Trader Joe's - They have a Vegan list!

I make a regular trip through Rochester on my way to our Winona shop and Trader Joe's is one of my regular stops. This trip, I noticed a wall of Dietary Lists outside the restroom and one is VEGAN! I grabbed the list and then set out to pick up a few fun and a few regularly purchased items. I was excited to find they did the work for me so I didn't need to scour the shelves, reading all the cans and boxes to find things that were vegan. They made it even easier by putting food items in categories so I could find the item by going to that area of the store. I am just showing the top page in the picture, but it is actually 3 pages long. Their disclaimer is that they do not carry the same things all the time, and state items will change.

Trader Joe's shopping picture

The Sour Cream and Cream Cheese are cheaper than the products I can find in my local grocery stores which is a plus. The Cream Cheese alternative is very thick, so the downside to theirs is it that it needs to be warmed to room temperature before using (much like dairy based cream cheese).

For cheesecake, a nice crumb crust is important and the Speculoos Cookies will be awesome for that. They are also a great little snack to have with tea.

My daughter Kyra loves Falafel, so I grabbed their mix for her to try. I will check back to see how she liked it. She will try out the cookie mix for me too.

We use Young Green Jackfruit as a replacement for Chikin salad and in soups to mimic a pork, fish or chicken texture. Trader Joe's cans are currently cheaper than the Asian markets at $1.99 a can. It's downside is that it isn't a protein replacement, but you can add another non-descript food like cooked lentils or cooked mashed chickpeas into the mix for protein. Just like you would season meat, you can season it to taste like your favorite foods.

You probably noticed it is a picture of boxes, tubs and cans with no fresh greens, but I was not shopping for those things this trip. I usually pick up fresh veg at my local stores the day we plan to use it. I enjoy a good variety of different foods, so for me, exploring new things and mixing things up is important to get variety in nutrients and not get bored by eating the same food all the time.