Recently, while filming in a large Iceland warehouse, I noticed that their range of vegan meals and vegan ingredients was increasing rapidly. I was impressed! So much so, that I took some photos to show my friend who is staunchly vegan and always encouraging us to embrace veganism.
Well, she educated me that Iceland was not really unique in this, but that most major supermarkets now have a massive vegan range of foods that are quite delicious. There are over 600,000 vegans in Great Britain and the total value of the UK plant-based market is £443 million! In fact, it is estimated that 1 in 3 people regularly buy plant-based milk and other foodstuffs.
So this week, we had a largely vegan meal plan as we know all too well the benefits of cutting down our consumption of meat products. These benefits are both healthwise for us as well as helping to save the planet.
Not being ones for bland food, however, we really flavoured our foods well and really enjoyed what we had.
I am very pleased to say that I tried to put my own slant on some of the meals I usually hear about but never tried.
Here are some of the meals we had.
- Vegetable soup and homemade bread. This one features every week now. We have at least one cup each day as it is so warming.
- Chickpea Curry with rice and peas and vegetable salad
- Stew peas and rice
- The best homemade veggie burger ever (served with Sweet potatoes and salad)
I have step by step pictures for making these delicious burgers here.
- Lentil Curry with rice and homemade chapattis. I made this really spicy and I also found an easy way to make the base for the curry! I used to foolishly spend time chopping the onions finely and grating the ginger before sauteing it. Well, I learned at the BBC Good Food Show last week that they blend the ingredients for the base of their curries. So I used my Nutribullet to blend the onion and ginger in a little oil which I then sauteed before adding the cooked lentils. There, my secret is out, lol. It took much less time too. I didn’t time it but I reckon it could be done in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
- Steamed Vegetables with rice and peas
These are nice meals to do that are family friendly and can be done and flavoured just the way you want. In fact, we also make them in batches so that some are always dished up and in the freezer for when we are ready. Nothing gets wasted around here, as long as there is an empty tub or container available.
If you are planning to go vegan or to enjoy more vegan meals, that is commendable. Do be mindful though, that you do need to check that the meals you are having have enough protein to meet the needs of the family members. Some plant sources of protein include peas, beans, nuts, grains and also there are lots of great products on the market now.
We are linking with the amazing Katy Kicker who shares amazing frugal meal planning ideas each week.
Stick around and check out some of our other meal planning ideas
Nine amazing reasons that meal planning can change your life
Interesting meal plan. I have decided to eat vegan twice a week from the New Year, mainly for environmental reasons. I can’t do it full time as I can’t eat soya, a lot of pulses or onions! Too restrictive for me at the moment.
oh, I do understand the frustrations. Do let us know how it goes in the new year. And good luck.
Sounds lovely, we always have veggie meals during our week but not many vegan ones. Something I will look into more x
Sarah – Mud, Cakes and Wine recently posted…Meal Plan 7th December 2018
I always seek out veggie and vegetarian meals. I love lentils and peas and would prefer that to the ‘fake’ things they make up.