Well, I made it back to school safe and sound! Today marks the beginning of my last full semester of college! I also have one summer course that I have to take but we can ignore that for now. Or at least I’m going to ignore that for now.

Last night, I was pumped to watch One Tree Hill. Yes, I still watch that show, and yes, I’m well aware that I’m probably one of five people still tuning in. Don’t care! Anyways, DirectTV apparently shut down the CW network on our campus cable so I didn’t get to see my beloved show! A few curse words were uttered and they were not “duck” or “tuck.” Oops.

Workout

This morning’s workout was super fun because I got to take advantage of a piece of exercise equipment that I haven’t used in quite some time: the treadmill! You know you’re an exercise-lover when you’re excited about a treadmill workout. I completed this 30-minute cardio workout:

Treadmill Speed/HIIT Workout

Time	Speed	Incline
1:00 – 5:00	4.0	0
500 – 10:00	5.5	0.5
10:00 – 15:00	6.0	0.5
15:00 – 20:00	7.0	1
20:00 – 22:00	4.0	0
22:00 – 23:00	8.0	0
23:00 – 25:00	4.0	0
25:00 – 26:00	8.0	0
26:00 – 28:00	4.0	0
28:00 – 29:00	8.0	0
29:00 – 30:00	3.5	0

 

I’m always amazed at how sweaty I get from running on the treadmill. It’s like a flood comes out of my pores the second I step off! After some heart-pumping cardio, I moved on to complete two circuits of an arms and abs workout. The circuit began with the Lean Arms Pyramid from the Tone It Up girls:

(Source)

I followed it up with 20 reps of the following ab burning-exercises:

Ab Burner!

Reverse Crunches

Dumbbell Crunches (6 lb)

Bicycle Crunches

Sideplank Crunches

Tone it Up V-sits

Seated Dumbbell Twists (6 lb dumbbell)

Stability Ball Crunches

Repeat this entire arms and abs circuit twice. You’ll be panting and feeling the burn all over! It’s pretty awesome. I even had to take a couple breaks in between. I’ll definitely be feeling it tomorrow!

Breakfast 

After my kick-butt workout, I left the gym, grabbed a coffee, and made my way back to my dorm to enjoy a treat, courtesy of Wildlfour.

Mushroom-spinach scone, of course! Never gets old. You can tell it’s made with organic, high-quality ingredients because it leaves you feeling satisfied and energized. That bakery is such a gem. 

Lunch

After a few hours of work, I was ready for lunch! Since my breakfast was on the dense and chewy side, I was craving something light and crunchy. What better meal to enjoy than a salad? 

I piled my bowl with fresh greens, carrots, mushrooms, cucumber, and tempeh. Finished off with Whole Foods’ lemon-mint viniagarette, it was perfecto! Craving satisfied.

Vegan Food Shopping on a Budget

Being a student, I definitely feel the pressure to budget my grocery shopping. While I’m forunate enough to have my parents pay for my groceries for the time being, I still set a monetary limit of $70 – $80 per week, in preparation for the time when I don’t have pennies to spare.

Vegan shopping can be very costly…if you do it wrong. Stocking up on faux meats and frozen foods can really add up. But with a little planning, you can bid farewell to the processed junk and eat whole, plant-based foods at a really affordable price! Here is how I go about purchasing my food.

(Source)

• Start with one “big shop.”
• A “big shop” is a one time, more-expensive shop. This shopping trip has you stocking up on items that are more costly at first glance but will remain in your pantry/freezer for months. Don’t be afraid by the initial cost of this shop because it will be immensely cheaper next week!
• “Big shop” items include: Sprouted grain bread (I love Ezekiel bread), quinoa, buckwheat, organic canned beans (I love garbanzo and black beans), organic old-fashioned oats, two varieties of cereal, nut butter, nuts, organic raisins, and two big bags of mixed frozen veggies.
• Plan out your meals.
• This one is so important! It is absolutely vital to your success to budgeting your grocery list! Every Thursday evening, the day before I go home for the weekend, I sit down for an hour and plan out my meals for the upcoming week. This allows me to maximize fruits, veggies, proteins, and whole grains I’ll be using. For example, I might use black beans for a black bean burger one day and for a quick chili another day. Similarly, I might use broccoli in my salads  for the week and incorporate it into stir fries for a few nights.
• After you’ve planned out your meals, you basically have your grocery list! All that’s left is to write it down in an orderly manner. I go by order of the grocery store because it’s easier to navigate that way.
• Revolve your meals around produce and lean proteins.
• The food that is the cheapest can also be the most nutritious for us! I make sure every meal has veggies and lean protein. The chili I mentioned above would include: canned black beans, quinoa, onion, tomato, pepper, avocado, and cumin/cayenne for some kick. That entire meal costs less than $3 per serving!
• Choose your snacks wisely.
• While it’s easier to grab a ton of LARABARs or a LUNA bar for snacks, it’s not the most budget-friendly! That being said, set aside $3 – $4 to spend on bars for the week.The rest of your snacks can be made using items you already purchased! Some ideas are: veggies w/ hummus, an apple with nut butter or a handful of nuts, homemade trail mix (nuts, cereal, organic raisins), roasted chickpeas w/ cayenne and curry powder, etc.
• Find recip-inspiration!
• There are SO many resources out there with simple, affordable vegan recipes! Take advantage of it! Some of my favorites are my recipage, Tone It Up, Peas and Thank You, Averie @ Love Veggies & Yoga, VegWeb.com, and VegNews’ Savvy Vegan. These are all great resources for affordable meals.
• Have fun!
• While living on a budget can be daunting, it also creates an amazing opportunity for you to reap the benefits of every last morsel of food you purchase. Have fun, get to planning, and happy food shopping!

 

If you have any more questions about shopping (and eating) vegan on a budget, feel free to email me. I’m happy to help!

I’m off to my first class of the semester, then my Dad is taking me out to dinner and to a local open mic. I’ll try to record a video for you guys!

Stay lovely,
Heather

Question of the Day: Do you set a strict budget for yourself? What is your favorite way to maximize your food purchases?

I’m a salad fiend, so I love to have fun re-creating salads. I like to vary between a spicy (black bean burger/cumin/cayenne/avocado) salad one day and a sweet one (quinoa/walnuts/apples/raisins/carrots) the next.