Sometimes the best way to get started on a vegan journey is by replacing some your favorite foods with pre-packed plant-based alternatives. Not only is this convenient, but it may help on those days when you feel like giving up because meal planning is overwhelming or life gets busy. Fortunately, many vegan companies are making the transition so easy with amazing products!

I went to Whole Foods to test out Beyond Meat's crumble and Earth Balance's cheddar squares.

I put the feisty crumble on tacos for the kids with lettuce, tomato & salsa. It was delicious! I'm very picky about vegan crumbles because let's face it....most brands aren't that tasty.

It only took 5 minutes to cook and the flavor and texture is very similar to traditional ground beef. I really think I could fool my omnivore friends and fam with this one. I used the feisty one and it comes seasoned like taco meat.

I wish I could say the same about the Earth Balance's cheddar squares. None of us were impressed with this one. It has a hint of cheddar flavor but they were way too salty for our taste. Since this is a new product, I'm quite sure Earth Balance will make some improvements later. :-)

Watch my full review in this video and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more recipes and vegan tips.

Have you tried these products? Let me know what you thought in the comments below or on Facebook.