Vegan Family Grocery Haul (VIDEO)

Vegan grocery haul alert!

In this haul, I use Instacart to bring groceries to our house while I worked on a project.

Instacart is amazing! You just use the app to order and pay for your groceries, and they send someone to shop and deliver the food to you.

In this grocery haul, I spent about $200 at Whole Foods.

Of course, you don't have to shop at places like Whole Foods to be vegan -- Wal-Mart, Trader Joe's, Safeway, Kroger and Aldi all have vegan options. 

Related: Check out this podcast episode I did sharing tips on how to save money on your grocery bill. 

Click below to watch the full video...

Did you notice how I butchered "Worcestershire" in this video? After filming, I watched a YouTube tutorial, and practiced saying it for 15 minutes. I can finally pronounce it right now! At least I think so lol

Resources mentioned in the video:

Where do you grocery shop the most? Leave me a comment below.

,

One-Pot Cheesy Pasta & Sausage Recipe (VIDEO)

,

You already know I had to come back with another one-pot family-friendly recipe. Check out the previous one here 

This meal is simple, delicious, filling and takes about 30 minutes to put together.

It features pasta, vegan sausage, and cheese.

Never tried vegan sausage or cheese?

Check out these brands...

Popular brands of vegan cheese:

Popular brands of vegan sausage:

 

Get the full recipe and watch the video below...

One-Pot Cheesy Pasta & Sausage Recipe (VIDEO)

by Brown Vegan

Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 1 teaspoon oil or vegetable broth
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • (1) 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 lb linguine pasta, uncooked
  • 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese (Field Roast, Daiya and Follow Your Heart are options)
  • 4 links of vegan sausage, chopped (Field Roast & Tofurky are options)
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil (to garnish)

Instructions

In a deep skillet (use the deepest you have since everything will go into it), sauté onion and garlic for 5-6 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Stir in oregano, basil, black pepper, and salt.

Mix in tomatoes and vegetable broth and bring it to a boil.

Add in linguine and cook based on the instructions on your box, mixing with tongs every 2-3 minutes.

Once the pasta is done, mix in vegan cheese and sausage.

Season with salt & black pepper (if necessary).

Garnish with fresh basil and additional vegan cheese.

Powered by Recipage
 

Some of my Favorite Lifestyle Products

I just wanted to share some of the lifestyle and beauty products that I've been enjoying lately. 
Let me know what some of your faves are in the comments.

Watch the video below...

Products mentioned:

All opinions are my own.

~This is not a sponsored video or blog post~

Even If You Tried Before...Don't Give Up!

I was on Instagram Live the other day talking to my peeps (come follow me on there so we can connect, too!) about how and why they should start a vegan journey.

One of the ladies asked if it's normal to start and then "fall off the wagon" only after a few weeks.

This is pretty common! Maybe you can relate.

Before I became vegan in April 2010, I tried it earlier that year (around January), but only lasted about two weeks.

I lived on fruit, sunflower seeds and water during this time because I had no idea what to eat, cook, or how to vegan grocery shop.

I was sooo overwhelmed!

These days there are a million resources, ingredients replacements (homemade and store-bought) and support, so there's really no excuse to not incorporate healthier and more compassionate options.

Even if you tried to go vegan before, you should never give up!

Don't let these reasons stop you from going vegan:

*Meal planning and cooking is too time-consuming -- I can understand why this is a struggle for many people. We're all used to grocery shopping and cooking at some level - The problem is, most of us aren't used to writing a detailed meal plan and paying close attention to what we buy while grocery shopping.
This is the reason vegan life can feel time-consuming in the beginning. I promise once you get used to those uncomfortable feelings (by pushing passed them) and get into a routine, all of this will become easier. 

Related: Check out some meal planning tips here and here 

 

*Feeling like it has to be perfect circumstances to start -- I don't care what anyone says, it doesn't have to be all or nothing to get started on your vegan journey. It takes time to learn (and unlearn all the crap that we've been conditioned to believe), so just start.

 

*Too expensive -- Check out my podcast episode with tips on how to save some coins on your grocery bill here

 

*Feeling alone (no one in your real life is interested) --- You can find a community online, using meetup.com and even in private Facebook groups like we have in Zero to Vegan. Being around like-minded people will make the transition so much easier.

Action steps:

  • Get clear on your why and make the decision to be vegan
  • Be open to experimenting in the kitchen (check out this previous post with tips on how to get confident in the kitchen)
  • Don't beat yourself up!

 

You've got this!

Vegan Confessions: Thick Thighs, Oreos & Heavy Drinking

*Sigh* I thought about making this video for months.

Hitting "publish" on this video was very uncomfortable for me, but it had to be done.
Weight has always been a touchy subject for me. 
These days, I realize that being overweight is often the outer result of all the issues we deal with inside. 

For me, it's binge drinking, overeating and emotional eating.

The goal is to be better with self-care, self-love, being more in the moment and taking action to BE and FEEL happier.

I plan to share more of my weight loss journey as I move forward.

Watch the full video below...

Resources mentioned in the video:

The Daily Dozen app

True Life: I'm A Chunky Vegan video