When Convenience and Healthy Collide

This is how it went down. The kids and I were shopping at Costco. We hadn’t had lunch yet, but it didn’t matter because nearly every aisle offered a new sample to help satisfy our rumbling stomachs. You could skip lunch and be satisfied from a trip to Costco. And that was happening.

We turned one corner and the kids spotted something that they consider the holy grail of Costco samples:  chocolate.

“Look, Luke!” Meghan called. “There’s something chocolate up there!”

Four eyes were on me, pleading.

“Go ahead,” I answered their unspoken question.

The something turned out to be Garden Lites® Chocolate Muffins.

“Mmmmmmm!” said Luke.

“These are so good,” agreed Meghan.

I did a quick scan of the box: Gluten-free. Dairy-free. Nut-free. #1 ingredient? Zucchini. #2 ingredient? Carrots. Other ingredients included brown rice flour, oat flour, and ground flaxseed meal. Sold.

The box made its way into our cart and back home to our freezer. We’ve been hooked ever since.

It was serendipitous when Garden Lites contacted me to write a post for them. Their chocolate muffins had already made their way into our hearts.

Once upon a time, convenience foods were akin to junk. You couldn’t find a quick, convenient option that was also healthy. Times, my friends, they are a changin’. You all know one of my biggest priorities when it comes to my kids’ diets is for them to eat as many vegetables as they can. I offer them fresh vegetables on the daily. Having extra vegetables in their muffins is just icing on the cake. Or in this case, the chocolate muffin.

In an ideal world, I’d make everything that passes my precious children’s lips from scratch. In an ideal world, I’d also wake up everyday at the beach and eat pizza with no consequences. In reality, though, I make as much food from scratch as I can manage in any given week, and rely on healthy convenience foods like these Garden Lites Chocolate Muffins to fill in the gaps. Vegetables are always one of the first three ingredients in all of Garden Lites products. This is a company after my own heart. They know how to make healthy food taste delicious. My kids care about taste; I care about nutrition. Nothing is sacrificed here as these muffins deliver on both counts.

These muffins are not just beloved by my kids. My husband Tim and I are also huge fans. Tim often eats them for breakfast and they make a great between-meal snack for me when I’m rushing around, picking up kids. We first discovered these muffins at Costco, but you can check right here to find out where you can find them in your area. You can also follow Garden Lites on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to keep in the loop on new products and specials.

If you’re looking for a healthy and convenient breakfast or snack option for those days when you just don’t have the time for something homemade, Garden Lites products are perfect. Check them out and let me know what you think!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Garden Lites. The opinions and text are all mine.