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You are here: Home / Uncategorized / Vegan Starter Kit: Our Fave Plant Based Products!

Vegan Starter Kit: Our Fave Plant Based Products!

March 1, 2020 by Izabela

Happy Sunday Sweet Friends! I hope your coffee is hot and you’re cozy on the couch ready to dive into today’s blog post. A lot of times on Instagram I’m asked to share my personal recommendations on everyday products that are easy swaps to make when switching to a plant based diet- a “vegan starter kit”- if you will, LOL.

So that’s what I’m going to do! When we started our vegan journey we leaned a LOT on plant based products because it was the easiest way to take out the things we didn’t want to eat without reinventing the wheel. While we do still eat meat alternatives from time to time, I do strive to eat a more whole foods plant based diet as that ensures I am nourishing our family in the best way. But hey man, I’m not here to judge. I remember how many times I drew a blank because I knew I didn’t want to continue consuming animals but didn’t know what to buy and whether or not it was any good!

I’m breaking down the post into the most commonly asked questions: dairy, meat and cheese alternatives so you can easily scroll down to whatever you’re looking to replace. As a note, this post is not sponsored in any way- I’m simply wanting to make this transition super easy for you that if you’re not already making the decision to be vegan, you’ll at least have somewhere to start when you do. *wink*

Dairy Alternatives

Our favourite dairy alternative is soy milk. It is high in nutritional content, tastes pretty neutral and for me, it bakes really well. When we stopped drinking cow’s milk, I didn’t want the experience to be a sad one. After all, it’s NOT a sad decision to make, (same goes for cheese, but more on that later!). There are so many delicious dairy free options out there that it really seems silly that humans rely on the milk of another species. But again, I get it, it’s what I was taught, how I was raised and now I’m woke AF. LOL!

Here are some other delicious options to try. Make it a fun taste test; blindfold your kids or spouse and go through all of the milks to figure out what tastes the best. In the beginning we toggled between almond and soy since some of our family preferred one over the other. Now we just drink the one and they’re pretty particular right down to the brand too! It’s important to note that you should find a fortified plant milk to ensure you’re getting some vitamins and minerals such as calcium, vitamin d, iron and B12!

  • Soy – we like the Silk brand (same goes for my coffee creamer!)
  • Oat – we like Earth’s Own brand (same goes for the barista blend!)
  • Almond – we like Malk (not fortified though!)
  • Cashew – Silk or Earth’s Own is good

Ice Creams & Yogurt

  • Magnum dairy free ice cream bars
  • Ben & Jerry’s dairy free ice cream selections
  • Breyers makes a peanut butter almond based ice cream and a cookies and cream (good, bigger container, decent price point!)
  • PC coconut ice cream and mango ice cream (SOO GOOD)
  • Gay Lea coconut whip (for all your whipped cream needs!)
  • Silk – coconut based yogurt plain (also now comes in fruit flavours too!)
  • PC – coconut based yogurt
  • Chobani – coconut based yogurt

Meat Alternatives

This one is the most frequently asked question when it comes to cooking plant based meals. I get it, we’re all so used to having a piece of animal on our plate, that when it’s gone, we suddenly don’t know what to do LOL. In a whole food plant based diet, you’ll find yourself leaning on tofus, tempeh, beans, lentils and whole grains for your source of complete protein BUT that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun with some pretty kick ass products out there! You’ll note I don’t have Beyond Meat in this list. Honestly I enjoyed them when they became available with A&W- but since then, I found I could never finish a burger and its mainly due to it’s taste. It has a strange after taste to me so it’s not making the list LOL.

Burgers, Grounds & Others

  • PC Undeniable burger – by far our most favourite plant based burger
  • PC chick’n strips & patties
  • Great Value meatless burger – so delicious and best price point at $6 for 4- will have to share in stories when I can find a Walmart that has it in stock LOL!
  • Yves veggie burger – easy to find, tastes great also their veggie ground is one of my go-tos
  • Gardein all types of burger patties & meatless ground, meatballs, fish filets, chick’n strips, chick’n patties
  • Lightlife veggie ground

Cold Cuts & Sausages

  • Lightlife bacon, hot dog wieners
  • Yves veggie bacon, faux turkey ham, veggie ham, hot dog wieners
  • Tofurky spinach pesto sausages, smoked veggie ham
  • Field Roast – apple sage sausages
  • Yves – kale & carmelized onion sausages

Cheese Alternatives

Dun dun dunnnnnnn. This question is HUGE! People always say to me, “I’d totally be vegan if I didn’t love cheese so much.” Well friends, your love for cheese (and the 5 mins it takes to consume it) isn’t enough to justify the immense suffering these animals go through to get these products. Believe me, I know they taste delicious and there’s really nothing out there that can replace the flavour of animal based cheeses. BUT- when you shift your thinking into experiencing flavours for what they are instead of comparing them to dairy, you’re opening yourself up to a WORLD of incredible flavour combinations and textures. As the saying goes- “Comparison is the thief of joy” and friends, I don’t need ANYONE taking away my joy for vegan cheese LOL!

