Tuesday, March 27, 2012

What's for lunch? My review of a frozen organic, vegan meal

I love lunch. Well. I also love breakfast, brunch, snacks, dinner and dessert.

Uh.

Anyway, I do love lunch. I work from an office occasionally and I look forward to going out and 'picking up' lunch. It's my little treat and I like the mental break from getting up from my desk.

I'll admit, my usual go-to was from a local, chain sandwich shop. I chose what I thought was a pretty healthy meal: Whole grain roll, turkey, veggies, mustard and a bag of baked chips.

It's not the pits. Certainly fits into what most of us would consider a low-fat, low-calorie lunch.

However, aside from the veggies and maybe a bit of whole grain this is a pretty low nutrient meal.  In terms of "eating clean" as I'm working at doing, this sandwich doesn't cut it. Processed cold-cut meat, a bag of baked chips, etc - not so clean. Not to mention that I'm avoiding gluten to see if my tummy gets better (I have felt better).

So what the frig to eat?

I remembered that there was a Target near by so I decided to see if I could find something there.

I found this:

I admit, I was afraid
Basically, I chose this Amy's entree because Target only had this and one other option of the sort and this seemed the less of two evils. "Dairy-free," "Gluten-free," no meat? Ugh. This thing is freakin' vegan. I'm no vegan.  I wasn't feeling optimistic but tried to keep an open mind. Gotta try it before you knock it.

I also chose the Wallaby yogurt because it was organic and had all pronounceable things in the ingredients… I figured I'd at least like that.

So this was my set-up:
brought the orange from home
OMG, Amy, I'm sorry I doubted you. You were delish. I couldn't believe how good this little frozen meal was! LOVED it. Like I would eat this even if I wasn't trying to be all gluten-free and clean-eatin'. There were plenty of beans and corn in the tamale, the tamale itself was a very nice texture. The rice was tasty and the flavors were great.  (Now, perhaps I'm over zealous in this review because I was fearing the worst but I was sincerely impressed.)

If you look at the ingredients of the Amy's meal - you can pronounce all of it - no chemicals or weird stuff to be found: 



The best part? It wasn't $$. I think the Amy's thing was on-sale for $2.99 and the yogurt was $1. So hello - lunch for under $5 (including the orange). CHEAPER than a fast food 'value' meal.

This Tamale Verde meal had 12 grams of fiber and actually made me full! I am saving my orange and yogurt for later. I never feel filled and satisfied after a frozen meal (and I relied on a lot of "low fat" frozen meals for lunch). Find the rest of the nutritional information here.

If I was having it for dinner I might add some sliced avocado and a salad of greens to it for a little extra flair.

Have you tried something new lately?

Are you a fan of Amy's Organic stuff?

What else can I have for lunch that I might like?

XO
Jen







15 comments:

Liz is getting back to her fighting weight said...

I enjoy Amy's organic stuff. They are a great way to eat clean if you have to eat processed foods.

Unknown said...

LOVE Amy's products! That one in particular is my favorite. I also like the black bean burritos - yummy, filling and super easy when I'm pinched on time.

Jogging on Coffee said...

I love Amy's stuff! Unfortunately its more expensive here but I do get it every now and then as a treat :)

Unknown said...

Thanks Liz, Becky and Coffee! I have seen them before but was never tempted to buy them. They are a little pricier than the non-organic frozen stuff but now that I'm eating better I'll put a few on the list for a back-up plan.

Anyone ever try the Kashi line of frozen stuff?

Summer said...

I love Amy's! There are some super tasty options which were my go-to for dinner when I was single and living on my own. Considering the weight I've put on since getting married/cohabitating, I should bring some of these back in to rotation!

Anonymous said...

I've never actually tries any Organic frozen meals because I thought well I can just cook the organic basics myself but you've made me think about trying Amys for a quick lunch sometime.

Unknown said...

Hey Kris -

Well I say if you can make it yourself that's always the way to go but I did think this was pretty damn tasty and filling for a back up option if you like a little convenience once in a while.

Summer, if I lived on my own i would definitely have these on hand for quick dinner options!

Thanks for all the comments!

Frickin' Fabulous at 40 said...

My girlfriend swears by Amy's also!

Jason said...

Did you have to post a Mexican meal? I told myself I wasn't making Mexican again tonight and now this.....

Nope, not going to do it. Sticking with my mushroom polenta and brussels sprouts dinner thank you very much.

Amy does make some good stuff.

Unknown said...

mmm, Jason that sounds pretty darn good too!

misszippy said...

I've had Amy's stuff over the years, but never tried that one. It sounds awesome. Best part is that it filled you up. Will have to look for it.

Sara said...

Thanks for sharing. I will have to look into this for sure!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog header/re-design. I am getting caught up in Blogland and just saw it! You rock, my BBFF!! You are so beautiful too - just thought you should know! ;)

Erica Gorman said...

Amy's organics rocks! I love them and can even find them at our local Costco. So affordable and thanks for the reminder to pick some up again for lunch.

I too have an office desk job and yes, picking up lunch is a great break from the desk, a chance to walk around, see fresh faces, treat myself....but the options are not so healthy. :)

Jill said...

It looks really tasty. Was the sodium high, do you remember? I will have to check those out at the store next time I'm there...I just have sodium issues so have to stay away from frozen things sometimes. But it looks promising :).

Unknown said...

Sodium was 780 mg. that sounds high to me? Sigh. always something. I guess if you don't have a prob with sodium they could be used in a pinch but prob. not everyday.