Vegan Food & Living

EAT WELL FOR L CALENDAR 2O2 Your month-by-month guide to enjoying healthy vegan meals on a budget

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JANUARY FEBRUARY M AY JUNE SEPTEMBER OCTOBER

MARCH APRIL J U LY AUGUST NOVEMBER DECEMBER

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Welcome T he cost of living crisis has meant we’ve all had to tighten our belts, but don’t worry – we’re here to help! The great news is that by following a plant- based diet you’ll already be saving money on your ! food shopping, but there’s still lots of tips and tricks you can utilise to get savvy with your spending. Whether it’s buying in bulk, using an air fryer or cooking one-pot dishes, each month of our calendar has some brilliant ideas to help you make savings. Now all you need to do is start planning some delicious and nutritious meals… BROUGHT TO YOU IN ASSOCIATION WITH



January THE ART OF PLANNING AHEAD PHOTO BY PAULYNN / STOCK.ADOBE.COM Wfor the takeawAcneaun’iyvgpdehmbtatohelaaenlnrnbudde…sseyufnodoudrt’herseenormlseyee–yatorhicutih’’nsrieganrtgToeutaehecasehtd.ianyg PlnmiwtrvweShrgeeJaieGeuielrcuktdplanerhwesb.edaadtYieaeystftataouetwpp!myoeukfraeeaaae.errcnwtyfTagtt.atchatialenmcaosonkarumddnntpdeilnuoyoraiipouenowsrorarvitlutennynpeoetsdhslgrensaoayarhottcarfvhoftaycdeooeproonoaftarclsuuraaoerlgnepttlnenowuehttpanohtrameteisidneennamueiyakiwtgncaniedhmmmeglgeaaaprateeonecyoelsamadhstdkelYontaiwexpuhensalnplenimsaeattheeottrsndnmsksey.ofsyoiaaoliwsoyutvrd.uane awodmnhwrMiidlasralihveotekbheaeaxiesnlshpy,mptgoeeesranuuoudelsrprcptviehhfvteoiylhesgaioekf.assdoYeukaboblopeyrtduueyuitld’rtobellomilglaaoesehanvafmtarotvrankeaiewndendwsdatt.boyssoSeulmpotnpayofteswiuisnusnoc,otgrdnhcameosqyaty.oeuiofomkeionucewfektdayra,hlogaenwoucraduaakrsryiynsss

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thurs TO-DO 2 3 4 5 10 11 12 New Year’s Day Bank Holiday 9 16 17 18 19 23 24 25 26 Burns Night 30 31 Kickstart With pre-por your door, it’s with trusted s

sday Friday Saturday Sunday 6 7 1 New Year’s Day 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29 t Your Healthy Eating with Green Chef Meal Kits rtioned ingredients for delicious, nutritionist-approved meals sent straight to s never been easier (or tastier!) to cook vegan meals at home. Green Chef works suppliers and is 100% carbon neutral. Scan the QR code for money off!



February THE MAGIC OF BEANS PHOTO BY LAPLATERESCA / STOCK.ADOBE.COM B eans are amazing little things. They’re packed with amino acids, the building blocks of protein, meaning they not only help support healthy muscle but they keep us fuller for longer. They’re also high in fibre (essential for a healthy digestive system) and B vitamins, which play an important role in brain function, energy levels and healthy cells. And one of the best things about the humble bean is that they are a very cheap food to produce, meaning you can create healthy, filling meals for very little cost. Meal ideas A few tasty recipes that make beans the star of the show include a beetroot and bean stew, kidney bean curry, smoky homemade beans on toast, bean jambalaya or minestrone soup with cannellini beans. And if you need a snack? Whizz up some butter beans with a little lemon juice and garlic for a delicious dip to enjoy with oat cakes or crudities. Buying your beans Dried beans cost a lot less than tinned per serving, however you have to factor in soaking time and potentially the extra cost involved with cooking them (some dried beans take up to 90 minutes to cook!) Lentils are a cheaper option as they take less time to boil – usually 15-20 minutes. Asian stores are often the most competitive on price.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thurs 1 2 6789 13 14 15 16 Valentine’s Day 20 21 22 23 Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Day 27 28 TO-DO Kickstart With pre-por your door, it’s with trusted s

sday Friday Saturday Sunday 3 4 5 10 11 12 17 18 19 24 25 26 t Your Healthy Eating with Green Chef Meal Kits rtioned ingredients for delicious, nutritionist-approved meals sent straight to s never been easier (or tastier!) to cook vegan meals at home. Green Chef works suppliers and is 100% carbon neutral. Scan the QR code for money off!

