Monday, August 22, 2011

Food News

I try to avoid processed and frozen food but I also have limited time to cook, and prepare food therefore frozen food and processed food have to happen sometimes. I like to keep something frozen on hand for those in a pinch meals. This past Friday having something on hand came in handy. Work's been crazy so I did not get home and able to move on to dinner until 10pm. This is nutso and I should have managed to get dinner earlier but the time just got away from me and before I knew it I was home and hungry at 10pm. I was thrilled to remember I had a evol burrito in the freezer. I am not a huge burrito person. I feel like they never taste of anything, or the ones that do have mountains of high fat high calories fixins that would make anything delicious, but these burritos have been getting a lot of attention lately so I was excited to try them.

A little about evol, first it's love backwards on purpose. They love food and taste. All the ingredients are GMO free, most products are at least 70% organic, they have vegetarian options, and they were not lying the two burritos I have tried were fantastic. They are tasty, filling, and have very reasonable stats. I tried the pork Friday night with 450 calories, 11 grams of fat, 19 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber and amazingly for a frozen food 720mg of sodium. That's not terribly low, but for a frozen food it's not the worst I have seen. I would usually shy away from something with 11 grams of fat, but I have to say I was wrong. It's so satisfying, I had a little fat free greek yogurt on the side and could not have been happier. Last night I had the cilantro lime chicken and was equally thrilled with it, and thought it was actually tastier and I am a consummate pork lover. The chicken has 320 calories, 7 grams of fat, 16 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and 450 mg of sodium. I added a grilled nectarine to the mix and was one content lady.

This week I also tried something new. I do plan my meals and snacks, but there is probably more free form in there then I would care to admit. I have a nutty week coming up so Sunday I took the time to actually plan it out and look at it on paper before I went grocery shopping. It was super helpful and kept me really on track in terms of what I did and did not need. It also made me look at things on paper to see where I needed variety. I love greek yogurt, but I can not eat it everyday and I am concerned about all the added sugar. This motivated me to grill some nectarines which I love and combine then with plain greek yogurt and almonds for a snack. If you keep the yogurt to 1/2 a cup, and to half a nectarine, and a few almonds broken up you're in good snack shape. I also discovered a new delicious cracker. Mary's Gone Crackers, are pretty delicious and pretty amazing for something processed. They are vegan, focus on whole food so they are minimally processed, and gluten free. The most important thing is they are delicious. I have been eating them with a babybel cheese and find it delightful.

I am trying to remind myself that being really busy, and not in my usual schedule is not an excuse for my eating to fall to crap. I am also trying to stay on top of checking in and not eating my feelings so writing out my meal plans and then doing the prep work helped me feel calmer going into a crazy week.

What are your go to need to make a meal fast helpers?

hello new friend

Only tried the caraway so far, excited for the others. 

Meal planning rambling! 




5 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. I'm definitely looking for evol burritos next time I go grocery shopping. I'm pretty loyal to Amy's Kitchen when I have to go the frozen meal route -- you know this -- but it'd be nice to have other options. And I LOVE a good burrito.

    A lot of my other go-to items for fast meals and snacks are the same as yours:
    Larabars
    hummus with baby carrots or Ak Mak crackers
    unsweetened Greek yogurt w/ fruit and sliced almonds
    an apple and cheese

    PS -- Weekly meal planning is SUCH a good idea. My bf is starting a graduate program next week, and mapping our meals out in advance will be crucial. I'm hoping it will cut down on my impulse purchases and thoughtless/boredom snacking, too.

    PPS -- My apologies for the deleted comment above. There was a spelling error that was going to drive me nuts. Had to re-post.

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  3. Meal in a flash? Two words, Frozen veggies. So helpful. Whenever I don't have time to make a meal I just heat up the veggies and add some store bought rotisserie chicken. It really makes for a nice but quick meal. I mean what veggie out there isn't a great match for chicken?

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  4. I spent Sunday planning and shopping too:) And I love it when you find something tasty, convenient and healthy. Working full-time doesn't allow for super healthy from scratch cooking every evening. And I don't earn enough to have a chef on hand. Honestly, if I ever get rich I want a personal chef and hairdresser. Is that too much to ask for?

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  5. Samara- Am I the only person who is not in love with Amy's?! I feel really left out of that party. I am not sure if I choose poorly or what but the meals underwhelm me. There I said it. I outed myself. You're hilarious removing the spelling error. I love AK Mak crackers, like I could write them a love song or two. The meal planning is really making me feel more in control of my week/life which has been super calming and soothing AND I have food and snacks.

    CMH- That is a great idea. I always have frozen veggies on hand, but the rotisserie chicken I forget about.

    S.N.S- That is not too much to ask AT ALL. Add a driver in there and that would be my wish as well.

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