Monday, July 24, 2017

Best Vegan Tips & Ideas for Beginners

Happy Monday!!!

I don't know about you, but the more I learn on my vegan journey, the more I want to share with others.   It's like I've found the most magical, wonderful thing in the world (and I have!) and all I want to do is share massive amounts pics and posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (while grinning like an idiot and shouting out loud, "Isn't this awesome??!!") :D

Since I don't have a lot of local vegan friends, I find that the internet (Facebook groups, YouTube channels and Instagram accounts) almost fulfills my need for sharing and discovering new and amazing food, recipes, beauty products, clothing, shoes, events, etc.  Not quite the same, but I try and make due.   How about you?  Are you lucky enough to have a great circle of vegan friends (or even non-vegan friends!) to support you and listen to you while you excitedly share your newest discoveries?

So, in the spirit of sharing, I'm super excited to share these tips and tricks that I've learned so far this year and, hopefully, you might have some tips to share with me, too!

*Please remember that these are things that have worked for ME.  I hope they will work for you or help you along on your journey, but everyone is different and something that might work for me might not work for you or someone else.  Use these lists as inspirational guides that you can take or leave or adjust to your own unique lifestyle.  Hugs!*

3 Tips for Transitioning to a Vegan Diet

 1.  Take Your Time - Make a plan to start slowly by either adding more plant based foods to each meal in order to gradually push out the meat, dairy and eggs OR by making one meal per day completely vegan and then increasing the number of vegan meals per day as you feel comfortable.  You might even feel motivated to try a combination of both!

Suggestions:

  • Ease out of animal products with this system - red meat first, chicken, fish, eggs and then dairy.   Or whatever order seems to make the most sense to you.  Try to have no red meat the first month, then no chicken the next month, etc. until you completely wean yourself off of animal products.  If you don't really eat much fish or red meat, you're almost halfway there!  (Sometimes people have a difficult time giving up cheese because of the addictive nature of casein.)
  • Start with Meatless Mondays for a week or two and then gradually add another meatless day until you're completely meatless!  Yay!
  • Meal Planning - Begin your day with a completely vegan breakfast for a week or two and prepare your other meals as you usually would.  Gradually add snacks to the deal, then lunch and finally dinner.  Take as long as you need for it to feel natural and comfortable to you for greater success!  There's no rush and every small step you take will not only help your body, mind and spirit, but also the welfare of animals and our lovely planet.  No step in this process is too small!  You might feel so good after your meatless meals that you'll be excited to drop yet another meaty meal from your day :D
  • Insert Veggies, Fruits, Nuts, Legumes and Grains into as many meals as possible - Instead of taking foods out when you begin your vegan journey, ADD these in!  You'll be so happy, full and satisfied that you won't even have room for meat, dairy or eggs!  Add tons of berries to your breakfast (or even have a veggie and fruit smoothie!), have a salad with every lunch and either a salad or stir fry veggies with every dinner.  Fruit and nuts for snacks are really yummy, too!


2.  Use Vegan Packaged Foods to Assist You - While it would be amazing if you could quit meat, dairy and eggs all at once and go straight to eating only plant based foods, most people find it easier to start by replacing their favorite meat/dairy foods with vegan substitutes.  This gives a little bit of comfort and eases some of the stress and anxiety people have with the transition.   Buy (and try!) new foods to see what types of foods you like or don't like.  Some people love tofu and some dislike the taste and texture.  It's all personal preference.  Luckily, there are a lot of options available to us in this day and age!

Suggestions:

