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Jams and fruit butters, including strawberry, blackberry, marmalade, apple butter, and pumpkin butter

Marinated artichoke hearts

Mustards such as yellow, Dijon-style, and spicy

Naturally brewed soy sauce like Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, shoyu, and tamari (wheat free)

Naturally sweetened ketchup (the regular stuff is vegan, but full of high-fructose corn syrup, which isn’t healthy)

Nut and seed butters like almond, peanut, cashew, and tahini

Oils, including extra-virgin olive, flaxseed, coconut, canola, and toasted sesame

Pasta sauce

Salad dressing (vegan varieties, of course)

Salsa

Unsweetened coconut milk

Vegan mayonnaise

Vegetable broths in different varieties, including salted, unsalted, mushroom flavored, and onion flavored (buy cans or aseptic boxes)

Vinegars such as Balsamic, red wine, unpasteurized apple cider, umeboshi, and white

Refrigerated products

You’ll be buying these products more often, but still be on the lookout for sales. Just make sure you don’t buy more than you’ll actually eat before the expiration date:

Fresh ginger

Hummus in all kinds of flavors, including plain, garlic, roasted red pepper, green onion, and kalamata olive

Leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, bok choy, cabbage, lettuce, and spinach

Mushrooms in varieties like portabella, button, shiitake

Olives and pickles

Seitan

Soy-based margarines like Earth Balance

Soy foods, including chickpea miso, barley miso, tofu, tempeh, hot dogs, veggie sausages, and deli meats

Tofu cream cheese and sour cream

Yogurt, including soy or coconut milk-based, plain, unsweetened, and vanilla

Freezer items

Having some convenience food and treats on hand is a great way to stay on track with your vegan meals. Stock your freezer with the following essentials:

Frozen vegan meals or pizzas

Fruits like berries, pitted cherries, and peaches

Juices such as apple, cranberry, and orange

Nondairy ice cream

Tofu- or vegetable-stuffed ravioli

Vegan potstickers and spring rolls

Vegetables, including broccoli, corn, edamame, mixed stir-fry vegetables, peas, and spinach

Veggie burgers

Fresh produce

Fresh produce is delicious and relatively inexpensive. Whenever possible, buy local and go for organic varieties. The following items are versatile enough to work in numerous vegan recipes:

Avocados

Bell peppers

Fresh fruit of all kinds, including bananas, apples, pears, kiwi, grapes, cherries, pineapple, and melon

Garlic

Lemons and limes

Onions, including yellow, white, Vidalia, and red

Sweet potatoes

Tomatoes

White potatoes

Winter squash varieties like butternut, acorn, and kabocha

Starting Your Meal Planning with the Best Breakfast for You

Your doctor and your mom were both right: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Many of my clients have seen dramatic decreases in sugar and caffeine cravings when they finally commit to daily breakfast plans. If you have a cup of coffee and chocolate for breakfast, you’ll most likely fall headlong into a sugar crash by late morning. This type of eating — loading up on caffeine and sugar in the early morning hours — is all too common. Cravings for more sugar and caffeine are more likely in the afternoon if you rely on them in the morning.

Breakfast is the most important part of your meal planning because preparing a healthy breakfast that includes the most supportive foods for you and your body type ensures that your energy is more stable throughout the day. If your energy is stable and your nutrition needs are met, you’ll be less likely to go off track with junk food or other less-than-desirable choices.

Try this unique, half-week breakfast test to find out which foods set you up for a day of solid energy, and which foods lead to energy crashes or sugar cravings later in the day. Eat as much of each food as you want, but choose only one food each day. Here are your options:

Saturday: steel cut oats,