Combining lifestyles - Veggie, SW, OS

melou

I was wondering if I could please get your thoughts on whether it is possible to be veggie (also a fish eater), follow the slimming world plan (primarily green days) and also be OS. I have been struggling for a while with food budgets etc and I know that the OS way makes sense (I even have a slow cooker!) but I am getting a bit lost as to how I can make all 3 of my preferred choices work for me on a daily basis.

Any opinions greatly appreciated.

Melou

squeaky

These would give you a start on the veggie side, you'd just need to adapt some to meet SW:-

Vegetarian

Then there are some veggie recipes and threads here:-

The Complete Slow Cooker Collection

And a few more here:-

Vegetarian:
- Beans and pulses
- Inspiration required
- Lancashire hot pot inspiration needed
- Meal Plans
- Meat and three veg without the meat
- Millet
- Quark cheese
- Quark - what can I make with it
- Quinoa recipes?
- Something special for vegetarian Xmas Day lunch
- Soya mince
- Tofu experiences?
- Vegan and vegetarian food on the cheap
- Vegetarian Mince (Beanfeast)
- Worcester Sauce for vegetarians


And then there's the weight loss recipe thread:-

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=180748


And finally, there's a great support thread on the I Wanna board:-

Lose Weight 8


But apart from that... nothing much

bluemoon_3

I was feeding two adults a vegan, OS, SW diet for about £45 a week. Our budget had to tighten recently, so I dropped the SW part and spend about £25-£30 a week, and spend less time menu-planning. I imagine I could continue doing SW for this budget, but at the moment I'm not really willing to put in the extra time to integrate this into the menu-plans. Right now, I just practise portion control and healthier cooking habits and hope for the best.

How easy it is depends on your budget, the time you can - and want to - spend menu-planning/seeking out bargains/cooking, and your skill/experience level for each factor (SW, OS, veggie). If you're new to all three then it will take more time to make menu-plans.

It's the usual rules really. It depends on planning, sticking to the plans, stretching the food as far as it will go. All the OS tricks still apply.

Find routines - whether it be always having a HEb for breakfast and one for lunch, so dinner is easier to calculate, or having a stock-pile of recipes that you like that are cheap, quick, and have the syns/HEs worked out so you can quickly insert them into a menu-plan. If time and money is short, stick to simple ingredients and recipes you know well and don't be afraid to repeat them in a week/fortnight. If you're the type who gets bored (like me!) promise yourself one day a week or fortnight to try something new.

It can be done. Just think, there are plenty of people with food allergies and intolerances and some of those people must be on a low-fat diet and a budget too. It just requires time, patience, the right attitude and a bit of imagination.

Good luck! HTH.