Melty Cheese

  • Emborg cheese slices and shreds
  • Chao cheese slices
  • Vegan Gourmet slices & shred, parmesan
  • Daiya “cutting board” series cheese shreds (hear me out guys- the cutting board version is SO MUCH more melty and tasty than the original- try to find it!)

Spreads & Gourmet

  • Pulse Kitchen – sharp cheddar
  • Zengarry Fauxmagerie – basically all are delish
  • Miyoko’s – also all delish
  • Nuts for Cheese – unbrielievable
  • Violife – parmesan
  • Black Sheep Vegan Cheeze – voursin, veta, camemvert

Well there you have it friends! I will continue to update this list of goodies as I come across something new! Remember to give yourself grace when making this transition- you’re doing something new that is going to require a little bit more time to figure out what your family likes best. As always, feel free to send me an email or send a DM over on Instagram and I’ll do my best to answer any questions you may have!

HAPPY SHOPPING!

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Dinner, Uncategorized Tagged With: vegan baking, vegan food, vegan living, vegan products, vegan starter kit

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Hi! I'm Izabela - The Cake Mama, lover of all things pink and creating delicious vegan recipes from baking to savoury dishes. You can always find me in the kitchen with a glass of red or white wine dreaming up new things to share with you. Thanks for visiting!

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Happy Monday sweet friends! Wishing you all a wond Happy Monday sweet friends! Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead. Thank you for all the beautiful conversations in my DMs this weekend. Let us all remember to share a little more compassion despite the difficult times we are facing. 🤍
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I am worthy and I have always been worthy. ✨ ⠀ I am worthy and I have always been worthy. ✨
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read that again over and over until you believe it to be true 😘🤍
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last week i chatted over stories about how i’m trying to navigate a life that is free from diet culture, free from the inner voice that tells me i’m not good enough, free from having an “end game” in physical wellness and SO many of you reached out feeling the same way. 😩🥺😭
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here are the steps i’m taking to make it be true:
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1. removing any fitness content available for me to consume on my feed that promotes diet culture and not long term wellness (ie. lose weight in 12 weeks! drink this cocktail and get thin!) 
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2. moving my body with the mantra that physical activity makes me FEEL good, that there does not NEED to be a physical reason to move other than for mental well being knowing that i do really love how i feel after sweating! 
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3. reminding myself that i am WORTHY of nourishing food. that i have the capacity to make space to make myself healthy food that fill up my cup and allows me to be my best self. that being a busy mom and business owner is NOT AN EXCUSE to not eat or not eat well.
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i love connecting with my community here- if any of this resonates with you and you feel like you can share, i’d love to hear it.
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tell me, is there anything else you would add to this list? 
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love you all, have a wonderful sunday! 🤍😘
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I’ve got your weekend plans covered with these d I’ve got your weekend plans covered with these delish cinnamon buns! 😋
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We’ll be making these later today so keep an eye out for my stories! 
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Recipe:
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2 tsp instant dry yeast
1.5 cups warm plant based milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted salted vegan butter
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for kneading

