We are all looking for ways to make our meals healthier for our families, right?  Searching for things to keep those calorie counts lower, but still tasting great.  Many families are embracing at least one “meatless” night a week also.  Well, Harmony Valley Foods  is here to help with all of those dilemmas!

Harmony Valley Foods is a Vegetarian food company, that makes mixes to replace hamburger or sausage in your favorite dishes.  You still get the same great texture and “feel” of the meats, along with some really nice flavor, but less fat, and it’s all VEGETARIAN!  You can use it in so many ways – breakfast burritos or quiches, nachos, meatballs, sliders, stuffed peppers, lasagna, …and the list goes on and on.  Their website has loads of recipes to make with the products too.

Not only are they a vegetarian food company, but they are also environmentally responsible as well!  Our family really appreciates when a company can say that too.  They manufacture their products in an energy efficiant factory using wind power.  Their products are also shelf stable and need no refrigeration, so no power is needed to preserve them after production!

We received a package of the “hamburger” mix to try here at home.  I will be honest, I was skeptical at first.  How could this taste like hamburger?  I wasn’t even telling my picky family members either, or I’d have been eating it all by myself.  So, I decided to be brave, and try it in one of our favorite hamburger dishes – “nacho chips and cheese”. (Basically, it’s taco meat & cheese, on tortilla chips.)  Seemed like a good choice.  First, you have to hydrate the mix with water, and let it sit in the fridge for 15 minutes. (Try hiding THAT from the family!)  Then you just work it together like regular hamburger.

It was very easy to mix, and did resemble hamburger when it was mixed up.   I was beginning to think I’d get it all done without a hitch – and I was right.  My family never suspected a thing.  I don’t know if it was because I was expecting a different taste, or what, but I could notice just the slightest difference, but really, not bad at all.  Like I said, no one else even noticed at all – so in any recipe you make, this product would work just wonderfully.  Who wouldn’t love something that makes your meal healthier (less fat & cholesterol!) and still tastes great?

Where can you get these?  They are sold at Whole Foods markets and a few others.  You can check their online “Where to Buy” page to find a store near you, or you can order online from that page as well.  A single package online is $3.99 or you can get a 6 pack for $22.75.

Now, to make them even more dear to your hearts  they are offering for one of our readers to receive a package with both of their mixes – one “hamburger” and one “sausage” mix!

REQUIRED COMMENT: Visit Harmony Valley Foods  and come back to tell us which recipe you would most like to try.

BONUS #1: Follow @momof3boys3702  and @HarmonyValley  on Twitter and RT this contest. The easiest way to retweet is to simply click the green ReTweet on the top right of this post. YOU MAY TWEET ONCE DAILY!

BONUS #2: Like 3 Boys and a Dog  and Harmony Valley Vegetarian Mix on FaceBook then share this post by clicking the FaceBook share button at the bottom of this post.

Other bonus entries:

#1: Spread the word about this review by: email, forums, blogging, Digg, or putting the link in a meme. (one entry per thing done).

#2: Follow the 3 Boys and a Dog blog.

#3: Subscribe to the 3 Boys and a Dog RSS feed.

#4: Put the 3 boys and a Dog button on your blog.

#5: Leave a comment on any other post (excluding giveaways!) Be sure to leave a comment here saying which post.

#6: Vote for 3 Boys and a Dog at Picket Fence by clicking the button on the sidebar. Be sure to leave a comment saying you did! YOU MAY VOTE ONCE DAILY!

CONTEST ENDS AT: midnight on September 14, 2011.

OPEN TO: USA

*DISCLAIMER: I was sent the Vegetarian Hamburger Mix to help facilitate my review. Any opinions stated are strictly my own.*