I am a busy, balancing mama. Selecting and cooking food is one of my least favorite responsibilities. With Amelia in school, dance, and soccer, we have at least two days each week where I need fast dinner ideas. Similarly, I often find myself scrambling to quiet my rumbling stomach at lunch, when I have to soon be out the door to claim a coveted front-of-the-line spot in preschool carpool. Frozen foods give me the little break I need, because I can stockpile nutritious selections in the freezer when I need a one-step option.
I enjoyed a Healthy Choice Top Chef meal from ConAgra Foods today for lunch - you know, the newer kind with the steamer basket? It was surprisingly fresh, savory, and filling. I love the steamer basket selections because the pasta, meat, and veggies are steam-cooked separately from the sauce, which allows the flavors and colors to come out. It is an attractive, easy, healthy, tasty meal for a busy mama like me.
But aren't frozen foods filled with preservatives and high in calories? You know, I totally thought this as well. But this Top Chef meal has NO preservatives. And it was under 300 calories - for pasta! That makes this calorie-tracking lady very happy. (If you have seen me near pasta, you would see that built-in portion control is really important.)
Today's lunch was low in calories, packed with nutrition from spinach and tomatoes, had no preservatives, and cooked in less than 5 minutes... I call that a win! I may have to pack these in my lunch bag more often. I will also be less afraid to grab a few extra family-size meals and frozen vegetables from the freezer section the next time I am at the store.
ConAgra Foods
frozen meals give families access to real ingredients like crunchy,
freshly cut vegetables, homemade pasta and ripe fruit year-round. Just
like most people blanch veggies before freezing them – ConAgra Foods
does too – to help preserve color, texture and keep them fresh!
Give it a try sometime! Marie Callender’s hearty pot pies are filled
with tender meat, freshly cut vegetables and Marie’s authentic golden,
flaky crust. And Healthy Choice recipes use chef-inspired ingredients
like, apples instead of sugar for tart sweetness and a splash of red
wine for a punch of flavor instead of added salt.
Discover the Future of Frozen Foods:
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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of ConAgra Foods.
Monday, March 25, 2013
A healthy and surprisingly delicous choice! #FrozenFacts
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food
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health
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working mom