My husband and I opt for home-cooked meals whenever it’s feasible. But there are some nights, when he comes home late or I’ve had a busy day with the kids, that just don’t feel like cooking. Since eating out is expensive (particularly since we only eat out at quality restaurants) we try to reserve this for special occasions where we can splurge. The alternative is some type of prepared meal.
We don’t usually eat frozen foods, but I would readily consider them if healthier options were the standard. I’m starting to try different brands, in hopes of finding a healthy alternative for the nights we don’t want to cook. Now that we have two children, it’s a bit more of a challenge to get meals on the table seven days a week. And we could both use a break at least one day during the week.
Over the years, I’ve tried several products from the Healthy Choice line of foods. What I like about the brand is that it aims to provide a healthy, balanced meal rather than a meal to help you lose weight. Healthy Choice recently introduced 11 new entrées to its Café Steamers, All Natural Entrées, and Select Entrées product lines. I tried the Lemon Garlic Chicken and Shrimp and the Grilled Vegetables Mediterranean, two of the brands Mediterranean Inspired Meals.
Café Steamers are microwave meals that utilize a DuoTray Steamcooker to keep your vegetables crips, your meat tender, your pasta firm, and your rice fluffy. They’re made with wholesome ingredients including whole grain rice, whole grain pasta, and vegetables. Most of the meals are under 300 calories and do not contain trans fats. The only thing I noticed was that the sodium content is quite high. Unfortunately, it’s really not noticeable, and if you don’t read labels, you wouldn’t necessarily know this based on the way the meals taste.
Regarding taste…they’re really good. I could eat them once a week and be quite content because they include a generous serving of vegetables and whole grains and pack in a ton of protein. They’re quite tasty, considering they’re frozen. Very often, I’ll peruse the frozen dinner aisle at the grocery store, only to find shelves of boring meals laden with sodium, preservatives, calories and fat. I like the ethnic influences that Healthy Choice attains with their use of ingredients and spices ad the fact that they’re preservative-free and relatively low in all of the above.
Healthy Choice is the only major brand in its category FDA-approved to call its products “healthy.” Each meal must be low in fat and saturated fat, have a controlled amount of sodium and cholesterol, and provide 10% of the daily value of three beneficial nutrients (calcium, protein, fiber, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C).
For more information about these new entrées, just visit their website.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Healthy Choice and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.
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