Categories: Frozen Foods

24 Sep 2011, Comments (4)

Alexia Waffle Cut Sweet Potato Fries

Author: Healthnuttxo

Source

Oh yeaaaaa. Sweet potato fries. I saw these at Whole Foods and was immediately excited! Of course, at the time I didn’t take into account that I DONT have a pan to cook fries on at home, so these were purchased very quickly after discovering them at the store.

I say discovering because that’s what I feel like it’s like when I go to Whole Foods. I never actually know where ANYTHING is. Even when I normally get a few of the “regulars” in my shopping cart, sometimes the store changes, or I go to a different Whole Foods, or sometimes there are just foods that are “hidden” and need a little extra searching to find :)

ANYWAY (I like to go off on tangents apparently….), I made these Alexia Waffle Cut Sweet Potato Fries last nights with some chicken-less chicken nuggets (courtesy of Trader Joe’s), carrots, and way too much ketchup (oh well!).

I cheated a little bit. I didn’t follow the cooking instructions 100%, and put them on broil after it was cooking for a while. (I was hungry!)

My gut feeling said curly fries. My taste buds agreed.

Upon first bite, I thought, uhh? Did I buy curly fries? Are these really sweet potato fries?

Straight from the oven, these had crispy edges, with a softer middle, and were certainly quite greasy. There was a peppery flavor, which caused me to be suspicious that they were curly fries. They had a very mild sweet potato flavor, which really disappointed me! I didn’t want a peppery, savory tasting fry – I wanted a sweet potato fry!!! I think the “curly fry” aspect of the fry’s flavor came from the kick/ bit of spice they had. They also needed a pinch of salt (but really they didn’t, at 330 mg of sodium per serving!), which I think would help enhance the flavor of the sweet potato. They did go pretty well with ketchup, but, between the nuggets and these fries, I went through an awful lot of ketchup last night =P

Overall, these were ok. I liked they had some fiber and were relatively low in fat and calories for a serving. I dont think I would buy them again, but I’ll finish the bag. 3 stars

If you had to choose….. sweet potato fries or curly fries? I would pick sweet potato fries, but maybe this version instead (click here)

1 cup (85 grams) is 130 calories, 5 grams of fat, 330 mg sodium, 20 carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

21 Sep 2011, Comments (2)

Trader Joe’s Creamy Polenta with Spinach and Carrots

Author: Healthnuttxo

I love Trader Joe’s. It seems like everytime I go in there, there is a new and exciting product to try. I trust Trader Joe branded products, as for the most part, they have always been really delicious and rather nutritious as well. Today’s choice? Trader Joe’s Creamy Polenta with Spinach and Carrots. I wanted something carby to go along with my chicken(less) nuggets for dinner and veggies, and felt that this fit the bill.

So, I opened the bag and was a little surprised at what I got. Giant Hershey Kisses of polenta. Oh you’ll see.

(thats a serving by the way, not the whole bag)

The polenta itself was creamy yet slightly gritty from the cornmeal. It was buttery tasting and slightly cheesy tasting as well.  The carrot and spinach aspect of the dish sort of disappeared. I couldn’t really taste much spinach, and couldn’t really taste the carrots at all.

What the polenta really needed was a pinch of salt. I added a few grinds of sea salt and out came MUCH tastier flavors. Of course, the Dietician-to-be in me yelled at me, saying I didn’t NEED to add salt to this dish that already contained a good deal of sodium per serving. Not to mention I was also having chicken(less) nuggets AND ketchup which had salt in them too. But oh well. I did it. And well, I certainly dont regret it.

Overall, pretty good. It was rather high in saturated fat ( 7 grams!!), but  I would buy it again. The serving size was a tad small for 200 calories, but, I feel all carby dishes like pasta or rice have small serving sizes too. It went great with my other sides, but really did need just an extra pinch of salt! 4 stars

Do you like polenta? How do you prepare it?


8 Aug 2011, Comments (4)

Stouffer’s Farmers’ Harvest Chicken & Parmesan Pasta Bake with a Vegetable Medley

Author: Healthnuttxo

Not going to lie….I didn’t expect this to be as good as it was. I’m almost strictly an organic frozen meal kind of girl, or one that’s made with the best ingredients possible. I normally go for Amy’s Kitchen Meals, like this one, or sometimes even Kashi, like this pizza here. Online Colleges is a resource for finding information about health and nutrition. There is always more to learn about what the best ingredients in foods are.

