Every now and again the google search terms that direct people to my blog make me giggle:
Can you order cookies in the morning at McDonald’s?
While I am fairly confident that you can order the little box of McDonald’s cookies at breakfast time, if you are going to have a cookie, make it worth it. Go to a bakery. Ask for a black and white or a big sprinkle cookie or a giant chocolate chip.
There. Now I feel I have served my search engine term well.
Anyway, I have wished you a Happy National Nutrition Month a few times now but have neglected to discuss that it is also National Frozen Foods Month. Wow, March is jam-packed with holidays, who knew?
I recently wrote an article for the Girls Gone Sporty Blog regarding healthy options for the freezer:
Click on the image to view the post.
I do my best to cook a fresh meal each day but let’s be real for a minute, there are times when that just isn’t happening or you are short on time and need a little assistance getting your meal together quick.
Let’s talk frozen meatless products today. Even before I became a vegetarian, the meatless products and veggie burgers were always in my shopping cart because they offer a quick and healthy meal option for the nights you don’t feel like cooking up a storm.
I have my routine freezer products from Trader Joe’s, Dr. Praeger’s and a few from Amy’s Organic (must watch the sodium content here!).
I recently received a few free product coupons from the nice people over at Gardein.
I have had Gardein in my freezer in the past, including those delicious chickenless tenders that I am 99.9% positive are the exact same as the Trader Joe’s version.
I spotted a bunch of Gardein products down the freezer aisle that I was eager to taste.
Beefless Crumbles:
Please do not tell my son that the “meat” sauce I made the other night didn’t contain any actual meat.
Also, please leave out of your conversation that our chili was made with Gardein Beefless Crumbles instead of with the actual meat he thought he was eating.
Yeah, these Beefless Crumbles are that good and literally takes a minute to cook or can just be added to whatever else you are already cooking.
Click here to read about the Beefless Crumbles in Hungry Girl’s latest newsletter.
Ultimate Beefless Burger:
Much to my surprise, these Beefless Burgers have such real beef flavor and texture to them (at least to my vegetarian palate) that I find myself craving a burger ever since I had one last week.
This time my son was well aware his burger was beefless (he caught a glimpse of the package when I was getting dinner together) but he agreed to eat it and even asked for another when he was done.
I did his up with some cheese, pickles and ketchup on a toasted English muffin.
These burgers are definitely delicious enough and sturdy enough for a barbeque that I suddenly can’t wait for grilling season to be able to participate in the whole burger-from-the-barbeque thing again.
Meatless Meatballs:
I always have a bag of Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs in our freezer and thought for a brief moment that Gardein’s were going to be the exact same meatball but I was wrong.
The Trader Joe’s meatless meatballs are much smaller with a serving size of six and the above Gardein Meatless Meatballs are much bigger and denser with a serving size of two.
Two doesn’t sound like much but they are pretty large and very decent in their nutritional content that you can afford to have more than just two.
Meatballs hidden in a plate loaded with vegetable lasagna-type bake.
At first bite, I couldn’t decide which meatless meatball I preferred. I originally thought that I preferred the Trader Joe’s taste and texture but by the end of the meal, I wasn’t so sure.
Since I never really focus on calories, I would rather point out to you that the products from Gardein that I tried contain a minimal list of ingredients of all things we can pronounce and recognize. It appears from the foods I have tried and the others I have viewed on their site that they are Vegan, contain non-GMO soy and some (not all) are gluten-free.
I will tell you though that if you do in fact watch calorie counts, the calories in these products were definitely within an acceptable range and, if you are choosing meatless products over actual meat, you are saving a ton in the calorie (and fat) department.
Giveaway:
The generous people over at Gardein sent me a bunch of product coupons and I want to share with you this morning.
Just leave a comment on today’s post telling me which Gardein products you wish to try or have already tried.
One person will be chosen at random to receive:
One (1) free product coupon plus Three (3) $1 dollar off coupons for Gardein Products
I will announce the giveaway winner on Thursday!
*******************************
Name three products currently in your freezer?
Do you buy meatless products?
Favorite bakery cookie?
****I was sent a couple of free product coupons but was not compensated in any other way for this post. All thoughts, opinions and reviews expressed in this post are my own.
The Cookie ChRUNicles 
I don’t know how to see what people google to stumble upon my site! It’d probably be some whining about running… Naturally! I used to buy Boca veggie crumbles and my boyfriend thought they were sausage pieces when i used them in an omelet for him! HA! FOOLED! Much like the way you fool your kid! 🙂 Love it! I’d try any of these things – sometimes when a craving for a burger hits, I hate the fact that I can’t have one! Not really, cuz then I’d just stop being vegetarian, but you get it. 🙂 Have a good Tuesday!
You should be able to see some of the terms on the main site stats page in wordpress…
I don’t buy meatless products very often, but my fiance likes them! He’s mostly vegetarian, too. We do eat a lot of veggie burgers! 🙂
I don’t buy meatless products often but I do try to keep some in the freezer for emergencies and random meal choices.
I’m vegan, and I love the chicken tenders!
Aren’t those chickenless tenders amazing? My son adores them and always says, “I don’t care if these are real chicken or made without chicken – they are my favorite”.
Frozen food is my life! I don’t know WHAT I would do without it!!! 🙂 You should see my freezer, it’s packed to the gills. Makes me fridge sound like a fish actually, but the works adjective quite well actually because I have a lot of fish in there, LOL!
My freezer is so embarrassingly full that even when I try to organize it, it still appears as a overloaded mess.
I would like to try the burger.
Hey Kelly – did you see today’s post? You won the coupons! Email me so I can get your information!
I think the meatballs would be interesting to try! I love real meatballs but don’t like that I don’t know what’s in the ones my college’s cafeteria serves
I would love to try the chicken tenders. I used to buy the meatless chicken nuggets at trader joes all the time but they stopped selling them 😦
I’d love to try their meatballs!
I’d love to try those beefless crumbles and see if it “meats” my meat expectations 😉
I would love to try the burgers or the chicken tenders!
I’m not a huge fake meat buyer, but this company does look intriguing, and I always trust your judgement!
In my freezer currently, oh dear… A lean cuisine that needs to be tossed pronto and some stale tater tots…
Toss the Lean Cuisine and try one of these Gardein meatless products. I totally hear you on the fake meat thing – I avoid most of them and the ones I do buy, I don’t eat often. The few Gardein that I have bought though taste good and have a minimal ingredient list.
I love the meatless tenders! I would love to try the meatless meatballs though!
I love the gardien chicken never seen the meatballs but they look awesome 🙂
They are pretty good!
I’ve tried the crispy “chicken” tenders and really loved them on salads! Whatever seasons are on those thing definitely work!
Aren’t they amazing? Never met anyone who didn’t love them.
I just bought the breaded tenders and the unbreaded orange chicken style; I like how the unbreaded chicken isn’t seasoned so you can flavor em up however you want and use them in a variety of ways. Still figuring the product out, love how easy it is to pop in a few and make a quick meal after a 12 hour shift if I’m feeling too sleepy/hungry to make a full meal.
I have tried that orange chicken as well and loved that the sauce packet came on the side. I used it once and then tried the chicken without the sauce. SO versatile.
Yeah I just was at TJs and no surprise they do seem so so similar, but wasn’t sure and bought some rice noodles and bulghur prepared food instead… I certainly like this post and have to go make a burger now!!!!
Yep, they are definitely the same product.