Review: Fry's plant-based foods (& quick, healthy meal ideas)

I must admit, I’m a sucker for a fritter, falafel or nugget of any kind! So when these three Fry’s products arrived at my house I was pretty thrilled.

They came complete with a ‘Love Your Heart’ plant-based airfryer recipe book, which I found pretty fitting, given that it’s the month of love (one of my favourite months ever). And then, well, I’m a little obsessed with my airfryer, so this was always going to be a match made in veggie heaven! Seriously though, an airfryer makes everything SO much easier – you don’t heat the whole oven for single portion meals, it is extremely efficient time-wise, and it just makes everything a little CRISPIER.

Convenience is key

For lunch today, I decided to test these babies out: the butternut balls, falafels and rice and chia nuggets. Nothing delights me more than being able to shave some time off meal-prep on a busy day, and I LOVED that these in-and-out-the-oven (or airfryer) foods fed both me and Bella – no making separate food for baby. Quick and healthy! I popped my falafels into a salad with all the trimmings – some cheese and toasted seeds and the like, while Bella enjoyed the nuggets and butternut balls with some crudites and dipping sauce – she loved it!

Great for fussy kids

Anything in fritter form just goes down so well with the kiddies. We’ve been pretty much exhausting every option of finger food with Bella, so these little bite-size nuggets of goodness arrived just in time. I essentially cooked all three sets of goodies from Fry’s, then assembled mine into a salad, while presenting Bella’s to her as a deconstructed salad. She loved it, and it took me about 20 minutes to prepare these healthy meals – how quick! It’s also difficult finding healthy, portable foods to slot into lunchboxes that don’t spoil and aren’t loaded with unhealthy ingredients either. These butternut balls, falafels and nuggets would all be SO well-received by kiddies, and they’d have no idea they’re loaded with veggies and plant protein.

Natural ingredients (for real)

Most packaged foods are so quick to cite ‘all-natural’ on their boxes, so I was impressed to see that what looked like processed food was anything but.  A quick example:

Chickpea and quinoa falafels ingredients list: Chickpeas, sunflower oil, onions, sweetcorn, quinoa, garlic, cumin, coriander, fresh coriander, sea salt, bicarb of soda, parsley, mint, black pepper.

I mean, there isn’t even added salt in there. A lot of their products are strictly vegan, and many are gluten-free as well.

Versatile – one product goes a mile

These little health bombs can also be dropped into the simplest of meals to spice things up. I’ve been adding them into my usual staples for a little veggie and plant-protein bonus:

• Wraps/pitas – packed with slaw, hummus and some feta
• Salads – use all the fresh ingredients in your fridge and top with toasted seeds
• Snack platters – serve with dipping sauces alongside veggie crudites and cheese
• Lunchboxes – cook in bulk and serve these little bites cold in kiddies’ and adults’ lunchboxes
• Snack between meals – I usually reach for carb-heavy snacks if I have nothing else on hand; these make healthy snacking easy and delicious

Support local (and ethical)

Perhaps what is even more important than wonderful flavour and healthy ingredients is the ethical code of this wonderful brand. The Fry’s family care so much about our animals and environment – and they’re local, too. I love this TED talk about finding your ‘why’, and I’m reminded that the Fry’s ‘why’ is just so strong. It’s about a little bit MORE with them than just food – there is a bigger purpose at play, and that’s why I choose their product over others when I’m browsing the frozen section at the shops.

Fry’s has a TON of inspiration and recipes on their website: www.fryfamilyfood.com, and they’re available in the frozen section at most supermarkets.

Have you tried any of their foods? What do you think? I’d love to hear back from you about your favourite quick, healthy meals!