Regardless, browsing the frozen food section, I saw this and was intrigued. I took a peek at the ingredients, and approved. I didn’t see any ingredients I didn’t really approve of, so I thought it would be worth a try.

mmmm.

Once it was done cooking, I could certainly smell the sauce throughout the kitchen. It smelled really good, and seeing as I just did a weights workout, I was hungry. This meal I felt was perfect post workout- protein, carbs, and some healthy fats alongside some veggies. I also had a chocolate chip cookie….but that’s besides the point ;)

I have a complaint when it comes to frozen meals and the vegetables sides. For the most part, I feel like the vegetables on the side are either

1. Too chewy/hard

2. Too mushy

3.Too plain.

THESE vegetables, however, were different. They were almost sitting in what I’m assuming is olive oil, and had a bit of seasoning to them. There were peppers, carrots, and broccoli, all perfect consistency. Not mushy, not chewy. So delicious. In fact, I kind of wish I could buy just the side compartment on vegetables and eat them alone. Yes, I am talking about broccoli and carrots. The peppers I could have done without, but I’m not a pepper kind of person.

Moving on, the pasta was a little on the soft side, but pretty good. It rested in a sauce that was a tad salty, but had a good flavor and even soft chunks of tomatoes. On top was the chunks of chicken and some pieces of cheese. The cheese was sparse, but certainly delicious. The chicken, not going to lie, was the letdown of the meal. It was a bit chewy, and I had some fatty parts I wasn’t happy about. It was juicy and not dry, so that was good, but I really wasn’t digging it. There was a mild pepper flavor I noticed too.

Overall? I really liked this meal! I would definitely buy it again. 4 1/2 stars

What’s your favorite product by Stouffer’s? I haven’t had much that I remember in the last few years, so this is my new favorite!

31 Jul 2011, Comments (7)

Kashi Margherita Stone-Fired Thin Crust Pizza

Author: Healthnuttxo

Ever go grocery shopping, with the intent of buying one thing, and then letting your stomach decide what you actually buy?

Yea. That’s what happened here. That’s how this Kashi Margherita Stone-Fired Thin Crust Pizza ended up in my cart, then in the stove, and then eaten by yours truly. It sort of happened like this…

I figured I would walk by the natural food section of my grocery store, just to browse( for the record, browsing in that section is NOT wallet friendly for me. I spend a LOT of money on food!!) and then  I passed by this pizza.  I’ve seen this pizza over and over at the store, and just never bought it. And after eating it, I’m really mad at myself for not buying it sooner.

Doesn’t this look delicious? Because it was delicious x 10

While it was cooking, my kitchen transformed to normal kitchen to a pizzeria. Seriously. It smelled so good! After it came out, I thought I would be disappointed because it was a VERY thin crust, but rest assured, it was delicious. I cooked mine on a pan, so the edges were a bit crunchy, but the middle part of the crust was nice and soft.

The pizza as a whole wasn’t super greasy, so that made me happy. The crust was even pretty flavorful, with a bit of garlic and a bit of spice weaved in.  It even tasted “doughy” despite the fact that it was a thin crust. The tomatoes tasted unbelievably fresh, and were juicy, as if they were cut straight from the garden. There were garlic and onion flavors mixed in with the cheese, of which there was just the right amount of. Not drowning in cheese, and not so little that I had to wonder if the company remembered to put any cheese on at all, but just right.

Overall? This pizza rocked. It also has whole grains and omega-3’s according to the box. I had half of the pizza left over that I left on the pan, which was devoured by another person as soon as they came home. So much for leftovers… ; )   5 stars

29 Jul 2011, Comments (5)

Marie Callender’s Cheesy Chicken & Rice

Author: Healthnuttxo

I  went to the store the other day to pick up some random things, including some frozen entrees for when I dont have time (or more likely, don’t feel like) cooking. I saw this meal, Marie Callender’s Cheesy Chicken & Rice, and knew I had to give it a try, especially since I liked the last Marie Callender meal I tried. The ingredients weren’t too bad, so I put it in my cart and bought it.

