My VeganMofo theme this year is, “Hold my beer…”

Now before you get all excited, my theme is not about beer. No, when people say, “hold my beer”, they generally mean to prove something that you think is impossible. What do vegans have to prove? A lot but I’m going to focus on the following common complaints about sticking to a vegan diet:

  1. It’s hard (meaning difficult, not hard like candy).
  2. It’s boring, nasty, gross, whatever.
  3. It’s expensive (it can be if you only buy packaged, manufactured foods but I’ll be showing you how to eat vegan from my favorite cheap stores, The Dollar Tree and Aldi).

The #1 response I get when people find out I’m vegan is usually something to do with how difficult it would be for them to do the same. You’ve heard this all before:

“I could never do that.”
“Wow! That’s so hard.”
“I don’t have the time to do that.”

My posts will not attempt to be the prettiest or offer complex recipes. Just simple, affordable, cruelty-free food. So, onward.

(Read more about VeganMofo.)

Quickie Breakfast Bowls

I weaned myself off of common (and expensive) cereals years ago. If you’re coming at this from something like Fruitloops® and you don’t like change, consider incorporating some of your existing cereal into the new bowls and weaning yourself off the expensive stuff slowly.

How to keep it simple and fast.

My morning breakfast consists of a simple cereal bowl that always incorporates oats. Cold or cooked, oats are easy to prepare. I buy quick oats that are cooked for 3 minutes in the microwave. If cooking them, I use a large bowl because nuking oats makes them expand hugely while cooking. I also incorporate frozen berries, fruit, or a fresh banana and some type of nuts.

That’s how I keep this simple and fast while only contributing one bowl to the dishwasher.

Quick Fruity Oats

Quick Fruity Oats

  • 1/2 c. raw quick oats (the 3-minute kind)
  • just under 1 c. water if you like them stiffer, use a full cup if you like soupy oats

Here’s my trick: I cook the oats 3 minutes on high in the microwave before adding any smaller frozen fruit like blueberries. You can also put fruit in the bowl before cooking the oats. I just like the stiffer texture of using the cooked oats to defrost blueberries after cooking. If the frozen fruit is larger and chunkier, like peaches, I add it while cooking.

After cooking add:

Frozen berries first, stir in so they’re under the hot oats. They’ll defrost by the time you add your other toppings and get your coffee.

Top with nuts, maple syrup, or whatever else you want. Minute oats really do save a TON of time, are easy to use, and available at most groceries.

Quick Raw Muesli

Quick Raw Muesli

  • 1/2 c. raw oats
  • 1 banana or 3/4 – 1 c. frozen or fresh fruit (thaw frozen fruit in the bowl via the microwave)
  • 1/4 c. nuts (my faves are walnuts, cashews, or sunflower seeds)
  • Sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc. (whatever goes with the fruit you’re using)
  • 2 T. flax seeds or not (if you don’t have them, don’t sweat it but they are available at most Aldi stores)
  • Drizzle of non-dairy milk (I like unflavored, unsweetened soy milk)
  • If it’s not sweet enough for you, drizzle a little maple syrup on top.

Add all to a bowl, stir, eat. While all the ingredients aren’t in a single cereal box, it’s still very simple. I also like dried cranberries (a.k.a., crackberries 😜) thrown in but they can get expensive so I tend to stick with frozen fruit or bananas.

Overnight Oatmeal

I’ve not personally tried overnight oats but my friend Kathy has several yummy looking recipes on her blog. These would come in handy if you don’t have time to sit down with a bowl of oats in the morning. Make these the night before and grab them from the fridge on your way out the door.

Warning

A few notes about what my blog is not:

  • I am not gluten free and do not make an effort to post gluten free recipes.
  • I am not fat free or even low fat, no oil, whatever.
  • I like sugar, especially in the form of maple syrup.
  • I love tater tots.

If you’re looking for only gluten free, oil free, fat free, no sugar ideas, you will be very disappointed here. “Health” trolls are not tolerated. If you’re looking to argue about gluten, oil, or sugar, I will not engage and you will be blocked.

Also, unless otherwise noted, my posts are unsponsored. If I like something enough to post about it, I’ve purchased it myself. If I ever write a sponsored post, it will clearly state so.