The job of food testing is one we all fight for here at GGA HQ! As the most delicious and newest plant-based, vegan foods roll out faster than the speed of light- we get to sample, devour, and review for your reading pleasure – which also saves you the trouble of buying products that aren’t tasty and don’t live up to the hype. Isn’t it nice to have a big vegan sister you can count on? Without further ado – this weeks favorites!
5 New Plant-Based Foods That Will Blow Your Mind
You better believe the hype over Daily Greens Cold Pressed Juices. We have truly never had such unique juice combos, or innovative ways to get more clean protein in our diet. Obviously, this company meets all our favorite criteria: non gmo, organic, never heated, raw, fair trade, vegan, gluten free, soy free, produced locally and sustainably, woman-owned – but beyond that – this company wins for our favorite new juice brand, bar-none. The packing is gorgeous, albeit plastic, but gorgeous – but more importantly every single solitary juice or hemp milk that we tried was mindblowingly unique and delicious. At the age of 33, the founder, Shauna Martin, was diagnosed with breast cancer. With a young family to care for, Shauna struggled to recover from the trauma of multiple surgeries and the toxic effects of chemotherapy. Nine years clear, Shauna attributes her complete recovery from breast cancer in part, to her current healthy lifestyle, which includes her regimen of drinking a green juice every day. Shauna decided that she wanted to share this life-enriching habit and spread the good word about drinking your vegetables. Needless to say, we have always been on the juicing wagon. But there’s something very special about these juices. We went through a massive box of these juices within a few days – they are irresistible and nothing like any other juice you’ve ever had. For example: The Balance Chia Green Juice has pear, zucchini, spinach, lime, vanilla, and ground chia in it. All their chia green juices have 5 times more calcium than milk and are high in omega 3 fatty acids and protein. Each taste combo is like a milk-shake of pure deliciousness! But the piece de resistance is the hemp milk which tastes like the most decadent chocolate milk you’ve ever had – but just happens to be packed with iron, protein, calcium, and omegas. Plus the prices are so much more affordable than so many of the juices and cleanses we’ve reviewed in past. You can order them directly online (best, because then you can order the whole line which we’d highly recommend!) or buy them directly at a location near you.
On the junkier, but outrageously tasty fare – Gardein, the delicious plant protein brand currently sold in over 22,000 stores across North America, announced the launch of their handheld products including new pocket meals in three delicious flavors – crispy chick’n and kale, Italian meat-free sausage, and BBQ pulled porkless shreds. These game changing products give people a healthier protein meal to eat on the run. Ready in minutes, these products are rich in flavor and texture and provide a good source of iron with no cholesterol. Made with non-GMO soy and wheat, ancient grains and veggies, each pocket meal contains 10g of protein, is a good source of iron, has zero cholesterol and is vegan and kosher. This is the perfect transitional food for new vegans, plant-based college students, or busy moms. There’s so a time and place for these. As a kosher gal who has never had pork, I passed the pulled porkless over to a former pig eater in the office who claimed it tastes “identical” to a pork bun. The other two flavors were delicious, and we were impressed with how fresh tasting and toasty (and not nuked) the bread tasted after 20 minutes in the toaster oven. These quick meals will be a game-changer for anyone with time constraints when it comes to meal prep.
We have one lovely friend we can’t get off Sweet n’ Low, we all have a friend or relative still hoarding little blue packets of Equal – cancer proof be damned. Never has it been easier to wean yourself off toxic fake sweeteners – or mood-altering sugar for that matter – with Cid Botanics all-natural, non-GMO, gluten free, certified organic Paraguayan Stevia line that now comes in the most amazing flavors: passion fruit, vanilla, banana, mocha, and lemon – it’s simple to turn your coffee or tea into a flavor-explosion with no crappy chemicals or aftertaste. With zero calories or carbs and a zero on the glycemic index – this sweetener is free from anything bad for you. Stevia is a sweetener made from the extracted leaves of the plant species Stevia rebaudiana. Stevia has been on the market for years, but never in this many flavors. Bringing these little packs or droppers along with you to work or play is a snap.
We love all those beautiful tea emporiums that have been popping up everywhere, particularly because so many of them have organic options, but are weary of the “natural flavorings” that make so many of them so delicious. Numi Organic Tea recently launched Justine’s Blend, which was created by the winner of Numi’s “Create Numi’s Next Signature Blend Contest,” Justine Klein. When Justine created her blend for Numi’s contest, she knew just what to combine: smooth white tea, zesty ginger, tart hibiscus, orange peel and licorice and the result is extremely unique and addictive. As with all of Numi Organic Tea’s blends, Justine’s Blend is certified organic, Kosher & Hala Certified, and made with 100% real ingredients (not natural flavorings, or perfumes). This is truly gourmet, real-deal tea-drinkers tea, not for Lipton-lovers! We recommend enjoying this loose leaf tea either hot and iced; we’ve been enjoying it both ways. It’s a perfect spring tea, and tastes divine iced over a freshly squeezed lemon! You can purchase this tea here or on amazon.
We will admit being cynics when it comes to energy bars. They are expensive, and even the organic healthy ones generally are packed with agave and rice so that it seems like you may as well just eat a cookie! Welcome Pure Organic Bars, probably the best on-the-go bar we’ve ever had – from pureness of ingredients to taste. With all organic, non gmo, vegan, soy-free, dairy-fre, gluten free, kosher, and clean flavors that actually taste great – we loved the Apple Cinnamon, Banana Coconut, Cashew Coconut, Cherry Cashew, Chocolate Brownie, Cranberry Orange, Dark Chocolate Berry and Wild Blueberry flavors. They are just sweetened with natural fruit, no junk or extra sweeteners, and are packed with protein, antioxidants, and flavor. You’ll want to trust us and buy a few boxes to stash in your office drawer, glove compartment, and pocket book for when snack attacks hit. Mama Bonus: We found these to be life-savers during pregnancy nausea in the first trimester when eating anything other than simply carbs was repugnant, these helped us get our fiber and crucial protein in those important first few weeks of baby growing!
