THRIVE Taco TVP

First off, what the heck is TVP? 

TVP stands for Textured Vegetable Product.  Basically, this means it is made of soy product textured to appear like beef.  This particular THRIVE TVP item is seasoned with taco seasonings, making it a great and quick! addition to a variety of Mexican-inspired dishes!

I'm a visual person, so I took a picture of the product in the can to show you.

The product can be eaten right out of the can.  (I know, because I tried ;)).  I don't recommend it, though!  It's pretty high in sodium straight out of the can.  Once prepared, the water dilutes the sodium content.

THRIVE Taco TVP is vegetarian and it is also Certified Gluten-Free!  My family doesn't have concerns about either of those, but I have many wonderful friends who do have concerns about one of the other, so it's always nice to find something that will work for them!

So why did I decide to try THRIVE Taco TVP?  For a couple of reasons, actually.  One is the ever-increasing price of beef.  Sigh.  In our household (mostly due to me...) we mainly eat beef and chicken.  Sometimes some pork (which is actually increasing since I now have THRIVE Sausage Crumbles in my home store!), but mainly beef and chicken.  So as I noticed the price of beef going up, I was noticing our grocery budget taking a bit of a hit.  Plus, my husband and I have talked about efforts to decrease our meat intake.  Not to do away with it entirely; but to have more meatless meals.  We feel this can be beneficial to our family's overall health.  And, of course, having some meatless meals will also help lower the cost of our meals as well.  So I decided to try out our first TVP product through THRIVE.  I wasn't brave enough to just try the beef or chicken, though ;).  I felt like I would know how to use the THRIVE Taco TVP, though.  It would be a great way for me to introduce TVP to  my family!  This means our meals can be cheaper and we are consuming a little less meat for a healthier lifestyle!

Preparing the THRIVE Taco TVP is super simple.  You use 2 parts water to 1 part THRIVE Taco TVP.  For our family, I usually use 1 cup of the THRIVE Taco TVP and 2 cups of water.  I bring the water to boil in a skillet, add the TVP, allow it to simmer 2 minutes, and then remove from the heat.  I generally find that most or all of the water is absorbed into the product, but if it is too moist for you, simply drain it before adding it to your dish!

Last night we used our THRIVE Taco TVP for taco salad.  I personally really enjoyed it.  I didn't feel like I was missing out by not having ground beef in my taco salad.  My husband said he could tell it "wasn't the same" but that it wasn't bad.  He completely supports my substituting THRIVE Taco TVP sometimes, so I plan to use the THRIVE Taco TVP frequently for our taco salads in the future.  Taco Salad is one of our "go-to" menu items, so this will be handy!

And, it turns out the THRIVE Taco TVP comes with another bonus too!  Not only is it helping us cut costs by allowing us to purchase less beef and helping us eat more meatless than before...  It also takes less time and effort to prepare!  The preparation is quick and painless, and there is no splatter of grease from browning the meat.  There's also no need to remember to thaw the beef, if your beef is in the freezer :).  So definitely an additional perk for me!

I am really pleased with our purchase of THRIVE Taco TVP.  It has been a great addition to our home store on so many levels.  I have used it as well in a Beef Enchilada Bake, and I will post that recipe at a later date.  Basically, I see THRIVE Taco TVP being a part of our home store for a long time to help us have the proteins we need for our family for the long-term -- and the short-term!

Are you interested in trying THRIVE Taco TVP?  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com to place your order today!