I was excited to try this. I picture a gooey, cheesy entree, with huge chunks of chicken and pieces of broccoli scattered throughout. Luckily, after I cooked it for the designated time, it looked pretty much as I had imagine it.

However, when I pictured cheesy, I pictured more of like a stringy, gooey cheese. In this meal, it was more like a cheese sauce, or something that had the consistency of a cheese dip that comes from a jar. But don’t get me wrong – it still looked delicious. And let me tell you, it was a long 8 or 9 minutes I waited for this entree to be done including rest time. Sort of like when I bake cookies – longest 8-10 minutes of my life.

So, moving on, I tried the pieces of chicken first. They were juicy and chewy, but also a tad salty. There was a good amount of them in the entree, which I liked. I think this help contribute to the 24 grams of protein in this meal, which made me and my gym-worked muscles quite happy.

Next up, the broccoli was tender, but not soggy, so it was perfect for me. I happy to be quite a fan of broccoli, so the fact that this was included in the meal made me happy on the spot.

Lastly, the rice was fluffy and delicious. There was white rice and some grains of wild rice. It thickened up with the sauce quite nicely, which had a cheddar flavor. The cheese sauce was actually a bit of a let down, as it had a bit of an artificial taste to it. I was expecting a real cheese flavor, and it had more of a cheese-from-a-can or jar flavor. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t my favorite.

Overall, pretty good. I would eat this again. I loved how it was high in protein, but it was VERY high in sodium for me, 1000 mg?! A bit more than I’d like in one meal.  All in all, I would give this 4 stars

What’s your favorite thing that’s CHEESY? I would have to argue that crunchy cheese doodles are one of my favorite cheesy things =)

19 Jul 2011, Comments (3)

Marie Callender’s Creamy Chicken & Portobello Risotto

Author: Healthnuttxo

You could say I have had PLENTY of frozen meals in the past. Between eating them intentionally for a review, eating them because I haven’t had time to fully cook a meal, or the more likely option, I’m too lazy to cook anything, I have had a good amount of meals in the past.

I do have a couple standards when picking out frozen meals. They can’t have any trans fats, they have to be made with organic or natural ingredients, and they can’t be crazy high in saturated fat or calories. And in order for me to buy and eat it again, it has to taste homemade. If it tastes super commercially prepared, or bland, or just mediocre, I will not buy it again. I usually stick to Amy’s Kitchen Meals (like here are the ones I reviewed!), as they never have disappointed me in the past.

Well, I went shopping the other day and to my disappointment, there were HARDLY any Amy’s meals at that store. So, I went looking for another option. I saw these meals by Marie Calleender’s, and although the ingredients weren’t as nice as I would like them, they weren’t horrible either.

So I cooked this meal up, and noticed it cooked separately from the sauce. Here are pics before adding the sauce

and after adding the sauce…

So yea, it looked absolutely delicious. Why? Because it was!

I also steamed up some veggies on the side, because I felt this meal was lacking in the veggie department minus the few mushrooms thrown in.

There was a good amount of sauce to mix the meal, which I liked, and the smell was delicious. The mushrooms were chewy, tender, and actually pretty good. I cant say I’m a *huge* fan of mushrooms, they are more of a take-it-or-leave-it vegetable for me, but these were pretty good!

The rice was fluffy, and soft and absorbed the sauce quite well to really make a creamy risotto!  I was a bit disappointed that it was white rice instead of brown. The sauce was buttery and cheesy tasting, and really, when do the flavors of butter or cheese really disappoint? They certainly did not disappoint me. I will happily accept buttery and cheesy flavors on my food. =)

Lastly, the chicken. The chicken was sort of weird to me- it was cut into cubes so I was expected a very processed tasting chicken. However, it tasted like it was pulled right off of a rotisserie chicken! It was chewy and soft and really quite good! It was a tad on the salty side, but nothing I couldn’t handle.

