Eat Vegan on $4.00 a Day: A Game Plan for the Budget Conscious Cook

There were things I really liked about this book and things I didn't like about it. I am a vegetarian who is striving to move to a totally vegan diet and I really liked the premise of this book. I thought it would really help me make the transition and do it inexpensively.In a way, it did help me. The first 29 pages of the book are very helpful - packed with info on shopping inexpensively for vegan food. The rest of the book contains a 7 day menu [3 meals per day] and recipes. The author is clear and concise without being preachy. I found her writing easy & enjoyable to read.But, in another way, I felt kind of ripped off. The first 29 pages were full of info and were great reading, but they weren't worth the price of the book by a long shot. The recipes were OK - some of them are extremely simplistic [like the one for oatmeal: water, oats, salt. Put it in a pot and cook it]. I did not find many recipes that I found appealing - in fact, I doubt I'll try any recipes in the book [other than oatmeal, which I already eat on a regular basis....]. So, it was kind of frustrating - it took me less than 45 minutes [literally] to read this entire book [it is a slim volume, even padded with simple recipes]. I really did not feel I got my money's worth out of the book - I could have done better spending one hour on the internet googling vegan meals and tips.I also felt that the claim that you can eat vegan for $4 a day was a bit exaggerated. For one thing, the portion sizes she gives are extremely small - for example, on day one you are supposed to eat half a cup of oatmeal for breakfast [and that is it.] For most people, one half a cup of plain oatmeal would not be enough to get them through till lunch. Can you imagine a 180 lb guy trying to get by on that? I can't. The lunches and dinners seemed very slim on serving size too - I think most people would probably end up having to increase what she counts as a full meal just to get enough calories. She does not include calorie counts in her menu plan, but looking at them, I'd guess the menu plans have 1,000-1,200 calories planned per day, which isn't enough for most healthy, active adults. [that is "famine level" caloric intake according to the World Health Organization].I also felt the prices she said she was getting on the items she includes were awfully low - I am a long time frugal shopper and I have never seen prices as low as the ones she was quoting on some of the products she recommends. I'm a bit skeptical that anyone could really eat what she's recommending for $4 a day. [She also assumes a well stocked pantry in that calculation - such as spices on hand that aren't counted in the cost].Now, that said, I DO believe that eating the way she recommends is FAR less expensive than eating the average American diet, even if she has exaggerated the inexpensiveness of it. This is still a far superior way of eating - both health wise and financially.So, I truly felt conflicted by this book - 29 pages of good info and some recipes that were somewhat helpful, but not worth the price of an entire book IMO. I wish there had been MORE to this.In summary, this book was helpful, but it could have been so much more helpful!

