Why transition? Because I have a freezer full of meat and the frugal side of me is wincing at throwing it all away. That sounds awful, but on an extremely limited budget for the next month, it is also true.

So, people with far more experience in creating decent vegetarian meals, what options could you suggest on a budget of roughly $30 per week (this is for a month or so, things will get considerably better after that) for a single person living alone?

The good news is I already have some food that is not meat-based -- a Sams Club-sized box of Kashi Go Lean Crunch, a box of Minute Rice, a box of brown rice, half a bag of jasmine rice (okay, so I like rice), some spaghetti, a couple bags of frozen vegetable medlies, a couple bags of salad mix. Oh yeah, and peanut butter and jelly.

I'm thinking some beans, some fruit, and some bread...but I'm not very knowledgeable on recipes.

I probably sound like an idiot, but I really would like to make this change,a nd any advice or help would be appreciated.

I'm a big fan of quinoa. It's sort of like cous cous but much higher in fiber and protein. Every Sunday I make a big batch of it with tons of veggies and toss it in a light vinaigrette. It's yummy.

And you can't go wrong with beans. Very filling and dirt cheap.

Hey, congratulations! I think you have made an excellent choice!

There's a thread on this forum about "Veganism on a Budget" and if you wanted to add in eggs, cow or goat milks, cheeses and bee products you certainly could do that in an affordable manner!

I've been in the veg*n realm for over a decade so feel free to ask away!

www.vegweb.com

www.pcrm.org

One more thing.... The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet by Nava Atlas is my most used veggie cookbook. I too live alone, so I don't really stock up on food. Having a cookbook that only uses 5 or less ingredients per recipe is great.

Thanks much! I do plan on keeping dairy and eggs, at least for a while (I'll admit, I'm too much of a cheese addict to give it up completely!)

And to the poster who suggested the 5-Ingredient cookbook -- I just saw it at my library but didn't pick it up. I'll have to check it out!

I am happy you decided to go vegetarian. I just recently made the decision too, so I am easing into this slowly. I look forward to hearing more from you! You can do it!! And so can I !!

Tofu is also cheap!!

We started by just eating some meatless meals a week until we eventually cut them all out. If you google budget vegetarian, some really helpful websites pop up.

There's an older book you can still get used on amazon.com (for under 4.00 even with shipping) called "The Gradual Vegetarian."

Neither hubby or I are vegetarians, but we've significantly reduced our meat consumption, for health and financial reasons. I love to use tvp (textured vegetable protein) granules (look like grapenuts cereal, you add hot water or broth to reconstitute). They're a ground meat substitute, and I use it to extend ground beef. Hubby didn't like it alone, so I started adding it to ground beef at 1/4 tvo to 3/4 beef, and kept reducing the beef part of it. Now I use up to 3/4 tvp to beef. I also add cooked wheat berries to ground beef dishes in place of some or all of the meat.