Our family of 4 (2 adults, 1 young child, and 1 toddler) have big appetites and a moderate grocery budget. We try to stick to around $65 on food a week. These meals are well within that range, and when executed correctly (buying in bulk, sale stock ups, etc) can be even less! They also don't require a ton of time. I like to keep dinner under about 30 minutes of cook/prep time. We also prep some things at the beginning of each week. Black beans, rice, wash & cut up veggies, etc. to save time and money! Without further ado, here they are!


Breakfast

• Oatmeal with fruit- We buy a canister of whole grain oatmeal at Aldi every few weeks. We add in some pure maple syrup, flax seeds, whatever frozen fruit we have, occasionally some cinnamon, and some almond milk. So nutritious & delicious. We do this one the most because it keeps them fuller longer. 
• Banana Muffins- I love this recipe! Nolan goes bananas over bananas! This makes about 16 muffins, so we generally can eat on these for a few days for a super quick breakfast!
• Tofu scramble with hash browns or potatoes- I'll be honest, I don't like tofu that tastes like tofu. This tofu scramble recipe is the bomb.com! We buy some frozen hash browns & usually eat this as our "fancy" meal before church every week. The left overs brings me to my next meal...
• Breakfast Burritos- Whenever we have left over tofu scramble, we usually make some breakfast burritos the next day. We usually make some more hash browns, salsa, peppers, etc. Whatever we have on hand. So yummy! 
• Breakfast Smoothie- Breakfast smoothies are quick & easy. I've found, if you make them the night before & refrigerate them, not only is this a time saver, but you're more likely to actually drink it. Waking up, blending it all, cleaning up the mess, etc in the morning is so blah. I'd rather do it the night before and have it nice & chilled for breakfast!
• Avocado Toast- Avocados can be expensive, so this isn't our go to. We generally eat this if we got a great deal on them for the week or if they're about to go bad. This toast is very creamy, delicious, and filling.
• Peanut Butter Toast- My boys aren't much into that avocado life as the rest of us. So when they have toast on the brain, I usually top with with peanut butter. You could easily do almond butter as well. I also add some flax seed on top. Yum!
• Tofu & Potato Hash- This potato hash recipe is good! I forego the oil. Use the tofu scramble recipe from above and mix them together! I also make this one for dinner!
• Pancakes/Waffles- This recipe is so simple & it's my kid's favorite breakfast. I make it about once a week because I am usually dead in the mornings, but it really takes about 5-10 minutes to prep, and a few to cook. Add some pure maple syrup, and I have happy & full boys!

Lunch

• Peanut Butter Sandwiches- We keep things super simple at lunch time. My kids eat this 4/7 days of the week. We usually add a fruit & veggie on the side, and they're covered! Make sure to use whole grain bread & oil free peanut or almond butter!
• Chickpea "Tuna" Salad- This recipe is seriously amazing! I was craving tuna salad one night & came upon this! Luckily, we keep chickpeas on hand, so I made it & wow! So good & filling. Even my 5-year-old devoured it! 
• Baked Potato- I usually eat baked red or sweet potatoes for lunch every day. It's fast, inexpensive, and super filling! You could top with alternatives to dairy toppings, but that get's pricey. I usually just do salt, pepper, & ketchup. Good to go!
• Quesadillas- My kids used to eat quesadillas every other day for lunch! They're not huge advocates for vegan cheese, so they eat it sparingly, and again, it can be pricey. On the rare days, they will eat this & I'll throw in some spinach with it for some extra green!
• Salads- Liam eats raw spinach, but for whatever reason, is not a big fan of salads. Nolan only likes his green veggies purred with fruit added. A bit odd for a kid who grew up doing baby led weaning, but anyways....Salads are usually only for me. I just buy whatever is on sale & that I like. Spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, seeds, nuts, fruit, lemon juice, and balsamic dressing. Be sure to make your salad filling! I've learned the hard way, most people's regular salad portions are a vegan's small portions. I eat a huge (mega) bowl of salad when I eat one as a meal. Fills me up and there ain't no shame in my game!
• Wraps- My husband raves over spinach wraps. He usually throws tortillas, peppers, leftover veggies, and salsa in a tortilla. Not my favorite thing, but easy & cheap!
• Leftovers- Leftovers are always your cheapest option! Make a bit more and eat it the next day. My husband usually always takes leftovers to work. 
• Buddha Bowls-Got leftover veggies, rice, & beans at the end of the week? Throw them together for a Buddha bowl! Simple, quick, & very inexpensive!

