Favorite Quick Vegan Meals & Foods You Can Buy at the Store

Don't get me wrong, I love cooking. Its akin to meditation, gets my Chi all ocean like and calm.
But, I'm busy- Often. So, some quick foods that I can just put in my mouth come in handy.

Keep an eye out on this post, just like my list of awesome alternatives this one will keep growing as I keep eating.

Quick Meals

Annie Chun's Deliciousness

Annie Chun makes a whole line of microwavable foods. Take a look at the bottom of the box and you will see little symbols and what they signify. Talk about convenience.

Here is a list of her vegan options:
Teriyaki Noodle Bowl: for a microwavable meal this is freaking amazing.
Udon Soup: again, for fast microwavable meals these are pretty fantastic.
Miso Soup: Totally uninspiring.
Kung Pow Noodle Bowl: Havent tried this one yet
Korean Sweet Chili Noodle Bowl: Havent tried this one yet, but I really want it. Its new so don't hate, I'll get it and then I will tell you about it.

Where I buy it: Walmart, Target, Publix

Amy's Organic
For a frozen dinner Amy's makes a mean meal and she has plenty to choose from. She has way more vegan options than I have listed here, these are just the one's I've tried.

Asian Noodle Stir Fry:  better than average yummy
Indian Mattar Tofu: better than average yummy
Indian Vegetable Korma: I love cashews. Super Yummy (for a microwavable meal)

Where I Buy it: Target, Whole Foods
(Don't write Whole Foods off right away, if your there check it out, sometimes they have really great sale prices on Amy's products)

Healthy Snacks- 

Melissa's Microwavable Edamame
I love edamame. The beautiful think about Melissa's edamame is that is comes sans salt, so you can go without or add as much/little as you want for all of you trying to keep your sodium intake at a somewhat reasonable level. Also, you can slide the box out of the container to look at the edamame beans and pick the freshest looking of the lot.


Where I Buy it: Target






Unhealthy Snacks- 
because sometimes you need an Oreo

Halloween Oreos

Yep, there is nothing that is actually real food in here. Healthy, no way. Vegan? For sure. 3 cheers for make 

believe milk product! 

I'm not rating these, they are freaking Oreos. You know what they taste like. 

Most Back to Nature Cookies-

This includes California Lemon ( my favorite, by the way), Chocolate Chunk (also my favorite, yes I can have two equal favorites, don't judge, and Chocolate Delight Granola. And while they might not be good for  you, they are definitely not as bad as eating the oreos I told you about. ll get 5 stars out of 5. 

Where I buy them: Walmart, Whole Foods






Marshmallow Fluff

Yep. Again, all make-believe ingredients. Terrible for you? Probably.
Will I still eat it? Yes.











Cracker Jacks! 

The 'prizes' that come in the bags are always so creepy.

Mambas

I LOVE Mambas! If you've never had them go to your local gas station creepy little store (during the day, and it doesnt have to be the creepy one- that just makes it more exciting) and purchase them.
5 out of 5 stars
Where I buy it: Gas Stations 


Nutter Butter Cookies

Yep.










For more easy to find Vegan food this list is pretty comprehensive. 

My Favorite Vegan Food Replacements / Alternatives

Finding good alternatives can be an expensive, time consuming experience that is likely to result in several really gross eating experiences. So, here is a list of some of my favorite alternatives. Hopefully this will save you from those completely un-appetizing finds. They can be so painful.

Vegenaise

Where I normally buy it: Wholefoods
Stars out of 5: 5
This stuff is delicious.

Tofurkey Deli Slices

Where I normally buy it: Publix, Wholefoods
Stars out of 5: 3.7
These are the best vegan deli slices I have had yet. Very yummy. If you come across the Tofurkey Turkey Roast around Thanksgiving my advice would be to try it wearily. Its not the most amazing thing in the world but it is better than having nothing to eat. The deli slices are far superior to the roast.

EnergG Egg Replacer

Where I normally buy it: Wholefoods
Stars out of 5: 5

This is hands-down the best egg substitute you can buy. A box of it can be a little pricey but it will last you forever. Mine is at almost a year and I bake perpetually.

Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Where I normally buy it: Wal-Mart

Stars out of 5: 5 

These are perfect for baking but they are even better for munching. I always have a bag in the fridge so that I can stuff them into my mouth when I need a chocolate fix. 

Vegan Marshmallows by Sweet & Sara

Where I buy it: Wholefoods

Stars out of 5: 5

Sheer perfection sans gelatin. It really doesnt get any better than this. 

Darbster For Brunch, Anyone? Restaurant Review.

Darbster is a Vegan Restaurant here in South Florida. 

I love this place. Their food is out of this world good and whats even better: they are dog friendly. Really dog friendly. Nuff Nuff is always seated at the table with us and served water, organic dog treats and whatever we order for the loaf-about. 

We took Nuff Nuff their for brunch this Sunday. We ordered the thin crust pizza, french toast, sausages and a fruit bowl for Nuff Nuff.

The pizza was pretty yummy. I do have to say, when it comes to pizza I am a woman of simple pleasures. Give me crust, some excellent pasta sauce and as much cheese as you can pile on and I am in heaven. The pizza at Darbster had delicious grilled mushrooms, tomato and spinach greens piled on top of the cheese. (I would have preferred it to just be cheese.) 3.5/5
The french toast was out of this world. So delicious. It was moist and sweet and kissed with cinnamon. A total win. 5/5
In the past we have had their sliders, a complete 5/5. The faux meat is some of the most convincing I have ever hand and the sauce they use is, I can't even think of a word to describe the magic of the sauce.

(Above referenced sliders)

All in all I would give Darbster a 4 out of 5, and the loss of one point has nothing to do with the food or the staff: eating cruelty free and organic doesn't come cheap. Most meals are at about $12. 

Why in the World Did I Choose to Go Vegan?

These are the reasons that I am a Vegan. These are only my opinions. I don't expect you to marry them or write them on your wall. This is just me sharing with you why I do it, because I know your wondering. How do I know? Because you ask me. :)

*Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States for men and women.
That's straight from the mouth of the NIH: NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

So how does a vegan diet do anything for that?
A Vegan diet low in oils and fats has been scientifically proven to not only prevent heart disease but to REVERSE it. Yes, this is real life. You can find all of the studies here: http://www.heartattackproof.com/articles.htm.

The quick version: this was proven by a 20-year nutritional study—the longest study of its kind ever conducted.

*Because food sustains life.
It keeps me and my husband breathing. That is something very precious. Something that important should be made well. Something that sustains me should be made with time, consideration for life and consideration for the earth. Food should be made well, without the need for suffering. Why? Because for me, I don't want the precious thing that keeps me alive to be made as the result of suffering or pain. That is the antithesis of the very thing that food protects. I don't need any of that.

*Because there is absolutely no need to be anything otherwise.
Despite what common knowledge says, clearly as proven in the studies above you can not only live on a vegan diet: you can reverse heart disease with a vegan diet. Certainly you need to make sure your eating the proper amount of beans, greens, etc. but the same thing is true for meat eaters. Having meat in your food doesn't make you any less prone to poor nutrition. If it did we would not have to worry about heart disease and obesity. These are things that are becoming more and more of a problem for the US every year, and these are things you very rarely see in vegans.

So why, for a simple palate preference, would I cause pain and suffering to conscious living creatures?
Suffering is a high price to pay for heart problems and struggling with my weight. Its one that I am not willing to pay.