  • Meat Alternatives - Gardein has amazing frozen alternatives to meat and using them is a great way to begin your transition.  I especially like their meatless meatballs (heaven!), chicken tenders, mandarin chicken, spicy wings and pizza pockets.  I've also heard that Tofurky has some tasty sausages and deli meats, too.  
  • Dairy Cheese Alternatives - This is definitely a tough one because some people love vegan cheeses and some really don't like them at all.  I'll list my favorites and you can give them a try.  Take time to try ones that catch your eye (and taste buds!).  Follow Your Heart is my favorite.  I love their parmesan, smoked gouda, american and provolone, but I think they're all really good.  (You could eat them right out of the package and be fooled.  Perfect with fruit, on sandwiches, alone or with any meal in place of dairy cheese.)  Daiya is okay for melting, but the taste sometimes throws me.  I do like it on top of my pizza or nachos (a mix of the mozzarella and cheddar is perfect with veggies!), but I don't think I would eat it (sliced or shredded) alone.   A brand that I'm dying to try but haven't yet is Miyoko's Kitchen.  I've heard ah-mazing things about her mozzarella, butter and cream cheese (though Tofutti has a very good cream cheese, too!)
  • Ice Cream Alternatives - Prepare to be in Non-Dairy Ice Cream Heaven!   There is no lack of incredibly delicious frozen dessert options and I wish I had enough room to list them all!  I have to say that my ultimate favorite is the So Delicious brand.  I could eat any of the flavors (with many different non-dairy milk bases!) at any time!  Sooooo Delicious is right!  (Please, please also try their Cocowhip, which is like CoolWhip, but 100 times better!)   I also love the Trader Joe's (more on that store later!) coconut and soy based frozen desserts - they're all super yummy.  Though, I am partial to the Strawberry Coconut Milk flavor (drool!).  Almost every vegan frozen dessert I've tried has been tasty and now that Ben & Jerry's, Breyer's, and many other dairy companies are coming out with non-dairy alternatives, you're pretty much all set in that department.   (Locally, I love FoMu and will go there whenever I have the urge to go to a "traditional" ice cream place...they serve only plant based desserts.)
  • Dairy Milk Alternatives - Again, almost easy as finding dairy milk now.  Woo-hoo!  My favorite brands are Almond Breeze (almond, coconut almond, chocolate), So Delicious (any kind!), Rice Dream (any flavor!) and Silk (soy milk, dark chocolate almond milk).   I like almond milk for sweet things, soy milk for soups & hot beverages, chocolate milks for snacks, rice milk for cereal and coconut milk for cereal or desserts.  They're all good!
  • Meal Alternatives - Amy's is my go-to for vegan packaged/canned meals.  Some of their meals are not vegan, so make sure that you check.  Here is a list of the vegan meals they offer.  These are my favorites:  Veggie Loaf, Rice Mac & Cheeze, any of their chili bowls, Black Bean Tamale Verde, Vegetable Lasagna and Baked Ziti Bowl.   Having a few of these in your freezer/cupboard to grab for a lunch or dinner will save you in the beginning of your journey.  Trust me.  You may find other favorites, but try a bunch of different kinds and keep the ones you like handy,  just in case!
  • Milk Based Condiment Alternatives - You might think it would be difficult to find these plant based condiments, but it's actually not.  You can find some of them at your local grocery or health food store (definitely at Whole Foods!) or even Walmart (if you shop there).  These are my favorites to use instead of dairy butter and egg filled mayo:  Earth Balance or Miyoko's Kitchen for your butter and Follow Your Heart Vegenaise or Hampton Creek Just Mayo for your mayonnaise.  
  • Accidentally Vegan Junk Food - While these foods are scrumptious and satisfy the pickiest junk food junkie, they aren't exactly healthy options to add to your diet.  Try to limit them to occasional treats.  I like to think of them as emergency foods in case there is no other option and you've been super good all month eating plant based, fiber rich foods. (Click HERE for the list and click on the arrows to get more details under each category.)
3.   Prep Food for the Week Ahead - Though it sounds like a pain in the ass (which it sometimes is!), I think this helps SO much in how well you do and how successful you are.  I fight it and I fight it, but even the smallest amount of food prep (peeling and chopping veggies, cutting up fruit, making homemade crackers or beans, etc.) will be much appreciated (by you!) during the next week.  On the weekend (or whatever day works best for you), make a list of the meals you want to have every day for the coming week.  Breakfasts, lunches, dinner and snacks...and, of course, you can eat whatever food you want at whatever meal you want.  Right? :D

