Veggie Fries ~ Now at Stop & Shop and Other Local Retailers!

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Veggie Fries. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. All opinions and reviews are my own.

A working mom and dad combined with a picky-eating preschooler means dinner times around here can get a little mundane. We tend to eat the same meals weekly without much change. My daughter has her favorites and she usually sticks to those - regardless of what else I've chosen to prepare. Meals for her typically include chicken tenders, french fries, pizza, fresh fruit, cereal, grilled cheese, or peanut butter. I try to provide those favorite foods in the healthiest ways possible - I prefer to use high quality brands, fresh ingredients, and go homemade when possible. Sadly, you don't see veggies on that list, do you? That's because my picky eater is not a huge fan of veggies. She likes corn-on-the-cob and corn-from-the-can and that's about it... unless you count the french fries made from potatoes?

Despite the pickiness of eating habits in our home, I prefer to add some variety whenever I can. That's one of the reasons why I was so excited to be asked to try a new "french fries" option - and the fact that this new option provided those vegetables that we've been so desperately lacking was the icing on the cake!

Veggie Fries are a better-for-you frozen food option that makes cooking a nutritious meal for your family less of a hassle. They provide a fun and yummy way of teaching kids - and adults - that vegetables are versatile, good for you, and can be just as delicious as some of their not so healthy favorite foods.

So, we headed to our local Stop & Shop, picked up both varieties of Veggie Fries that are available there - Carrots and Broccoli - and put them to the test.

Veggies Fries passed the convenience test with flying colors. Not surprisingly, it was super easy for me to pull these out of the freezer, throw some on a baking sheet, and pull them out of the oven a few minutes later, ready to eat. Much easier than slicing, preparing, and baking or frying my own homemade french fries. Needless to say, clean-up was a breeze as well.

Veggie Fries also passed the health and nutrition test with flying colors. I felt great serving these to my family! Veggie Fries came to be when the founders, Dave and Cristina Peters, had a family like mine, that loved french fries - but they wanted a healthier option. They wanted to create something that still tasted delicious, but added some of that bonus vegetable nutrition. Veggies Fries are made with all natural, non-GMO ingredients and are gluten-free. They are vegan and are soy-free, dairy-free, tree nut-free, peanut-free, and egg-free. They include not one, but TWO servings of vegetables per serving, and provide a good source of fiber, an excellent source of vitamins A and C, provide 3+ grams of protein per serving and are low in sodium. They are full of farm-grown veggies, legumes, herbs, and spices, and are made with real potatoes sourced within the U.S. Vegetables are really lacking in my daughter's diet, so the possibility of getting her to eat two servings of veggies in one serving of fries, is nothing short of amazing.

I guess the taste test is the only test left. The grown-ups in our family liked Veggie Fries, but we found them to be a tough sell to our picky-eating, non-Veggie-loving preschooler. We really could taste the vegetables inside (which is only a bad thing if you don't like them!). The potatoes tasted fresh - and it was great to actually be able to taste them instead of just the combined salt and oil flavors of typical french fries. Although I like carrots, I'm not a huge fan of carrot flavored foods (other than cake...), so although I did like the carrot flavored Veggie Fries, the broccoli flavored were my favorite. I found them to be delicious and the confidence you feel eating something healthy can't be beat. My daughter ate only a couple - she didn't complain, but chose not to eat more. When I asked for her review of them for this write-up, she responded, "I really liked the color of the carrot ones."

Will I serve Veggie Fries again? For the grown-ups, yes! For the whole family, maybe! Will I try the two different flavors available at other retailers? Definitely yes!

Veggie Fries come in four yummy varieties:

• Broccoli
• Carrot
• Chickpea & Red Pepper
• Tuscan Bean & Herb

Like I mentioned, I picked up Veggie Fries in my local Stop & Shop where just this past April they launched both the Broccoli and Carrot flavors.

To give you a chance to try them out, Stop & Shop and Veggie Fries are offering a special promotion from May 15 - June 11 where shoppers will receive $0.50 off their Veggie Fries purchases!

Other varieties may be found at select retailers nationwide including Wegmans, Whole Foods, Shaws/Star Market, Roche Brothers/Sudbury Farms, Big Y, King Kullen, Dierberg's, Schnucks, Lunds/Byerly's, Earth Fare, Earth Origins, Fairway Markets, Mrs. Green's, Andronico's, Nugget Markets, Mollie Stones, Lunardi's, Olivers, Lucky's, Alfalfa's, Harriss Teeter, The Fresh Market and other leading supermarkets and natural food stores. Bottom line is you just might find Veggie Fries in a store near YOU!

Visit Veggie Fries online at the links below or simply search the hashtag #VeggieFries on your favorite social media channel!

Website: http://eatveggiefries.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/veggiefries

Twitter: @EatVeggieFries

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/vegfries/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/veggiefries