Originally posted by p7eggyc: I also bought a steam in the bag bag of asparagus (2.5 servings). Yummy! It was a bit pricy ($2 on sale) but I am stuffed with asparagus! LOL I think it steamed up very nicely. I might cook it a bit less next time but not much.
I don't buy or eat asparagus but, as a general rule, I ALWAYS cook steam-in-bag veggies less than the bag says. I prefer al dente veggies and if I cook to the bag directions, they end up TOO cooked for my taste, so I've learned to undercook.
I buy those already-cleaned green beans in a steam bag a good bit (though they are expensive, they are worth it to me) and they come out great (for my taste) when undercooked by about 30 seconds.
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
This seems like an oxymoron to me... lite and brie.
But I actually thought that it was pretty good. And I usually don't like low fat cheese.
It was not double-cream-OMG-this-is-soooooo good!
But I usually only buy (full fat) brie cheese once a year at Xmas...
And I thought that it was good, especially for a lowfat cheese - on a weekday - in July.
It isn't THAT much less calories. 70 cals per oz vs. 100 per oz. But it is half the fat. Maybe a brie with half the fat makes it like a "normal" cheese?
* * * * * * * Also bought some TJ's whole wheat sour dough and is the FIRST whole wheat sour dough that I thought was good! It is really good.
This is half round loaf. 130 cals for a 1 oz slice. You have to slice it yourself, and since it is round... some of my slices are 1.75 oz and others are a 1/2 oz.
Denise
Posts: 9221 | Location: Silicon Valley, CA | Registered: March 17, 2004
Tried a new Smart Ones meal today. It is one of their new Fruit Inspirations meals. Cranberry Turky Medallions w/carrots, green beans and roasted potatoes. It is quite good I think. I actually thought there was a bit too much fruit sauce but that's easily avoided and a better problem than not enough. I like their regular turkey dinner too and it has the same turkey in it. Only 250 cal and 20 of that from fat which is amazingly low for the things I usually like from them. 460mg of sodium which seems low but I don't watch that all that closely. 4 points.
I also bought a steam in the bag bag of asparagus (2.5 servings). Yummy! It was a bit pricy ($2 on sale) but I am stuffed with asparagus! LOL I think it steamed up very nicely. I might cook it a bit less next time but not much.
Definitely a win for me too because I bought this stuff on the way to work when I didn't have time to pack my lunch this morning instead of going out. Not a bargain at $5 but still less than I would've paid going out and certainly more healthy.
I haven't tried it, but the Center for Science in the Public Interest has kind words for "Quaker’s new Oatmeal Pancake Mix ... made with two flours: whole-grain oat and whole wheat."
I saw them in the store and since I really like Fig Newtons and the Mini Newtons, I decided to give them a try.
Don't get them unless you like fruit leather and stale crackers. "Crisp" is a good word for them as there is no moisture in them at all. Actually they are not even crisp, they are just tough. The filling is very thin, about the thickness of fruit leather and just as tough.
I'm not much of soup person, but I thought that I might try buying a few of the healthier soups to take to work on Mondays when I volunteer 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and eat my lunch while there.
Today was my first "soup day." I had the Progresso Light Reduced Sodium Vegetable Soup. Even though labelled "Reduced Sodium," it still has 470 mg of sodium per 1-cup serving (and the label says there are 2 servings per can)...and it still tastes like there's no salt in it.
The broth had a pleasant taste and consistency, but the veggies (predominantly carrots, celery and green beans) were the consistency of mush. The picture shows it having rotini pasta in it, but I really had to go fishing to find any. The picture also shows it having corn, but I didn't have a single kernel in the 1/2 can that I had for lunch--though I did see some corny remnants.
Would I buy this again? Doubtful. The veggies were just grossly mushy--and celery and carrots, 2 of the 3 primary veggies, are not veggies that I care much for cooked, much less mushy.
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
I have tried several new items in the last few weeks, and I thought I would post a mini review. In general I am not a huge fan of frozen meals. I keep them around for emergency's sake, for nights like last night when I don't get home until after 9 and don't want to cook.
