I am trying to incorporate this healthy lifestyle...but, the grocery stores in my area do not have much organic produce & what little they have is very, very expensive & not local (even the organic veggies come from Mexico).  The nearest Whole Foods Market is about half an hour away (each way), and expensive.  Does anyone else run into this problem when food shopping?  What am I supposed to do?

Robin I am right there with you! I have been running here and there this whole week getting organic/vegan products and I have spent so much time and money! I can not do this every week! The nearest Whole Foods is 35-40 minutes away from us too and although I love them I just can't go there every week and they are a bit expensive. I am not sure what to do either because this is my first week 'flirting'. I would love to hear what other people in our situation do!  

I live in Tucson and it sounds like we have a bit better access to organic produce than you two do - most of it in the winter does come from Mexico it seems. For non-perishable products, you can look online for organic and vegan food, but of course that requires a bit more planning ahead.

I own www.shopOrganic.com and we offer a wide variety of organic and vegan foods. We're a small, women-owned, locally-run company and we not only have a great variety, we can special order just about anything for you. This is not meant to be a sales pitch but to let you know about a resource that is available to you - this link will take you to the Vegan section of shopOrganic - http://www.shoporganic.com/prod_detail_list/organic_vegan.
Would love to hear feedback or suggestions about our offerings.

Best regards,
Susan

 

I'm back home in nyc now- where I can get anything anytime it seems - but a few years ago I lived in NC for a while on a military base (!) where there was NOTHING!  I would just plan a once a week shopping trip, put coolers in the back of the car and drive the 1.5 hours to the nearest food co-op to load up.  It just became a part of my routine - although it was easier in a way because I was eating this way BEFORE I moved there so there was no option but to do it!  A lot of people seem to be able to by stuff online, which is a thought.  Another would be to google and see if there are any CSA (community supported agriculture) farms around - not sure where you live, but if you sign up with a CSA you pay in advance (its like you are a partner in the farm) of the growing season and each week they do a drop (to your house or to a central location where you pick up) of whatever produce they have harvested that week.  Its a great way to support your local organic farmers, a great way to try new stuff as you will be getting what they have picked that week and some of it may be new and odd, and if you break down the cost its cheaper then buying at the store most times.

Thanks Susan! Your site looks good and reasonably priced, thanks for the info!

As amazing as TKD is, Alicia uses a lot of ingredients which are either hard to find or pricey. Maybe take a look at other recipe books, such as The Happy Herbivore by Lindsay Nixon (http://happyherbivore.com/), which uses more accessible, everyday ingredients. This next one might be hard if you're just flirting with veganism, but try and stay away from meat and dairy substitutes as much as possible, as these will run up your grocery bill like mad!! The more whole grains and beans (buy in bulk for best value) you eat, the cheaper it will be. You can actually make a lot of those substitutes yourself. There's tons of easy and quick (and healthier than the stuff you buy) recipes out there for tofu mayo, sour cream, cashew "cheese" sauce, tofu sausages, black bean burgers... Look around and experiment. Have fun!!