Cruelty free – Vegan Friendly Rambles

Today I’ve decided to post a list of what I typically buy when grocery shopping once a week. I hope that maybe it can help anyone else out there who struggles with their cash flow like me. Also this is a solid list of food for people who don’t like/cant bring themselves to plan ahead (also like me). I’m not a very organised person so I don’t plan my meals for the week in advance. I prefer/can only be bothered to wing it. To be honest I usually buy almost the same things every week, I find I can make a lot of different dishes with the food listed below and it works out super cheap too. So here we have it, feast your eyes on my grocery list (I understand if you’re not interested, it’s a flippin grocery list after all). I hope it blows your mind (lol).

~Fruit & Veg ~
– Bananas
– Some sort of frozen berry (my favorite is raspberry)
– I usually get another type of frozen fruit.
– Lemons
– Limes
– Avocados (I always get more than I need cos I have the fear when it comes to bad avos)
– 2 bags of green leafs. (Usually rocket and spinach but sometimes kale or lettuce)
– cherry tomatoes
– cucumber
– onions (red are my favorite)
– garlic (obsessed)
– ginger (fuck yes)
– A bag of potatoes (white or sweet sometimes both)
– A bag of carrots
– Mushrooms
– Broccoli or Cauliflower
– Frozen peas
– Frozen corn on the cob

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~ Pulses & Grains ~
Always:
– Bag of oats (usually last me 2 weeks)
– Lentils (so cheap so versatile)
– Black beans (my fav beans)
– Chickpeas
– Tofu
– Wholegrain Rice
– Wholegrain pasta

Sometimes:
– Quinoa (if I can afford it that week)
– Pinto beans
– Refried beans
– Kidney beans
– premade falafel (need for speed)

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~Nuts & Seeds~
I can’t usually afford to buy these things because they are pretty expensive but I’m obsessed with toasting sesame seeds in tamari at the minute so I splash out.

~Other kitchen essentials~
– Tinned tomatoes
– Tinned coconut milk
– some sort of non-dairy milk (Usually almond or soya)
– Weetabix (need for speed pt.2)
– Bread (too tasty, I try buy wholegrain)
– Hummus (an absolute must have)
– Peanut butter or if I’m really treating myself or if its on sale cashew butter (drool).

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~ More expensive things I don’t have to buy so often but always have ~
– Tamari (it just tastes so much better than soya sauce)
– Maple syrup
– Vegan vegetable stock powder
– Balsamic Vinegar
– Coconut Oil
– Sriracha sauce
– Chia seeds
– Flax seeds
– Shelled Hemp seeds (I don’t always have these cos price but they are honestly the tastiest things in the world)

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What I make with these foods:

For breakfast, I can make smoothies, porridge and weetabix (so swift, so fast) oh and pancakes (when I have flour). For lunch, I’m a sucker for tofu/falafel sandwiches and buddha bowls. Also I sometimes make soup with the weeks left overs. Then for dinner, I normally make curries (so versatile), lentil bolognase or mexican dishes like burritos or black bean salsa with extra guacamole of course.

I hope this was somewhat helpful/interesting 🙂

Peace & love,

Karen xxxx

For my first post I thought I would make a list of the reasons why I’m vegan. Here I go:

1. It just feels right:It helps me feel more at peace with myself and the universe around me.
2. For the animals: I cannot bring myself to murder/bring immeasurable pain to the other sentient creatures with which we share this planet.
3. For the Earth: Animal agriculture is destroying our planet. I cannot be a part of this.
4. For humanity: I truly believe veganism can heal humanity from the inside out. Veganism helps me live a more compassionate life, not just when it comes to animal cruelty. This compassion extends its way into all other aspects of my life.
5. For my health: eating a wholefood plant based diet really does make me feel 100% healthier. Trust me, you will notice a difference.
6. It excites me: eating such a colorful, abundant and healthy diet genuinely excites me. My food is full of life and so it gives me life. It also really excites me to see veganism grow. More and more people are becoming vegan every day and its seriously noticeable; even in a small city like Cork where I live. The city’s first 100% vegan restaurant opened last week and its so exciting.
7. Its easier than you would think: there are vegan options everywhere nowadays. Even the big supermarkets here in Ireland have way more vegan options than they did 4 years ago when I first started my cruelty free journey. They have everything from vegan cheese to vegan mayonnaise to vegan sausage rolls and bacon strips (if you’re into that). It’s crazy how fast the movement is growing in such a small country. Eating out while vegan in Ireland especially in the cities is really easy as well. In Cork alone there is so many options. Its simply not an issue. In smaller towns and the countryside, it is more difficult of course. But hopefully that will change soon.
8. Its cheap. The idea that being vegan is expensive is a myth. Trust me, I’m a student who is terrible at money management and I manage it no problem. Of course some of the vegan ‘alternatives’ like fake meats and cheeses are expensive. But if you eat a diet based on vegetables, whole grains, beans and pulses, veganism is far from expensive. In fact, you are likely to save money.