Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Frozen Waffles

The Vegan Thing I Like today is Trader Joe's Gluten Free Frozen Waffles. I started eating these a few years ago when I was introduced to them by my partner (along with a lot of other things at Trader Joe's). We buy these as an occasional treat. I like the Plain flavor with (real!) maple syrup and a generous dousing of cinnamon. Sometimes I add sliced bananas or other fruit, but just maple and cinnamon is my preferred method of consumption!

Since I'm not allergic, I don't make a point of avoiding gluten, but these are vegan and are so delicious, who could complain? They are also perfect right out of the toaster unlike some other brands I've tried in the past that needed to be microwaved and THEN toasted in order to get warm all the way through (am I the only one who's had that experience??).

(As a side note, another Vegan Thing I Like is this plate that my partner bought for me on clearance a few years ago! Penguin plates make everything taste better!)

Lucy's Gluten-Free Chocolate Merry Mint Cookies

I've had the opportunity to try Lucy's cookies out at a few different events this year. They make some delicious cookies that are also gluten free. This year at Expo East they had their holiday flavors, including this Chocolate Merry Mint. When I saw them on an endcap at Whole Foods recently, I had to get a box. This flavor is really particularly good! Their entire line is vegan, gluten free, AND nut free, so there's that, as well!

Pro Tip: My partner has declared that Lucy's are the best cookies for making a treat he calls "the wet cookie." Get a tiny bowl, put a cookie in it, cover with rice milk (or non-dairy drink of your choice), wait (preferably place the whole thing in the fridge for a while), and then slurp! He has gone as far as making these for out-of-town guests to prove their sweet superiority. They are pretty good!

FoMu

We arrived in Boston this afternoon for a weekend of exhibiting at the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival and as soon as we got off the plane, we were ready to eat. We headed to Allston, parked the car, and were walking into Peace o' Pie when we noticed FoMu, a non-dairy ice cream shop! We peeked at their menu in the front window and I was initially a little discouraged that their hard-packed ice cream was all coconut-based (I'm allergic). However, my partner was quick to point out that they had soy soft serve!

We went over to Peace o' Pie, had a salad and a calzone, and popped back into FoMu. This was apparently a popular routine, as we saw a number of other people starting with pizza and ending up with vegan ice cream. Love it!

All of the allergens at FoMu are really clearly labeled, so that makes ordering easy. The soy flavors of the day at FoMu were chocolate and peanut butter, so OF COURSE I got swirl. I topped mine off with crumbled chocolate cookie and it was DELICIOUS! My partner got some pistachio hard-packed on a cone which he also seemed to enjoy. Super highly recommended the next time you're in Allston, MA!

Viva Herbals

I really love Viva Herbals Pizzeria in New York City. When I stay in NY, I'm alway somewhere in the vicinity of it and they always have vegan slices affordably priced and ready to go! My favorite is the pictured slice covered in all things green. There is no tomato sauce on this slice, only a nut-free pesto. So green and delicious!

In addition to an awaiting plethora of vegan slices that they reheat in the oven for you before serving, there are also vegan garlic knots, soups, drinks, and a cooler full of sweets from Vegan Treats.

I will admit that many times in the past, I have been leaving dinner with friends and walking back to our hotel with my partner and we've stopped and picked up a slice from Viva Herbals to eat in the hotel room. It's kind of a tradition. When I was recently in NY, I wasn't eating quite that indulgently, but I did stop by and get this green slice and a kombucha for dinner one night.

At any rate, I really recommend Viva Herbals! Their ingredients are fresh-tasting and they have a variety of vegan pies ready to go. Since it's by the slice you can try a few different varieties if you're hungry (or dining with a friend).

The Herbivore Clothing Company

How do I love the Herbivore Clothing Company? Let me count the ways:

1. They make awesome, animal-loving designs.
2. They source high-quality, sweatshop free shirts to print on.
3. They carry other brands that are animal-friendly, high-quality, and sweatshop-free.
4. They have a really cute store in Portland.
5. I love wearing their stuff in the airport when I'm in transit because then lots and lots of people from all over see these messages.
6. I love love love that little piggie on my Bacon Had A Mom shirt. He so did.
7. They are generous and do awesome things to raise money for animal rights groups.
8. They are all around good dudes.

Herbivore had a break-in this week and are having a sale to help raise money to replace the glass in their front door, which was smashed. The code "brokenglass" at checkout will get you 10% off in their online store until tomorrow. I picked up a new laptop-sized purse because my current one has an actual hole worn through it (hoping it will become a Vegan Thing I Like) and would have gotten more if I had the cash!

Umpqua Oats

Being at the airport makes me SO hungry. I don't know why this is, but I think it's just that flying is less nauseating when you have had something to eat. So, I was really excited when I found these Umpqua Oats available for sale in a bookstore cafe at Midway Airport in Chicago. They are super simple, no sweetener, and delicious! The staff at the cafe added hot water and I added a cut up banana and this was a great travel meal. It also passed the "not stinky" test, which I think that ALL travel food should adhere to lest you gross out your fellow travelers with your food smells.

While I probably wouldn't buy these for home due to all of the excess packaging waste that creates, I would definitely buy them again while I was on the go. I believe I have seen them in other airports, as well, so keep your eyes peeled!

Columbia Gorge Bottled Juice

Oh heck yes. Columbia Gorge is FINALLY distributed in the Midwest and I can buy it at Whole Foods to my heart's content. Columbia Gorge makes delicious juices which are made from real juice and devoid of my all-time least favorite juice additive: "Natural" Flavors (because they consist of nothing necessarily actually natural or even defined as anything specific).

I love Columbia Gorge's "real" juice flavors like the pictured Carrot Beet Celery which they present as-is without the need for adding something severely sweet. The Meyer Ginger Lemonade with Cayenne is super awesome for fighting a sore throat and is just the right balance of spicy and sweet. I also like the (un-pictured) Vita Sea mix with contains fruit puree and sea veggies. I have yet to try a flavor from Columbia Gorge that I don't like.

At any rate, I really recommend this stuff and you should definitely choose it if you see it in the store. AND if you start to get that scratchy "getting sick" feeling in your throat, stop and pick up at Meyer Ginger Lemonade immediately!