We are both really into nutrition! See the Resources page for links to some of our favorite sources. We went to a Pescetarian diet (with small amounts of dairy/eggs) in October 2012. Around January 2013, we cut out all dairy and eggs and tried to keep our sushi outings to once a month. However, it wasn’t until we saw the Earthlings video in August 2013 that we made the switch to Vegan. After seeing animal slaughter houses and animals being tortured, I have no desire to eat meat or any animal products. Even the dairy farmers were torturing their cows. It’s SO sad! I couldn’t watch the whole video, so I just skimmed it, watching a few clips here and there.

That said, I see the need for more reviews of individual recipes. Yes, I have seen a few sites out there with rated recipes. But they are not vegan!! I’m the type of person who likes to try out a lot of different recipes. There are only a handful of recipes that I will make over and over because they were just that good! So, in order to receive a 5 star rating from Sutton and I, they need to fall in this category. If it’s a 1 star rating, we are throwing it away and ordering take out.

So to sum it up, I created this site because it’s something that I wish already existed. Something to help me weed through the sea of recipes and find the great ones! For me, the “great ones” are ones that taste great, take 1 hour or less to make, serve at least 4, reheat well, and have a process that is not complicated or frustrating. I have spent hours looking through recipes, and came up with this list of Tips to help others with their searches. This site is also meant to help by giving honest feedback about the recipes. And I want it not just from myself, but also from YOU!

Laura’s Wholesome Junk Food
These are yummy little bites that remind me of oatmeal cookies, minus the stomach ache I would get from all the sugar in a regular cookie. Yay!

Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla Chips
We absolutely love these! And they are my favorite tortilla chips, by far.

Back to Nature Crispy Wheat Crackers
These are good, very thin crackers. They have a light, crispy and slightly salty taste. We like to put almond butter on them, or we like to dip them in hummus. Yum!

Milton’s Craft Bakers Multigrain crackers
We like these mostly with hummus.

MaraNatha Natural Raw Almond Butter Creamy
We love almond butter on crackers and toast. It’s great with bananas and dark chocolate too!

Roots Hummus
Roasted Red Pepper and Original are our favorites.

Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Drink
We like these slightly vinegary drinks. Sutton introduced them to me. They have a twang and are sweetened with Stevia. Our favorite flavors are: Limeade and Apple Cinnamon.

Kale Chips
We both like the cheesy kale chips. I was never big into dairy, even prior to having a vegan diet, but I must say that I do enjoy the fake cheese made from cashews, red bell pepper and nutritional yeast.

Buy some HERE

Salsa
We like to try lots of different salsas. I prefer the kinds that are made at the store you are shopping in (ex. Whole Foods) or the ones that are located in the refrigerated section. They don’t have a long shelf life, but taste fresher.

Nuts and Dried Fruit
We like to buy them in bulk from Whole Foods or Earthfare.

Here are a few tips! These are things that I keep in mind when choosing a recipe to make.

1. Skim or fully read the ingredients and directions looking for any red flags.

Examples of red flags would be:
• equipment that you don’t have
• ingredients that you know would be hard to find
• a process that sounds too long or too complicated

2. Check the time it will take to prepare the meal

Keep in mind your own speed. If the recipe calls for chopping 5 different vegetables and you’re not a fast chopper, then adjust the “prep time” to what you think would be more realistic.

3. Make sure the ingredients are things that you like

If it’s just a spice that you don’t like, you could always omit it. If the main vegetable is broccoli and you don’t like broccoli, I would consider continuing the search.

However, I also believe in trying to acquire a taste for all vegetables, so sometimes I make something knowing we are not going to love it, but it has a vegetable that we rarely eat. And guess what? Sometimes I’m surprised and we actually do like it a lot!

4. If you like to reheat for lunch, like I do, then think about whether or not it would reheat well.

It’s a guess usually, without having made it, but sometimes it can be pretty obvious.

• Noodles in a broth will often become soggy and less firm.
• White rice and noodles by themselves will often dry out, so having a sauce to add to it will help keep them moist.
• Soups are usually great reheated.

5. Is it convenient for travel?

If you make tacos, burgers, or lettuce wraps, they require lots of containers to keep everything separate and then assembly before heating. First, the amount of dishes that will need to be washed has tripled. Then, you have to lug everything into the office, and if you only use glass containers, like we do, it can get pretty heavy. Last, there is the time spent putting it all together and the “messy” factor.