Frozen Meals - Healthy Choice Review and Giveaway

When I was younger and single, I used to eat a lot of frozen meals, especially for lunch. They were cheap and easy and I could quickly "pack" my lunch as I was running out the door by simply pulling one from my freezer. Plus, with so many options, I felt that it provided me with some variety for lunch. But, I was generally disappointed in the meals. The descriptions and the pictures did not deliver in the meal. Sure, there were some that were delicious, but they also seemed to be those that were full calorie meals - not the reduced calorie meals that I was seeking in an ongoing effort to lose or at least maintain weight. Sure, I found a few shining stars that packed a flavorful punch, but with a regular rotation of just a few varieties I was quickly bored with my selection and the meals were left in my freezer - as I sought out tastier options.

Frozen meals have come along way from then. Look at the number of varieties for one and a lot are starting to pack more fresh flavor in each bite. I was excited to try some of the new Healthy Choice selections when I was contacted a few weeks ago about "defying diet food". As someone that is trying to lose weight, I think it is important to not only choose healthy options for meals, but to maintain variety in my diet. Sometimes, with a busy schedule, it can be difficult to be creative at meal time, especially lunch - when I don't have the luxury of being in my own kitchen. It is good to know that now I have some new choices to include as part of my lunchtime routine.

I was sent two new varieties to try - the Balsamic Garlic Chicken Healthy Choice Cafe Steamer and the Roasted Red Pepper Marinara Healthy Choice All Natural Entree.

So, last week one day when I was packing my lunch and was pressed for time, I decided to try one. The first one I had was the Balsamic Garlic Chicken from the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamer line. The dish included chicken, whole grain pasta, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and vegetables in a balsamic garlic sauce. If your like me and hadn't tried this line before, the Cafe Steamers line feature a DuoTray Steamcooker - a bowl on the bottom contains the sauce and a steamer basket above holds the rest of the dish. According to the company, this "separation of ingredients and the steaming process utilized in these meals heightens the flavors, maximizes the crispness and crunch of the colorful vegetables and retains the optimum texture of pasta, rice or potatoes". I have to say that I really felt like the peppers benefited from this steaming, as they still had some crispness to them (not soggy like sometimes vegetables are in a single tray meal) and the pasta also still had a little bite to it. The steaming also worked well for me, because with the dish cooked separate from the sauce it was easier for me to pick out mushrooms (I don't eat them). After cooking (and for me removing the mushrooms), simply pour the pasta, chicken and vegetables into the bowl with the sauce and stir. This could also allow you the option to use less sauce if you desired. I enjoyed this filling meal (and only 5 Points!) and definitely would pick up more. I think I would most like to try the Lemon Garlic Chicken or the Sweet Sesame Chicken.

Later in the week, I tried the Roasted Red Pepper Marinara from the All Natural Entrees line. This dish was 9 grain cavatelli pasta in a roasted red pepper sauce, topped with parmesan, romano and asiago cheeses. The All Natural entrees are made with no preservatives, artificial flavors, or colors. I definitely liked that it was shredded cheese on top and not a grated cheese that was simply mixed in the sauce. The sauce was very flavorful and served atop the whole grain pasta, made it a very healthy dish. Again, this flavorful dish was only 5 Points and made a nice option for lunch. In this line, I think I would like to try the Lobster Cheese Ravioli.

Both meals had a nice, fresh flavor to them. With both of these meals delivering on the flavor, I am looking forward to trying more of the new Healthy Choice varieties and incorporating frozen meals back into my lunchtime menu plan.

You can learn more about the new Healthy Choice varieties on their website. While there, you can also get a coupon for $1/2 Healthy Choice Frozen Entrees.

Giveaway

Have you tried the new lines/entrees from Healthy Choice? Thanks to Healthy Choice, I have the opportunity to offer a giveaway of two coupons for a free Healthy Choice Frozen Meal.

To enter, visit Healthy Choice and then come back and leave a comment sharing which variety you are most interested in trying.

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Giveaway will remain open until March 17th at 6 pm. Two winners will be selected using a random number generator. The winners will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. Healthy Choice contacted me directly and provided me with two frozen meals to sample for the purposes of sharing my review. In addition, they provided coupons for a reader giveaway.