Foodie Friday: Trader Joe's Edition (vegan)

We like to eat.  It's one of our favorite things to do.  Also, we have to eat or we will die.

Trader Joe's is definitely a magical place for a vegan.
There are so many options available that we 0.5-percenters don't normally have at regular grocery stores. So--needless to say--grocery shopping has become exciting for me.

I have compiled a few of my favorite vegan items from Trader Joe's for ya'll; complete with (low-quality) pictures!!  (In my defense, I was uber paranoid that I would be kicked out of the store for taking pictures of the merch, so I was tryin' to be swift like a ninja.  I broke the law for you.  That's kind of romantic.)

DISCLAIMER: Just 'cause it's vegan, don't mean it's healthy! Vegans can still eat (most) sugar and bread products.  I try to eat the healthy stuff, but this list includes things that aren't so healthy.

Let's start with...

Fall Treats 

('cause they won't be here for long)

Unfortunately, there aren't too many vegan fall options.  A lot of the pumpkin-flavored things have milk or eggs in them.  
BUT this first item makes up for all that.  It is so delicious!  It's like autumn in your mouth.

Personally, I like to warm up a cup of this apple-cinnamon-spice flavored liquid goodness in the microwave.  It's perfect for that crisp fall morning.

 I love all things festive, so...you got me, Trader Joe's.  These are basically cute oreos.
They're vegan and look like pumpkins. Sign me up!

 **Be aware that this stuff has honey in it.

Snacky-Snacks

Here are just two things out of the plethora of vegan snacks that TJ's offers.

These babies are nacho cheese flavored. But alas!  They contain no dairy!

If you like saltiness and all things low-calorie, these are for you.

Food-Food 

 

I use this to make the most AMAZING pad thai.  

These almost taste like real chicken.  It kind of scares me.
 

CHEESELESS enchiladas.  'Nuff said. 

Eggrolls without the egg!  They have a really good flavor--it's kind of sweet on the inside.
One con: they get kind of soggy on the bottom.
They are good alone, but you can also pair them with...

It's very sweet, sorta spicy, and garlicy.

These are real good with hummus in a wrap.

Great on the grill.  I like to bring these to baseball games.
Makes me feel all American-like.

SO GOOD.

This pad thai is really yummy, but it basically only serves one person.

These are SO flavorful!  I eat them just by themselves with no bun or nothin'.

If you miss orange chicken, just buy these already.

Not the healthiest option, but these are super easy to take to work.
There are three flavors (peanut satay, kung pao, and pad thai), but I like this one the best.

This pizza has no cheese!  It does taste good, but the middle always stays cold/soggy for some reason.
**HOWEVER, this contains honey.

I could eat a whole bag of this for dinner, but you probably shouldn't do that.  
It has squash, zucchini, and sweet potato.  It also has a little kick to it.

Condiments

I like me some Vegannaise.  But that ish is expensive!  
I saw this by chance and upon reading the ingredients, I discovered that it is vegan!  

Yes, you can have cream cheese.  You can make cream cheese frostings, too.  
Let's take a moment to rejoice.  
Plus, the label makes me laugh...to myself...in a room full of strangers.

Every vegan has to have Earth Balance butter replacement. 

Sweet Thangs
  

 PROCEED WITH CAUTION.  These are highly addictive.

Great for making banana chocolate chip muffins!

Sweet, salty, and crunchy.

It's a giant candy bar. With almonds.

Cookie butter is the devil.  The sweet, sweet devil.  I like to put it on toast.
 

It just sounds super classy.  And hey, I get to drink hot chocolate!

I use this to make bomb milkshakes.
I like to blend it with espresso, peanut butter, bananas, almond milk, homemade caramel, you name it.
(Also available in cherry chocolate chip)

Heaven!  I'm not usually a fan of strawberry flavored things, but this ice cream is a winnah!
(Also available in chocolate)

My all. time. favorite. things to eat in the world, ever.  In terms of cookies, anyway.
Vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies...without a weird texture or aftertaste!
PRAISE [insert deity of choice]!!!

