National Frozen Foods Month – Gardein Review/Giveaway

 

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.