March GROW YOUR OWN PHOTO BY MARIIA / STOCK.ADOBE.COM W hether you’ve got a window ledge, peppers, celery and cucumber. If it’s mild a small patio or a whole allotment enough, you can sow seeds outdoors for patch, there is a huge array of peas, beetroot, leeks, parsnips and carrots. things you can grow from seed, Head to veganfoodandliving.com for advice which after all is the cheapest way to source on vegan-friendly gardening. your food! If you’re a complete beginner, start small with things like basil, mint, chives, Community veg plots cress and microgreens. Pot them up on a sunny windowsill and then transfer to pots in If growing your own fruit and veg feels the garden. Not only will they add flavour to too overwhelming or you just don’t have your meals, they’re packed with nutrients too! the time to fit it in to your busy lifestyle, look for community projects in your What to grow and when area. Everyone gets involved, meaning you meet new people as well as lightening March is the perfect time to plant onions the load of growing your own. Head to and garlic and to start sowing seeds indoors farmgarden.org.uk to find a project in for salad vegetables such as tomatoes, your area.



Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thurs 6 7 1 2 St David’s Day 9 8 13 14 15 16 20 21 22 23 27 28 30 31 Spring in With deliciou have to rely o and is 100% c

sday Friday Saturday Sunday 3 4 5 10 11 12 17 18 19 25 St Patrick’s Day Mother’s Day 24 26 British Summer Time Begins TO-DO nto Healthy Home Cooking with Green Chef Meal Kits us seasonal ingredients and new exciting vegan dishes every week, you’ll never on the same repertoire of meals again. Green Chef works with trusted suppliers carbon neutral. Scan the QR code to save!

April GET CLEVER WITH YOUR COOKING PHOTO BY JCHIZHE / STOCK.ADOBE.COM I f you’re following a whole food, plant-based diet and cooking everything from scratch, it’s easy to fall into the trap of using numerous different pots and pans for each meal, which not only increases energy costs but means more washing up, too! Here are a few ways to save money when cooking… One pots Soups, stews, paella, pasta bakes and curries are all delicious, hearty meals that can be made in just one pan. Or why not try oven-roasting veg and lentils before drizzling with a green pesto? Turn off the oven or pan before the required cooking time to make use of the residual heat, which will save gas or electric. Microwave cooking Microwaves are much cheaper to run than large ovens, so use yours to cook vegetables, jacket potatoes, reheat leftovers and even dry out herbs. Airfryers After the initial investment, airfryers will start saving you money as they’re cheaper to run than ovens. Look on Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree for secondhand models – people sometimes buy this type of gadget and never use it. Use your airfryer to get a nice crispy texture on your tofu, cook healthy chips, make tempura veg and much more!



Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thurs TO-DO 3456 10 11 12 13 Easter Monday 17 18 19 20 24 25 26 27 Spring in With deliciou have to rely o and is 100% c

sday Friday Saturday Sunday 12 7 8 9 15 Good Friday Easter Sunday 14 16 21 22 23 St George’s Day 28 29 30 nto Healthy Home Cooking with Green Chef Meal Kits us seasonal ingredients and new exciting vegan dishes every week, you’ll never on the same repertoire of meals again. Green Chef works with trusted suppliers carbon neutral. Scan the QR code to save!

M SHOP SE PHOTO BY VLRS / ST W e’ve heard it a thousand times, but do we actually do it? Sometimes not, especially as it can be hard to know what is seasonal and what isn’t when you’re rushing around a busy supermarket. Food that’s in season costs less because it hasn’t had to be shipped from abroad. What to buy, when Springtime brings us cabbage, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, watercress and kale, whilst the summer months are even more plentiful. Tuck into beetroot, broad beans, fresh peas, new potatoes and

May EASONAL TOCK.ADOBE.COM lettuce and tomato. Come autumn, make root veg the focus of your meals – think potatoes, pumpkin and squash. In winter, leeks, parsnips, swede and turnips are all ready to eat. Where to shop It’s worth looking into markets in your area and heading down to check out what’s on offer and in season. Fruit and veg sellers are very knowledgeable, so be sure to ask them what is the best value right now. If you visit towards the end of the market’s opening time, you’ll find traders practically giving away fruit and veg that needs to be sold.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thurs 1 2 3 4 Early May 9 10 11 Bank Holiday 8 15 16 17 18 22 23 24 25 29 30 31 TO-DO Spring Bank Holiday Spring in With deliciou have to rely o and is 100% c

sday Friday Saturday Sunday 5 6 7 12 The Coronation 14 of King Charles III 13 19 20 21 26 27 28 nto Healthy Home Cooking with Green Chef Meal Kits us seasonal ingredients and new exciting vegan dishes every week, you’ll never on the same repertoire of meals again. Green Chef works with trusted suppliers carbon neutral. Scan the QR code to save!



