Vegans! Help me out! (please.)

[WeasleyMum]

Hey mamas! I have a friend coming to stay with me for an indefinite length of time, starting very soon. She is a vegan, and I need some advice about what to buy re: groceries and snacks for her arrival. Of course once she gets here she can get whatever she needs from the store but I'd like to have at least a few days' worth of provisions on hand, so that it's not the first thing we need to do afterwards. For example I'll be picking her up from an airport that's ~ 2.5 hours away, in the evening. I want to pack some snacks for the drive back home, since trying to find decent vegan food at the airport is probably a losing battle.

All tips and suggestions welcome! TIA!

[vegemamato]

Well, it depends on what types of foods she likes

When we visit my mil she tends to buy crackers and hummus, fruit salad, Wholesoy yogurt, soy/rice milk, Amy's Chili, Higher Taste burritos, Kettle chips and fresh veggies.. Her 'list' usually holds us over for a few days

[caiesmommy]

Snacks for the ride home:
container of hummus
cut up pita triangles
carrot sticks
bell peppers
grapes

Breakfast the morning after
toast w peanut butter, fresh fruit

Lunch
pitas w lettuce, tomato, mixed veg

Dinner
Roasted tomato eggplant zuke olive oil sauce on pasta w pine nuts and salad

Then you guys can meal plan together for more meals

[Jelinifer]

Originally Posted by vegemamato

Well, it depends on what types of foods she likes

I'm a really hearty eater so I'd have to say some good whole grain crackers and fruit/nut trail mix for the ride home to refuel with.... Then at home if you want a couple of convenience items for her to start with- anything by Amy's is good (and you don't even have to read labels for her... anything vegan is listed that way at the beginning of the ingredients.) Granola, soy milk and fresh fruit are great for breakfasts too

[Jadzia]

Luna bars would be good for the ride home.

[WeasleyMum]

Thanks you all! I knew I could count on MDC veg*ns! I guess the day before I will bake bread and make granola (mine is usually made w/ butter so I'll have to go all-coconut), find out what kind of "milk" she puts on cereals (if any) and get some of those snack-y type bars like Luna.

As I said to her, she doesn't eat meat, eggs, or dairy; I don't do soy and try to eat local. We're going to have FUN in the kitchen, huh?

[To-Fu]

Originally Posted by WeasleyMum

As I said to her, she doesn't eat meat, eggs, or dairy; I don't do soy and try to eat local. We're going to have FUN in the kitchen, huh?

It's not as hard as it might sound! Soy is usually mostly found in the super processed stuff, and I know that my vegan family and I always prefer to buy local/organic when we can. If you stick with whole foods, you shouldn't have to worry too much about the soy.

Here's a stickied link that might help:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=523972

Have fun!

[Keeta]

Originally Posted by To-Fu

It's not as hard as it might sound! Soy is usually mostly found in the super processed stuff, and I know that my vegan family and I always prefer to buy local/organic when we can. If you stick with whole foods, you shouldn't have to worry too much about the soy.

Here's a stickied link that might help:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=523972

Have fun!

Don't discount things like beans, lentils, etc. Spaghetti and tomato sauce? Vegan. Bean chili? Vegan. Peanut butter and jelly? Vegan. Sloppy Joe's with lentils, etc. Don't sweat it. And if you're concerned about a dairy milk replacement for dishes you'll be sharing, I highly recommend Blue Diamond Unsweetened Original Almond Milk. It tastes the closet to skim dairy milk in my opinion. It's the only "milk" I can drink by the glass. The Vanilla flavor is good for cereal, too.