What I Bought Last Week
Here's my full grocery shopping list from last week including amounts, brands, individual item prices and the total cost displayed in Canadian dollars. If you have any questions about planning your own grocery list, be sure to check out my grocery related resources: Building a Healthy Grocery List and Vegan Lifestyle on a Budget. For questions regarding my personal shopping habits you should check out the grocery shopping FAQ at the bottom of my last grocery post. Still have a question? Submit it to our new Q&A Resource!
Fruits
Bananas (4 small) - $1.16
Blackberries (6oz.) - $2.97
Blueberries (4oz.) - $2.97
Ataulfo mangoes (5lb case) - $6.58
Gala apples (3 small) - $3.06
= $16.74
Vegetables
Broccoli (1 bunch) - $1.47
Carrots (2lb bag) - $1.97
Corn (2 cobs) - $1.70
White button mushrooms (1lb) - $3.55
Baby spinach (280g) - $2.99
Green bell peppers (4) - $3.48
Green onions (1 bunch) - $0.57
Zucchini squash (3 small) - $1.65
Asparagus (1 bunch) - $2.09
Potatoes, baking (2 large) - $1.97
= $21.44
Tofu, Beans, & Legumes
Sunrise Soya Extra-Firm Tofu (350g) - 3 @ $2.27 each
Sunrise Soya Almond Tofu Dessert - $1.27
Mandarin Soy Foods Deep Fried Tofu puffs - $1.88
= $10.26
Vegan Non-Dairy Products
Earth's Own Almond Milk - unsweetened (1.89 litres) - $3.97
PC Organics Vanilla Soy Milk (1.89 litres) - $3.98
Vitasoy Soy Milk (6 boxes) - $3.98
Daiya Cheddar-Style Shreds (277g) - $4.99
= $16.93
Other (canned goods, spices, condiments, etc.)
Not pictured:
PC Dark chocolate bar with almonds - $3.00
Costco: Kirkland Natural Peanut Butter (2 pack) - $11.99 (approx. 2 month supply)
Costco: Orange juice (15 x 1L) - $14.99 (approx. 2-3 week supply)
= $14.98
*Total Cost = $99.02
*This is the total cost (in Canadian dollars) to feed 2 people for 1 week.Featured Products
Every time I grocery shop I choose one vegan product to feature in my bi-weekly grocery posts - usually the product is either an item I've never tried before or one that I've used and enjoyed before. Disclaimer: Unless otherwise specified, featured products are not sponsored, they're chosen and paid for by myself.
Food for Life Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain English Muffins (6 pack) - $3.68
I've seen Ezekiel brand products countless times since getting into veganism but this is my first time trying any of their products. I found these while I was browsing the natural freezer section of Superstore. This was a pretty exciting find because I've never come across a really healthy English muffin. Up until now I've been buying different brands of whole wheat English muffins but the ingredient lists on them have not been particularly impressive. The Ezekiel Sprouted Grain English Muffins are actually healthy!
Ingredients: Organic Sprouted Wheat, Filtered Water, Organic Malted Barley, Organic Sprouted Rye, Organic Sprouted Barley, Organic Sprouted Oats, Organic Sprouted Millet, Organic Sprouted Corn, Organic Sprouted Brown Rice, Fresh Yeast, Organic Wheat Gluten, Sea Salt.
1 English muffin provides 6g of fibre & 8g of protein plus a decent amount of vitamins and minerals - that's a pretty good base for a healthy, filling breakfast. A tablespoon or two of peanut butter or half an avocado on these would be a really quick and easy breakfast that provides an little extra dose of healthy fats and protein.
Nothing weird or overly processed - so far I was pretty impressed. After thawing them overnight they felt soft, spongy, and really fresh.
To test them out I decided to make sandwiches with spinach, hickory smoked tofurky, avocado slices, shredded carrot, green pepper, hummus, vegan mayo, and stone ground mustard. They were unreal! I've made English muffins countless times since going vegan, and this particular combo wasn't new to me either but this brand of English muffin brought the sandwich to a totally new level.
These Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain English muffins are about double the price of the ones I usually buy, but they're at least twice as delicious too. After trying these English muffins I can't see myself going back to my old ones.
