5 Tips to Eating Better Quality Frozen Meals
Photo: Kashi Black Bean Mango. It was tasty and had some heat kick to it.
Living as a bootstrapping entrepreneur who sometimes has no time to cook, I have started buying more frozen meals because come lunch time or dinner, the frozen meals are fast, the food can keep in the fridge for a long time, and you can always find a sale.
But just because something is cheap and easy doesn't mean that it's good for you. Two of the big drawbacks to frozen meals is too much sodium and/or too many additives, preservatives, and artificial ingredients. The good news though is that there is a growing number of companies offering frozen organic and all natural meals which makes this camper very happy.
And even though frozen foods are getting better as a whole, it's also good to remember to eat as much freshly made meals as possible and use the frozen meals sparingly because the frozen meals are still processed foods. Feed your body as much fresh greens, fruits, and grains.
Here's what I look for when I buy frozen meals:
- My three favorite frozen meal brands are Amy's Kitchen, Ian's and Kashi. These brands have a wide variety of choices like organic, all natural, gluten free, vegan, non GMO, corn free, kosher, soy free, and so on. These brands can also be found in almost every major retail grocery store. Ian's has these mini cheeseburgers that are totally awesome, and let me have some burger enjoyment without any guilt. Other organic or all natural brands I enjoy include Whole Foods Whole Kitchen, Blake's All Natural, Sunshine Veggie Burgers, and Rising Moon.
- I'm an ingredients list stickler and read all the labels. The ingredients list doesn't have to be all natural but if I see more than 2 ingredients that have a mono-, -icide, syrup, or -trate in it, I pass. Also, there should be more ingredients you recognize than ones you don't. I stick to ingredients that are made by mother nature, and contrary to the corn syrup industry, I don't consider HFCS natural just because it came from corn. Please.
- Frozen pizza is something most of us buy. Normally I buy single serving which is actually good to cut in half and share with another person and pair it with a salad. You can get a pizza taste without overdoing the calories and fat because pizza can dent the caloric bank account pretty fast. The nice thing about frozen pizzas is that you can take the regular size ones, cut them in half, and eat one side, and keep the other for another time. There are also several brands who make pizza hors devourers sizes which again is great for bites of pizza instead of whole slices. My favorite are the 365 brand cheese minis at Whole Foods.
- Organic frozen meals are ideal but they can get pricey too. The Whole Foods 365 brand frozen meals are pretty cheap at their normal price usually under $5 I have found at my local store. For other brands, you can always find a sale somewhere. It takes just a little research but you can find sales on organic frozen meals. Also, try the websites of the food maker because many of them are now offering coupons you can print out or go to the customer service desk at your grocery store and ask if they have any coupons.
- Be a stickler about the sodium. The American Heart Association recommends 2,400mg of sodium daily for adults. Ideally something that is low sodium like in the 400mg and under range is good. There are many frozen foods that can have 700mg or more per serving, so in essence you're taking in about 1/3 of your daily sodium intake in just one meal. Spread your sodium intake around to other meals.
What are some things you consider or look for when buying frozen meals?
Edamame: The Perfect Snack
If I had to pick the perfect snack, I'd vote for edamame. I LOVE edamame and could eat it every day. I think edamame is the perfect snack because it's got a nice substance to it, it's a vegetable (soy bean), it's easy to eat, and 1/2 a cup is 150 calories has 4g of fiber, and 12g of protein.
I love edamame in the shell or unshelled. I love it best unshelled, slightly warm and sprinkled with sea salt. I also like to sprinkle on Seaweed Gomasio (Sesame seeds, seaweed, salt), or a wee smidgen of cayenne pepper. Trader Joe's has chocolate covered edamame and it's different, not bad. I think I like the edamame though bare and beautiful. Simple.
Typically, you'll find a bag of Woodstock Farms Organic frozen edamame in my fridge. If you have to have a midnight snack, edamame is a better choice over the cookies or cheese and crackers. I would bring edamame to snack on after a long run when I was marathon training because it's a nice way to get some protein for your muscles after long mileage.
In fact, as I type this post there is a small bowl of edamame sitting next to my laptop :)
Martha Stewart Costco Beef Chili with Beans
I got to traipse around Costco with the folks last weekend, and as usual enjoyed the sample buffet of things like chicken apple sausage, chocolate devil's food cake, and pita chips. I can justify the Costco nosh because it's just one bite, and a tiny bite doesn't hurt anything.
I think Martha Stewart's Costco line is a brilliant business move mainly because there is so much food at Costco filled with chemistry experiment sounding ingredients that her stuff is a welcome hello to those of us who like to keep it as clean as possible. And of course, it being Martha you know the odds of the food tasting good are pretty much a winner.
