Ep. 186: Toni Okamoto - You CAN Save Time and Money While Still Being Plant-Based

What is the most common myth about adopting a whole food plant-based diet? (Ok- besides that crazy fear of not getting enough protein)...The biggest misconception is that this way of eating is expensive, unattainable, and elitist even. This simply isn’t true. I mean, what’s more economical than potatoes, beans, and rice?!

Toni Okamoto (plantbasedonabudget.com) has been on a mission to bust this myth to smithereens since she launched her website in 2012 to prove that healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive.

She’s created meal plans that show how to eat plant-based if you only have $25 per week to spend, she started the Plant-Based on a Budget Facebook group and has written multiple books, including her latest, which drops on March 7th - Plant-Based on a Budget: Quick and Easy, featuring 100 fast and healthy meals.

There’s no pretentiousness here - just plant-powered fun as she walks through her story and digs into some of the tips and recipes in her new book that will stretch your dollar and leave you with quick, easy, mouth-watering meals.

Episode Highlights:

25:40 The Value of Meal Planning

29:00 Have a Well-Stocked Pantry and Freezer

31:40 Time-Saving Kitchen Tools

33:10 Smart Storage for Produce to Maximize Freshness

37:03 Recipe Highlights from Plant-Based on a Budget Quick and Easy

40:14 Make Ahead Breakfast Highlights

-Fluffy Freezer waffles

-Baked Oatmeal

-Overnight Oats

45:50 One-Pot Meal Highlights - Leave the dishes and messy kitchen behind with one-pot meals

-Alfredo pasta

-Curry lentil soup

-Turmeric, lentils, and split peas - Ethiopian-inspired flavors

52:05 30-Minute Meals Highlights - Spend under $30 a week and only 30 minutes of time

-Pesto pasta - Use raw sunflower seeds because they are cheaper than pine nuts

-Cauliflower fried rice

-Southwestern lettuce wraps

1:02:20 Sheet Pan Dishes and Casserole Highlights

-Sheet pan fajitas

-Chili cornbread casserole

-Vegetable and garbanzo beans foil packets

1:12:15 Mix and Match Bowls

-Always prepare a base of quinoa, brown rice, beans

-Frozen veggies, baked tofu

1:17:00 Make and Take Snacks

1:17:55 Desserts

About Toni Okamoto

TONI OKAMOTO is the founder of Plant-Based on a Budget, the popular website and meal plan that shows you how to save dough by eating veggies. She’s also author of the Plant-Based on a Budget cookbook, The Super Easy Vegan Slow Cooker Cookbook, and the co-host of The Plant-Powered People Podcast. Okamoto’s work has been profiled by NBC News, Parade Magazine, and she’s a regular presence on local and national morning shows across the country, where she teaches viewers how to break their meat habit without breaking their budget. She was also featured in the popular documentary What the Health. When she’s not cooking up a plant-based storm, she’s spending time with her husband in Sacramento, CA.

Episode Resources

Visit the Episode Webpage

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Order Toni’s New Book, Plant-Based on a Budget Quick and Easy

Plant-Based on a Budget Website

Follow Toni on Instagram: @plantbasedonabudget

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