Note: The title of this post is one of the subtitles to the long post, “Incorporating Delicious Vegan Food Without Needing to Become Vegan or Other Labels.” Today, I also updated this list with a few, new, delicious items.
The following is a list of foods we’ve tasted so far, but since they’re our opinions, ensure you follow your own inner guidance first and foremost:
Note: I will update this list as we incorporate other vegan food products. Also, for the record, we don’t get paid to advertise any of these products
- Update: Organics Pineapple Fruit Bars (this summer, I surprisingly lost interest in even delicious vegan ice cream—shared further below—because I tasted these refreshing and delightful fruit bars that are very satisfying on hot days. The pineapple flavor is my favorite because it has a perfect balance of sweetness and tartness, followed by the coconut flavor that reminds me of being on a beach in Hawaii; though I usually like lime flavor, their version is too sour for me.)
- Justin’s Vanilla Almond Butter (delicious, though slightly gritty, great on toast; we don’t miss peanut butter; we didn’t like the original flavor though the maple syrup one was okay; btw, they sell mini, taste packets of at least three flavors at Wholefoods and/or Natural Grocers…don’t recall which one)
- Daiya Products:
- Pizza: Roasted Garlic (not bad, though the crust isn’t that great; I shared a vegan pizza place below that serves amazing pizza crust and pretty good pizza toppings; and I imagine there are other vegan pizza restaurants out there that have similar pizzas)
- Pizza: Spinach Mushroom (not so good; a bit soggy)
- Shredded Pepperjack Cheese (so-so; I wouldn’t buy it again, though my husband may)
- NadaMoo Ice Cream (DElightful, heavenly, and we don’t miss dairy ice cream at all! ^_^)
- Chocolate (my favorite!! so smooth, rich, and chocolatey)
- Vanilla (tastes like coconut and really good)
- Maple Pecan (my husband’s favorite, but not mine because it has an overly strong maple smell that I was able to sense from the kitchen while my husband was eating it in the living room)
- Mint Chocolate (I enjoy this one as well, though I prefer the chocolate flavor; I have a feeling I’ll prefer this one as the weather gets warmer or hotter)
- Cookies & Cream (we both like, not love, this one; it is creamy and crunchy)
- So Delicious Products:
- Ice Cream: Cookies n Cream not good, and Salted Caramel Cluster so so (according to my husband; I don’t like at least two of their ice creams, so we didn’t bother buying other ones)
- Yogurt: Key Lime and Strawberry/Banana (both good according to my husband; I don’t miss yogurt in general)
- Kitehill Products:
- Yogurt: Greek (not good) and Strawberry (good; husband said this flavor tastes like a donut)
- Cream Cheese Chives Flavor (so-so, but wouldn’t buy again)
- Follow Your Heart Products:
- Cheddar Cheese (sliced, good, and convincing; we made grilled cheese and it melted well)
- Earth Balance Products:
- Butter Sticks and Tub (that we rarely use these days): Tastes pretty close real butter (for spread and in cooked food); granted, too much on grilled cheese made me nauseous; we once had an impossible burger at a restaurant in Sedona, and though the burger itself was similar to the appearance, texture, and smoky flavor of a real, slightly pink, juicy burger, the bread (probably grilled with an excessive amount of vegan butter), in addition to the added vegan cheese, was way too rich that it made me nauseous afterwards as well)
- Dave’s Bread: White Bread Done Right (Pretty soft and toasts well)
- Rudi’s Organic Bakery (prefer over Dave’s right above): Country Morning White (Soft and slightly firm; my husband enjoys toast almost every day, and I eat it occasionally whenever I feel like it)
- Romanesco Cauliflower (Beautiful, otherworldly, neon-green, fractal vegetable/a cross between a white cauliflower and broccoli; mild, crunchy flavor that’s good raw; I came upon it for the very first time in March or April, and was mesmerized by it; will buy it again one day)
- Vegan Gardein Products (all of the products we’ve tasted so far have been really good, which reminds me to write a great review for them):
- Chicken sliders (YUM! Both chicken an bread; I’ve never ate a sandwich before that didn’t require a condiment, though I do enjoy eating it with ketchup, without high fructose corn syrup, or sw mustard as well)
- Beef sliders (smoky-flavored and pretty good)
- Meatballs (pretty good with spaghetti or another type of pasta dish)
- Ultimate Beefless Ground (unlike the Beyond crumbles, this one doesn’t have a taco flavor, so it was good in veggie fried rice; it will probably be good in a pasta dish as well, such as spaghetti)
- Lime chicken tenders (good with salad)
- 7-grain tenders (not bad, but I prefer the above)
- Pulled Porkless pockets (I LOVE the pockets buns that are SO soft and slightly chewy, and the filling is pretty good too, though it’s a bit too sweet for me; my husband said this one’s a keeper as well). The Meatless Pepperoni Pizza Pockets are better tasting in our opinion. By the way, it’s almost $4.00 for one box (total four buns in box), and we were both full after eating two each. Also, my husband noticed online this evening that there about 25 Gardein products, but only certain ones may be available at local stores or supermarkets. UPDATE (6/1/2018) A great reminder for us all: Though Gardein is the best vegan brand (in our opinion), they are still frozen, processed foods, that are best enjoyed in moderation (e.g., days that you really don’t feel like cooking).
