The Little Green Larder - Making Veganuary Easy
Hello everyone, wow 2022 is here. Can you believe it? What a crazy few years we have all had. It has been a hard time for everyone. I have decided that for me it is time for me to move on to a more positive way of thinking and living.
I am setting positive and attainable goals this year and trying not to focus on things out with my control. One of my goals is to climb 20 more Munros (I climbed 10 last year). I also plan to walk the West Highland Way! Life is for living, and as long as I am able to I will keep pushing my boundaries.
Have you set any goals for this year? Don’t feel like you have to! Sometimes little goals like getting through each day as it comes, or self care goals like having a chill out night once a month can be the best goals ever. Whatever your goals are for 2022 I hope they are to benefit you and your wellbeing.
Lots of people I have been speaking to have been setting goals to either give up eating meat, or to reduce the amount of meat they are eating. For plenty of people this starts with Veganuary, so today I thought I would chat a little bit about how easy and fun it is to take part in Veganuary
To find out the types of vegan products we sell at TLGL read our other Veganuary blog post here.
What is Veganuary?
So, what exactly is Veganuary? Well Veganuary are a non profit organisation that encourages people to try a vegan diet and lifestyle in January and the year ahead. You can find out more about them by clicking here. They encourage and support people to switch to a plant based diet in order to reduce animal cruelty.
We have lots of delicious vegan foods available at The Little Green Larder to make it super easy for you. Click here to see some of our tasty vegan foods.
Why try Veganuary?
There are so many reasons that people decide to stop eating animals and animal products. A huge one is animal cruelty. Millions and millions of animals are bread and kept in awful conditions just for our plates. They are ridden with diseases and artificially inseminated for our gain, all the while we label this humane.
Many people decide to give up eating meat due to the environmental impact the meat and dairy industry is having on our planet. Did you know that the biggest cause of deforestation globally is due to the animal agriculture industry? Also the greatest amount of plastic in our ocean comes from discarded fishing nets?
COWSPIRACY: The Sustainability Secret
SEASPIRACY | Netflix | OFFICIAL WEBSITE
Health is also a factor in some people choices. Eating a balanced plant based diet is a really healthy way to live. Of course, not all vegan food is healthy, just like not all non vegan foods are healthy.
Vegan Nutrition Tips | Vegan Diet Advice | Veganuary
How do I do Veganuary?
How You Can Get Involved | Ways to Help | Veganuary
Getting involved in Veganuary is so easy. All you have to do is switch over to a plant based diet. I promise it is so much easier than it sounds. There are over 20.000 edible plants on our planet. Not to mention herbs and spices, wholefoods, fruit, veg and nuts. There are so many options out there to add to your cooking. Also if you are not a dab hand in the kitchen there are so many pre made vegan options like sausages, burgers, nut roasts and even kebabs for you to try.
Try one of our recipe bags to help make Veganuary easy for you!
What can I eat in Veganuary?
There are so many options for what to eat in Veganuary but here are some of my favourites for inspiration:
Breakfast
Smoothies made with fresh fruit, veg, linseed, chia seeds and a plant milk or fruit juice
Toast with nut butter, avocado, plant butter or jam
Cereal topped with plant milk and fresh fruit
Plant based yoghurt with fresh fruit
Overnight Oats with fresh fruit, chia seeds and maple syrup
Fry up – Yes, just buy all vegan alternatives
Lunch
(Click here for a selection of grains and pulses)
Soup made with leftover veg (I take any unsold veg from TLGL and make soup weekly to freeze, it’s so easy to just take out a portion).
Baked potato with beans, cheese, vegan tunah, chilli… you get where I am going with this
Sandwiches and wraps – my fave is coronation chickpea
Salads come in all shapes and sized, its about more than just lettuce
Quinoa or pasta salad loaded with yummy veggies
Dinner
Why not try one of our recipe bags?
Curry is so easy and you can just throw in any leftover veg you have
Stir fry – My fave is cashew nuts and broccoli with lots of garlic and soy sauce
Fajitas – just skip the chicken and enjoy the peppers and onions. Or add Quorn, tofu or soy chunks
Burgers – make your own chick pea or veggie burgers or opt for shop bought
Sausages – there are now hundreds of vegan sausages available
Snacks
Vegan pick and mix (You can get this from The Little Green Larder)
Chocolate
Fruit
Veggies and hummus (It is so easy to make your own hummus)
Dried Fruit
Nuts
Vegan Ice cream, cakes, biscuits, tray bakes and all of those tasty treats come in vegan options
What does accidentally vegan mean?
Products that are accidentally vegan mean that they have not been manufactured to be vegan, however they do not contain any animal products. They are by default vegan. These products often contain a “May Contain” warning for eggs or dairy etc. This means that they have been processed in a factory that also handles dairy etc so cannot eliminate any concerns of cross contamination. This is important for people who have life threatening allergies as cross contamination of allergens can cause a reaction. For most vegans, who do not have a food allergy this is ok.
Some of my favourite accidentally vegan foods are Oreos, millions, salt and vinegar kettle chips, Tesco bacon rashers, Biscoff biscuits and Ritz crackers. There will be so many more amazing foods that you are already eating that are accidentally vegan that may surprise you.
I hope you have enjoyed reading our little guide to Veganuary. For more information you should head over to the Veganuary Website.
If you are in Dundee and looking for plant based options then do stop by The Little Green Larder. We have such a wide range of plant based foods for you to try. Our helpful and friendly staff are always willing to chat and offer advice on the products we sell.
Also don't forget to have a read of our other Veganuary blog post.
Enjoy Veganuary
Jillian, The Little Green Larder