Overall, very good. There were flavors of onion, garlic and cheese, and I really enjoyed this meal. I do think it definitely needs some veggies on the side, but nothing I couldn’t easily fix.And although the ingredients had a few things I wasn’t happy about, it tasted like homemade to me! 4 1/2 stars

What’s your favorite product by Marie Callender? I also really like the biscuit mix!


14 Jul 2011, Comments (0)

Power of Fruit Berry Cherry Bar

Author: Healthnuttxo

I loooooove cherries. Not the kind on top of ice cream sundaes- but dark, purple cherries. I remember a friend of mine and I ate a whole bag of them on the 4th of July coming home in a car ride. We were left with an awful lot of pits and stems, but they were so good we couldn’t stop eating them. And really, how can there be any guilt involved eating mass quantities of FRUIT? I mean really, how DARE I? Now I ate a bunch of antioxidants with no added sugar and exceeded my quota for fruit for the day, maybe even the next few days! I’ll never learn, will I? ;)

But, ANYWAY, I was contacted by the Power of Fruit and asked if I wanted to try their Berry Cherry Power of Fruit Bar. These frozen treats are all natural, and have no added sugar, which I really liked. I’m a diabetic, so I try to stay away from sugar as much as possible. Of course, I’m not saying I never took a spoonful of icing straight from the container (tell me I’m not the only one who does that….), but when given the option for natural sugars from fruit rather than added sugar, I’m all for it!

Here’s a pic of the fruity ice pop after a bite was taken. You can actually see a blueberry!

The bar looked pretty tasty, and as you can see it was a deep purple/red in color and rather thick. I took a bite, and the first thing I thought of was how tart it was! At first I thought it was pretty good – not too sweet, and pretty fruity. As I ate it though, I thought it was just ok and didn’t like it as much. It had mostly a cherry and blueberry flavor, but they didn’t seem like they had the same luscious flavor as they would straight from the carton or bag. The pop was also just too icy in consistency for me (another friend of mine who took a bite agreed) and I actually wish it was sweeter.

I do love the fact that there is no added sugar, and these are made with fruit. I also  do take into account that they are so low calorie, and they would be a really good treat for those times when I’m not really hungry but feel like eating (which happens….. a lot.) However, it wasn’t memorable enough for me to want to eat on a daily basis, and I do wish it was just a bit sweeter. 2  stars

What’s your favorite fruit to eat in the summer? Mine would be watermelon- I think it ONLY tastes good in the summer! =)


I was provided these fruit bars to try for free from the company.

11 Jul 2011, Comments (9)

Meals to Live Shrimp Jambalaya

Author: Healthnuttxo

Growing up, I had two favorite types of fish. Shrimp, and tuna in a can, and that was pretty much it. I’m going to be honest and say I haven’t eaten fish or meat in quite a while, and when I do it’s very sporadic. Just not digging it as much as I used to.

However, hunger rolled around 5 pm today, and looking through my freezer, the Meals to Live Shrimp Jambalaya meal popped out. Mmm. This sounds good- I haven’t had shrimp in forever! I thought. So after steaming up some veggies (since I had a feeling the meal would be small), I cooked this gluten free entree.

How yummy does this look??!

A little dark, I agree. I couldn’t get a pic with good lighting since people were eating at my kitchen table and I didn’t want to be rude.

I transferred to a plate and then added veggies on the side. There was actually more food  than I had expected, which was a positive for me. Also, I noticed there was some extra juice/liquid that I just discarded.

It smelled pretty spicy, so at first I was a bit worried. I tried a piece of shrimp first, expecting a juicy, plump shrimp. However, that is not what I got. It was very tough and chewy, and had a fishy taste to it. I know, I know, “it’s seafood!”, but I have had shrimp before that tasted very good, and not fishy. I moved onto the rice, which wasn’t bad. It was fluffy in texture, but just very bland. It had no salty flavor to it whatsoever, and more tasted like bland rice with some spices. There was a bit of heat, but not as spicy as I thought it would be. There was also some peppers in the meal, that didn’t really add or take away from the meal.

Overall, I was not a fan of this meal. I liked this meal from Meals to Live much better, and would prefer it over this one. The Shrimp Jambalaya gets 2 stars from me, because I happened to enjoy the rice even though it was rather bland.

