With 2012 drawing to a close, I’m beginning to reflect on the goals that I set in January for my Day Zero Project. Being healthier was, and still is, a focus of mine. One way that I’ve been focusing on my health is by increasing the amount of vegetables that I eat. You may agree that eating broccoli, spinach, and zucchini can get a little boring; and can be a challenge to convince your toddler and meat-loving husband to eat every day.

Imagine my excitement when I discovered the Veggie Patch product line. Veggie Patch offers a variety of delicious alternatives to plain vegetables that kids and parents can enjoy together! All Veggie patch products are made from real vegetables, and are free of trans fats, GMO ingredients and MSG!

National Vegetarian Awareness Month

For more than two decades I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian. If you’re not familiar, a lacto-ovo vegetarian consumes dairy products and eggs (hello brownies!). At that time, the market for meatless options was smaller than it is now and great products from companies like Veggie Patch weren’t readily available in my area. Growing bored with my choices, I began to introduce seafood (like Lobster Mac and Cheese) and poultry into my diet.

During National Vegetarian Awareness Month, consider adding a Veggie Patch meat alternative to your weekly meal plan. Your family will enjoy the variety of options – like Ultimate Meatless Burger, Chick’n Nuggets and Mini Corn Dogs. Serve any of these delicious choices with a green salad or homemade sweet potato “fries” for a quick, easy, and healthy meal.

More about Veggie Patch

I do prepare meatless meals for my family, remember that great Vegetarian lasagna we have a few weeks ago? Including vegetarian meals is beneficial to our overall health, vegetarian meals are often leaner and provide a significant amount of protein. Having convenient vegetarian foods and snacks is important for our busy family and Veggie Patch provides us with those.

• Veggie Patch Falafel Chickpea Balls contain more than 3/4 of a serving of vegetables
• Veggie Patch Spinach Nuggets and Zucchini Sticks each contain more than 1/2 serving of vegetables
• Veggie patch Broccoli Bites with Cheese, Spinach Bites with Cheese and Mediterranean Chickpea Patties each contain at least 1/3 serving of vegetables

A great thing about Veggie Patch products, is that you can use them in recipes! I am excited to try the Broccoli Bites Quiche and the Meatless Meatball Sub.  You can find a variety of recipes for main dishes, snacks and kids on the Veggie Patch recipe page.

Remember, if you’re looking to add another serving of vegetables or are looking to find a kid-friendly snack, Veggie Patch foods can help! Check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Veggie Patch. I received product coupons and a promotional item to thank me for participating.