Dranks

A lot of beers and wines are not vegan.  There are probably a lot at TJ's that are vegan, but these are the ones I personally like.  Check out Barnivore to see if your favorite alchy drinks are vegan-friendly.

Now, I don't really like beer.  But I will drink New Castle.
This is a CHEAP DUPE for New Castle!!!
It's got that very familiar taste.

And the good old (formerly-known-as) Two Buck Chuck.
They raised the price by .49 and I wasn't too happy about that.
But hey, it's still a steal.
**HOWEVER, only the RED one is vegan.  The white one and the white zinfandel ones are not!

That was a lot to take in.  I'm proud of you for truckin' through it.  I wish I could've shared everything that I love with you.  But wait!  I can!

Here is a list of all the vegan products available at a Trader Joe's near you!  

Happy cruelty-free snacking! 

do good. be good. feel good. 

Adventurin' Time

IZ ADVENTURE TIIIMEEE!

This past Saturday our friend had a Halloween party so you know me and my main lady had to do a bestfriendduo costume. Here is our spin on Jake da dogg and Finn da hyooman. I hope Cartoon Network is proud. 

ALGEBRAIC!!

dat puppy calendar^^

SEXIEST ADVENTURERS IN THE WORLD!!

Reasons why costume parties are great:

1. You don't have to tell ANYONE your real name. You're in costume, BE IT, OWN IT.
2. There is an opportunity to show off any and all creative abilities we own.
3. Costumes are the best conversation starters because they show your interests. 
4. I get to put on my dancing shoes.
5. Maybe you'll let me try on your dancing shoes. 

WHAT THE LUMP!?

What's great is we didn't spend more than $10 COMBINED. I'm the one that splurged on the Forever 21 glasses at $5.80 but I saw them and it just felt right, so I purchased. Michelle spent about $2 on her felt and beanie from Walmart. The rest of the costume we basically had. 

Also: I am holding a can of Dr. Pepper, I don't drink soda but I like to nervously sip on something throughout the night so das dat. 

I drew this for Mishare a few months ago when I bought watercolors on sale. It reads: 

"You are the Finn to my Jake <3"

das cute, right? 

- Wosa

being good, doing good, feeling good

What We're Jammin' to.

I'm like Janet Jackson, I'll do dancing stuffs anytime, anyplace... I don't care who's around. Catch me moving and grooving in my car, on my car, in the hallway, by the cereal section, and here.

Here some stuffs that puts me in a dancy mood!

Out of My League - Fitz and the Tantrum

Fragments of Time - Daft Punk

The Way You Move - Outkast

Snap Out of It - Arctic Monkeys (basically all of AM5 is great.)

and of course.

Against all Odds - Phil Collins 

ha :)

- Wosa.

Mini Rant: Milk

Ah, milk.

It's a staple in practically every American's home.  I'm sure it's probably part of some of your fondest memories, too.  And while I completely empathize with that, I strongly believe that people should be aware of what they are putting into their bodies.  Especially when the government doesn't provide many facts.

But milk is actually really bad for you.
Wait, WHAT?!  That's not what the television and countless celebrities told you, right?
First of all, the television is a liar.  Second, celebrities who endorse milk are uneducated on the subject, AND they get paid lots of money.

I mean, don't you find it strange that we are the only mammals that drink another animal's milk?
Milk that is meant for that animal's babies, might I add.
That's why so many people are lactose intolerant.  Because humans are not meant to drink another animal's milk.

 It would be really strange if we gave our milk to cows, but for some reason it's OK for us to take theirs?

The milk industry makes sure the cows are constantly pregnant and are pumped with synthetic hormones.  Once the babies are born, the calves are ripped away from their mothers, and the mothers are hooked up to machines that basically suck them dry.  The mothers' utters bleed and the blood and pus gets into the milk you will later consume.  All the blood, pus, hormones, and whatever they use to get the blood and pus out of the milk ends up in YOUR body. 

