We have 5 different ‘colours’ or ‘flavours’ of Veg Blocks. Eat flavour has gone through rigorous R&D testing to find that balance of flavour, with no single overpowering vegetable, and subtle enough that it can either disappear in any dish you make (i.e. use it as hidden veg), or use it as a bulker to your soup, sauces, curries, etc.
At the moment, we have Red, Orange, Beige, Green and Rainbow.
Beige was a funny one to come up with, it wasn’t originally in the plans. But as my toddler grew out his phase of being an absolute champ and eating everything (he had the most sophisticated palette when he was 2 years old!), he then decided to turn 3. That’s when I finally realised kid’s desire for ‘bland’. Hence, the Beige Veg Block was born. It’s obviously still vegetable, but it’s easy hidden veg in those plain pasta and cheese type of dishes.
Red and Orange are probably my favourite to use. They have such vibrant colours that you can do a lot with them. I love using these in my pasta and pizza sauces – they’re completely invisible, and the slightly sweeter Orange Block adds a really nice taste.
The Rainbow Block is the one where I really wanted to embrace the ‘eating the rainbow’. When I was at uni studying a Bachelor of Food Technology and Nutrition, we learnt that we should aim to eat 40 different foods per day to achieve a balanced diet. This means if you counted every ingredient in a meal, excluding spices, seasoning, and fats, that’s how many ‘foods’ you’ve eaten. For example, a lasagna could have 20+ foods: flour, eggs, tomato, garlic, onion, mince, parsley, oregano…….I won’t list them all out, but that there is already 8 different foods. Anyway, my point is, that by simply adding one block of Rainbow to a meal, you’re contributing 20 different foods! This one is pretty much hidden veg on steroids!
Lastly is the Green Block. I probably don’t use this one as much as I should. It packs a punch regarding its vitamin and mineral content. And if you’re cooking a dish with a deep colour (like soup or pasta sauce), it hides really well.
If you’ve read much of my other stuff on this website, you’ll know that I’m an advocate for minimally processed foods. That’s why the Veg Blocks are prepared in a way that doesn’t lose any nutrients, and is really only a ‘processed’ food in the most literal definition – that’s it has been cooked, and is no longer a fresh vegetable. I’m proud to say that the Veg Blocks are 100% pure vegetable with absolutely zero nasties. That means, no preservatives, no additives, no added sugar, no fillers, no nothing….they’re just veg. In fact, I reduce the water content by 10% (just the naturally occurring water from the vegetables), to provide a thicker and more convenient product to you.
I’m in that stage of life, with two little kids, where we’re always trying to get veg in the kids. We’re also generally struggling with the monotony of life, and sometimes we just can’t be bothered cooking. But using the Veg Blocks has meant we can feed our kids guilt free on those lazy nights. Nevertheless, the Veg Blocks really are for anyone. If you’re a young professional trying to stay healthy while working long hours; a carer of a loved one (maybe an elderly parent for example, who has lost their appetite for savoury foods); a fitness enthusiast counting their macros and micros!!; and environmentally conscious, trying to reduce food waste – whoever you are, I hope you enjoy the inaugural product of 5+ Foods (teaser – yes, we plan on expanding the range in the future!)