Basic vegetarian shopping list?

[hearthsock]

Anyone have their own, or know of a good one online?  My meals were taken care of for me in the co-op that I lived in previously.  Now I have no idea what to buy.  Help, please!  Thanks!

Note: I am buying for one person, me.
Note: I am not vegan, I do eat dairy and eggs.

Comments

[xmorningxrosex]

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/mealplanningshopping/
http://vegkitchen.com/tips/vegetarian-pantry.htm

[hearthsock]

super! thank you!

Don't know if you eat dairy and eggs...

[we_are_pliable]

Stock your pantry (put it in the fridge if there's an asterisk

[hearthsock]

wonderful, thanks so much! this is great!

[nina_anne]

www.savingdinner.com has actual meal plans. Here's a vegetarian one for two. http://www.savingdinner.com/menus/free_menu_VMM42.pdf

[hearthsock]

wow, some of those look really good, particularly the squash lasagna!

[sandramort]

wow, that's open ended... what do you like to eat?

[hearthsock]

Well... I like hot foods much better than cold foods. I don't like anything bland or anything too dry. I like it if you put mushrooms and onions and garlic and spinach in a pan and serve it over brown rice. I love sauces. Indian food and Thai food are two of my favorites of all. Also pizza. I am not really worried about calorie content because my weight is stable, and I tend towards being a little underweight, so it's better for me and for my mood to stay well-fed. I like fresh salads. Slightly allergic to peppers and eggplant. Sandwiches are OK but not as preferable as hot food is. I have trouble digesting chickpeas and most mediterranean food, but I'm OK with taboule. Soups are good. I need to avoid sugar and eat plenty of protein. I need to eat protein at every meal; eating pasta with sauce or just cereal for breakfast leaves me hungry and panicky in an hour.

Does this help?

protein at every meal

[redbird]

I had yogurt every morning for breakfast for years, because it's easy, quick protein. (I stopped because I seem to have developed some weird allergy.) You can buy plain yogurt and mix flavoring in to suit--fresh fruit if you have it, lime juice and honey, orange extract, and jam all worked well.

Frozen vegetables are likely to be a better value, in terms of both money and nutrition, than out-of-season fresh vegetables (though in-season fresh vegetables are a very good thing). Also, perhaps surprisingly, you'll do better with canned tomatoes than most commercial "fresh" tomatoes for anything you're cooking, because they let them actually ripen, then harvest and immediately can them, rather than needing them to travel long distances and sit on shelves for days before they're bought.

Re: protein at every meal

[hearthsock]

ooh! great point about the tomatoes! i always wondered why my super-picky chef friends had no qualms about using canned tomatoes, when they would turn up their noses at all sorts of other things. thanks for the tip!

have you tried the greek yogurt? in the northeast it is sold as exactly that, "greek yogurt" or "greek style yogurt". it is very creamy and if you add honey it is divine.

[irishpecas14]

+buy different types of dried (or canned, although they're slightly more expensive usually) beans/legumes.
+buy the produce that is in season/on sale that week.
+buy tofu when on sale, if the expiration date is soon, freeze it (it will last much longer, but will change the texture)
+OATMEAL is cheap and easy for breakfast
+frozen vegetables
+stock up on pasta when it is on sale
+get some basic spices that will work for most anything (my staples are SALSA!!!!, soy sauce, peanut butter, and green curry paste). I think these work pretty much in most dishes. {esp. chickpeas!}
also, a good tofu scramble spice list is always good for vegans: thyme, cumin, tumeric, salt, & paprika is my favorite.