Healthy Eating in Columbus, Ohio (on a TIGHT student budget)

I made some big changes in my diet recently. I think my choice to change to a primarily vegan diet on January 1st presents its own set of challenges. I wanted to wait until after the holidays so I would have a whole year of practice under my (smaller) belt before facing the daunting task of turning down the omnipresent peppermint-ice-cream-on-oreo-crust-dessert, the meaty, cheesy, Christmas day lasagnas, and the eggnog. The downside of waiting until January is the unavailability of cheap produce. I am counting down the days until the farmers market comes back to North Market. I want cheap, local, fruits and veggies!

I've been experimenting and trying loads of new recipes out. I almost feel like this has become another class for me. Reading recipes and articles about vegan products, planning our meals, and shopping around for the best prices takes as much or more time as my real classes. I've had some successes, most notably my go to food- veggie pizza. Whenever I'm too busy to spend a lot of time cooking, I throw some pre-made flat bread in the oven and top it with whatever vegetable combination I have handy. Refried black beans, yellow squash, mushroom, and red pepper, for example. I top it with veggie slices "cheese" and some chili powder. It's so easy and fast, and B. loves it.

Some of my other recipes are challenging because they call for spices that I don't have in my pantry. If anyone ever needs an idea for a gift for me- I need spices! Unfortunately, I don't have extra money in my food budget to go buy a bunch of spices at once, especially since the more ethnic or unusual products can get pretty pricey. If I do buy a new jar of spice, it winds up taking up space in my unbelievably tiny kitchen. Sidenote: I am currently REALLY jealous of this spice rack. And, there is always the possibility that I won't even like the recipe or the spice once I try it. The solution? BULK SPICES. I can buy just enough of whatever ingredient I need for a recipe before committing to having it take up a portion of my living space and budget.

Tiny Kitchen

Today, I went to the Clintonville Community Market and I was pretty impressed. While the produce section was small, the bulk spices section was fabulous. I can't believe I have lived so long without buying dried goods in bulk; someone really should have told me that I could be eco and budget friendly buy elimating packaging. I am starting to get the hang of scooping up ground spices, flours, beans, nuts, and granola, putting them into little baggies and hand-labeling each one. I love it. I bought organic cayenne powder, ground ginger root, and garam masala: to be used in my aloo chole later this week. Stay tuned for pictures and recipes of my vegan cooking adventures!