June USE YOUR FREEZER PHOTO BY ALEX / STOCK.ADOBE.COM S o much more than just somewhere to store ready made burgers and chips, the freezer is your best friend when it comes to healthy budget cooking! The benefits of buying frozen It costs less, it’s already prepared and it contains just as many nutrients – what’s not to love? And if you thought this just applies to peas, think again. These days, you can buy everything from frozen mango and pineapple to avocado and edamame beans. Save on food waste Bananas going a little brown? Don’t kid yourself that you have time to make that banana bread! Peel them and freeze them in a zip-lock bag and then, when you fancy a sweet treat, blend them up with peanut butter or berries to make your own vegan ice cream! Herbs are also a good one to preserve in the freezer, along with spinach. And liquids too… Don’t throw that leftover gravy down the sink! Pour it into an ice cube tray and use it for your next Sunday roast or as a stock for a lentil Bolognese. The same goes for sauces and dips.

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sday Friday Saturday Sunday 2 3 4 9 10 11 King Charles III Birthday 16 17 18 Father’s Day 23 24 25 30 Summer Recipes from Green Chef Meal Kits hef recipes are designed by nutritionists, so you can be sure that every good for you as it tastes. Save on delicious plant-based recipes now by QR code.

July EMBRACE WONKY VEG PHOTO BY SAVISIONE / STOCK.ADOBE.COM W e are all conditioned to believe that our food has to look a certain way, and when we see fruit or veg that is a funny colour or shape, we automatically presume it is of a lower quality. But nature creates things in all shapes and sizes – and the nutrients are the same! Here’s how to hunt out less than perfect looking food… Order a wonky veg box There is now a range of companies offering wonky veg box deliveries straight to your door – saving you time, petrol and money! Try oddbox.co.uk or wonkyvegboxes.co.uk Check your supermarket Some of the supermarkets now offer wonky veg at a reduced price, too. Morrisons, for example, offer a Naturally Wonky range which includes everything from potatoes and avocados to nuts and berries. Lidl also sell Too Good To Waste boxes for just £1.50 – try getting there early in the day to grab one of these bargains!



Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thurs TO-DO 3456 10 11 12 13 Battle of the Boyne (Northern Ireland) 17 18 19 20 24 25 26 27 31 Sizzling S All Green Ch recipe is as g scanning the

sday Friday Saturday Sunday 12 789 14 15 16 21 22 23 28 29 30 Summer Recipes from Green Chef Meal Kits hef recipes are designed by nutritionists, so you can be sure that every good for you as it tastes. Save on delicious plant-based recipes now by QR code.

August FEEDING YOUR FAMILY ON A BUDGET PHOTO BY NEW AFRICA / STOCK.ADOBE.COM W hen the kids or grandkids are off school, it can feel like you’re constantly shelling out on food. But with a few nifty tricks you can keep them satisfied for longer – meaning less food shopping, cooking and washing up! Healthy snacks in disguise Children are predisposed to love high energy, sugary treats but besides not being great for their teeth, shop bought snacks can be costly – especially if they’re vegan-friendly. Get them involved with making some healthier treats, such as energy bars (made with dates, peanut butter and oats) or banana muffins. You can find hundreds of recipes over at veganfoodandliving.com. Avoid white carbs if you can Anything that causes a blood sugar spike – such as refined white pasta or bread – will cause a subsequent drop in energy levels, leading us all to feel like we need to eat again. Choose wholegrain instead, which will keep energy levels stable and everyone feeling fuller for longer. If your children don’t like wholegrain options, serve white carbs with a healthy source of fat such as avocado or nut butter to help stabilise blood sugar.



Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thurs 1 2 3 7 8 9 10 Summer Bank Holiday (Scotland) 14 15 16 17 21 22 23 24 28 29 30 31 Summer Bank Holiday Sizzling S (ENG, NIR, WAL) All Green Ch recipe is as g scanning the

sday Friday Saturday Sunday 4 5 6 11 12 13 18 19 20 25 26 27 TO-DO Summer Recipes from Green Chef Meal Kits hef recipes are designed by nutritionists, so you can be sure that every good for you as it tastes. Save on delicious plant-based recipes now by QR code.



