What Do You Do With TVP?

I figured we ought to wrap up our first month of "What the Heck Wednesday" by tackling a product that just might scare the bejezus out of a few of you: TVP. You may have heard of this stuff a few decades ago, but technology has brought TVP a long, long way. I promise, there is nothing scary here at all.

TVP stands for Textured Vegetable Protein. If you have ever sprinkled bacon bits on your salad or eaten a taco at a fast food restaurant, there is a very good chance that you ate TVP and didn't even know it. TVP is produced from soy flour after the oil has been extracted. It is an excellent source of protein and fiber, magnesium, amino acids and calcium, and is shelf stable for quite a long time if stored properly. Because TVP contains absolutely no meat products or meat by products, there is no risk of the types of food poisoning traditionally associated with meat sources. Let's take a look at a few cost comparisons (all #10 cans):

Thrive Freeze Dried Chicken: $34.89
Thrive Chicken TVP: $10.89

Thrive Freeze Dried Ground Beef: $41.59
Thrive Beef TVP: $11.89

Thrive Sausage Crumbles: $40.79
Thrive Sausage TVP: $12.69

Pretty significant savings to be had here! Other Thrive TVP flavors include ham, taco, sloppy joe and bacon. If you are concerned that your family won't like the flavor or texture of the TVP, try mixing it with regular meat. For example, mix our Freeze Dried Ground Beef with the Beef TVP when making a skillet dish, or mix the Sausage Crumbles with Sausage TVP in a breakfast casserole. This will stretch your more expensive products while adding fiber and essential nutrients to your meals. Chances are, no one will notice the difference.