Whole Foods MEALS for FOUR under $15 "veganized"

After many discussions about eating well ending in my feeling like a spoiled brat who can "afford to eat fresh produce and healthy foods," I am on a mission to prove that healthy habits by way of shopping at the supermarket is not solely for middle or upper class consumers.
I wish I got paid for the amount of times I promote Whole Foods but honestly, I am just thrilled that a place exists that actually puts each of their products through a careful evaluation. I reported awhile back that POM juice producers were guilty of some nasty animal testing and I noticed that Whole Foods promptly pulled POM off their shelves. Whole Foods features foods that are free from artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners and hydrogenated fats. Knowing that you don't have to check every damn label for junk added to your cookies, crackers, etc, can make grocery shopping fun again!
365 Everyday Value is a self-branded collection of staples featured at the store. Each item is priced low, most are staples that you need on hand like cereal, canned goods, frozen foods, spices, even coffee. Another featured brand is 365 Organic Everyday Value which is a line giving you all of the benefits of organic food at unexpectedly low prices. Usually these items are available in larger quantities to pass the savings on to the consumer.
Available at every store, is a pamphlet that features MEALS for FOUR under $15. This appears to be updated as the seasons change. Buying foods that are in season can save you a lot of money. Trying to buy organic berries right now is a joke. I think they will run you about $6 a package!
The meals featured in this pamphlet are NOT vegan, and only one option is vegetarian. I vote that you opt for the faux meat versions of these tasty recipes. You will notice the price will probably be LOWER and the taste will be BETTER, flesh and blood free!
Recipe #1 is Butternut Squash Ravioli - this recipe can easily be vegan by choosing a veggie ravioli instead of cheese, using soy butter, and omitting the cheese, perhaps sprinkling some nutritional yeast on top for added protein and B12.
Recipe #2 is Shrimp & Feta Pizzas - Easy to make this vegan and even tastier! Substitute shredded mozzarella with vegan mozzarella from Vegan Gourmet, omit the shrimp and feta and add vegan pepperoni (cholesterol free and low fat vs. cholesterol laden shrimp) and some sliced leeks and potatoes. (in season) YUMMY!
Recipe #3 is Coconut Red Pork Curry - okay, lets just leave the cute pig out of this. If you want to replace this "ingredient"
READ: Pork Tenderloin =

then you can go this route: Substitute pork with veggie ham (bacon flavor) OR you can use tofu or seitan as each are delicious meat substitutes that are delicious in curry sauce.
Recipe #4 is Slow Cooker Hoisin Beef Stew - No need to sacrifice a sweet cow for this recipe.

READ: Beef =
I have a secret for you. Vegecyber features AWESOME beef chunks for your frozen food collection. Try not to eat them before you even cook this recipe because they are fantastic! Unfortunately they feature dairy, whey protein. So, if you are VEGAN, pat yourself on the back and use the "lamb" chunks. These don't contain any animal products at all. The rest of the recipe is vegan friendly except the call for beef broth, just use veggie bullion cubes which are tasty and much more affordable than buying broth in a can or box. You never need the whole can or box which is wasteful. The cube is WISE as it lasts and is easier to measure out!

Recipe #5 is Peruvian Sopa La Minuta - "minute soup"
Again, get out your veggie bullion cubes and your ground beef substitute which is easy to find in most grocery stores these days. Otherwise, I recommend shrimp balls which are a delicious addition to soup. Tofu is also great in soups.

I often opt for a mix of seasonal veggies, for example, right now here are some in-season fruits and veggies to choose from: BRUSSELS SPROUTS, GRAPEFRUIT, LEEKS, ORANGES, PARSNIPS, PEARS, SHALLOTS, POTATOES, TANGELOS, TANGERINES, WINTER SQUASH, GARLIC AND ONIONS. I get out the wok, melt soy margarine or warm some olive oil, toss in crumbled tempeh, sliced tofu, or sliced seitan. Next, I add my seasonal veggies like thinly sliced leeks, halved brussels sprouts, and kale. Steam up some parsnips, whip them up with some soy milk and shallots to serve the stir fry on top of. Sprinkle the finished product with a flavored salt like rosemary or truffle. YUMMY! Flavored salts last forever and add gourmet flavor for just pennies a meal. Make your own by adding fresh herbs to coarse sea salt. Try adding lemon rind or even dried chili's to add some heat.
Highly recommended, and on "special" is a mushroom herb salt on Saltistry's website. Its a mix of herbs and four different mushrooms. 5 oz for $10 will last you many delicious meals and beware, it can be addictive! As they say on their page, "don't worry about getting too much sodium because its beneficial to consume sea salts daily as they naturally contain many trace minerals."

All vegan/vegetarian meats can be ordered online (note the shipping cost) at www.vegecyber.com. These alternatives are great to impress your meat eating friends or to spoil your vegan friends when they come over for dinner. I don't recommend eating much of this stuff because its not exactly healthy to eat faux meats every night for dinner. Make sure you check the ingredients of everything first, as some items do contain whey protein, which is a milk product. I recommend trying the crab and prawns (awesome in stir fries with yummy sauces) which are both vegan.

You can also order online faux meat treats at May Wah.

A Trip Down the Ai$le

My husband and I recently took a weekend trip to Carmel, California. After a day of activities, including dinner, I concluded that I needed some headache medicine and maybe a few bottles of water. Coveniently, Safeway just opened a brand new store across from our hotel! Mind you, I have not set foot in a Safeway for years because of the pathetic selection of organic produce and healthy foods in general. We were determined to scout out every aisle, in search of a late night snack without trans fats or high fructose corn syrup. There were bad guys everywhere! We slowly approach the refrigerated section with the dairy products and what was labeled as "HEALTH" in large letters over the transparent glass door. Taking a closer look, a SALE tag says "buy one get one free" but the product was already sold out! Yes, our favorite HEALTH FOOD, whipped cream (a.k.a whip-its) seemed to be out of stock. I can just imagine the decision making process taking place.
One development of note: Safeway now sells a house branded Organic line of snacks. That made me happy. I don't know where they get their produce. It probably travels a ridiculous distance to get to the store even if the product is grown nearby. The main distribution center receives all of the product from the farm or factory and then the trucks ship the food to the appropriate stores. I wonder if all of the hybrid car drivers who feel they really stick it to the man realize that the meals they eat from the neighborhood burger joint consumed as much oil to get to their plate as a HUMMER does in a month. I like that Trader Joe's makes the effort to carry organic produce at a low price. The downfall is that the grapes have to travel from Chile or some South American country to get here at a discount price. Oil is not only something we use in our cars people! It is estimated that the average american meal travels about 1500 miles to get from farm to plate. (CUESA stat) Try your best to buy as much local product as you can. You have a choice. Safeway is so depressing because they get paid to put items on their shelves. Marion Nestle's book FOOD POLITICS says that "116,000 packaged foods and beverages have been introduced since 1990, and these joined a marketplace that now contains 320,000 items competing for supermarket shelf space large enough to hold just 50,000." Big companies with big money will be choosing for you and your family. Fortunately, Whole Foods and independent stores like Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco do not accept money for product positioning. They feature local foods including delicious produce (Whole Foods even makes special signs to indicate "local product" in all departments of the store) and fresh baked breads or desserts. I am not sure I want to hear this "whole foods = whole paycheck" crap anymore. Control yourself, spend a bit more, eat a bit less. Quality food honestly is more satisfying and you actually might want to free yourself from the chains of a transfat, high fructose lifestyle. Oh, and huffers, check out that special on whipped cream in the health food section at Safeway.