Flexitarian Files: Abe’s Little Muffins Help Make Big Changes

My family is taking small steps toward more plant-based foods and less animal product. Here's my weekly column on our progress as flexitarians.

By Sally Smithwick, managing editor

Here’s something to think about! I read a statistic today that jumped off my screen and screamed, “that’s so easy!” An Oxford study says that if we all ate vegan for two-thirds of our meals, still having some animal products in our diets, we could cut food-related greenhouse-gas emissions by 60%!

Okay…it does sound easy, and although eliminating meat from a lot of meals may not seem difficult, you’ve got to also cut milk, cheese, eggs, and all dairy out of the equation. That’s where it gets tricky for us. And on top of it all, I’m not a mom that has a whole lot of time to fit vegan cooking lessons into my schedule. Yes, we try to eat a lot of fresh foods, but I am also on the lookout for products in my supermarket that offer a little balance when it comes to cooking time and just grab-n-go. 

Enter, Abe’s Muffins! These little vegan wonders delighted my whole family and offered a range of options from breakfast to snack to dessert! 

I’ll admit, my kids have begged me for these center-store, packaged muffins by other brands before, and even as laid back as I can be on the rules, I’m afraid of most of them. I see a long list of ingredients on the package that don’t sound like food to me, but sound more like science. And they usually contain milk and eggs. 

When I received Abe’s Muffins in the mail, I expected them to have a cardboard mouthfeel and probably some strange flavor my kids would never accept or have to be force-fed 20 times before they got used to them.  And of course, we don’t force food upon anyone in my house. We encouraging actually “liking” the foods you eat. 

Not only do these little muffins taste wonderful, they are beyond better in flavor than the processed “junk” my kids have asked for before. The ingredient list is recognizable, non-GMO, and there are no common allergens, so that makes them “school-friendly,” which they rightfully tout on the package. AND vegan! Brilliant.

The muffins are available in packages of minis or individually packaged larger muffins. But wait…there’s more. They make pound cakes, like zucchini bread that make a great side item or snack, and a square chocolate cake that might as well happily replace any dessert cake my kids ever had. We also enjoyed the cornbread cake and muffins as a side to chili one night for dinner. Check out their Instagram profile for a cool overview. 

Unfortunately, here in Nashville, TN, there are no stores yet that carry these little wonders that I’d really love to have on hand regularly, BUT I can get them on on Amazon/Whole Foods, so problem solved. And now we've found another way we can cut back on animal products in our diets without sacrificing foods we love. 

As my flexitarian family looks for more ways we can make moves towards more plants and less animal products, I am on the hunt for “WOW” products like this and excited to share them with our readers. If you are a food manufacturer or a consumer that has some ideas for me, please send to sally@supermarketguru.com.