- The following is an excerpt from a helpful reading, “Mock Meat Shakedown: Are ‘Plant-based Meats’ Healthy?“
- “Too Much Sodium: Yes, you need some salt, but frozen foods are notorious for raking in high amounts of sodium, and frozen meat substitutes are no exception, especially those soy-based options […]“
- “Fillers: The longer the ingredient list, the more room there is for unwanted entities to sneak into the mix. The most popular being those of the corn and wheat varieties […]“
- “Standout Frozen Fauxs: When it comes to standout frozen fauxs that are deserving of a shout out, the following are what I consider to be the top two finishers — that is, my top two picks of brands currently in the freezer department.
- Gardein: Garden + Protein = Gardein. For starters, Gardein’s products are made with non-GMO soy and wheat […]”
- Here’s another helpful reading that introduces a perspective to avoid getting too lost and overly paranoid and fearful (rather than being discerning and cautious in a healthy way), “Processed Vegan Meats—Are They Really the Enemy?” Personally, when it comes to what my unique physical body needs, I choose to follow my own inner guidance first and foremost, at whatever moment, rather than become overwhelmed, paranoid, overly fearful, and lost from SO MANY different, conflicting expressions within our world. See post, “A Farewell List to Ultimate Freedom.”
- The following is an excerpt from a helpful reading, “Mock Meat Shakedown: Are ‘Plant-based Meats’ Healthy?“
- Organic Almond Milk (I rarely go to Starbucks, but I recently tried the white mocha coffee with almond milk, and it was delicious (introduced to me by a new friend from Denmark, whom I met at The Mirror Workshop in NY)
- Lesser Evil Buddha Bowl Foods: Himalayan Sweetness Sweet and Salty Organic Popcorn (we like it much better than regular, non-organic, buttered popcorn)
- Food Should Taste Good: Spicy Jalapeno Tortilla Chips (my husband’s favorite snack; I like it too, but don’t LOVE it)
- Beyond Meat Products:
- The Beyond Burger: Best veggie burger I’ve ever had; a little drier than the Impossible Burger, but the overall appearance, taste, and texture is great
- Meatless Beef Crumbles: Though the package doesn’t state a specific flavor, we assumed it was regular flavor; but it had a taco flavor. There’s also a Feisty version crumbles and the Lightly Seasoned Chicken-Free Strips, but we haven’t tried those yet.
- Brat Original Plant-Based Sausage(<= click on link to open in another window): SO savory!! ^_^ Great with pasta and veggies or spaghetti.
- Hot Italian Plant-Based Sausage: Great with olive oil stir-fried red onions (one) and three peppers (red, orange, yellow and/or green) in a wrap (like spinach wraps)!!
- Field Roast Mini Corn Dogs: My husband seemed excited about this product, and I became curious, so we both decided to give it a shot. The breading actually smelled and tasted like the usual corn dog breading, and the vegan hot dog was actually better in appearance, taste and texture than the one we tasted before (see bullet right below). However, I wanted to check out a few reviews, and I came upon a post that was very informative (made some valid points), helpful, and somewhat entertaining, “Field Roast might be the worst vegan food company ever, also known as The Mystery of the Fake Fake Meat Booth.” The title of the blog, Insufferable Vegan was interesting, but I didn’t resonate with its intro on the top section that states, “WELCOME! DID YOU EAT A TORTURED ANIMAL TODAY? :)” I’ve recently (today is 6/1/2018) resonated with an expanded perspective that being overly consumed and obsessed with the old and outdated belief that other people, animals, and/or other living things (to include Mother Earth) are VICTIMS of suffering IS in itself the result of being lost within victim mentality (which I’ve done one too many times in the past while in rescue mode, especially with people and animals). Spirit within ALL of Life (All That Is) is very powerful; hence, even Mother Earth can ultimately take care of herself (e.g., like send a MASSIVE FLOOD to end this world if she desired to).
- Yves Hot Dogs: NOT good in appearance, taste and texture, and it seemed like we were eating artificial food. Even the neighborhood stray cat, crows, and ravens didn’t bother to touch these vegan hot dogs for two days, and they often eat certain leftover foods that we leave them (mostly wet and/or dry leftover or additional cat food). My husband added that they must also prefer eating out of the dumpster rather than eating v-dogs. If they all had a conversation the day we left them that meal, I imagine that it went something like this…
To continue reading, click on subtitle, “A Passionate Conversation Between the Crows, Stray Cat, and Raven” from post, “Incorporating Delicious Vegan Food Without Needing to Become Vegan or Other Labels.”
The following update is from the last section within subtitle, “A Healthier AND Enjoyable Way of Eating” from same post/link as above:
We also incorporate The Vega All in One Mocha shake whenever we feel like it, with a teaspoon of added spirulina. Note: I recently noticed that the company became all organic. UPDATE (added 7/7/2018): Garden of Life: Raw Organic Meal, Vanilla Spiced Chai flavor is delightful with purified water!! ^_^ Next time, I’ll add a teaspoon of spirulina and see how it tastes, and also try it with organic almond milk.
Additional Updates on 7/7/2018
“What Sentient Life Form Enjoys Being Burnt, Feeling Boiling Water, or Thrown into Ice Water?“
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