But what about the calcium?  Of course milk has calcium.  But as it turns out, so do vegetables.
And vegetables actually have MORE calcium than milk.

"Green vegetables, beans, tofu, sesame seeds, and even oranges contain lots of usable calcium, without problems associated with diary. Keep in mind that you retain the calcium better and just do not need as much when you don't consume a diet heavy in animal products and sodium, sugar, and caffeine."
-Disease Proof

Dairy has been linked to cancer in testes, breasts, and prostates, as well as many other health issues.
It also is definitely not low in fat or sugar, for that matter.  Those sugars and fats are meant to make baby cows plump and healthy.  They just make humans fat.

Milk production also causes tons of harmful environmental effects.  This affects you directly!

This video basically tells you everything I just said with a bit more info.
This includes how they plan to add ASPERTAME to milk.

(Don't worry, it's not graphic!)

These innocent animals don't have a choice in being abused and exploited, but YOU have the choice not to contribute to it.
So, let's end the animal cruelty, regain our health, and live dairy free!

And hopefully one day we can finally see some REAL happy cows!

For more information on not consuming milk, you can click here (it may be graphic).
To get you started, I also highly recommend the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.  
It's extremely informative, but full disclosure--I couldn't finish it because I kept crying. 
Another great resource that is strictly about health, is the movie Forks Over Knives.  There is no animal cruelty shown! Promise!  You can also find this on Netflix.  There are tons of great resources!

There are some great organizations that provide formerly factory farmed animals a safe and loving home, like Farm Sanctuary.  They rescue animals from factory farms and provide food and care for them.  They also do not use any products from them.

Ready to start your dairy free transition?

Milk Alternatives

Soy milk

Almond milk

Rice milk

Hemp milk

Coconut milk/water

(These can be found at almost every grocery store now! Check the non-refrigerated sections, too!) 


do good, be good, feel good.

HAPPY NATIONAL DOG DAY!

Being the crazy dog lady that I am, I couldn't miss the opportunity to shout from the rooftops (and by that I mean write a post that no one will see) that it is NATIONAL DOG DAY!!!  It's a beautiful thing to live in a country that makes up holidays for random things that no one knows about unless they search the internet.

ANYWAY, I'm not complaining! To celebrate this glorious day, I thought I'd post some pictures that show just how amazing dogs are.  Why do I love dogs, you may ask?  Because they live in the moment, they don't hold grudges, and their happiness rubs off on you!  You can't help but smile when those butts start a'wigglin'!!!

Here we gooooo!!!

I mean, just look at these faces!!!

Out of all of these dogs, this is the only one that's mine.

Could you tell I love boxers?!

:)

 (Don't forget to spay and neuter your pets! And adopt, don't shop!)

do good, be good, feel good.

A Wittle Bit About the Authors

For the sake of getting to know who we are, here's just a little bit about us...

 Mishare is on a spiritual path, growing and learning every day.  She is not funny, but to make up for it she surrounds herself with funny people, like Wosa. Mishare is about 98% vegan, because she struggles with not eating cheese sometimes.  She is trying really hard to stop for the poor aminals!  She will be talking about vegan shtuff, animal shtuff, hormonal acne treatment, makeup, and a whole plethora of things. 

Also: Mishare REALLY likes dogs, but she is afraid of cats.

These are her weird dogs, Mickey and Jake.

Wosa is the smellier of the two. She is working on bettering herself emotionally and physically. She fell off the wagon (don't worry, it was a small one) due to health reasons and is now ready to get back at it! It is a lifestyle change and she is all for it. She has a huge interest in DIY projects, traveling, and tahitian dance. In regards to food, she is not a big fan of the crispy bits, especially from french fries. If you want them, you can have them. She is going to talk about what ever comes to mind, so get ready. And if she can't think of anything I hope you can handle some on-camera wiggling. 

Wosa is really great with kids, and usually prefers them over adults. 

This is Palmer, she was recently adopted into the Wosa family.



....Together we are Mishare and Wosa!  We hope to make at least a small dent by helping the world in any way we can.  We are happy to share with you!