In a few days Veganuary ends and lots of people will stop eating veggies and will go back to dairy and meat. So I thought this is the perfect time to share my Vegan Food Shop. I’m not keeping Veganuary, but I’m making a daily effort to incorporate as many veggies in my diet. This is how my weekly food shop looks like right now. Of course, it differs slightly from one week to another. If you are curious you can have a look at my Weekly Shopping post from 2017. As you can see, the main difference is the lack of dairy. I don’t usually eat dairy now, only once in a while, if I can’t avoid it. I also eat less eggs, hence I didn’t buy any this time. Last year I shared another post, on Ethnic Foods, because I’ve always been inspired by exotic flavours. Also, I link to a few of my recipes.
Vegan Food Shop – From the supermarket
I usually go to Sainsbury’s, but this time I went to ASDA. There is not a big difference between them though. I got most of the fruits from there. I also got canned soup, which is very handy if I want to have a light dinner. I got some fake meats and vegan cheese. The cheese is more than we eat in a week, but the fake meats are less. As I make sandwiches to take with us on the road, I use more than I used to use before. I love the taste too much that’s the issue with them. Besides I got some chopped tomatoes, sliced bread for sandwiches (in a recyclable bag), and oats. The lemon juice and the garlic paste are for houmous.
Pretty much that was all I got from the supermarket that time. I did not get any frozen vegetables as my freezer was already full. I have peas, carrots, onions, mushrooms, potatoes. With vegetables is hard to get all in one go, as there are things I buy weekly, but not each time I go to the supermarket.
If you are curious, I made the courgettes with peanut butter, using a Chadian recipe. I made it twice so far and I will make it again, as I like it a lot and my husband is very happy with it too.
Vegan Food Shop – From the ethnic shop
From the ethnic shop I got a pack of 12 jars of chickpeas. We have chickpeas or beans every day. Usually as houmous, but we eat baked beans too, or chickpea stews, or chilli with lots of beans, or home made falafel burgers. These 12 jars are enough for two weeks, maybe a bit more, depending on what we prepare. Next to the chickpeas are 2 jars of baked aubergines. I make often mutabbal, aubergines with tahini. I got 2 different kinds of zacusca, a spread made with vegetables. I like adding a spoon of zacusca on the plate when I have something that isn’t exactly healthy, as fries with a burger, for example.
Of course I had to get tahini, only in big tubs for us. In front of the oats are 2 boxes with Fufu flour. Fufu is a sort of mash potatoes, made from cassava and yam. I love it, so I got 2 different ones now. This will be enough for the next couple of months or more, as we don’t have it very often though.
I also got artisan bread. It’s delicious. On top of that I got more dates for my new favourite dessert: stuffed dates. As I placed an order online for nut butters – pistachio, almond, and hazelnut, among other things, so I have plenty of options for these. I had 4 dates today, these are so good I make only as many as I eat in one go, or I will overeat.
This is pretty much what I buy in a week, considering that I also have the cupboards filled with staples like flour, rice, pasta, and lots of veggies in the freezer. I only buy those when they run out as I have already too many in the cupboard.
Thank you for sharing your shopping ideas! I’ve never tried cooking with Fufu flour, and I’m not even sure if I’ve seen it anywhere. Looking at the chickpeas made me think I haven’t cooked a chickpea curry in a while, and should make it some time soon, as it’s so tasty.
Like you, I’m going to try to eat a lot of veggies – it’s actually one of my goals for February. When I lived on my own, I barely ate any meat at all and I had lots of veggies, but now that I live with my partner I’ve had to adjust slightly to his diet (he has a lot of dietary restrictions) and I eat a lot more carbs than I used to! But as long as one has a balanced diet, I think it’s already a great step to being healthy. Thank you for sharing what you bought, it’s actually a great way to find new ideas!
Julia x
It’s always interesting to see what others buy at the store. Considering I live with a confirmed carnivore who refuses to eat the way I do, my shopping hauls look entirely different. At least we both enjoy most vegetables, but only if prepared certain ways.
Since I’ve been without an oven, I find myself eating more eggs and vegetables since they are so easy to cook on the hob. I’ll bet the fresh things are very tasty.