Plant Based Eating Reloaded – Meat Alternatives

I’ve been a plant-based eater for the past seven years and I still have cravings for meat.  Changing your lifestyle is a continual process.  I am undoing 30 years of eating habits, cultural traditions, and societal norms.

This country girl grew up raising pigs, slaughtering chickens and catching catfish.  As a kid, I hated raising animals at our house and working in the family garden.  I had zero appreciation for that fact that most of the food I ate was grown right in my neighborhood.  Everyone did their part and contributed to the cause.  My grandfather raised and slaughtered pigs.  My uncle had a huge garden with what seemed like every vegetable you can think of.  I had a cousin that fished every week and blessed my family with fresh fish. People were always dropping off fresh food to my grandparent’s house: corn, lima beans, strawberries, watermelon, grapes…the list is endless.  I wish I had an appreciation for what was being provided to me then. Instead of being a whiny kid that hated shucking corn and shelling peas!

Meat Alternatives Defined

Meat Alternatives are defined as: A meat analogue, also called a meat alternative, meat substitute, mock meat, faux meat, imitation meat, or (where applicable) vegetarian meat or vegan meat, approximates certain aesthetic qualities (primarily texture, flavor and appearance) and/or chemical characteristics of specific types of meat. Many analogues are soy-based (see: tofu, tempeh) or gluten-based. (Wikipedia)

Meat Alternative Shaming

The vegan elite will mostly like avoid meat alternatives. I use to be one of those meat alternative shamers.  No way I was gonna give up meat and then start eating faux meat.  Meat alternatives seemed like an oxymoron.  Well, that was all good until I had my first taste of vegan beef crumbles, lol.  I felt like I was cheating at first but then I realized that I had nothing to be ashamed of nor did I have anything to prove.  My journey is just that, mines.  I wasn’t going to let others shame me for doing what was best for me and neither should anyone else.  I was not going to be ashamed to switching thing up every once in a while.

Field Roast Grain Meats

A good friend introduced me to Field Roast Grain Meats and I have been hooked since.  The smoked apple sage sausage is my favorite not only for the amazing flavor but also the protein content. I’ve tried many meal alternatives since becoming a vegetarian six years ago but I always return to the Field Roast products because of the many flavorful options.

Field Roast is the original maker of vegetarian grain meats.  Locally sourced ingredients are 100% vegan, soy-free and GMO-free.  The company produces a line vegetarian grain meats including sausages, deli slices, roasts, loaves, breaded cutlets, meatloaf, frankfurters, and burgers.

Produced in small batches, the process starts with wheat, flour, and spices.  Wet ingredients include lemon juice, filtered water, cider vinegar and safflower oil along with fresh vegetables.  The mixture is then steamed and finally packaged.

Field Roast generously sent me several products to review and I was able to create several amazing meals these past three weeks.  The Chao slices had me the most excited.  Kicking my cheese habit has been my biggest struggle. Field Roast Chao slices are the closest thing I’ve tasted to real cheese.

Meat-Free Meals

My reaction is the same anytime I’m asked: “so if you don’t eat meat, what do you eat?”.  I always laugh because some people can’t seem to understand that I really only eat vegetables, lol.  The myths about plant-based meals i.e., bland, nasty and not filling are not true.  All those myths are wrong! Check out the tasty meals I created with my Field Roast products:

Mini-Field Roast Classic Meatloaf Pepper Rings

Field Roast Italian Sausage and Cheesy Polenta

Zoodles Marinara and Field Roast Italian Sausage

Southwest Scramble and Field Roast Apple Maple Breakfast Sausage

As you can see I covered the basics and then some.  All of these recipes can be found on my Pinterest page.  I’ve modified accordingly to make they perfect for any plant-based eater.  Who doesn’t love meatloaf? Of course, cheesy polenta aka grits is always a good thing.  Lastly, I love breakfast food especially eggs and sausage.  This was my very time first making a tofu scramble and it went perfectly with my apple maple breakfast sausage.   After several weeks of giving up seafood and cheese, I can actually say that I don’t miss it as much as I thought I would.  Field Roast Chao slices will get me through when I have a taste for cheese.

If you’ve been thinking about giving up meat but aren’t sure about your options hopefully this post has shed some light on the many alternatives available.

Thank you to Field Roast for providing me with several of their amazing products.  As a long time customer, I really loved everything! Keep on with Field Roast via Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (they have great recipes pinned) and Twitter.

Would you be willing to give meat alternatives a try? If you gave up meat tomorrow what would you miss the most?