Are there any nutritionally complete, tasty, complete vegan meals on the market? I'm looking for something that I can keep in the fridge or freezer for the nights when I work late or don't have time to prepare for the next days work lunch. What attributes would you like to see if there was a product line like this, available in local supermarkets? Thanks!
Um. Deja Vu. Not necessarily complete but there are some products that are pretty good. Trader Joe's has a bunch of pretty good products. Personally, I don't like spicy meals so about the only one I like is the Vegetable Basil pesto fusilli. I can't remember if they have a vegan burrito, but they have vegan egg rolls and vegan pad thai. They used to have a cheese-free pizza which was my main go-to meal. The mainstream companies that you should look for is Annies and Paula Mccartney. Not all of those are vegan but some are. there are also some good canned options. You can always buy a can of black beans and add it to rice. And there are some good soups and chilis that are vegan. There are a lot of good ideas for making big pots of stuff and freezing them, then just make your own "frozen dinners". My new favorite is a big pot of Cuban black beans, in one cup Tupperware kept in the freezer. I make a big batch of rice in the rice cooker and then when I need a quick meal - black beans and rice. I also used to mass produce my own burritos. Freeze them and take them with me to work to nuke. also good for eating in the car for breakfast. or as an emergency dinner. Big pots of pasta sauce can also be made and frozen. then all you need to do is boil the pasta. And homemade Ramen is super easy. The noodles are dry and can be stored for a long time. Just add whatever fresh or frozen veggies you have around the house. Or even a can of peas. Probably takes about the same time as nuking a frozen dinner.
Engine 2 makes a good line of vegan and also very low in salt, oil and sugar (this is very important to me). Engine 2 is from Rip Esselstyn who is/was a firefighter and the son of Dr Caldwell Esselstyn. https://engine2diet.com/food-line/ My trouble with it is that they only sell through Whole Foods and they don't stock many of the better things in Canada so I only have virtual experience of them from watching YouTubers. Dr McDougall also has a line of foods that are also low in sodium and sugar and are made without added oils. https://www.rightfoods.com/ Again, USA based so very hard to get in Canada, wish we could. I guess the upside of not having easy access to these foods is that I am less lazy and do cook a fair amount. If I was a busy mom/dad or working outside the home full time I am sure I would be grateful. Emma JC
Gardein just put out skillet meals that are in the freezer section. I haven't tried them since they are expensive but they look good.
I like Sweet Earth's Big Sur Breakfast burrito. I eat it any time of the day or night. Just defrost in the microwave for about one minute, then pan fry in your favorite oil until browned on both sides, and enjoy with Sriracha (my personal preference) or salsa or just on its own. I know you don't mean things like Boca burgers that require meal planning or toppings, so I'll suggest Daiya vegan pizzas or Amy's frozen dinners. Daiya pizzas take less than 20 minutes to cook directly on your oven rack and are 100 percent vegan, they are kind of expensive, but if cost isn't your concern, they're quite tasty on occasion. They actually make vegan pepperoni (vegan pepperoni!) ...Amy's meals you're going to have to sort through, some are vegetarian and some are vegan. They're known for their dairy ingredients, but never add eggs or meat or gelatin. So anything they make non-dairy is vegan. They have a variety of frozen meals from Indian-inspired to pasta bowls. Annie Chun makes shelf-stable Asian-inspired dishes like Kung Pao noodles and Pad Thai which are vegan. I used to eat them a lot when I lived in L.A. but I feel kind of guilty about the packaging they use. They taste really good though.
In the UK we have 'wicked' meals at Tesco. They are vegan and they do a range of different meals including Pizza's, pasta and curries.
My local grocery store carries some of these Plant Pure meals and they have good sales sometimes. They're made by the China Study Dr Colin Campbell's Plant Pure Nation movement. You can also order them online, but they aren't cheap that way. https://www.plantpurenation.com/products/standard-20-frozen-entrees-one-of-each-entree
