Pantry Makeover (in Progress)

As I mentioned in a previous post, we are in transition to a plant-based, whole foods diet where ideally we can eliminate all processed foods.  I feel so privileged to be able to have the time and resources to do this for us.  Over the past two weeks, we have tried new recipes and I have learned lots.  I've been picking up a new cookbook from the library every week when we take Gavin to story time and pick a few recipes from the book to do that week.  The good thing about this is that I have tried new things that I probably wouldn't have otherwise but the bad thing is that when you shop for a recipe rather than what's on sale, you end up spending more than necessary.  So, next on the plan is to figure out how to do this on a budget.  Now that I've learned how to work with some new ingredients and pantry staples I think I can come up with my own vegan recipes.  I haven't figured out what my budget will be.  I have stopped buying newspapers for coupons because the coupons are all for processed foods and dairy/meat.  I still receive a coupon insert at home on Wednesday and I print coupons off the internet when it's something that I will use.  I will just continue to do my deals at CVS with hygiene products, makeup and/or household products but grocery deals will probably be far and few between.  I did learn that EarthFare gives a 5% grocery bill for university professors on Wednesdays so from now on that's when I'll do my grocery shopping.  :)

I will say that Nick has been a real trooper.  He has tried everything I put in front of him without hesitation or critique.  My next (next) challenge is to figure out more snack alternatives for Gavin.  He is obsessed with "snacks" now.  I even have to call his lunch a "snack" so he eats it.  Otherwise he says "I don't like lunch, I just like snacks".  He loves breads so I baked three kinds of breads this week: apple cinnamon, zucchini, and banana and I made them with whole wheat flour and without sugar or oil.  I used agave, apple sauce and maple syrup instead to try to make them a little healthier.  Gavin doesn't care.  To him they all look like cake so he feels like he's eating a treat either way.

I decided to take a picture of my pantry "before" so I could document a visual to compare to a later version.
Here's the before  although I had already made a few changes at this point (e.g. out white flour and in with whole wheat flour, out white rice and in brown rice). 

I have a confession--- I've been eating vegan....except for my dear Ovaltine!!!  I don't know how to replace it.  If you've had Ovaltine you know it has a unique taste and texture that is not like any other cocoa powder.  This will probably be my LAST thing to go in the diet.  There's a lot of sentimental value to that can! 

Funny story about this side of the pantry:  My mom gave me these snacks for our trip from Orlando.  I guess my mom must have given Gavin the blue "Chips Deluxe" bag at some point because one day he asked me for cookies and I said "we don't have any cookies" and he said "yeah, we do" and he walked over to the pantry, opened the door, pointed and said "see, they're right there in the blue bag" 

These pictures are 2 weeks old now and I can already see a big difference in the pantry.  I am obsessed with the glass jars.  Since I'm buying more from the bulk section at the store, I get to store grains, beans, and flours in the pretty jars and it makes me happy! In a couple more weeks I'll be ready to post the "after" picture.  I hope to also have a better idea of how much it's costing to make this switch.