  1. Think of Ideas
  2. Create weekly meal plan
  3. Make a shopping list
  4. Go grocery shopping
  5. Prep your food!

Suggestions for Breakfast:  
  • Overnight Oats with fruit and nuts
  • Chia Pudding
  • Whole grain toast with vegan butter, nut butter and/or jam
  • Tofu Scramble
  • Roasted Sweet Potato Hash
  • Whole grain cereal with plant milk
  • Brown Rice with Veggies
  • Smoothie or Smoothie Bowl (with fruit, veggies, seeds, and water or plant milk)
  • Raw Juice (freshly made)
  • Breakfast burrito with salsa and avocado
  • Sweet Potato Toast with Avocado
  • Sweet Potato with Black beans and spinach salad
  • Bagel with Vegan cream cheese
  • Leftovers
Suggestions for Lunch:
  • Hummus with veggies
  • Chickpea "Tuna" Salad on whole grain bread or over greens
  • Large Salad with beans, veggies, fruit and nuts
  • Baked sweet or white potato with steamed veggies 
  • Burrito or taco filled with beans, veggies, salsa and guacamole
  • Veggie burger with toasted whole grain bun and a salad
  • Smoothie or Smoothie Bowl
  • Leftovers
Suggestions for Snacks:
  • Raw nuts and dried fruit
  • Apple with nut butter
  • Fruit Salad with seeds
  • Hummus with veggies
  • Roasted chickpeas (Biena is my favorite packaged brand!)
  • Baked sweet potato
  • Tortilla chips with salsa and/or guacamole
  • Small salad with nuts and favorite vegan dressing
  • Vegan Granola/Protein bars (Luna, Cliff, Larabar, Bobo's, Go Macro, Health Warrior, Nature's Bakery Fig Bars, Vega, etc.)
  • Berries and plant milk yogurt (Love the Forager and Silk brand yogurts!)
  • Banana "Nice" Cream
  • Leftovers
Suggestions for Dinner:
  • Veggie Bean Chili and tortilla chips (preferably homemade!)
  • African Sweet Potato Stew with whole grain bread and vegan butter or homemade crackers
  • Large Salad with beans and nuts (whatever you like!)
  • Soups (split pea, tomato, veggie, minestrone, black bean, etc)
  • Veggie Burger with whole grain bun and large salad or steamed veggies
  • Super Veggie Stir Fry with Quinoa or Brown Rice
  • Spaghetti (or Spaghetti Squash!) with Marinara Sauce, garlic bread and salad
  • Homemade Veggie Pizza with or without vegan cheese
  • Veggie Lasagna with salad
  • Mac and Cheez with salad or steamed veggies
  • Veggie Loaf with mashed potatoes (with soy milk and vegan butter) and steamed veggies
Search Pinterest, the Minimalist Baker, Oh She Glows, Hot for Food, World of Vegan and other vegan cooking channels/blogs for more ideas and recipes!


Vegan Meal Planning Ideas and Favorites 


1.  Beginner Meal Ideas

Before I share some links to help you along, here is a list of common meals you already may be eating that are vegan or can be made vegan very easily.

  • Whole Grain Pasta with Marinara Sauce (Add some vegan meatballs or sausage, tons of veggies or a salad and a loaf of homemade bread with vegan butter or olive oil to make the perfect simple dinner.  These recipes by I Heart Eating and Minimalist Baker are very good!)
  •  Nut Butter and Jam on Whole Grain Bread (Choose your fav nut butter and fav fruit jam - try Gluten Free Vegan Pantry's Strawberry Chia Seed Jam - and you can either have it as is or toasted/grill it for a warm sandwich.  Add some fresh fruit, cut up veggies, or a salad and you're good to go!)
  • Big Salad (Place all of your favorite greens, veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds and beans together and add your favorite dressing - here's a huge list of yummy salads for you.)
  • Hummus with Veggies (Grab your favorite hummus & veggies and chomp away!)
  • Pizza (Yup...you can make your own vegan crust or use a pre-made crust, like Boboli.  Add fresh tomatoes and/or pizza sauce, tons of veggies and your favorite vegan cheese.  I even like mine with no cheese at all with a liberal topping of red & green peppers, crushed red pepper, pineapple, red onion and hot peppers...as you can see, I like peppers...lol.  Here are a few recipes that I've liked from the Minimalist Baker, Food.com and Vegan Richa.
  • Veggie Stir Fry with Rice or Quinoa (It's so easy to throw your fav veggies together - I love broccoli, bell peppers, green beans, carrots, scallions and snow peas - with a homemade vegan stir fry sauce.  Add some brown rice or quinoa - or tofu if you prefer - to your plate and you've got a warm, satisfying meal!  Search Pinterest for some fantastic stir fry ideas.)