September BULK BUYING PHOTO BY LAPLATERESCA / STOCK.ADOBE.COM S tocking up your storecupboard with big bags of essentials can create some fantastic savings. Not only can you make the most of great deals and bulk buying discounts, but it also saves you making unnecessary trips to the supermarket each week where you’re more likely to be tempted to buy things you don’t really need. Where to buy Zero waste stores are great but can be costly, so be sure to do your research around which ones offer the most competitive prices. Sites like mysupermarketcompare.co.uk and trolley.co.uk are great for comparing prices at the big supermarkets, or visit Asian stores which will sell big sacks of rice and lentils for less. Also take a look at bulksupermarket.com and stores like B&M and Poundland. Storing your food If you’re short on space, buying in bulk can be tricky. Take a good look at your kitchen and get rid of items that you never use. That juicer that’s gathering dust at the back of the cupboard? List it on Facebook Marketplace and use the extra space to store food. Large mason jars displayed on shelves also make use of dead wall space.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thurs TO-DO 4567 11 12 13 14 18 19 20 21 25 26 27 28 Green Ch Cook food to kits. Discover around the w

sday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 18 17 22 23 24 29 30 hef Healthy Meal Kits o make you feel good every day with Green Chef’s nutritionist-approved recipe r our seasonal menu featuring familiar favourites and new dishes inspired by dishes world. Save on delicious vegan recipes now by scanning the QR code.



October WASTE NOT, WANT NOT PHOTO BY JCHIZHE / STOCK.ADOBE.COM W hen we throw food away, we are literally throwing money away at the same time! But how can we prevent waste when we are busy? Get organised After doing a food shop, sit down and make a meal plan, prioritising veg and salad by how quickly they will need using up. As a quick guide, broccoli will last three to five days, lettuce will last seven to ten days and carrots a good few weeks. In fact, if you store carrots in water within a sealed container, they will last even longer. Pickles and jams Leftover fruit and veg cries out to be pickled or preserved. A surplus of cabbage can be used to make sauerkraut or kimchi – both of which are superfoods for the gut. Meanwhile, a glut of apples or berries is perfect for making jams or chutneys. Soups and stocks Don’t throw away the leaves from your broccoli, cauliflower, beetroot or carrots! Instead, cook them down into a soup before blending or boil them up to make a healthy homemade stock. There’s an app for that! Olio is a brilliant food sharing app used by individuals and businesses to give away surplus food. Got a glut of apples in your garden? Sign up to share them with others. Want to source free fruit and veg and prevent it going to waste? You know what to do…

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thurs TO-DO 2345 9 10 11 12 16 17 18 19 23 24 25 26 30 31 Green Ch Halloween Cook food to kits. Discover around the w

sday Friday Saturday Sunday 1 67 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29 British Summer Time Ends hef Healthy Meal Kits o make you feel good every day with Green Chef’s nutritionist-approved recipe r our seasonal menu featuring familiar favourites and new dishes inspired by dishes world. Save on delicious vegan recipes now by scanning the QR code.

November GET SAVVY WITH SUPERMARKET SAVINGS PHOTO BY LEILA / STOCK.ADOBE.COM A ddicted to those yellow labels? So are we! But when is the best time to head out and find those bargain reductions? Time it right Supermarkets tend to reduce items first thing in the morning, just after lunch or at the end of the day. Whilst the most heavily reduced items will be found just before closing time, you might risk them being sold out. Familiarise yourself with your local supermarket to get to know their routines. Use it don’t waste it It’s easy to be attracted to those reduction labels, only to end up wasting the food because of its short best-before date. Think about how you will use the reduced item before purchasing, or make sure you cook it up straight away.



Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thurs 1 2 6789 13 14 15 16 20 21 22 23 27 28 29 30 St Andrew’s (Scotland) Green Ch Cook food to kits. Discover around the w

sday Friday Saturday Sunday 3 4 5 10 11 Guy Fawkes Day 17 18 12 Remembrance Sunday 19 24 25 26 TO-DO Day hef Healthy Meal Kits o make you feel good every day with Green Chef’s nutritionist-approved recipe r our seasonal menu featuring familiar favourites and new dishes inspired by dishes world. Save on delicious vegan recipes now by scanning the QR code.