If you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, you know that I’m passionate about eating healthy, wholesome foods. Sometimes, my foodie side prevails, and it wasn’t uncommon in years prior for me to spend quite a bit of money eating out. My goal this year was to cook most of our family’s meals to save money and live healthier and I feel like for the most part, I’ve done this. However, the meal that still remains a challenge is lunch…both for myself and my children.
In my 30+ years of life, I’ve eaten very few frozen meals, mostly due to the fact that they’re typically high in fat, calories, and sodium. On those occasions where I have chosen a frozen meal, it’s always been one of the “lighter” variety.
I recently opted to try Healthy Choice’s new Top Chef Inspired Meals, thanks to The Motherhood. Because lunch is such a difficult meal for me, and one that I often find myself eating out for, I thought that perhaps I could see if these might be a healthy, affordable alternative. I’ve purchased Healthy Choice meals in the past and actually like many of the items from the Healthy Choice line.
Cafe Steamers is a popular line from the brand, utilizing steaming technology to ensure that freshness and taste are maintained. Unlike traditional frozen entrees, Cafe Steamers are made in such a way that the sauce is separated from the entree so the meal is steamed allowing for crisp vegetables, tender meats, and al dente pastas. Bravo’s Top Chef and Healthy Choice have teamed up to create the new line which integrates bold flavors like slow roasted garlic with fresh ingredients like asparagus and grilled eggplant.
The line includes a variety of chicken dishes, a steak dish, and a vegetarian dish. Because the meals are so new, I was overnighted a chicken and a vegetarian dish to sample. Unfortunately, I was only able to sample the Chicken Linguini with Red Pepper Alfredo because the vegetarian dish was not intact on arrival and I haven’t been able to get out to replace it with the coupon I was sent due to the busyness of the holiday.
As far as taste, I found that the veggies tasted fresh and the chicken was tender and moist. The meal didn’t taste overly salted (although it does contain 21% of the recommended daily allowance for salt which is a bit high) and at 240 calories, I’m content with the nutrition aspect.
I’m actually very interested in trying the vegetarian dish since it’s common for me to skip protein altogether during lunch. Their Grilled Vegetables Mediterranean with Rice combines grilled eggplant and vegetables with whole grain rice, barley and olive oil. It sounds like something I’d enjoy, particularly because it offers 30 grams of whole grain and 7 grams of fiber.
Healthy Choice’s Top Chef Cafe Steamers are currently available in the frozen section of your local grocery store and retail for $2.75 – $3.50.
This is a compensated post for Healthy Choice via The Motherhood. Product samples were provided. All opinions expressed are solely that of the author.
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