New vegan Meatless Products at Kroger

With all of the cooking that I do, I am at the grocery store at least 5 times a week. As much as I love Whole Foods, sometimes I just can't make it there. I am so lucky to have an amazing Kroger near my house that carries so many organic and vegan selections!

For those of you that don't shop at Kroger, they have come out with a line of products called Simple Truth and Simple Truth Organic . They are high quality and taste great! You can get organic canned beans, tomato sauce, corn, cereal, peanut butter and so much more, and they are priced very good!

Recently I discovered that they are carrying several Meatless Faux Meat options!

We don't eat these types of products very often since we try and stick to a more whole foods plant based way of eating, but I wanted to share this! These products can be a great transition food for people that are just starting a plant based diet. So many of the frozen faux meats have egg whites in them, so I carefully read the label and discovered that these are VEGAN!!! I am not sure why they didn't put vegan on the package, but from reading the ingredients, I don't see anything that is not vegan.

Meatless Patties

I purchased the Meatless Crispy Tenders since my teenage daughter loves the meatless chicken nuggets.

I cooked a few in the toaster oven to see how they taste, and I must say that they are the BEST I have ever eaten. They got crispy on the outside and the texture was very good. Sometimes these kinds of products can be very rubbery, but these are not that way. Honestly if you didn't know any better, you would think you were eating a chicken strip! I have not tried any of the others, but if they are anything like these, I am sure they are delicious.


I hope that people support them in their efforts to provide meatless and organic products so they will continue to carry them. I still love my Whole Foods and will continue to shop there, but it is so nice to be able to get great items at your local grocery store!

Opportunity to share in the bounty of our Organic Garden

Today has been a very busy day of planning this years organic garden. Not only are we doubling the size from last year, but we are also planting a separate garden just for the watermelon and cantaloupe. We had so much watermelon last year, that it even traveled into the neighbors yard. I made watermelon popsicles, ice cream, salsa and we gave everyone that came to our house one!

After our field trip to Marshall Grain, we realized that bigger also means more money!! Last year we spent about $50.00 on plants and seeds, and with all of the improvements as well as the size we are looking at between $200-$300 dollars.

The Texas heat is brutal, so we are putting up a cover so that the plants will get the morning and early afternoon sun, but won't be baking in the hot afternoons.  A small fence will be put around it so the dogs aren't able to get in the garden and help themselves to the veggies! And we are adding a small compost area.

We will be following the Dirt Doctor's guidelines for soil preparation as well as the monthly maintenance he recommends. Last year we just tilled the space, planted, weeded and watered and prayed that it will all work out. The garden was very bountiful, but with the knowledge we have gained over the fall researching and reading everything our good friend Lisa posts, we now know how to make it even better!

My husband is working on the spreadsheet right now for the 800 square foot space we are creating, and he just informed me that there is room for 60 plants!!!

The plants need to get into the ground very soon based on the planting calendar. We will be tilling and preparing the soil this week and hope to start planting next week.


Last year we had so much produce that even after using it for my clients in my personal chef business, we ended up giving it away!!  To help offset the cost, I am creating a shared garden plan that would be available for 6 local people.

Here is how it would work:

• One time love offering of $55.00
• We do all of the work :)
• Each time we pick veggies it would be split into 6 shares
• I will email you and you can pick it up

Since we are just the home gardeners, it would not be like a food co op with pre set pick up dates. We would be relying on Mother Nature to determine when and how much!!

Here is a list of what we are planting (as of now)

• Tomatoes (cherry, roma and pear)
• Bell Peppers
• Jalapenos
• Banana Peppers
• Squash
• Zucchini
• Eggplant
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Radishes
• Watermelon
• Cantaloupe
• Pumpkin
• Snap Peas, Pole Peas

Last years bounty.....The giant veggie on the right is a zucchini!

I would love to have you share in this journey of home grown organic food with us. I will also provide recipes for the veggies that are in season! If you are interested, send me an email to regina@passionatevegan.com and I can send you a pay pal link! 

Just a days worth of picking