Blogmas 30: Grocery Challenge and Veganuary

I'm just about ready.  Feeling a bit under the weather, but I was able to get my grocery shopping done today for the first week of January! 

I've decided that I am going to go ahead and use up what I already have that is not vegan, but everything new that I buy for January (for myself) will be vegan.  

My "normal" grocery shopping is about 175/week including all household cleaners and paper products.  I'm cutting back to 100/week for January. 

I've decided to take a daily theme approach: 

S - CORN soup/stew/chili

M - bean/lentil meal

T - dad's house (probably a meat substitute, veg, salad) 

W - tofu meal 

TH - bean/lentil meal

F - pasta meal

S - tofu meal 

Here is the meal plan for week one.

Breakfasts: Overnight oats with fruit, baked "cobbler" or avocado toast

Lunches: Leftovers, chickpea salad sandwiches on seedy bread, Buddha bowls

Dinners: 

T - Black bean and lentil soup 

W - Buffalo Tofu Wrap, Oven roasted potatoes

TH - One pot Spanish rice and beans 

F - Mushroom spinach pasta 

S - Creamy tomato orzo with crispy tofu cutlets 

S - Lentil sloppy joe stuffed baked potato side of veg 

ON HAND: (Things crossed out will be used this week) 

Several different grains: Bulgur, Farro, Quinoa, Barley, Brown Rice, Oats, Popcorn 

Dried beans: Pinto, black, red, lentils, red lentils 

A couple potatoes, a huge sweet potato, 2 lemons, 2 limes, 2 peppers, onions, celery

Many condiments

Canned green beans, corn, black beans, kidney beans, and tomatoes, chickpeas

Three cartons Broth 

Pre-made rice and pasta (rice-a-roni, knorr pasta sides, jambalaya mixed rice) 

Pasta and Orzo

Flour, bread flour, yeast, baking powder/soda 

Maple syrup, flax, chia, vegan vanilla protein powder

Fridge: Oat milk Hummus, feta, carrots, celery, sauerkraut, 2 dozen eggs, milk, random cheese, tofurkey slices, leftovers. 

I shopped mostly at Aldi this week.  I did get a few things from Kroger that are on sale (Jeff's yogurt, naan dippers, cabbage, spaghetti sauce, tofu) 

GROCERY LIST: 

Fruit: Bunch of bananas, 3-lb bag of mandarins

Mushrooms

Cabbage (49c a pound)

Spinach

2 avocado (49c ea)

Potatoes (10-lb bag 349)

Garlic 

Cilantro

Banana peppers

Green olives  

Garlic pita chips (we have a LOT of hummus) 

2 blocks tofu (1.79 for a 2-pack) 

Tortillas 

Vegetable oil 

Seeded bread 

Yogurt (Jeff)  (2.99 for a 4-pack, bought 2)

Canned fruit (Jeff) 

Naan dippers for leftover hummus (2.99) 

Aldi sloppy joe sauce

Salsa

Veggie burgers

English muffins 

2 Jars Bertolli sauce (1.99 ea) 

Toilet paper

Chicken thighs (for my son) 

Diet pop (I'm working on it!) 

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things, but that is the bulk of it.  I spent $94 on our groceries for the week and there's really $12 I didn't need to buy (the naan/pita chips and son's chicken - he needs to buy his own groceries - it's a long story) 

I'll update at the end of the week how we used what we bought and what we have leftover going into the 2nd week of the challenge.