The ZENB Challenge: Getting Creative with Veggies
We were recently challenged by ZENB to get more creative with our veggies and use their products to jazz up our favourite dishes and snacks. ZENB products are very flavoursome, and are available in four different varieties Beetroot, Pumpkin, Carrot and Red Pepper. ZENB only use organic quality ingredients and although its mainly about the vegetables the Veggie Sticks also contain puffed brown rice, red quinoa, and almonds to enhance the flavour of the vegetables.
We enjoy getting outdoors as a family, but my boys always pester me for snacks on our long walks. ZENB Veggie Sticks are a source of dietary fibre and full of flavour. So hopefully by having these on me, they are less inclined to hound me for sugary snacks!
I like how convenient these bars are. Usually for picnics I try and cut up pepper or cucumber to bring with us, but if I am in a rush sadly the vegetable component of the picnic gets overlooked and I just throw in an apple. With ZENB Veggie Sticks it’s much simpler to quickly pack some in to bring along – knowing the boys will have something savoury to snack on that they’ll enjoy.
Raising awareness around food waste
The products are a source of fibre because they use whole vegetables (skin, seeds, and stem), so you can enjoy as much flavour as possible. It also allows the brand to raise awareness around issues of food waste, which is a good thing for us all and the planet as a whole. I think it is one of the main reasons I am happy to get behind this brand. We all need to do our bit to work towards a sustainable future.
I am also glad that these Veggie Sticks include no artificial flavours or preservatives and are gluten free. My sister in law follows a gluten free diet and finds her snacking choices very restricted. So I am sure she will be pleased to read this!
ZENB are ideal, as I previously mentioned, for snacks and picnics. But they are also much more adaptable than just that. So, as part of the #ZENBChallenge we have been using them in lots of different ways…
Red Pepper And Sweet Potato Soup
The Red pepper ZENB Veggie Sticks made fantastic croutons, a crunch, and a satisfying chew. They added texture and substance to our lunch. Rather than reaching for bread we were happy adding even more vegetables to our soup. Bread is full of carbs and low in vitamins and minerals so I’m glad I made the switch to ZENB Veggie Stick croutons, which are more flavoursome. A lunch of homemade vegetable soup and Veggie Sticks adds a bit of excitement to my lunchtime compared to my usual turkey sandwich! We have a Cuisinart Soup Maker which makes it simple to have great soup!
Carrot and Orange Smoothie
Lots of recipes recommended using oats. But we swapped that out for a Carrot ZENB Veggie Stick instead. This smoothie gives you plenty of vitamin C with all the carrots and oranges so will give you a much-needed boost before setting off to work or school. We used two oranges, two carrots, some ginger and a versatile ZENB bar to add extra flavour! It smelt gorgeous and I loved the taste.
Pumpkin Porridge
My husband likes porridge, however instant porridge can have a lot of sugar. So, he made some from scratch and crumbled one of the Pumpkin Veggie Sticks in with it, as it had nutmeg and cinnamon in it too. It was so tasty he didn’t reach for the syrup. Instead he also added some diced apple which teamed nicely with the pumpkin flavour.
Salad Toppings
We liked crumbling the Beetroot Veggie Stick onto our salad, it was bursting with flavour so we didn’t reach for salad dressing or overdo it with cheese as we normally would. It gave the salad a welcome crunch too.
The ZENB weekly challenge has seen us make a variety of positive changes to our snacking habits, which has been great. We are starting to make much better meal choices too. ZENB have given us the nudge we needed to get more out of vegetables. I definitely feel motivated to keep using the ZENB Veggie Sticks in my recipes!
Now that ZENB has launched in the UK you can order their Veggie Sticks online to be delivered to your door. Just head over to the website: https://zenb.co.uk/
Such gorgeous images!!!!!!
I quite like the concept of the bars, I too absolutely hate food wastage. I even go as far as crisping cauliflower leaves with some salt, just so I do not waste them. However, they are lovely to crunch on!
They seem great to have as a snack on the go and you certainly wouldn’t feel guilty about having more than one!
Sim x
These are all wonderful, I like the the concept of them too! Better than food waste for sure. These are great snacks.
These sound like a great way of ensuring everyone gets some veggies when out and about as a snack but I also love that you can use them creatively in things such as smoothies and porridge. What a wonderful idea.
Food wastage is a big issue that we could all work together to combat. I am loving Zenb and what they stand for, need to try out these veggie sticks
These sound like interesting snacks. We often do long walks and I tend to take nuts as a good source of nutrition, but would be happy to try these
Zenb sounds like the perfect snacks with some really tasty flavours. Being a vegetarian I am always looking for healthy veggie friendly snacks and these sound perfect.
What a fantastic idea to include these bars into everyday healthy meals. I have not come across a veg themed bar as it is normally fruit but I am really keen to try this now.
I love the ideas you’ve given to put the bars into everyday meals, real good ideas!
I love that these look like tasty snacks but you can also include them at mealtimes too
Oh these sound delicious and super good for you. I love anything carrot and the carrot one sounds delish
Great idea for packed lunches I love the idea of using them in regular meals too. The beetroot one will be the first on my list. May I ask did you notice if the packaging was bio degradable I couldn’t see on their website?
These sound like great snack bars. Would have never thought to actually add them to meals. Great post.
I’ve got these bars and they’re great-gluten-free too!
These sound like great snack bars, as I’m definitely guilty of reaching for chocolate when I should have something healthy.
Good way to provide some variety for handy snacks for outdoors.
Brilliant. Excellent products and ideas.