So, I picked up the Martha Stewart Kirkland brand Beef Chili with Beans, and yeah it was tasty. The chili is made with organic tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients list is stuff made in nature. Here's the full list.
Taste
The chili is mild so those of you who like heat in your chili will have to zest it up with a hot sauce or some hot peppers. The chili to my taste buds was a bit on the sweet side, but to me the sweet is a plus.
Differing opinion on chunky
My only beef with the chili, excuse the pun, is that it really does not look as chunky in real life as in the picture. Martha's chili is a bit more on the soupy side meaning if you stuck a spoon in the middle of the chili it would topple over. I like chili thick so that the spoon stays straight up. So, in my picture above, I cooked up some organic ground beef and added it in. Plus, I threw in a wee bit of habanero because I like some heat.
I did appreciate the fact though that the chili was not overloaded with beans with some beef chunks thrown in as can be the case with many pre-made chilis. There was a good beef to bean ratio.
Something different: a yogurt and fruit topping
For my chili topping, I had some Greek honey yogurt in the fridge and thought why not try it instead of sour cream. I also chopped up some bosc pear and used that in lieu of cheese. You know what, the honey yogurt and pear was awesome with the chili because it added a coolness and a subtle sweet. Best part too is that I cut down on some calories and fat had I used traditional sour cream and cheese.
If you want a quick ready to heat meal made with natural ingredients, then I'd give the Martha Stewart Beef Chili with Beans a thumbs up.
Tasty Mini Chocolate Croissants
At one of my local Whole Foods, the bakery sells these frozen mini chocolate croissants which you could literally eat in three bites. They are kind of like those tubs of two-bite brownie and chocolate chip cookies Whole Foods sells. These croissants are easy cooking. Just plop on a baking sheet and bake for a few minutes and voila! pastry goodness. Imagine how delicious the kitchen smelled when these puppies came hot out of the oven.
I spent Christmas eve with pal Diane, and she made these chocolate croissants for Christmas morning breakfast paired with some green grapes and a fruit smoothie. My smoothie had pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, and Greek honey yogurt.
I noshed on 2 of these chocolate croissants, and it was fabulous because you get to enjoy the baked goods without feeling like you're damaging the caloric bank. Literally it was like 6 bites of croissants, and see how tender flaky it was inside. What a gift this was Christmas morning!
Making Peace with Food Blogging
I love the fact that since NY's fell on a Wednesday, most people got Thursday and Friday off, so it's pretty much a 5 day weekend, and we're in day #3. The energy around is very still and calming, yet it's cold and rainy today where I live, so guess what kind of situation that sets up?
Yup, boredom eating. Noshing because you don't have anything else to do or because it's too cold, wet, or too much effort to go outside when you can be cuddled in a warm blankie with a bag of something salty & crunchy like cheese curls.
When tortilla chips are love
There's a bag of Sweet potato tortilla chips shooting its tasty gravitational beams my way, "Stephanie...oh Stephanie...we're here for you. You need some love & gratification? All you have to do is turn around and open up the bag. We love you even if your Ex has left and is shacking up with someone new. We won't leave you. We'll warm you up."
How many times have I had these kinds of "selling the cult" like conversations with food? Oh like a gazillion, and if you're like me you somehow know that the food will always win out because the food is going after the vulnerability. Am I weak, un-disciplined, lazy, or just a sheep?
A 19-year-old and "the man" are at the dinner party
Logically, I know it's not actually the food that's doing all this brainwashing. It's some part in my psyche. Actually, it's my inner 19 year old who is stuck in time in my head yet still has the power to control many parts of my life. Her weapon of choice is food because she knows we need food to live so we can't cut it out like booze or drugs. She uses food as love. That's what my shrink and the self help aisle at Barnes & Noble informed me. And, yeah, it's true.
The crazy conspiracy theorist in me believes that the food companies put some kind of brain altering mechanism into the foods or the packaging so that all our reason goes out the window and we just go into food hypnosis like the zombies in the movies, "Want Oreos...gimme Diet Coke...need french fries." See with the zombie theory there is a way out with the food, "It's not my fault. I'm an innocent bystander who trusted the FDA to protect me." It's always fun and much easier to blame "the man" for all our woes.
The guilt and shame Olympics
Most times, I'd go open the bag of Sweet potato tortilla chips and reach in and before you know it, half or all the bag is empty because that inner 19-year-old indeed convinces us that tortilla chips are just like affectionate hugs. Then the guilt and shame Olympics begin in my head, and it's not pretty. There's no screaming for joy, it's more like screaming for punishment, "Why...how come...You {insert self insults that include the words fat, lazy, and gross}!"