Last night I tried the Lean Cuisine Sweet Asian Pot Stickers. They were pretty darned tasty for a frozen meal. They had a good flavor and just a little bit of heat. And they were vegetarian as far as I could tell. I generally like my pot stickers with pork, but these were quite enjoyable. I think they would be a great lunch. But for dinner I had to add an asian style scrambled egg and a piece of fruit.
I also tried the Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli. It was also tasty and quite filling. There were a lot of vegetables in it. I could have done without the peas, but all in all it was good.
Another tasty item I have tried are the True North Almond Clusters. They are very good. Basically they are little blocks of almond and a sweet/salty glaze. They are a bit high in calories, being nuts and all. But Two little clusters are great for taking the edge off if you are starving and dinner is a ways off.
I also tried the new Smart Food high fiber popcorn packs. I tried the Multigrain Honey flavor. They tasted great. But they are a tad expensive and I would guess that I could have a lot more popcorn for 100 calories if it weren't coated in a sweet glaze. But, if you are like me and love carmel corn and kettle corn, it's a nice way to have a little treat and not go overboard. There are two other flavors available as well.
I am at my social services volunteer job today and just had another frozen entree for lunch. This one is also Healthy Choice, but the box looks completely different from the usual HC packaging, and I'm assuming it's because this is a new line called "All Natural Entrees."
I chose the variety called "Sweet Asian Potstickers" which is described as being served "with vegetables on a bed of whole grain rice and sweet asian style sauce." Someone in the office asked me what is inside the potstickers, and I had to check the ingredients list because, while it wasn't obvious from eating them, I assumed it was chicken. Wrong. Doesn't appear they have any meat in them at all, but they do contain tofu.
The meal was very tasty, but quite spicy compared to most frozen entrees I've had (spicier than the last one I posted about). By the time I got done eating this meal, my mouth was on fire (but not in an entirely bad way).
Here's the nutritional information:
Serving Size: 1 meal (284 grams) Calories: 380 Total Fat: 4.5g Sat Fat 1g Trans Fat 0g Polyunsat fat 2g Monounsat fat 1.5g Cholesterol 5mg Sodium 600mg (ouch) Potassium 220mg Total Carbs 75g (!) Dietary Fiber 6g Sugars 19g (!) Protein 8g
Weight Watchers Points = 7
Would definitely buy this again in terms of taste.
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
Tried one of the new Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers frozen entrees last week and am just remembering to post about it.
I bought the General Tso's Spicy Chicken variety, which is described as "Chicken Breast with Rice & Vegetables in Spicy Brown Sauce." I thought it was much better than some frozen, lowfat entrees that I've had, though the sauce tastes like that same sauce you get with nearly all of the Asian-inspired entrees I've tried except that it was a bit spicier. Veggies are peas, carrots and red bell pepper, and there were a lot of them compared to many healthy entrees who boast of veggies and then don't produce them in enough quantity to boast.
Here are the numbers: Serving Size: 1 Meal or 306 grams Calories: 310 Total Fat 3.5g Sat Fat 1g Trans Fat 0g Polyunsat Fat 1g Monounsat Fat 1.5g Cholesterol 30mg Sodium 500mg (not great but not nearly as bad as some) Potassium 390mg Total Carbs 50g Dietary Fiber 5g Sugars 10g Protein 18g
I would definitely buy this again.
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
I like the taste of the latter, although all "sugar drinks" should be consumed in moderation.
I LOVE Simply Lemonade. I have always been a lover of homemade lemonade, but have hated nearly all the bottled stuff I'd tried--until Simply Lemonade. I keep a bottle of it on hand in the warmer weather for when guests drop by and have a few glasses a week of it myself when it is hot. I drink SO much water, so having a glass of lemonade now and then is a great bolt of taste but, as you said, it needs to be consumed in moderation because it's a sugared product.
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
I make Spanish rice the quick way. I boil my rice. I spoon in a couple of tablespoons of my favorite salsa (go to whole foods or trader joe for good tasting canned salsa). I mix. that is it. (I like Gringo Mountain brand, or trader joe's has some really great varieties of salsa)
i have friends from Latin countries who "ooh" and "ahh" over this dish. They comment that I must have spent hours over a hot pot making this great rice dish. i smile, nod and keep my dirty little secret.
