If you are considering becoming a vegetarian and think that as a black man you will be the only black vegetarian on the planet, think again. There are millions of black vegans and vegetarians today and throughout history. The list below contains some black vegetarians you may have heard of. The YouTube video that follows contains a general list of historical and contemporary vegetarians including Socrates, Mark Twain, Ben Franklin, Isaac Newton, Tobey Mcguire and Jerry Seinfeld.

Although the term vegan sounds like you are describing a being from a distant planet in a far off galaxy, a vegan is actually an earth-born human who has decided to adopt a healthy eating lifestyle. A vegan is a person who eats no animals or dairy products at all. Some of the foods excluded from the vegan diet are fish, milk and milk products, eggs, and honey. An extension of the vegan diet is the complete vegan lifestyle where a person seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Veganism is a lifestyle adopted by millions of people across the world and is a very viable alternative to a meat and vegetable diet.

Often when people think about becoming a vegan or a vegetarian they think about what foods they are going to have to give up and what they are going to miss. The alternative way to look at veganism is to think about what you don’t have to give up and what new foods and dishes you may discover as a result of your new relationship with food.  If you're not sure exactly what you would eat if you became a vegan, below is a small sampling of the foods that you could enjoy.

Cost: $6.71 Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 smoked sausage (14-16 oz), 2 onions, 1 large green pepper, 2 cups Instant Rice, 2 cans black beans

Cooking Instructions

Sausage and Peppers (10 minutes)

Peel 2 onions and cut into large 1 inch chunks.

Take the green pepper, cut in half, remove the seeds and the stem, and cut into 1/2 inch strips

Cost: $4.41 Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb chicken (thighs - boneless and skinless), 1 onion, 2 cups instant rice, 1 16oz bag frozen broccoli

Cooking Instructions

Chicken and Rice (15 minutes)

Peel 1 onion, and dice it. Set aside

If you're trying to survive on a budget you need to buy your meats as cheaply as possible.  Buying a whole chicken at $.0.59 to $0.79 per pound is much less expensive than buying boneless skinless thighs or breasts already cut up (at $1.99 to $3 or more per pound).  You are paying so much extra for someone else to cut up your chicken for you.  This quick video shows you how to cut up a whole chicken yourself (and save a lot of money on dinner).

Note:  This video is only 1.30 seconds long and is done by a professional.  You don't have to go this fast, just follow the instructions on the video.

This article is one in the series "How to Feed a Family of 4 for $275 a Month".  There are individual articles for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  This article covers the remaining grocery items not included in the 3 meal plans.

The $275 budget does not contain junk food and excessive snacks, but we all know there are some indulgences we must have.  In addition, anybody with kids know that juices and drinks are mandatory throughout the month.  With this in mind, the list presented below contains mostly drinks along with a few snacks.

Cost: $5.90, Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef, 4 potatoes, 1 bag carrots, 1 pack hamburger buns (8), 24oz cooking oil

Note: Optional burger toppings are lettuce, tomato, onions, cheese, ketchup and mustard, which are all on the grocery list.

Cooking Instructions