The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Eating for Kids - M.s.j., Dana Villamagna [50]
Make Your Lists (and Check Them Twice …)
Now, with your pantry organized, make a list of all regularly needed pantry and fridge items and post it on the inside of the pantry door and the side of the fridge so you can check what you need.
Next, keep a simple date notebook of meals your family enjoyed and rotate them (trying some new experiments every now and again) to create weekly menus before you shop. Add new recipes into the notebook for a quick ingredients check.
Before you head to the store, be sure you have your list. Find a printable grocery list online, or use what’s included with your computer’s software (Microsoft Word has a reasonably good one). Simply delete the animal products included, and add your vegan staples to it.
Create a System
Decide what frequency and time of day works best for your family, figure out when your favorite stores are least crowded and most stocked, and stick to that info. For some families, that means multiple small trips each week. For others, monthly cart-fillers. For the rest of us, something in between.
Much depends on the size of your family, the ages of your kids, and your work schedule. What’s most important is that you experiment to figure out when the time is right for you to keep your pantry stocked with healthful vegan fare so no one is settling for BPOs (best possible options) too often, and so the experience is more nourishing than exhausting.
When you’ve decided on your system, do a run by yourself every now and again. Once kids are mobile, it’s next to impossible to keep an eye on them and read every label and monitor price comparisons as closely as you need to be a frugal vegan shopper. Do yourself and your budget a favor, and ask your parenting partner to watch the kids or get a sitter and make a grocery run all by yourself every month or two.
Parent Trap
Myriad hidden animal ingredients are in food you might not have thought of. Top offenders include gelatin, lecithin (not soy-based), rennet, and casein. For an extensive list of hidden animal products check out www.caringconsumer.com/resources_ingredients_list.asp. For kid-friendly, brand-name foods that are surprisingly vegan, see www.petakids.com/accvegan.html.
When you do take the kids, take your parenting partner, too, and split up the list. Meet at the checkout in half the time. (A race to the finish may not be a bad idea!)
Prep the Kiddos
If you have to tote them along to the store, be sure your kids are well rested, well fed, and recently pottied before heading out. The after-school /after-work grocery run is the top time to avoid. Kids are hungry, everyone’s tired, and no one’s had a chance to decompress before walking into an enclosed building full of sight, sound, and scent stimulation. Not a good combination for stressed families!
If you must go at this time, be sure you stash a bag of healthy bars, nuts, or vegan snack mix (see Chapter 15) in your car to munch on before you go in or even while you shop.
Money Savers
Groceries consume a major chunk of most families’ monthly budgets. Eating vegan, choosing some or all organics, and providing your child with some of the fun snack foods and desserts he loves can add up quickly.
The following sections offer some money-saving tips to help you fill your cart without draining your wallet.
Shop Smart
Most frugal shopping experts recommend this simple trick, and it applies to vegan families as well: reduce the number of purchases you make from the center aisles where the most processed, packaged, and expensive foods are placed.
If you’ve gone through the time saver of making a list, as recommended earlier in this chapter, use it to avoid impulse buys.
Stores are always removing slow-moving items from their shelves. Check these racks and bins for items that are on their way out of the store and into your home.
Buy In Bulk
Many health/natural food stores