I'm kind of nosy. I have no problem admitting that. When in line at the grocery store checkout, I
can't help but peek at the person's stash ahead of me. Good thing I did, because I never would have thought to try this Annie's Organic Vegan Shells & Creamy Sauce [1].

She had two boxes, so I figured it can't be that bad. I didn't get my hopes up. I've tried vegan mac and cheese before, packaged and at restaurants, and they're just not like I remember. Most are made with nutritional yeast [2], which I don't care for, but this Annie's version is made with pumpkin and sweet potato — talk about perfect Fall comfort food!

The verdict? It's amazingly creamy and looks and tastes like boxed mac and cheese [3]! It definitely doesn't have that sharp cheesy flavor but is rather mild and pleasantly sweet. The best part? My kids loved it! They asked for more! Now instead of making my own homemade dairy-free mac and cheese [4] (which is pretty damn good!), in a pinch I can whip up this, throw in some broccoli florets, and be #momoftheyear.

I made mine with Silk Organic Unsweetened Soy Milk and a little Olive Oil Earth Balance [5]. One serving is 210 calories and offers two grams of fiber and seven grams of protein. Like most packaged food, this isn't the healthiest thing on the planet, but it sure is comfort in a box!

On a side note, after crying happy tears into my bowl, I went back to the store to buy more, but they were sold out. I cried again, this time sad, sad tears. When it was restocked the following week, I bought them all! OK, it was only two boxes because apparently every vegan [6] in my town knows how damn good this tastes, but the point is, it's delicious, so stock up.