laura_juggles

A big part of the Whole30 is getting you to eat whole, unprocessed foods. Fruit juice used in these recipes is, at most, blended and strained. 
The process to make stevia extract or the white powder we get in those little packets at Starbucks is, well, quite a process. And the resulting product is never just stevia. 
In the majority of Whole30 recipes where fruit juice is used, the juice is both imparting flavor and cutting bitterness with the sugar. Stevia's only purpose is to make things sweet. It's kind of amazing finding out what things actually taste like when your tongue isn't so attuned to sweeteners. 

Coffee at most. 
Those drinks fake you out into feeling like you actually have the energy and then it turns into a vicious cycle of needing them because you're just so dang exhausted. 
Take an extra rest day as an active recovery day as you need it while you're getting yourself weaned off those drinks. 

How about the Journal of Toxicology? 
I'd say it's less of a "carnivore vegan thing" and more of a "science" thing. 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3135239/

That's a situation that will largely depend on the person. If she finds herself making air fried fries at every meal and cooking herself several potatoes' worth of fries, she should step back. If they're an occasional inclusion in a mean, they're basically just roasted potatoes. 

You may want to look at picking up a copy of Food Freedom Forever for some help. I just searched the Whole30 site to find the article about vegan Whole30 and the page was recently updated with this info: 
Vegan Reset: I created a Vegan Reset (starting on page 50 in Food Freedom Forever) to help vegans improve cravings, hormonal balance, digestion, and calm systemic inflammation while still honoring their desire to eliminate all animal products from their diet. It uses many of the same guidelines as the Whole30, but helps vegans choose less commonly problematic plant-based protein sources, and plans a careful reintroduction to help them figure out which protein sources are healthiest for them going forward.

If you know you've been low on salt, add more salt to your diet. Don't just up your water. That's how you give yourself hyponatremia. 

The Impossible meats could possibly be in now...just got an email saying that "most" peas are allowed. 
Peas: Yes.
Green peas, yellow peas, split peas, sugar snap peas, and snow peas are an exception to the “no legume” rule per a rule change in 2020.
Pea Protein: Yes.
100% green or yellow pea protein is acceptable on the program. Pea protein is often used by functional medicine providers since it’s gentle even for sensitive patients (those with GI issues or a host of allergies/intolerances) and is considered a “hypoallergenic” protein source. However, many vegan protein blends also include other grains like rice, and/or have added sugar, sugar alcohol, or artificial sweeteners. Pea proteins that also contain off-plan ingredients are NOT compliant.

The Impossible meats could possibly be in now...just got an email saying that "most" peas are allowed. 
Peas: Yes.
Green peas, yellow peas, split peas, sugar snap peas, and snow peas are an exception to the “no legume” rule per a rule change in 2020.
Pea Protein: Yes.
100% green or yellow pea protein is acceptable on the program. Pea protein is often used by functional medicine providers since it’s gentle even for sensitive patients (those with GI issues or a host of allergies/intolerances) and is considered a “hypoallergenic” protein source. However, many vegan protein blends also include other grains like rice, and/or have added sugar, sugar alcohol, or artificial sweeteners. Pea proteins that also contain off-plan ingredients are NOT compliant.

The Impossible meats could possibly be in now...just got an email saying that "most" peas are allowed. 
Peas: Yes.
Green peas, yellow peas, split peas, sugar snap peas, and snow peas are an exception to the “no legume” rule per a rule change in 2020.
Pea Protein: Yes.
100% green or yellow pea protein is acceptable on the program. Pea protein is often used by functional medicine providers since it’s gentle even for sensitive patients (those with GI issues or a host of allergies/intolerances) and is considered a “hypoallergenic” protein source. However, many vegan protein blends also include other grains like rice, and/or have added sugar, sugar alcohol, or artificial sweeteners. Pea proteins that also contain off-plan ingredients are NOT compliant.

In a pop tart the cinnamon would probably be the only thing that was compliant...

It means that the mushrooms are grown on oats. In the same way that Whole30 leaves it up to individuals if they want to/are able to be selective about what their meat animals are fed, Whole30 evaluated this product and decided that it's okay. It doesn't contain any oats. 

Before you spend much more time stressing about it, call the restaurant. Say that you had a reaction to something in the dressing and you need the list of ingredients. Then you'll know for sure. 
Hummus sounds like an odd thing to put in a dressing. Tahini (which is sesame seed paste), sure...I've put that in my own dressings to make it creamy. 
It's also possible that you've been stressing yourself out over this and gave yourself a headache. So give them a call and find out for sure. 

I think by the fact that you started off looking for a binder and now are trying to figure out a cheesy texture, this might be something you leave off until after your Whole30. 
Nothing anyone suggests is going to that closely mimic the texture of cheese, which is what you're looking for.

As an add-on to my previous post -- it's also possible that your particular body actually needs something that's removed by Whole30. That's another reason why following up the elimination with reintroduction is so very important, because it lets you see the effects... sometimes that's a negative effect like constipation or headache, but sometimes it's actually positive like better bowel movements or improved sleep.
For me, doing Whole30 was all about learning enough to create a sustainable way to move forward in my continued health journey. It's never been about losing weight (despite having plenty to lose), but rather about gaining better health. Unfortunately, there is no one diet that will work for everyone because we don't all have the same body system. The "perfect diet" for each individual will be an entirely individualized thing, and will even vary for that individual if the goal changes.
Although you haven't achieved a great testing environment for the reintroduction, I would still suggest doing one simply so you can see if any of the eliminated food groups help to improve your overall well-being in all of this.

