January 2, 2020: Walmart

Today I was shopping for lunches for myself for the week. I found a recipe for a vegan Thai Sweet Potato Curry that I wanted to try (I'm not vegan but I do like to keep my lunches and snacks throughout the day as plant based as possible). 

Here's what I needed to find: 

1. Olive Oil
2. Onions
3. Sweet Potatoes
4. Red Bell Peppers
5. Carrots
6. Cilantro 
7. Coconut Milk 
8. Thai Red Curry paste

All of the produce I was able to find unbagged with the exception of the carrots and sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes came in a mesh bag with plastic on it and the carrots were in a plastic bag. I use my reusable produce bags to bag everything myself (Walmart allows this where I live even during the pandemic and I use self-checkout).

Personally, I would have just skipped the carrots but I kept them because Kyle had something he was also making for lunch that he needed carrots for. ​

Olive Oil in an Aluminum Can is better than a plastic one! We bought a glass oil dispenser to go with it and make it easier to use day-to-day

Olive oil I found in a huge tin! We go through a ton of olive oil so it was not a problem to buy more and have it be in an aluminum tin over a plastic bottle. The Thai curry paste came in a glass jar with an aluminum lid and the canned coconut was in an aluminum can! 

Everything else I needed for this recipe I already had on hand at home so I didn't need to find any alternatives for those yet. 

I made a huge batch of this today with one cup of rice and it was delicious! Plus it made 5 huge bowls which is perfect for me for a week of lunches. Will definitely make this again in the future. ​​

​FULL RECIPE: VEGAN SWEET POTATO THAI CURRY

Recipe from Salt & Lavender Blog
Heat olive oil (1 tbsp) in a large soup pot, add the onion and saute for 5-7 min. until slightly browned.
Add in 3 cloves garlic minced and 1 tbsp of ginger to the pot, cook for one minute stirring until fragrant
Add in 2 cups of vegetable broth, 1-2 tbsp of Thai red curry paste and 1 sliced carrot 
Stir together and increase heat to high to bring to a boil. Then reduce to medium-low and let it simmer for 10 minutes. 

While simmering, put on a pot of white rice.

Add in 1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 red bell pepper sliced, 1 tbsp lime juice and 1/2 tbsp of brown sugar to the pot. 

Increase heat to medium-high and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes (reduce heat if it begins to boil)

Add on a handful of cilantro and 1 cup of rice into the pot (or keep rice separate if you would prefer).