Trying Some New Vegan Finds

As the month of January rolls on, and the veganuary challenge continues, I’m surprised at all of the new things that I’m trying. I’ve been running into a lot of products locally that are “accidentally vegan” and so far I haven’t missed my old friend Cheese Pizza.

I thought it might be fun to share some of the new things that I’m trying out, and let you know just what I think about them. This post is not sponsored, I’m not lucky enough to make a dime off of my blog…

I’ve heard some great things about Nutritional Yeast. I’ve read that it is a great replacement for when you are craving a cheesy dish, but you just can’t have it. I couldn’t find it locally, so I ordered some from amazon, and a book for me too.

How do I say this… “I love this stuff!!!”

You can add in a bit to vegetable stock, and poof you have a tasty cheesy sauce for a delicious Quinoa with veggies bowl.

You can also sprinkle it on roasted veggies, and my goodness it is just awesome. I keep looking for other dishes to sneak this in to, and the B vitamins that Nutritional Yeast provides is pretty nice too.

When I became a vegetarian, my taste-buds changed, and I no longer craved sweets. When I decided to go vegan, I started thinking about chocolate… Finding vegan chocolate anything is not too easy here.

Dylan and I went to Wal-Mart, and read the labels on at least twenty different types of chocolate, and most were Dark Chocolate. I think we only found three that contained zero milk solids. They were a bit pricey too, all were around $3.98 for just one single bar…

So I visited Price Chopper, and I ventured down the baking aisle. That’s when I spotted these babies!!!

These tasty little morsels popped up as an add-on item on my last amazon order, but the price was a bit much for something that I didn’t know if I was going to like. I spotted them at the store for $5.69 a bag, and they had the mini morsels, and the mega chunks. It seemed like a big splurge, but the bag would last me much longer than a bar. I grabbed them, and they are fantastic!

They aren’t as sweet as milk chocolate, but they aren’t as bitter as Dark Chocolate. They have a great balance to them, and just a few keeps my sweet tooth happy. I also like to make a homemade trail mix to keep in my bag, just in case I get hungry while I’m waiting at school pick-up. I use Dried Cherries, or Dried Cranberries, add in Cashews or Almonds, and a bit of the mega chunks, and it is a fantastic snack!

If you didn’t already know, I love junk food. Like really love it! Oh yeah I love Dr Pepper too, like way too much. While I’m doing this challenge I’m also trying to cut down on my soda intake. I’m down to just one a day, and I’m feeling really good about it.

Back to these snacks. This amazing chip falls into the “accidentally vegan” category. And they are awesome!

They also have a few more flavors that are vegan too, but so far the Plain variety and the Sea Salt and Vinegar are my very favorite!

O.k. now I’m getting hungry, time to go and figure out what to make for lunch.

Jan 16

Vegan Meals: Week 2

Making all things vegan got a little easier in week two, and then the heater broke… It was positively frigid downstairs.

Luckily I could set up a makeshift pantry in the upstairs hallway, but I was making lots of trips up and down the stairs when it was time to cook. I think I averaged at least six stories of stairs for every meal. That is the last time that I ever say “I hope to get more exercise in the new year”.

Going vegan is getting easier, and the meals have been fantastic.

Beans and Rice are my go-to meal in the fridge. I can make a big batch, and have it ready to go in a minute. I made a little salad with homemade salsa to top it off.

I also keep plain Jasmine Rice cooked and ready to go in the fridge. I add a few veggies, and make a quick lunch for me.

I’ve been using up odds and ends, and this was the last little bit of homemade Mexican Rice, a little homemade salsa, and a few veggies. It made a super tasty soup on a chilly Winter night.

I love the ready made Kale & Quinoa bites. They make an awesome dinner!

You can never go wrong with Veggie Ramen.

Crunchy Quinoa Tacos are quickly becoming one of my favorite dishes.

I’ve also been keeping cooked Quinoa in the fridge. I throw it in soups, burritos, or make a quinoa bowl with plenty of veggies.

While the heater was out, I was getting creative in the kitchen to keep a little heat downstairs. I made a big batch of baked potatoes. The oven warmed up the kitchen, and I had plenty of meals for me.

These are my very favorite “accidentally vegan” potato chips!!! I can’t get enough of them!

I’ve been giving Nutritional Yeast a try, and I have to say, I really like it! It makes a mean “cheesy” quinoa bowl.

It is also amazing on roasted potatoes with broccoli!