2.  Links to Helpful Shopping/Store Lists

You can easily shop at your favorite supermarkets if you know what options you have.  Print these lists out and keep them with you when you go to grab your groceries.  

3.  Quick Label Reading - Ingredients to Avoid

These ingredients are usually hidden in various everyday products or food and some of them I didn't even realize were animal based.  Click on the two articles below to learn more!
  • Beeswax and bee products
  • Casein
  • Confectioner's Glaze
  • Gelatin
  • Islinglass
  • L. Cysteine
  • Whey
  • Carmine or cochineal
  • Shellac
  • Refined sugar
  • BEST article by Vegan Food and Living for ingredients to avoid
  • Helpful article by "The Spruce" with more details

4.  My Essential Pantry and Staple Foods 

With these essentials (which are usually pretty inexpensive), you can make the most amazingly healthy and delicious meals.  If your kitchen is stocked, your belly will be full and happy!  (Use organic and locally grown food as often as you are able.)
  • Nutritional Yeast (So yummy on and in everything!  Bragg's is my fav brand)
  • Raw almonds and cashews (you can lightly toast them yourself if you wish)
  • Raw sesame seeds, flaxseeds (I grind mine up as needed to use in recipes), chia seeds
  • Fresh fruit (berries, apples, bananas, melons, lemons), fresh veggies (green beans, broccoli, sugar snap or snow peas, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, cherry tomatoes), fresh greens (spinach, romaine and sometimes kale)
  • Almond flour and sometimes unbleached flour (I love Bob's Red Mill for all pantry staples)
  • Arrowroot powder, baking powder, baking soda
  • Apple Cider Vinegar (Bragg's!)
  • Extra virgin olive oil, toasted sesame oil and unrefined, organic coconut oil 
  • Dry and/or canned black beans, red beans, chickpeas, split peas and white beans
  • Spices (sea salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, smoked paprika, basil, oregano, tumeric, thyme, rosemary, parsley, celery seed, ground mustard, etc)
  • Plant Milks (unsweetened, plain almond, coconut and rice)
  • Cans of  crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and diced tomatoes (Muir Glen and Pastene as my favorites)
  • Spaghetti Squash, sweet potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes (always great to make a quick meal with, especially if you have an Instant Pot!)
  • Frozen bags of fruit, veggies, veggie burgers and whole grain, sprouted bread
  • Good quality vegetable broth (Aldi has a good one, but my favorite is the Imagine brand)
  • Whole grain pasta (just in case)
  • Herbal teas and green teas 

5.  My Favorite Cruelty-Free Brands for Home Cleaners

If you don't enjoy concocting your own recipes for home cleaners (I do!), then you should look into these companies who offer marvelous products to make your life easier when tackling weekly chores.  Most of them are also available online at Amazon, Thrive Market and Vitacost.

6.  My Favorite Cruelty-Free Beauty Brands

I had no idea how much cruelty and how many chemicals went into making beauty products.  This was one of the first things that I changed after becoming vegan.  It hurt me deeply to know that little animals went through such pain for my beauty routine.  Now that there are a large number of cruelty-free, vegan beauty brands, I can rest easy and enjoy buying makeup again!
  • Pacifica - 100% vegan ("Everything is awesome!", as the song goes...and so easily found at online, at Target, TJMaxx and other stores)
  • 100% Pure (I think they're transitioning to a fully vegan line, but I love everything vegan from this company, especially their 2nd Skin foundation, Vanilla body cream, face brush, all eye and face masks, coffee eye cream, eyebrow filler, bb cream and lip balms/lipsticks.)
  • Beauty Without Cruelty - 100% vegan  (Generally great makeup line)
  • Andalou Naturals (Love their rose face cream and night creams!)
  • Box Naturals - 100% vegan (Fantastic wipes on the go)
  • Derma-E - 100% vegan (Lovely cleansing oils and serums)
  • EcoTools - 100% vegan (Terrific makeup brushes)
  • Hurraw Lip Balm - 100% vegan (BEST lip balm in the world!)
  • Crazy Rumors Lip Balm - 100% vegan (Super awesome choices in flavors, nice consistency)
  • Mad Hippie - 100% vegan (Really nice creams, serums and cleansers)
  • Lunette - 100% vegan (Love their moon cups!)
  • Lush (Shampoo bars, perfumes, lip scrubs, facial scrubs and bath bombs are sooo wonderful)
  • Consult Logical Harmony's amazing list for more options