Goals: 1. Enjoy life! 2. Be aware, be awake, pay attention. 3. One word 2010: faith
Posts: 2653 | Location: North Carolina | Registered: November 11, 2006
The WW Smart Ones Fetticini(sp?) Alfredo with Brocolli is pretty good. There again I only eat half (or 1/3) a serving as a side dish & give mother the rest. She still hasn't figured out that my primary reason for buying them is so she will eat them. If I bought it just for her she would not eat it but she is willing to "share" it with me.
We make our own "fried rice" using the Uncle Ben's 90 Second Brown Rice Pack. It has the lowest sodium count of any of the "flavors" I have checked. After we cook the rice we put it in a skillet and add chopped brocolli, and shreaded carrots and a couple of scrambled egg whites and about a teaspoon of evoo. I think that is all Dena puts in it except for some spices.
Originally posted by SheriaVa: Yea, a long time ago, I tried making [Spanish Rice} at home and it didn't turn out to well...
Restaurants use quite a bit of oil in Spanish rice (well, restaurants use oil in everything, really...)
You'll want to saute the raw rice in some oil or lard or fat before adding boiling water.
Of course, this doubles the calories and makes one cup about 270 calories, but it might give you the texture/mouth feel/flavor that you are looking for.
But that is why when we make it at home... it just isn't the same as a restaurant.
Originally posted by SheriaVa: I am always on the hunt for a rice dish that is like you get in Mexican restaurants.
Have you tried making your own?
Yea, a long time ago, I tried making it at home and it didn't turn out to well but, now that I know about the Vigo yellow rice, I think I'll just add some roasted corn and such to it and that will do me fine.
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
Originally posted by SheriaVa: I am always on the hunt for a rice dish that is like you get in Mexican restaurants.
Have you tried making your own? I too like the Vigo yellow rice. I've made it, and brown or white rice, and added black beans, fire-roasted diced tomatoes(Hunt's or Heinz makes these in a can), corn(which you can also buy roasted in a can, I think), some chopped up roasted red peppers. Or, sometimes I add a small jar of salsa to my rice. Uncle Ben's now makes 90 second rice packs. I've tried their Spanish rice and did not like it so in case you see that one-I just don't think the flavor was there.
Jill
I have no specific goal(s) right now. I am trying to find the spiritual side of myself that I lost somewhere along the way.
Originally posted by Sandy: Although this is not a new food offering, I've been using wheat berries as an alternative grain. They are very nutty, filling and quite satisfying because they require a lot of chewing.
What do you use them in?
Jill
I have no specific goal(s) right now. I am trying to find the spiritual side of myself that I lost somewhere along the way.
I am always on the hunt for a rice dish that is like you get in Mexican restaurants. Back in my eating lunch out every day days, the nearby ChiChi's had super cheap chicken fajitas with Mexican rice at lunch and I LOVED the flavor of the two together. I have tried--and disliked--many different brands/types of Mexican rice. The only thing I've tried that comes close is the Vigo brand yellow rice, which I enjoy.
A few weeks ago, I found a Kashi rice blend called Fiery Fiesta. It has roasted corn, black beans and red peppers in addition to whole grain rice. Since those are all things I like, I thought I'd try it. It comes in a packet that you dump into a bowl, add water to and nuke for 60-90 seconds--VERY quick and easy, which definitely had my interest piqued.
Today, I made chicken fajitas for my lunches this week, and figured this was the perfect opportunity to try this rice blend. I am sorry to say that I really detest the texture of this product. It is very mushy and mushy food is a major issue with me. The flavor seemed fine and it is, indeed a little fiery in heat. I don't think I'd buy this again--unless perhaps I mixed it 50/50 with the Vigo to give it a less-mushy texture and more bite (not spice-wise bite but texture bite).
The numbers for a 1 cup serving:
210 calories
5g total fat 0.5g sat fat 0g trans fat 0mg cholesterol 400 mg sodium 40g total carbs 7g fiber 3g sugars 8g protein
Today, I made chicken fajitas for my lunches this week and I t
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
