I’ve been vegetarian now for about 10 or 12 years. It is a lot cheaper than meat if you use beans, lentils and chickpeas and if as a meat eater you buy organic. I chose vegetarian to help our environment and because of the cruelty to animals, but now also the savings is great. I’m now vegetarian and unnatural sugar free. I have more energy and I am sleeping all night which I wasn’t before. Loving it and coming up with new ways to eat again that dies not include unnatural sugar 😊
Hillary, watching this in May of '24 I giggled when you referred to American Chop Suey. I'm a New Englander too, and that was in my grandmother's rotation of favorite family meals, as were succotash (Gran made hers w/red kitney beans) and Minestrone. btw, for a great substitute for animal-based protein, check out Butler Soy Curls. Like pasta, they can be flavored any way you choose. After three years of working with a nutritional therapist, I'm enjoying my WFPB (whole food plant-based) way of eating.
I watched this eating my favorite tortilla based breakfast - you put cheese, mushrooms, dried tomatoes, onion and some herbs you like, fold it, put it on the pan and it's ready in no time :) Thanks for another great video!
Sloppy nos were be of my favorite cheap veggie meals back in the day. Lentils in place of the ground meat and it’s amazing!!!!! I’m no longer vegetarian but I try to eat as much as meat free as possible.
Great ideas. I use oatmeal & add chia &/or ground flax; sometimes hemp hearts. Then add the PB (or almond butter) and ……. Dark chocolate chips! More fiber, one serving of this oatmeal/grain bowl usually serves 2.
I’m now so familiar with my laugh, because I have to cut dozens out each video from what I originally film. And they all show up as the same pattern in my editing software 😂😂
My husband is from china and I will say Asian food is definitely easier to do meat free! They also just have so much more vegetable variety. We shop at an Asian market specifically and a lot of the veggies we eat are cheap and super nutritious!
i make wheatmeat. its sort of alot of labor but worth it. Seitan is the other word. i put like 6 cups of flour in a bowl and add water to make a dough. knead it a bit and soak in water a couple of hours to loosen the starches in the dough.then i wash it out in the sink. u have to keep it all together. the water turns milky white. u have to keep refreshing the water. then u get a broth going on the stove and drop in slices or bits of wheatmeat. its so cheap to make. its good too.the finished product can be ground or in slices. i dip the slices in nooch and seasoned flour and fry or bake. its so good. i love all your recipes - thank u so much! great video.
@@Homegrown_Hillary your welcome. u can also make the gluten in the shape of ribs. lol. bake them and put bbq sauce on them. so good. its super cheap protein. 💓💓💓
My favorite meatless meal is baked beans and rice...sounds so humble, but it's really very rich tasting! Sadly, my hubby and I have to eat extremely low carb, so the rice and beans went out the window! I'll send the recipe to you, if you're interested? Btw, I love Maine, and often go to Portsmouth, NH...we're almost "neighbors," lol!
@@Homegrown_Hillary Had trouble jumping through all the hoops to get to your email, so here's the recipe: Pam's Baked Beans and Rice 1 c dry, uncooked rice 1 tbsp chili powder 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp oregano 2 tbsp olive oil 2 c hot water 2 tsp chicken bouillon 10 oz can tomatoes with chiles 14 oz can black beans, rinsed 1 c shredded cheddar cheese In 9 x 13" casserole, toss together first 6 dry ingredients. Coat thoroughly with olive oil. Add remaining ingredients except cheese to combine. Top with cheese last. Cover tightly and bake @ 350' for 70 mins. Enjoy!
I've never tried making lentils. Ever time I've ever seen them the don't look appetizing. So if you were going to suggest a recipe to someone who's never tried them, which recipe would you choose? (I have an 8 year old grandson as well, so something kid friendly would be good too!)
I’d say start with whatever you/he already likes best! If he loves chili mac, maybe try a recipe with 50% ground beef and 50% lentils, to get him more used to it. Same with pasta & meat sauce or hamburger soup. My personal favorite lentil meal, however, is shepherd’s pie, but switching out lentils for the ground beef. Sooooo good.
@@Homegrown_Hillary That’s so funny because I was just going to say his favorite dinner is shepherds pie….so I guess I will start with that! I’ll do a 50/50 mix first. Thanks so much!
It must depend on where you live! I can always get mushrooms for $3 at my closest Aldi. But yes, I think you’re right too that it’ll save you less than you could with beans, lentils, tofu, etc.
I do too, but I do make dishes like chili con carne and cut back on the meat it still tastes good, and we didn't notice that there was less meat. It can be incorporated in other dishes that are not wholly based on meat.