Food & Drink I Can’t Live Without – The Go For Broke Edition

Food has always been something that I have spent the most money on. I have never been someone that lived on Top Ramen or ate plain baked potatoes for a month straight. I have always loved food and loved to cook. I have always bought organic. And before I was vegan – I always bought the “happy” meat and dairy (the free range, grass fed, wild caught, organic stuff).

I have always bought organic, local produce when available. I will continue to do this. I don’t have a lot of money (not by a long shot) but I will cut back in every other area of my life before I cut back on good food. I expect my grocery bill to go down as a vegan – but not drastically.

Below are a few things I seriously can not live without these days. But, they are all really costly grocery items.

Kombucha – Kombucha is a tea fermented from a mushroom. Kombucha has beneficial probiotics, live active enzymes, Polyphenols and lots of different organic acids. I swear by the stuff when I’m hungover. The brand I drink is GT’s (Cosmic Cranberry is my personal fave) and you can find it in the refrigerated section of Whole Foods. This is definitely an acquired taste, but I really love it. I drink 1/2 bottle per day (8 ounces worth). A case of GT’s (12 bottles) will set you back $40.00 (and that’s with a 10 percent discount!) but I think the health benefits outweigh the costs.

Bars – I have never been a HUGE fan of energy bars – but recently, I have started to keep Lara bars and ClifBars on hand. I like them for an afternoon snack or pre or post workout. I eat the Lara bars when I feel like something a little healthy and ClifBars when I’m hungry, but nothing sounds better than a candy bar. I love that they both contain healthy ingredients and are portion controlled (as opposed to mixed nuts or trail mix – which I could easily eat pounds of in one sitting). I don’t eat these everyday, but I love having them in my desk drawer for a snacking emergency. These little guys can add up quickly – I look for them when they are on sale.

Unsweetened Organic Cranberry Juice – I’m not a big water drinker. I could go days without drinking a glass of water. I prefer diet soda or sugary juices. But, I try to limit my diet soda intake and I have completely cut out nearly all juices filled with sugar (I do break that rule for the occasional mimosa). But, plain water still bores me and I have yet to bring lemons, cucumbers or raspberries to work to jazz up my water. So, I started buying unsweetened, organic cranberry juice and adding about 1/2 cup to my huge nalgene bottle before I add water. Surprisingly, this makes a huge difference – plus unsweetened cranberry juice is good for you for a host of reasons. It’s definitely been a welcome addition to my water bottle. Unsweetened Organic Cranberry juice can run between $8-$12 per bottle – which adds up greatly when I can go through a half bottle per day. I don’t want to give it up – but I may bring some fruit into the office to throw into my water.

Meat Analogs – I’m not big on processed food and I’m really not big on fake meat, but I have to say, I am loving having it available to me right now. Being newly vegan and sometimes getting home to late and being too tired/lazy to cook – I love that I can throw something on the stovetop or in the oven really quickly and not have to worry or think about dinner (or lunch). My current favorites are field roast grain sausages, soyrizo and gardein products. All don’t seem to be that expensive, but they are sneaky – just like anything processed – somehow the cost seems to add up quickly. Just like bars, I use these processed things sparingly – but I do love having them around.

Just a few things that I am LOVING these days (there are plenty more). What foods/drink are guys loving right now?

Stay tuned for some fun blog announcements later this week!