This is a revised (more detailed) review of Eat Vegan on $4 a Day, telling why it might be worth buying and why it ranks 3 stars (good, not great; recommended with some reservations).All the reviews just after publication gave it 4 or 5 stars. They all praised the monetary aspect but few, if any, mentioned the qualty of the food itself.Having read it, I was impressed. Almost all the recipes look good. Generally the author has brought the cost of eating vegan down by using real food (fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grains, and seasonings) -- groceries, not "products" -- but she's not a fanatic about always starting from scratch. Some dishes use prepared salsa or vegetable crumbles (and some give the option of canned beans), for example. Although some recipes call for chili peppers or fresh herbs or exotic fruit (such as dates or mangoes) I rarely have on hand, even they look like ones I might like to eat even if I wouldn't cook them for myself.The author (who is not a nutritionist, dietician, or chef) gives some eating guidelines to insure a balanced diet (4 or more servings of vegetables, 3 or more of fruit, 2 or more of legumes, and 5 or more servings of grains, with the serving sizes of each spelled out), but there is no nutritional analysis. (Giving the nutritional analysis for recipes is a pretty common cookbook feature these days.)If your only aim is to eat vegan and cheaply, this book is great; if you also want to eat well, however, it's hard to tell if this book serves you well. When it comes to nutrition, one size does not fit all: the needs of a 110 pound person who works at a desk all day and those of a 185 pound person who works construction are different, but there is no information in the book to address the differences of activity levels or size or appetites. (The serving serves are quite small, such as four tablespoons of cooked oatmeal listed as a breakfast.)Also, her daily recommendations are good ones, but this is none for even a small daily allotment of fat. You don't need a lot, but you do need some. While some recipes contain oil or nuts or seeds, many do not. Without a daily guideline to grab your attention, you could easily go days or weeks without getting enough good fat for optimal nutrition if this is your main cookbook.Fat contains calories, of course, but it also yields other nutrients the body needs and helps the body assimilate certain vitamins. It also provides flavor and helps a meal satisfy you and, through its effects on your blood sugar, keeps you satisfied until the next meal. By eating vegan and avoiding processed foods, you've probably already dropped the level of fat substanially. You don't also need to restrict high quality fat as severely as the author has done in her recipes.As someone how has been cooking vegetarian meals for decades (and who occasionally caters group luncheons and sometimes works as a personal chef), I like the recipes and will probably try many of them over the next months.The book is well put together and almost every recipe looks worth eating every now and then; some, like muffins and soups made without any fat, however, look like they need some help. Without the nutritional information, I'd be reluctant to eat these meals day after day, uncertain if there are nutritional shortcomings which would take their toll over time. You might want to use software -- as I plan to do and think the author should have done before publication -- and run some recipes through to see how the nutrients add up for a day. Then add whatever is too low and have both good nutrition and peace of mind, not just a low bill for groceries.I look forward to a revised edition, one with a daily recommendation for a little fat and with nutritional analysis for each recipe, so the reader has enough information to make informed choices and take responsibility for his or her nutrition. That, I am sure would rate 4 or 5 stars.If this review has given you useful information (whether or not you agree with my point of view and rating), please rate the review accordingly.Here are some related titles you might find interesting and worthwhile, including one by Jack Bishop of America's Test Kitchen: Wildly Affordable Organic: Eat Fabulous Food, Get Healthy, and Save the Planet--All on $5 a Day or Less Vegan Italiano: Meat-free, Egg-free, Dairy-free Dishes from Sun-Drenched Italy . Vegan on the Cheap: Great Recipes and Simple Strategies that Save You Time and Money . The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook: 350 Essential Recipes for Inspired Everyday Eating [Hardcover ]

I love this book but it is only viewable on the Kindle and not the Cloud reader. The headings are formatted very small and would be more easily viewed with a screen you can zoom in on. So far I am loving the recipes and have had great success with everything I have attempted. I actually had the pleasure of meeting Ellen Jaffe Jones and she is very well versed on vegan nutrition. My favorite recipe so far is for muffins. I loved making a big batch and then storing some in the freezer for later use. They make an excellent breakfast on work days when I have no time to prepare anything. Everyone says that being healthy or being vegan is expensive and this book proves that it does not have to be the case. With meat and dairy prices soaring, this book is a great way for anyone, vegan or not, to save some money and stretch their budgets while still enjoying delicious and nutritious foods. The author is helpful and informative without preaching to the audience about being vegan. She provides a shopping list of inexpensive, easy to find vegan ingredients and a week long meal plan to help get into the swing of things. A word of warning though, the portion sizes per recipe are pretty small and some of the recipes are very simple. I used this book as a guideline and also to remind myself of the cheaper option for vegan foods instead of always buying vegan meat substitutes which are rather pricey at times.

Bought this book. Lots and lots of the pages have been torn out.

This is a useful book for those on a budget or those just wanting to save money or get some new ideas. I found some recipes that I will be trying.

I bought this book because I met its author. Her healthy looks and bubbly, happy attitude were the best testimonials to the product she has created. "This woman walks the walk," I thought.I own a healthy food website. I know that for many people eating vegan is associated with spending more money. Money for exotic products, unavailable in their local stores, money for organic foods, and so on.Ellen is showing you how you can do it on a small budget. Mind you, in my opinion, this book is designed for caloric needs of an average or even petite woman like Ellen. So if you are a man, or a woman who exercises intensely, you could easily consume twice the portion that Ellen recommends.She cooks simple meals and uses lots of beans and veggies.If you are going vegan and want to do this on the budget, try Ellen's book. Read her amazing story on her website, and get inspired to live longer, healthier life. But inspiration is not enough. You need a game plan to succeed. Ellen created it for you. Invest in the book that saves you money as long as you eat the way this book recommends.

I was extremely upset with this purchase and if it was worth the effort would have asked for a refund. The topics were of not unique tips or seemed impersonal to the author as if the entire thing was googled and pasted together. I did not find this helpful.

I wish that there was a photo for every recipe (I decide if I want to make a dish by the photo, mostly), and that the photos were in colour!