Plant-Based Kids: How to Raise Your Vegan Family on a Budget! by Nicole Joli Tirado

Motherhood
5 years ago

Plant-Based Kids: How to Raise Your Vegan Family on a Budget!

Raising plant-based kids on a budget is possible! DIY and plan food, not meals, for two to three days at a time. My daughter, Phoenix, can be picky, so I prepare dishes not meals. By doing so, I can mix and match foods according to what she feels like eating while ensuring she gets all the nutrition she needs. I prepare food on Sundays and Wednesdays. Here's a sample of my standard shopping list:

  • half bag of green lentils ($1.50)
  • bunch of kale ($3)
  • bunch of beets ($1.50)
  • head of cauliflower for rice ($3)
  • purple or sweet potatoes, to be steamed ($3.98)
  • spinach, to be sautéed ($4)
  • a pot of black rice or quinoa ($5)
  • a pot of sweet potato and carrot curry ($8)
  • green juice (celery, green apples and cucumbers) and orange juice

That covers lunch and dinner for the week at an average cost of $2.85 per meal. You’ll quadruple your money – the time invested is worth it. A favorite for most kids:

  • Pasta and pizza sauce: Cost for 4 cups of sauce is about $8. That’s about half the cost of two jars of store-bought sauce.
  • Dessert: Blend fruit and almond milk. To fill a mold for six ice pop molds costs about $1.16, that’s $0.19 per ice pop.

Parenting plant-based toddlers on a budget without coupons just takes a little extra time, the right tools and lots of DIY.

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Donna John
Two of my kids are vegan, Nicole Joli Tirado . Great tips here. I hope you'll share some of your recipes, like the spaghetti sauce you mention. Always looking for new options to make for them. Welcome to the tribe!
Nicole Joli Tirado
Thanks! I definitely will! It took a few attempts to make the texture of the sauce creamy and not chunky. I finally have the recipe down to where my baby Phoenix wants seconds!
Elisa Schmitz
This is great! Thank you for sharing and welcome to 30Seconds, Nicole Joli Tirado ! So excited to learn and grow with you!
Ann Marie Patitucci
Great tips here. Thanks for sharing them with us, Nicole Joli Tirado ! Welcome!

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