, 1/4 cup chopped tomato, 1/4 cup grated carrot, 1 Tablespoon Naysoya Nayonaise (Men should have 11/2 large whole wheat pitas along with the other ingredients.), Fantastic Foods Country Lentil Soup cup, 1 medium banana, and 1 cup Soy Dream Enriched soymilk