Dinner

• Tacos- There are all sorts of vegan taco ideas out there! Our favorite is black beans & brown rice. Depending on what was on sale & what we have will depend on our toppings. It's usually always spinach, tomatoes, salsa, corn, and occasionally avocado or cashew sour cream. Served with chips & salsa, YUM! If you're wanting to avoid tortillas, add these on romaine hearts for some extra green! My husband also tops his with hemp hearts!
• Rice & Beans with Green Veggies- This is Liam's absolute favorite meal! Even before we went vegan. This meal is incredibly inexpensive, cheap, and filling! We usually add frozen spinach to our rice as it cooks. 99.9% of the time we add broccoli as our side veggie. It's all of our favorite veggie and it's usually fairly cheap. We buy a large frozen bag and eat off of it for a couple of weeks. Sometimes we add salsa on top for a different flavor as well!
• Spaghetti, Sauce, & Garlic Bread- Grab some whole grain pasta, get an oil & dairy free sauce (or make your own). I love taking jarred sauce, adding some diced tomatoes, sneaking in some extra veggies, and spices. We then take some whole grain bread, add some vegan butter, and sprinkle some garlic powder on top. Broil in the oven until brown. We usually also serve a side salad with it. Boom. Easy, simple, and definitely affordable!
• Pizza- My kids & husband are pizza obsessed! I have tried to make a fancy, healthy crust. It's never worked out! I just try to buy the healthiest premade crust I can, add whatever veggies we have or are on the sale, some leftover spaghetti sauce, and if we have it, cheese alternative. It's amazing how good pizza is without cheese though, crazy almost! We have also made a BBQ chickpea pizza which was amazing, but premade BBQ is insanely full of junk, so we rarely eat it. When it comes to pizza, I want it fast, so the less I have to do, and the healthier & cheaper it is, the better!
• Chili- Chili recipes are so easy & adaptable. Just exchange the meat for lentils or black beans, add in some spinach. Since we no longer top with cheese & sour cream, we love adding our chili to sweet or baked potatoes! SO filling and yummy! Be sure to double the batch and freeze one batch for later!
• Soup- Soup is another easily adapted meal and throwing it in a pot is so simple. We like vegetable, minestrone, our own White Bean & Sweet Potato recipe, lentil soup, taco soup (with black beans instead of ground meat), chicken-less noodle soup, etc. Again, double your batch and freeze one for later. Only a few cents more and a whole other meal. You should have leftovers from the first for lunch the next day as well!
• Stir-Fry- We love stir fry! Like love it! We mostly just do frozen mixed veggies over brown rice. Sometimes we add tofu on top, but that's rare. 

Snacks

• Veggies & Hummus- My husband is all carrot & I am all cucumber. For a quick, easy snack, we pair our favorite veggies with some hummus. We make homemade occasionally, but love the taste of store bought.  Just read ingredient labels. 
• Fruit Salad- This is my children's favorite snack. We always have bananas on hand. Depending the sales that week, we might have: strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, grapes, etc and we always combine and make a yummy fruit salad. They gobble it up!
• Celery & Peanut Butter- We only buy celery if it's on sale or we need it for a recipe, but one of my favorite snacks is celery and peanut butter! Best combo ever!
• Fruit- Fruit on it's own is a very quick and easy snack. Think about it, most fruits are the original fast food! 

In Part One, I shared my breastfeeding journey. I shared how the system failed me, not once but twice. Today, I am going to dig deeper in why women have such a difficult time doing something that is supposed to be "so natural". If you haven't read part one, please do. It sets the stage for part two.

Breastfeeding. The natural thing. The thing women have been doing for thousands of years. The thing babies and women were designed to do. So why is it so dang hard?

