Pesca-Vege-Veganism and its Frugal Results

Money is tight this year for me, as it is for my parents and I assume the majority of people (especially if the entire world is to be considered). This is really the first time I've ever had motive to create a budget, much less change my spending habits.

One positive, of many I'm sure, that has arisen from these dire times is my giving up meat. Despite years of burgers and eating steaks as rare as the chefs would prepare them, I realized nearly a month ago that I hadn't eaten meat for nearly two weeks. This, I discovered, sprung from my new spending habits: groceries instead of eating out.

During the school year and when living with my parents I ate out at least once a day, often twice or more in one day without even factoring in coffee. When I did eat out, it was likely a 50-50 spread of food that was "terrible for you" and food that was "about as healthy as eating out gets these days." When money had suddenly become tight, events like spending $10 at McDonalds were the first to go, with the relatively healthier options moving next.

Even cooking my own meals, meat became too much of an expense to bother with. I spent nearly an extra $5 on every pasta dish I wanted to make buying ground beef, and it wasn't even that much better for the meat. My wallet forbid I buy steak! Good meat was hard to find without making a significantly longer drive well out of my way; the grocery store near here just doesn't cut it (Pun Not Intended). Reverting to eating mainly starches and delicious veggies allowed me to cut down my grocery spending to help pay off more of my debt, as buying some fresh Romaine and dressing would allow for a few meals on under $5 alone, while bringing peanut butter and honey sandwiches to lunch cut my daily spending on meat-based sandwiches down significantly.

Thus, without any conscious effort to cut meat from my diet, it simply vanished out of circumstance. Two important and possibly unexpected outcomes resulted. First, despite years of conditioning I craved meat very little; in fact, I'd go so far as to say I really only crave fried food in general, not the meat.

The second and more momentous result is that even after a mere two weeks without meat, I felt incredible. I could smile without the use of alcohol or likewise, I had enough energy that my friends were reverting to using the sitcoms' of old "who are you and what have you done with Evan?" I immediately desired to get out of the house, be active and healthier.

I really don't mean to preach with this; I'm simply relating my story and what I think of it. There are other possible explanations, perhaps I'd been sleeping better or any number of other variables could be at play. What I do know is this: meat is expensive, and with all of health and safety concerns in play these days, it really just isn't worth it.

I haven't found anything to replace a red, red steak yet, but I have found a burger alternative that I find tastes even better than a beef, buffalo, or turkey burger: black bean burgers. A quick google search and I feel I can summarize:

1) Mash black beans in a bowl until pasty
2) Add chopped seasoning or additives if you like
3) Add breadcrumbs to help burger maintain shape
4) Cook until done, often by baking or grilling

Are you a pesca-vege-vegan? Please share some recipes if you have any!