Eating More Legumes Helps Save Money

Salads have become quite a bit less costly around my place these past few months. I've stopped buying lettuce and have replaced it with Napa cabbage which pairs beautifully with mung bean sprouts which I've learned to grow. Three tablespoons of dry beans makes enough for two good-sized salads. The cabbage lasts about a month without turning brown or wilting, and one large head is still less expensive than a head of iceberg. Fresh sprouts are crisp and significantly more nutritious than lettuce.

Of course any number of other lovely things can be added, depending on grocery store prices: carrot matchsticks are quite low in cost and I don't care if they take a while to chop. Green onions/chives growing on my windowsill, bell peppers if they're on sale, celery, same, cucumber, same again. Fresh spinach once in a while; again, depending on price. A bit of cooked and cooled pasta? Why not.

A few more plant-based meals each month means not buying as much meat. Good vegan recipes abound online and can be quite satisfying as well as notably nutritious. Let me know if you want the websites of a few excellent cook / authors?

Tofu is a ridiculous price these days; more than triple in just the past six months. Turns out we can make our own! Dry legumes are ' thankfully ' wonderfully inexpensive.