If you are a woman who struggled to breastfeed, you are absolutely not alone! My oldest child Liam is 5 years old as I am writing this. I became his mom, exactly one week after my 21st birthday. So clearly I knew everything and was mother of the year. SYKEEEEE. You knew that was garbage though, didn't you? I thought, women who can't nurse are lazy, don't want what's best for their baby, aren't trying hard enough, blah blah blah. Basically anything a know it all, judgmental youngster would say. Until I experienced it first hand. It started in the hospital. I grew up and delivered my first child in a small town. Our hospital, which is now considered one of the 300 some "baby-friendly" hospitals in the country, didn't have actual lactation consultants on staff. Do you see where I am going with this perhaps? No, stay with me. They have OBs, Pediatricians, & Nurses who had taken a course to help nursing mothers. Yes, you read that right, a course. Now, I do not know the full extent, but I took a psychology course in college. Does that make me a psychologist? The answer is no. Moving along.

I had trouble latching Liam the first couple of days in the hospital. He was also born at 35 weeks and 5 days, making him a preterm baby. Many premature/pre term babies have difficulty nursing. I got him to latch a tad, but it was painful. I felt that these people who had been "so well trained" were offering me no help at all.

When we got home, I started pumping. I was embarrassed to nurse in public. He took the pumped milk very well, but still wasn't latching right. I eventually did some digging, and discovered a nipple shield. I purchased one & boom! Nursing baby.

He was nursing, gaining weight. Things were good. For awhile...Those shields are tricky. They leak milk everywhere. Those pumps are great, unless you're exclusively pumping. I was exhausted and moist from this "failed" attempt at nursing. If I couldn't nurse, I was a bad mom. I mean, it's natural & easy, right?

When I went back to work, things went down hill. Not only did I have to pump more, but he was eating more. Then, I started adding in solids. By the time he was 5 months old, I could barely pump anything. So, I thought I wasn't producing anything. So I quit. I called in the formula squad. I cried. I cried the first few days. I had put so much pressure on myself and I just couldn't do it. My story with Liam is not unique, but my story with Nolan is.

Nolan was born almost 4 years later. I was determined to breast feed him until at least 2. I went into it with a much different attitude. I was working part-time, I had some experience this time. I wasn't as afraid to nurse in public. Then, he was born.


I had told the nurse my problems with Liam, so I was given a shield right away. Also a pump. Due to my gestational diabetes, they checked his sugar frequently. It would drop, so I'd have to pump & feed him through a dropper. It'd go up, we were good. Then, when I requested the LC, she saw his weight was good and he seemed to be okay nursing. But wait? Of course his weight was good, he was getting pumped milk from a dropped every feed.

Then, at his 3 day visit to his pediatrician, he had dropped 10% of his birth weight. I needed to supplement with formula. WHOA. PUMP THE BREAKS LADY! Formula?! I had made it 5 months on my last failed attempt and you're telling me I can't even make it 3 days this time? I felt so defeated. I had baby blues.

He would not drink the formula and the two times he did, he spit it all up. So, I pumped him milk. My day would consist of nursing, pumping, feeding. Over and over. For nearly 5 weeks. That is until a friend told me about tongue and lip ties. What? Tongue and Lip ties?

In an attempt to make this long story shorter, he did have a tongue and lip tie, a severe one at that! We saw a preferred provider, he took a laser, fixed them, and he was good as new. He was sore for about a week. Then, with lots of practice, he started to get it. He was doing well on the shield and gaining weight. I found a breastfeeding support group through my hospital with certified lactation consultants. I eventually weaned him off the shield. When I pumped, I was actually over feeding him, so we learned to pace feed, making it easier to switch from bottle to breast. & guess what? HE HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY BREASTFEEDING NOW FOR 18 MONTHS! Yes, 18! We are 6 months away from our 2 year goal! After all of that, I can't believe it!

How many red flags went off for you? Some of you, maybe a ton, maybe none. That is why I am writing this article. To show you, we women are absolutely capable. There is actually only a small percentage who have issues with low production. In the next article, I will give advice and tips for a successful breastfeeding relationship, all things I learned from my failings with the system.

The number of people I know switching to plant based is growing much faster than I had anticipated. One thing I have noticed though, is that their kids aren't. Why is this? Kids can be picky eaters. Feeding toddlers can be a battle. However; I am happy to say, my children have adjusted extremely well, so I thought I'd offer up some tips & help in Raising Vegan Kids.