7.  My Favorite Vegan Deodorant Brands

I have very sensitive skin under my arms and baking soda based deodorants really irritate my skin.  Fortunately, I found some incredible vegan and cruelty-free deos that work well for me.  I hope you'll give them a try!
8.  My Favorite Vegan Nail Polishes/Remover

I've only tried a few brands and I don't use nail polish or remover often, but I do love these four!
  • Pacifica - 100% vegan (My favorite!  Excellent color selection, so smooth and dries easily.  Staying power is awesome!)
  • Little Ondine - (In love with the unique and sparkly options.  So nice that they peel off easily when you want to change colors!) 
  • NCLA  - 100% vegan (Adorable nail wraps and colors...definitely worth it!)
  • Karma Naturals Nail Polish Remover  - 100% vegan (Smells incredibly nice and works really well, even though you might think it wouldn't)

9.  My Favorite Vegan Perfumes

I'm almost as addicted to perfumes as I am to lip balms!  I love experimenting with my making my own scents using a base of coconut or almond oil and blends of essential oils, but I always make sure I have some of my favorite commercially made, vegan, cruelty-free perfumes on hand.  These are all amazing, will make you smell delicious and give a boost to your self esteem.
  • Pacifica - 100% vegan (Such a fun and fantastic perfume collection that is packaged in a variety of containers...spray, roll on or tin.  My suggestion is to go to Ulta or Whole Foods Market to experience the scents in person.  The descriptions are pretty accurate, but the scents that I liked the best were ones that I don't think I would have chosen by just the description.  My favs are the French Lilac, Persian Rose, Tahitian Gardenia and Island Vanilla.)
  • Pinrose - 100% vegan (My suggestion is to take the QUIZ and then either purchase the Starter Kit, the World's Best Perfume travel kit or the customized petal pack set. Their perfumes are gorgeous and sophisticated.  Love that you can easily travel with them!)
  • Define Me - 100% vegan (Also, take their adorable quiz and then you can choose a Besties set with your two fav scents or buy the one that defines you!  The fragrances come in either a mist or an oil.  So cute and lovely!)
10.  My Favorite Misc Toiletries

 It's sad to think that so many items we use every day are tested on animals or have animal products in them.  I'm still working on replacing my old toiletries with vegan and cruelty-free items, but I don't want to create more waste by throwing them out half used.  Give yourself permission to finish the items you have (especially concerning beauty and skin care products) before buying something new.   Check out these helpful videos on minimalism and creating less waste by Sustainably Vegan.

(For all items listed below, check Amazon, iHerb, Vitacost, Thrive Market and Grove Collaborative for competitive prices)


Ever wonder what the difference is between vegan and cruelty-free?   Logical Harmony explains the difference HERE and Vegan Beauty Review explains it HERE :)

And, of course, please check out the right sidebar for more of my favorite links to movies, cookbooks, youtube channels (Vegan Beauty Review, Rhian HY and Logical Harmony are 3 channels you have to watch for anything vegan/cruelty-free beauty!) and also eco living/minimalism.  

This is just a very basic list and there is so much more to share with you, but I wanted to start you off with a limited list so you aren't overwhelmed with all the choices.  Ask vegan friends, check out vegan websites and youtube videos and try some of these things yourself.  I'm sure you'll find the perfect choices for your taste buds and your budget!  Good luck (and many supportive hugs!) and I'm always here if you want to ask questions or share YOUR favorite foods, recipes, lifestyle tips and newly discovered vegan products with me!  

Gina :)
xoxoxo













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