filling:
2/3 cup vegan butter softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
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frosting:
1 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp plant milk
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METHOD
1. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, yeast and butter. Create a well and add warm milk.
2. Fold mixture until resembles sticky dough, then transfer to a surface that’s lightly floured and knead for about a minute. Add a bit more flour if your dough is still too sticky.
3. Rest dough for 20 mins, then roll into a large rectangle.
4. Generously spread vegan butter around the entire rectangle (à la Cinnabon style!).
5. Mix the sugars and cinnamon together, then spread on top of butter.
6. Roll dough into a log and slice, should make roughly 12.
7. Place into greased sheet or cake pan and cover with a damp cloth and allow to double in size- about 30 mins to 1 hour.
8. Preheat oven to 350° F and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
9. Prepare the glaze and drizzle over the cinnamon buns after they’ve cooled slightly.
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Serve immediately, or make sure to warm up in the microwave before eating! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Enjoy!
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#vegancinnamonbuns
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🍫 Vegan Dark Chocolate Candy Cups 🍫 - SAVE T 🍫 Vegan Dark Chocolate Candy Cups 🍫 - SAVE THIS POST! 
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The availability of delish vegan chocolates is improving but sometimes you just have to bust out a good DIY to satisfy that salty and sweet tooth! 
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These are ridiculously easy to make and made with ingredients you can find at most grocery stores! 
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I used @maynardscandy_ swedish berries and fuzzy peaches (accidentally vegan) along with @glutinofoods gluten free pretzels (have you tried them- SO SO CRUNCHY) and @mydandies vegan marshmallows but really you can add whatever you want! 
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Find the steps over on the blog! 
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Lemon Blueberry Cake Jars
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For the Cake:
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1 1/2c flour
1c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
5 tbsp oil
1/2c fresh squeezed lemon juice
Lemon zest from one lemon
4 tbsp water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp turmeric (for color)
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For the Blueberry Sauce:
2 Cups of Blueberries (@chilliwackblueberries are the BEST!)
1/2 Cup of Sugar
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For the Icing:
1 Cup vegan butter, Softened
4 Cups of Icing Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla or Coconut Extract
splash of plant based milk
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Method:
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1. Preheat oven to 350*F
2. In a stand mixer mix flour, sugar, baking powder, turmeric.
3. Add lemon juice and zest, vanilla, oil and water.
4. Pour batter into 2 x 8″ greased baking pans and bake for 26 mins.
5. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto wire rack
6. Allow to cool for another 10 mins uncovered then cover cake with plastic wrap to retain moisture
7. Once cooled, trim off any crunchy crust bits and discard
Transfer full cakes into a large bowl, then use hands to crumble cake into fine crumbs. Set aside covered.
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For the Blueberry sauce: 
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1. In a small sauce pan, bring blueberries and sugar to a boil over medium heat
2. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until mixture becomes thick and bubbly
3. Transfer to mason jar and allow to cool.
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For the icing:
1. With a stand mixer and whisk attachment, whip softened vegan butter until pale in colour
2. Gradually add icing sugar until combined, then add extract and plant milk.
3. Whip until light and fluffy
4. Spoon icing into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (1M, 6B) or plain. 
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Enjoy!! 😋😋😋
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✨ G I V E A W A Y! ✨
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From work out to dine out, @cittaactivewear has got you covered! 🚴🏼‍♀️💃🏼👌🏼
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I’ve teamed up with @cittaactivewear to gift one of you a Ruffle Romper, a Black Leopard Crop Top and a $50 shop credit to The Cake Mama shop! 
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How you can win:
🤍 L I K E and *S A V E* this photo
🤍 Follow @the.cake.mama and @cittaactivewear
🤍 Comment with which piece you’re most excited about!
🤍 Tag a friend who might be interested!
🤍 BONUS- share to your stories
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A winner will be selected on Friday April 9. Not sponsored by Instagram. Winner will be announced on @the.cake.mama and @cittaactivewear accounts only! Prizes awarded as described/ no substitutions. Open to 🇨🇦 (excluding Quebec). We will never ask you for your payment information.
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Good Luck!
ahh Happy Monday friends! What a weekend! It was s ahh Happy Monday friends! What a weekend! It was so refreshing to take a break from social media a bit and focus on the family. I hope for those that celebrate Easter that it was a wonderful time to reflect and regroup.
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PS. How pretty are these tulips! 💐
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#eastermonday
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Happy Easter! Hope everyone is enjoying some treat Happy Easter! Hope everyone is enjoying some treats and spending time with their family this weekend - I am definitely soaking it up! 🍫🐇🐣
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#happyeaster #eastersunday #eastercookies 
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Easter Cookie Cakes! A fun activity for the kids! Easter Cookie Cakes! A fun activity for the kids! You can find my easy vegan sugar cookie recipe and buttercream just by searching on the blog! 🐰🐰🐰
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#cookiecake
#eastercookiecake
#easterdessert
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#veganblogger #veganlifestyleblogger #veganfoodblogger #kelownafoodie #kelownaliving #kelownamoms
#kelownavegan #veganbaker
#bloggersofinstagram #veganinfluencer #lifestyleinfluencer #eggfree #dairyfree #everydayvegan
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