Those of you who have followed me on Back in Skinny Jeans over the last 3 years know that I've come a long way with my relationship with food and my body because on the extreme I've had an ED present in my life. I started Noshtopia because I actually do eat very healthy, and I'm very creative with food coming up with yummy things like this Mojito Guacamole, Salad Tacos, and Quinoa Chicken Fried "Rice" (I replaced rice with Quinoa.) I also like to try all kinds of foods and experiment with ways of eating like this time I tried a food reboot by going gluten-free vegan for a week.
And even though I have a much healthier relationship with food, there is still some of the guilt and shame Olympics that goes on in my noggin. The primary one is that I'm not "allowed" to blog about food because of my ED history. Who's going to listen, respect, or take seriously someone who's had such a disastrous past with food, even thought we know ED's are not really about food, it's about power and control.
Whenever I stop blogging here on Nosh I've been paying more attention to what is going under my hood. I've noticed metaphorically, I feel like I'm an accountant who has gone bankrupt and went to jail for cooking the books, or I'm a doctor who had a drug problem. What right do we have to be sharing information with people when we've had such a shady past with something we should know better? This is what I feel and see in my head, and I know that it is purely negative emotions driven. It's hard to see see the reality forest beyond the fearful trees.
Seeing the dish from a different seat
A good blog friend pointed out that she's the opposite of what I see. She sees that because I've had such an extreme and trying history with food that it actually can give me more credibility because I do know how screwed up it can get and yet I've managed to pull myself out of all the destructive patterns and relationships with food. And better yet, I'm willing to admit this out loud for all the interwebs to see.
There are so many people out there who've had similar feelings and situations, and my sharing can be a way to help others feel less alone which is why I blog in the first place.
For so long, I have felt that I am good at food blogging and I do have some valuable information to share.I just need to somehow rectify that and make peace with the inner 19-year-old, really, on this subject. So, what we've agreed is to shift perspective a bit, and write Noshtopia from the view point of, "Hey, we're just an everyday person like the rest of you trying to eat healthier in a hectic life."
With this fresh perspective, my inner 19-year-old doesn't feel like we're in the "official" mode of role model, expert, or teacher. The new angle also gives us room to be imperfect, make mistakes, and be flawed which was something that she felt too much pressure to not be. I can't tell you how much this new perspective has lessened the tension between us. We also agreed to take things one day at a time, and for a time to just go with the flow, and find out organically what we like best and what resonates well with our audience.
So, there you have it, the beginnings of peace with food blogging! I think 2009 is going to be a splendid year.
Nosh, Drink, and be Merry!
Wishing all of you many wonderful gifts, great eats, many hugs, and all kinds of love!
Beer, Brain Freeze, and Feminists Cooking with Stephen Colbert
You gotta love food humor especially when you add Stephen Colbert's special brand of mockery. In this food montage, Stephen shares his special relationships with Doritos, "The Sweet Taste of Freedom," Beer, Wendys, KFC, Brain Freeze, and Cooking with Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem. So funny!
10 Bottled Organic Iced Teas for On-The-Go
I drink plenty of tea mostly the hot kind involving the tea bag, but when you're on the go like at lunch or snack time at work, it's nice to just grab something cold that serves up instant gratification. Plus, you know me, I try to stay as organic as possible, so it's exciting to see more and more bottled organic iced teas out in the market. Here are 10 bottled organic iced teas that you can try out:
Sweet Leaf Organic Teas: My nickname for this tea is "Grandma's Tea". Call me a sucker for anything that has a sweet Granny face on the bottle, but I LOVE this tea drink. I drink at least half a bottle every day. It's my vice. There are 6 organic flavors, and my two favorite flavors are the Half & Half Lemonade Tea and the Mint & Honey Green.
- Steaz Organic Iced Teaz: This tea is new and comes in a can. I did a review of this tea awhile back and not only is this tea fabulous, but I LOVE the fact that featured on the can of each of the flavors is a picture of someone from the country of the fair trade tea companies Steaz buys from. So cool! And kudos to Steaz because on December 11, they announced that they are the winners of two BevNet 2008 Awards: Best Tea of 2008 and tied for Best Organic Product of 2008. Oh and hello! Here's a coupon for Buy One, Get One Free.
Honest Tea: What's cool about these organic teas is that Honest offers a plethora of flavors almost 2 dozen consisting of black, green, white, red, and yerba mate teas. I love the names of some of their teas like Mango Acai White, Peach Oo-la-long, and Pomegranate Red Tea with Goji. The teas come in plastic and glass bottles as that is important to some people, and they have a line of organic drinks for kids which I think is wonderful. And this is cool, the TeaEO Seth & Chairman Barry, blog. It's not often you see the honchos blog.