I know quite a few people who follow the paleo lifestyle, rather than using it as a "diet" to lose weight... and none who have chosen it as a weight loss diet.
Whole30 was not created as a weight-loss diet, according Melissa Hartwig Urban herself. If we can't believe the co-creator of the diet on that particular matter, then I'm not sure what we should do.
Weight loss does often occur for those who follow Whole30. Sometimes this is a positive side effect, and for others it's actually bad so they find themselves trying to stuff in more calories to help maintain a healthy weight during the program. This is an elimination diet, plain and simple. For most people, the first round is used to prepare for a reintroduction phase to help determine food sensitivities or other similar issues, which can help them make informed decisions about their diet in the days to come... and eventually many will come back for a "reset" when they feel they've gotten derailed, just to bring themselves back into balance and remind themselves of how much better they feel when eating in a way that promotes better health.
Again, it's entirely possible that there are things that are compliant for Whole30 but don't work for you personally. For me, it's worth knowing things that affect me badly... like how I'm allergic to dairy and that even includes ghee (for me), or that eating 3 meals in a row that include cruciferous vegetables will make me feel like a blimp, or that I can't sleep well if I drink coffee after 3pm. I also have to keep reminding myself to drink water, because I'm really bad about not getting enough... the official suggestion is to drink at least half our weight number in ounces (so for me that'd be just under a gallon per day), so my current goal is to reach that intake before I even do another round -- that way it's already habit, and will be easy to continue  
I truly do hope you find something that works for you, because you deserve to feel good and have a positive self-image.

Rx Bars are emergency food only - like you're unexpectedly stuck in traffic for hours. Pre-workout isn't an emergency

I was going to suggest the same thing @laura_juggles just did. There's absolutely no reason that you must use raw veggies, especially if you're finding that it's difficult on your body. I even make sure I get plenty of green leafy veg by making soups that include spinach or kale (of course with meat and lots of other veggies, too!), which often makes it into a leftovers container for me to reheat the next morning for my breakfast. Roasted veggies are the epitome of easy, though, and I learned during W30 that I actually like the taste of some of them cold, so don't even have to reheat them to enjoy (sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, etc.)... which means they make an excellent addition to Gado Gado, since I generally eat everything cold for that and just heat up my sauce a little before pouring it on.

Toss a big ol' bowl of pretty much whatever veg you want with some oil/ghee and seasonings and chuck it in the oven to roast while you're having dinner. Then you'll have lots of ready-to-go cooked veg. Almost as quick as raw
 

Which option for what is best?

"Whole30 compliant" and "delicious" aren't mutually exclusive.  
Now, if buffalo wings have always been a food without brakes for you, then the recipe may well be SWYPO. But SWYPO is a very personal and subjective thing. 

"Whole30 compliant" and "delicious" aren't mutually exclusive.  
Now, if buffalo wings have always been a food without brakes for you, then the recipe may well be SWYPO. But SWYPO is a very personal and subjective thing. 

I've found that the chicken needs to be *dry* to start. Then give it a toss in some starch...I feel like potato starch may work well here, but arrowroot or one of the other compliant starches could do (hopefully someone else will chime in here! lol). Then into beaten egg, then into seasoned almond meal. It's still occasionally iffy, but usually works. Part of the issue is that in normal chicken tenders, the egg and flour will mush together and make a sort of batter. Almond or coconut meal won't/can't do that. And then we're not deep frying on top of that so it's tough. 

Regardless of the fact that it's none of your business why I don't seek out banana chips, they're in the cereal aisle in my local supermarket. I don't eat cereal, and banana chips aren't a constant presence in my mind, so I rarely buy them. 
I've been here a while, man. Most people who fight against one particular aspect of a rule are fixated on a particular food in a way that's bordering on addiction. Just something to think about. *Why* is it so important to you that you need to keep having your banana chips? 

That is exactly correct.   You are looking for sugar (or a form of it) on the ingredient label, not on the nutritional facts.   The Rao's sauces are really good, and so are the Monte Bene sauces!

If you only read the rules, of which there are 8, you can have quite a successful Whole30 experience. 8 rules. That's it. If you start thinking about those 8 rules overmuch, then it starts to get complicated because you're making it complicated. 
 
The recommendations are just that. Recommendations. They were designed to help people have an even better experience, based on what hundreds and thousands of people have done in the past. But it's not to say that you will "fail" if you don't follow every single recommendation as well. They just help make it better. 

The books give you added information, which you seem to really want. It doesn't mean that the 8 rules are complicated. It just means that you want more information. Perhaps a deeper understanding of why legumes, or grains, or dairy, or whatever are not permitted by the rules. But if you don't care to know why and you just want it simple, then "no legumes, ok, done". 

You ask for more information, repeatedly, and then say that you want the program to be simple. If you want simple - https://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/ the rules are there.