I’m entering week three of the Veganuary challenge, and it is going fantastically. I’m feeling pretty darn good, and I haven’t missed the dairy one little bit. I think I just might make it through the month.

Jan 15

Veganuary Week 2

Let’s see how week two goes…

Monday 1/8/2018: The kids are back to school today, and I’m celebrating by going to the dentist. Oh yeah! I know how to celebrate. I didn’t have any strange cravings, or even really thought about food at all today. My face just hurt…
Tuesday 1/9/2018: Today has been full of errands, and I’ve been grabbing vegan snacks and using up my prepared meals in the fridge. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll restock the fridge with rice, quinoa, and pasta.
Wednesday 1/10/2018: Dylan has soccer practice late this evening, so I got dinner started this morning for the family in the Crock Pot. I forgot to make bread though, but I had a half of a loaf of homemade vegan bread in the fridge, so I decided to serve it to the family. Their replies were pretty hilarious…

Dylan: ” I loved it!”

James: “I like the other one better.”

Thade: “Meh, it’s o.k.”

Agnes: ” I give it a pretty good.”

Thursday 1/11/2018: And I’m back at the grocery store, again. The cold weather is heading our way, and I’m getting the house stocked up. After getting everything put away, the text came in that school was going to be out at 12:30 p.m. I wonder if Agnes’ soccer practice is going to be cancelled too… Either way I’m making Tacos for the family, and something vegan for me.
Friday 1/12/2018: Today has been frustrating. Last week the heater was fixed, and then late last night the new part that was fixed, completely blew apart. It is a long story, and it is a frustrating one. The good part of the day, I made it to day twelve completely vegan. Not too shabby,
Saturday 1/13/2018: The heater is out, so the meals are getting a little creative. It is pretty cold downstairs (37 F) so I make a short trip when I can. I’ve stuck with the vegan meals, and I stocked the upstairs with plenty of bananas for snacking.
Sunday 1/14/2017: Two weeks in, and I have been completely vegan. This is the longest time that I have been successful, and I’m pretty darn excited about it. I’m looking forward to next week, and I hope to have success throughout January.

Jan 8

Veganuary: Week 1

I thought it would be fun to share my day-to-day participating in Veganuary. I hope to be successful throughout the entire month, and learn a few new skills along the way too.

Monday 1/1/2018: I have to cook a lot!!! Right now the hot water has frozen, it was -18 F when we woke up today, and I am swimming in dirty dishes. Between Christmas cooking, and the kids home and eating twenty-four hours a day, my kitchen is a wreck. I was making lunch for the family (Steak soft Tacos), and that’s when I remembered, oh yeah, I have to cook for me too. I made a big batch of homemade salsa, and vegan Mexican Rice and that way I’ve got leftovers ready to go in the fridge.
Tuesday 1/2/2018: Yep, I’m hungry… It’s freezing, and I’ve got to get to the store. I also have to take two of my kiddos with me, and through the entire store, they point out everything that I can’t eat… But Avocados were on sale for 5/$5 so Avocados for the win!
Wednesday 1/3/2018: It’s cold, the hot water still hasn’t unfrozen, I’m swimming in dishes, and I’m hungry and grumpy. Also, I don’t feel like cooking today.
Thursday 1/4/2018: On the hunt for Vegan snacks. Dylan and I headed out of the house today, and we were on the look-out for vegan sweets, we read through just about every label in the store and I found a few Dark Chocolate bars that fit the bill. I also grabbed Oreo Cookies and Biscoff Cookies for the kids (both just happen to be vegan).
Friday 1/5/2018: I started dreaming about food again… This happens a lot to me, I’m snoozing along, dreaming of deep-dish cheese pizza, and I wake up before I can get a bite of it. So today I got rid of my favorite ice cream hanging out in the freezer, and threw away a few more non-vegan items that were hiding out too. I’m still going strong on the vegan challenge, and feeling pretty good too.
Saturday 1/6/2018: Woke up, made oatmeal, and my fridge is stocked so I don’t have to worry about what to make for lunch or dinner. The days are getting easier, and I’m feeling so much better. I’ve even got the family curious about what I’m eating, and wanting to try out some of the foods too. They aren’t on board yet, but they are curious.
Sunday 1/7/2018: Today, I wasn’t hungry like I was at the beginning of the week. I also wasn’t trying to figure out what to make for every meal. Over the weekend, it all clicked together, and it wasn’t too tough anymore. I’m looking forward to next week, and I’m feeling so much better already.