1. They Won't Starve
I have always followed this philosophy. While my peers were worried about little Bob getting all of his nutrients and filling his belly, I wasn't. I cook the meal, I decide when and where we eat it, and they can eat. Or not. I'm not going to say this is a legit statistic, so keep your lawyers off of my back, but there has been 0% of children in the history of ever who went malnourished because you didn't force them to eat. Save yourself the struggle! Little Timmy will eat when he's hungry, I promise! If he ate 3 bites, encourage him. Believe it or not, feeding oneself is a life skill. So he didn't eat the whole thing, he used his fork and left his screaming to a minimum. That's a win in my book! If he's hungry later, offer him the rest of his meal. If it's dinner, I guarantee he will eat a big breakfast.

With that being said, if there is a real problem of undernourishment, your child is lethargic, or losing weight, see your dr immediately. This post isn't for you, you have a genuine issue. 

2. The "No-Thank You" Bite
This one may in fact contradict number 1, but don't judge me. If you'd like your child to try something, say veggies, and they're just not having it, intro: the no thank you bite. This little bad boy is essentially how I get my kid to try anything. Honestly, some kids are justifiably scared to try something new. "Just try a no thank you bite. If you don't like it, you don't need to eat anymore, but you do need to try it." BOOM. Mic drop. Of course this usually only works for older preschoolers and children, who can understand logically. You may have to use a little bribery the first few times, #noshame, but they tried it. Win-win.



3. Feed Them What They Like
No, I don't mean feed them "kid-friendly" junk all day long. If your kids like certain fruits & veggies, try to buy those most often. My kids love bananas, grapes, strawberries, spinach, and  broccoli. I make sure to buy at least a few of these a week. We do stick to what's on sale for the most part, but we usually always end up with some that they like. They don't have to love it, just be willing to eat it. The same can be said for other items. My 5 year old loves rice & beans with broccoli. He'd eat it every day if I'd let him. He usually eats it 2-3 times a week. He loves it, it's nutritious, inexpensive, & very filling.  My 1 year old will only eat green veggies if I blend them up into our reusable pouches and add applesauce. Whatevs man. He eats it. That's all that matters.

4. Start Slowly
If you're new to plant based, or maybe just even eating more healthfully, start out slowly. Replace a couple of meals a week. If they insist on boxed mac & cheese, throw in some spinach with it. If they are chicken nugget obsessed, there are some great meat alternatives out there that are fairly inexpensive. I'd avoid processed food as much as possible, but everything in moderation, especially if you're transitioning to meat & dairy free.



5. Don't Buy Junk  
The biggest thing I hear people say is that their kids just prefer to eat chips over fruit for snack. Here's an idea guys, STOP BUYING IT FOR THEM! Unless little Cindy Lou is getting her mini shopping cart, picking out the groceries, and paying with her monopoly money, there is no sense in you just saying no, we will not buy it. If it's not there to tempt them, they can't eat it. If there is one thing I've learned, it's kids will generally eat what is put in front of them if it's offered enough times. Especially if they aren't offered junky food they prefer other more nutritious meals.

6. Be a Good Example
Notice how I didn't say "perfect" example. If your kids see you not eating meat & cheese, or even just junk food, they will learn from that. Kids only know what they are taught. I know it can be hard in a culture with horrid eating habits, a backwards society, and the pressure put on to kids through advertising, but at the end of the day, you are who they look to first and foremost. Do not take that lightly. Be the example.



7. Talk Candidly
We talk to our 5 year old a lot. Especially in the beginning of our transition to plant based. "Now buddy, we're going to try not to eat meat and dairy anymore. It's going to be hard, but it's better for our bodies, the environment, & God's beautiful creatures. We can do this together, as a family." If you have a child old enough to understand, really talk to them about your decision. I've learned first hand, they're your kids, you can choose what you think they can and can't understand. I've had backlash from family and friends about the severity of my talks. I feel it's important to be open and honest with my kids about our decision to be vegan because it's not just about what we eat, but it's a lifestyle. He enjoys asking others if they're vegan. It's so cool (& sometimes slightly embarrassing) to see him making the connection with the world around him.

8. Let Them Help
Whether it be meal planning, picking out the groceries, putting the groceries away, cooking, setting the table, it doesn't matter! These are all extraordinary life skills and will give them independence if they're a part of the whole process. My 5 year old does all of the above, so even young children are perfectly capable. The more they help, the more willing they are to try things, especially if it's something they picked out or made themselves.



Well guys, I hope you have enjoyed my tips in raising vegan kids. We're still very new to this lifestyle, so I am sure there will be more trial and error along the way, but I think this will help some of you figure out where to start!