What’s your favorite seafood to eat? Or if you are a vegetarian/vegan, did you used to have a favorite?


I was provided this meal to try for free from the company.

25 Jun 2011, Comments (8)

Peas of Mind Veggie Wedgies Baked Carrot Fries

Author: Healthnuttxo

The other day I went to Whole Foods (which is quite a bit of a drive from my house) with $12.00. I had intentions to only buy one thing (a pot pie) and then leave. I have no idea why on EARTH I thought it was a good idea to go in with only $12.00, as that was the day it seemed my Whole Foods had a whole bunch of new products. Since I had enough to buy one other thing, I was torn  between these Peas of Mind Veggie Wedgies Baked Carrot Fries and a few others. However, these looked the most unique, and at 4 servings a bag, I thought I could eat them at least more than once.

Some info on these fries from the bag…

I baked these in the toaster oven. I noticed that they really didn’t get super crispy, and there was literally NO grease at all (which makes sense, since they are fat free).

They reminded me of sort of a bread stick in texture, they were smooth on the outside but sightly crunchy on the edges. I decided to have a cheese omelet and some ketchup with these fries as well

I have no shame. I had multiple=

I have no shame. I went for multiple servings of ketchup that night.
Good thing we buy the economy sized bottle =)

So, onto the taste. I was so excited for these for a few reasons- low in fat, good way to get some extra veggies in, gives me an excuse to eat ketchup (just kidding). I tried one as is, no ketchup no nothing. And, well. bland. Very bland. Disappointingly bland. I really only tasted a hint of carrot flavor, and the first thing I thought was that these needed salt. They were slightly crunchy/smooth on the outside, with a more mushy interior. Kind of weird, actually, but not too bad.

Next, I dunked them in ketchup. This would explain why I went through, oh, I dont know, a good 1/4 of the bottle of ketchup that evening. They were good, but only when there was a lot of ketchup.

Overall, these were ok. I might eat them again given I had something to dunk them in or season them with, but I probably won’t buy them again. I do like that they are a healthier option to greasy french fries and that they are versatile in seasoning them up. However, they were not amazing enough for me to want to buy them again. 2 1/2 stars

My question- how do you think I should eat the other half of the bag? Any ideas? I was thinking about going the sweet route, and maybe adding some butter and brown sugar? ;)

24 Jun 2011, Comments (6)

Amy’s Kitchen Tofu Scramble with Hash Browns & Veggies

Author: Healthnuttxo

Yea, Yea I know what your thinking. Tofu? Ew.

Well, here’s me pleading you to reconsider. Or you can be anti-tofu if you want. That is until you try THIS dish. This dish completely transforms tofu from the “flavorless sponge” (as my friends refer to it at least), to delicious.

Doesn’t this look scrumptious?

Ok, minus the soggy tomato.

Let’s break it down into compartments. I’ll start with the soggy tomato. Honestly, the only part of this dish I didn’t like. But is it really fair I didn’t like that aspect of the meal? I’m really not a fan of tomatoes. Ketchup? Yes. Tomato sauce? Yes. But actual tomatoes. Nooooo. I guess the fact that it was soggy didn’t really help. But no problem, I just replaced that part of the dish with a heaping side of broccoli =)

Now, onto the hash browns. YUMMY. Great potato flavor, almost like a toasted or cooked potato flavor, and some aspects had a very slightly burnt flavor. The consistency was soft, but not mushy, and although not overpowering in flavor, I really enjoyed it.

Now, onto the winner. THE TOFU. It was legitimately delicious. A peppery, garlicy and oniony flavor, it was very rich and had an “eggy” flavor as well. There was also bits of carrots and spinach that added a bit of flavor. One thing to point out that it was greasy, which really contributed to the rich feel. HOWEVER, it really was so good. And there was a generous portion of the tofu scramble and the hash browns, which I really enjoyed.

Here’s the nutritional facts. LOVE how much protein there is, and so few carbs, but it
certainly is high in fat!

Overall, 4 1/2 stars. REALLY good, and certainly worth a try! This meal is also gluten free, dairy free AND vegan! =)

What about you? Fan of Tofu or no? If so, how do you eat/prepare it?

Related Posts with Thumbnails
Beaded Watches