Our Favorite Plant-Based Products

A lot of new plant products have emerged in recent years, as well as a number of an expansion of products from existing companies. It's pretty obvious why so many businesses are investing in this popular market, so much so that options are becoming expansive. As exciting as it is, with all these options choosing what to buy can get pretty overwhelming, fast...especially if you are new to Plant-Based eating and haven't tried many of these foods before.

I can't tell you how many times we have seen articles about how these foods get a bad rap, but not all have been great..let's just get that out of the way now. But we love when people ask 'This is made out of plants?', it's one of our greatest joys and why we love the idea of sharing our food with others, to see that look on their faces...and then the one when they see how much healthier they are!

On that note, though we aren't huge fans of processed foods of any kind it's hard to deny that many families rely on these foods for raising children by busy parents that don't have much time or patience to learn how to cook food that is much more difficult or different in taste...we learned the hard way, pick your battles! As parents raising our children while converting to a plant-based diet, while we chose to only cook plant-based food we never argued or pushed the issue when they chose to eat dairy or meat outside the home, and on occasion even within it!

We are part of the plant-based movement, simply by moving where we invest our money and time. Forcing others to believe or eat as we do isn't our place, just helping to make it easier for those who are exploring their options, want to incorporate some plant meals into their diet, as well as those who have made the choice to take the plunge.

Each palate is different, some might prefer one brand over the other for various reasons. Our goal isn't simply to direct you a specific brand, but more so to help you decide which one you would probably prefer trying over another. To start off we have selected the items we are most frequently asked about.

1. Egg Replacement:

For a nutty texture recipe, or when we run out of our favorite, we use 1Tb of ground flax seed for every 2oz of water, which is equal to one quarter cup. Otherwise, we use Just Egg for EVERYTHING that we used to use egg in. As the kids describe it, 'it's like regular egg but without the fart taste', and as tacky as it sounds...it's true! You can use Just Egg for baking and some pretty darn tasty break sandwiches, burritos, fritata, quiche, you name it!

2. Milk Alternatives:

This is really more about a personal preference than a matter of which brand is the best. We have found most brands and flavors to be tasty, but cashew milk simply doesn't work for everything! Don't worry, we'll have tips on what to do if all you have is vanilla almond milk...because we've been there, but you'll have to watch out for our 'Tips & Tricks' page, coming soon! Here are our recommendations for what we suggest, based on what you'll be using it for:

Coffee	Baking	Cooking	Drinking
Oat Milk- It's the most similar to real texture of dairy, with a balanced flavor that goes great with your favorite sweetener and/or flavored syrup.	Almond milk or Oat milk, depending on how sweet and creamy you are going for. Oat Milk is better for more savory flavors.	Rice Milk, Hemp Milk, Almond Milk, and Cashew Milk, or Oat Milk. Again, this depends on how sweet and thick you're aiming for. These are listed from thinnest, which are usually the sweetest) to thickest and most neutral in taste.	This is partly based on what you're pairing it with or drinking it plain. For drinking plain, we enjoy rice, hemp, or almond milk. Oat milk for creamier less sweet drink.

3. Cheese Replacements:

This is one area where we have found a few brands we really watch for because we prefer above all others, mainly the Diaya and Miyokos...but stay tuned, because there are some close runner-ups, including a Store Brand!

Sliced	Shredded	Whole or Block
Kroger (Simple Truth) Brand Pepper Blend	Diaya Brand Dairy-Free Shreds	Miyokos Creamery Soft Cheese, Sharp Aged
Diaya Cheddar-Style	Miyokos Mozzerella-Style Shreds	Daiya Cheddar-Style Block
Violife Just Like Cheddar Slices	Kroger (Simple Truth) Non-Dairy Shreds

4. Meat Replacements

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Ozo Breakfast Sausage Patties	Field Roast anything	Field Roast Sausage Links (chopped up or sliced)	Lenny & Larry's Complete Cookie
Beyond Breakfast Sausage Patties (and Links)	Gardein Chick'N strips, (Great for Salads and Wraps)	Soyrizo- Works great in place of Italian Sausage too!	Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Jerky
Gardein Breakfast Sausage Patties	Beyond Burger Patties	I LOVE tofu (fyi-if you don't eat 3 bricks a day you won't grow extra boobs)
Soyrizo (heavenly with Just Egg, make separately and combine)	Gardein Chick'n Nuggets	Gardein Meat Balls- Great for so many things!