- Tazo Organic Tea: I like how they distinguish their teas not only by color: Green, Black, and Herbal Infusions, but also by Plain or Juiced. The Juiced Teas are thicker and sweeter because of the fruit. They also use some unique flavors like Lemongrass, Hibiscus, and Pear. You don't see pear often used in teas.
Harney & Sons Organic Iced Teas: The Harney & Sons organic teas have some of the lowest sugar content coming in around 5g per 8oz serving. The unique flavors Harney carries includes Black Currant, and an Organic Bangkok that has Organic lemongrass, Organic ginger and sweet Organic coconut flavoring. Sounds like an awesome Thai dinner. Harney & Sons is also a member of 1% For The Planet, a group of companies who make the commitment to donate 1% of their sales to environmental organizations worldwide. Drink tea, help keep the planet healthy. Sounds awesome to me!
- Guayaki Yerba Mate: Guayaki specializes specifically in the Yerba Mate tea which is native of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. All their teas are organic, vegan friendly, and kosher.You can learn more about Yerba Mate here. I first learned of Yerba Mate tea when I did a week long detox at the We Care Spa. In my opinion, by itself, Yerba Mate is an acquired taste as it does have a very strong almost pungent flavor. But Guayaki offers teas with flavoring which is wonderful. My favorites include the Passionfruit Kundalini Blend and the Pomegranate Clarity Blend.
Jones Organic Teas: I like that they have a Strawberry flavored tea because this is another fruit flavor you don't see often in bottled teas. The bottle design is also very pretty which the designer in me cares about. For you aspiring designers, Jones will be setting up the opportunity for you creatives to possibly get the chance to design bottle labels. Now, that is very cool.
- Long Life Organic Iced Teas: Long Life teas as seen here at BevNet, are the only all (99%) organic, certified/GMO-free iced teas currently available in the U.S. They have an Earl Grey Black Tea with the citrus Bergamot Fruit. How unique is that? As well, they have a Chai Tea which you won't find very often in the bottled organic iced teas.
China Mist Pure Organic Teas: This is a new tea which is available in select (aka limited) distribution at the moment. I haven't tried the China Mist yet, but it's getting quite the buzz for it's curvy package design and the fact that it is marketed as a premium product. There are 6 flavors, and the ones I want to try first are the Lotus Pear Green Tea and the Tangerine Black Tea with Pomegranate Juice.
- Whole Foods 365 Organic Teas: Whole Foods has their own brand of organic iced teas, and they are okay. I actually thought they would taste better, but at the same token, they are not bad. The WF 365 teas are a bit cheaper than most of the other branded organic iced teas, but to me, I don't mind spending a little bit more for better flavor. The WF 365 tea is worth a try though.
Are there any bottled organic iced teas you've tried not on the list? Please share as we love to try new iced teas!
50 food items at Whole Foods under $1.50
For those of us pinching on the food dollars, did you know that there are actually a whole bunch of food items at Whole Foods that you can get under $1.50. Oh yeah! That's cheaper than a tall coffee at Starbucks. And, we're talking not just regular items, but organic stuff too.
I picked the $1.50 price point because I thought that was an aggressively low number yet cool enough to dispel some of the Whole paycheck stigma. Plus, Whole Foods has many items marked at $1.49
And to note, WF 365 = Whole Foods 365 Brand. Item selection can vary from store to store, so check yours. The prices I list are based in San Mateo county, CA as of December 6, 2008, and all items are regular priced. Whole Foods has been upping their sale items and offering coupons galore, so definitely check those out. One great deal at my store this weekend was 10 mangoes for $10 total. Nice!
So, here we go:
Continue reading "50 food items at Whole Foods under $1.50" »
Brussels Sprouts with Turkey Bacon Bits and Carmelized Onion
This is a simple and nice way to make brussels sprouts a little bit more robust side dish. I like to couple this sprouts dish with garlic mashed potatoes.
Ingredients:
- 20-25 brussels sprouts (Many stores offer packaged bags, and one bag is about 20 sprouts)
- 2 pieces of turkey bacon cut into small slivers
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- evoo
- couple pats of butter (optional)
- pepper and salt
I saw these brussels sprouts on the stalk at a farmer's market. I just think they look so cool when the sprouts are still on the stalk.
Let's get cookin'
- Boil the brussels sprouts in a pot of boiling salt water until tender which is about 8-10 minutes. Drain when done.
- In a pan at medium heat, put in about 1Tbsp of evoo and the butter. If you don't use butter, put in a little more evoo
- Throw in the turkey bacon and the onions
- Cook until the onions are a caramel color
- Toss in the brussles sprouts and pepper, and mix around for about a minute. Taste one of the sprouts. The bacon juice will add some salt, but if it's not enough, add just a tiny bit more salt.
- Remove from pan and put into a lovely serving dish.
Enjoy!
