building muscle while BROKE and vegan

I'm in a bit of a situation.

I want to lose weight...about 25 lbs. But I want to build muscle. I'm looking to get to 140lbs with about 17% body fat at 5'6".

I am vegan (obviously).

But I am BROKE. I am working with a weekly grocery budget of about $87.50-$100 for a family of four. I am the only vegan.

My caloric nets have only been hitting roughly 400-600 calories on workout days. And now that it's bike season where I live, this is gonna be an even bigger problem.

I do eat, and it feels like I eat plenty.

Does anyone have any tips for making sure I get enough calories from as few processed foods as possible, while staying in my budget?

Hi! Buy rice and dried beans from the bulk section and cook lots of them once or twice a week for eating throughout the entire week. That's super, super cheap!

Lentils have an insane amount of protein, spice up very nicely, and last in the freezer for a long time once they're cooked. Research a few lentil burger recipes online, cook up a trough of them, and use them as your protein source when everyone else is sucking down hamburgers. The green lentils tend to taste smoky and meaty when slow cooked. Num! Vegan eating is cheaper than the usual American fare, so you're actually doing your family a favor. Get good at a few recipes and they'll be joining you for a meal or two down the line.

Baby Herc

Beans and lentils are your friend.

BEANS!!!