Visit the Food For Life website: www.foodforlife.com (Learn more about Ezekiel Sprouted Grain English Muffins)
Earth Balance Buttery Spread (Soy Free & Original) $4.99 each
Earth Balance certainly isn't a product that's new to me, but it's an excellent product worth featuring. I haven't bought Earth Balance in a little while but when I decided to work on my veganized recipe for the traditionally butter-laden Doukhobor borscht, I knew that this would be a crucial ingredient.
Earth Balance is much closer to butter than run-of-the-mill accidentally-vegan margarines. I usually consider Earth Balance to be a vegan butter alternative rather than a margarine. Fresh out of the fridge, Earth Balance is quite solid like butter (not weirdly soft and spreadable like most margarines) but it becomes easily spreadable when you use a butter knife to massage and soften it.
Earth Balance buttery spread comes in 6 different varieties: Original, Soy Free, Organic Whipped, Olive Oil, Soy Garden, and Omega-3. Only three are sold at my local Superstore (Original, Soy Free, and Organic Whipped.) All of Earth Balance's spreads are non-GMO, gluten-free, and contain 0g of trans fats.
Visit the Earth Balance website: www.earthbalancenatural.com (Learn more about Earth Balance Buttery Spreads)
What I Ate Last Week
Here's a few of the meals I ate last week using many or some of the ingredients from above. Some of the meals below include ingredients other than the ones from last week's shopping trip (leftover items from the previous week and/or pantry items.)
Breakfasts
- Smoothie Bowls [Recipes: Raspberry Mango Smoothie Bowl // Dark Chocolate PB Banana Smoothie Bowl]
- Sprouted grain English muffin + peanut butter + apricot jam, fresh fruit + dessert tofu
- Dessert tofu topped with fresh fruit + nuts/seeds + granola
Lunches & Dinners
- Sprouted grain English muffin sandwich (spinach + hickory smoked Tofurky + avocado + carrot shreds + hummus)
- Vegan Doukhobor-Style Borscht Soup + sprouted grain bread & Earth Balance + chopped apples
- Vegan lunch bowls: Quinoa + fresh and cooked vegetables + srirach and soy sauce tofu + avocado
Snacks
- Blueberry Mango fruit smoothie
- Chopped gala apple drizzled with PB + raw almonds + dark chocolate chunks
- Spinach & Mushroom Mini Quiches
Vegan Grocery Resources
Visit my other grocery related resources: Building a Healthy Grocery List and Vegan Lifestyle on a Budget, or Submit a Question to our new Q&A Resource.
Ba'Vonni
I really want to commit myself to eating and living healthy. I truly believe that starts with becoming a vegan. I would like to know what type of foods do I eat? How much should I consume? Also I suffer from anemia, lack of iron. Should I stack up on more protein. I'm trying to stay away from meat especially red meat, I don't eat pork. But I do occasionally eat seafood and chicken.
Brittany
Hi there! Here's some resources to check out:
Nutrition and the Vegan Diet
Building a Healthy Vegan Grocery List
Transitioning to a Vegan Lifestyle
Vegan Lifestyle on a Budget
Groceries 04/23/14 – Includes prices + My flexible menu for the week + Shopping FAQ
Q&A Resource: Vegan Foods for Healthy Hair + 2 Smoothie Bowl Recipes (Includes info about iron and supplementation)
Garden of Vegan's Essential Grocery List
Garden of Vegan: Daily Meal Inspiration
That should get your started! Please let me know if you still have questions, I'd be happy to help! Thanks for commenting =)
Laura
I've never heard of dessert tofu and I HATE yogurt - so do you eat it in the same way you'd eat yogurt? Do you have any other recipes? thanks!!
Brittany
Yeah pretty much! I usually either eat them with fresh fruit and granola or I add them to smoothies. You might like them! They don't have the tang that yogurt has and they have a more custard-y texture, not creamy like yogurt.
Andrea
I found those deep fried tofu puffs at Superstore last week and was really tempted to buy them, but I wasn't sure how to prepare them (no instructions on the package) - how did you use them?
Brittany
Oh those tofu puffs are super easy to prepare! I've used them a few different ways, sometimes I microwave them and eat them with soy sauce and sweet chili sauce, chop them up and add them to broth based soups, or just add them to stir-fries. They can be served really quickly so they're pretty convenient.