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Quick and Healthy Foods
Written by: Margherita Miserandino and Michael Mardings
Yet another chapter in the never ending search for good, quick, and healthy food.
We taste tested a variety of food products on the market and brought to you our readers the items that passed with flying colors.
Quaker Oatmeal
Quaker Oatmeal has always made delicious, quick, and healthy products but they have now gone a step further. They have developed Oatmeal to Go and Weight Control Instant Oatmeal. Oatmeal to Go comes in flavors such as Raspberry Streusel and Banana Bread. They are just as filling as traditional oatmeal. You can eat them right out of the box or for a special treat microwave them for 10 seconds and have them warm. Weight Control Instant Oatmeal has less sugar that regular instant oatmeal as well as more fiber and protein. It comes in two flavors- Cinnamon and Banana bread. TheCelebrityCafe.com staff has fought over them!
Uncle Bens
Uncle Ben takes care of his family and we like it! Since whole grains are necessary for a complete diet, Uncle provides them is a good tasting fashion. We have used the “Whole Grain Instant Brown Rice” on camping trips. Fast and easy to make and, after empty, the box can be used to start the campfire. When at home and its my turn to make the dinner, I put a little olive oil in the pan, add vegetables and place a little chicken on top to steam… a good meal but without the extra points that can make a personal dessert special. Avoid the extra pot and go for the Chicken Whole Grain. It comes in its own pouch and it’s microwavable. Go for the points, add the rice…the girls love it and the men think of it as comfort food.
Weight Watcher's Smoothies and Yogurt
Weight Watcher's created smoothies and yogurt, which at one point each, are a great healthy snack or quick breakfast before heading to the gym. The smoothies come in great classic flavors such as strawberry, strawberry banana and mixed berries. We sampled the Key Lime Pie and Strawberry Banana flavors and they were smooth and tasty.
Tom Douglas Rub with Love
Make your dinner a little lovelier tonight with food rubs from Tom Douglas. All natural and containing no MSG, these rubs come in many varieties including one for steak, salmon, and chicken. On the package is a recipe using each rub, ensuring an easy meal. My personal favorite was the Steak Rub. Delicious and not too salty, the Rub with Love line added the right amount of flavor to enhance the steak.
Sacla Sauces
Want to make an authentic Italian Meal that would impress anyone? Sacla Italia has a variety of sauces that you only need to heat and serve. They are imported from Italy and come in tasty types like Classic Basil Pesto, Sun-Dried Tomato and Garlic, and Olive and Tomato. Even the 100% Italians on our staff said that these sauces tasted like homemade- just don't tell their mammas.
Gourmet Garden Herbs and Spices
This is definitely one of my favorite food products ever. Gourmet Garden began producing their herbs and spices in New Zealand and I am very happy they have made their way to the States. Gourmet Garden takes fresh herbs and puts them in a plastic squeeze tube so you can have fresh herbs whenever you like. They make a variety of herbs and spices like parsley, dill, oregano and Italian herb which is a blend of Oregano, Basil, Marjoram, Thyme, Parsley and Rosemary. I have tried many of their herbs and you can't tell that they come from a tube as opposed to your produce market.
Fairfield Farms Kitchens Moosewood Organic and Organic Classics
Fairfield Farms Kitchens creates a variety of organic products under both the Moosewood and Organic Classics labels. Moosewood Organic Soups and Entrees are quick, easy, and delicious. Organic and vegetarian, the soups and entrees are made from authentic recipes. TheCelebrityCafe.com loves the soups especially, which come in flavors such as Savannah Sweet Potato Bisque, Creamy Potato & Corm Chowder, Heart Mushroom Barley Soup and Tibetan Curried Lentil. The soups are creamy, with fresh and juicy vegetables. The entrees, which can be thrown in the microwave for a few minutes, come in varieties such as Macaroni & Three Cheese, Farfalle & Spinach Pesto Sauce, and Southwest Cornbread and Red Beans. The entrees do not taste as if they were frozen and only include the finest ingredients.
Organic Classics includes delicious soups such as French Onion and Seafood Chowder as well as tasty entrees such as Confetti Rice Pilaf and Chicken with Honey BBQ Sauce and Meatloaf and Gravy with Vegetable Medley. Beside quick lunch and dinner entrees they also make delicious and quick toaster muffins in great flavors like Blueberry and Maple Oat.
South Beach Diet
South Beach Diet frozen Microwave Pizzas are ready in three minutes and will settle anyone on the SBD's pizza craving. On a fiber-rich crust, they have 320 calories or less per serving. All pizzas are excellent sources of protein in the delicious harvest wheat crusts made with whole grains. Available in 4 flavors: Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Pizza, Deluxe Pizza, Pepperoni Pizza, and Four Cheese Pizza. If you need an even faster meal, South Beach Diet Meal Replacement Bars in delicious flavors such as Chocolate Crisp and Caramel Peanut Crisp are great alternatives.
Grace's Kitchen
Grace's Kitchen has perfected a wonderful idea- a frozen entrée that you cook, not microwave, that tastes like you slaved in the kitchen. The entrees usually feed two- all you need to add is a nice salad and a dessert for a complete and filling meal. All the ingredients come in separate pouches and the box details exactly how to prepare the meal. A complete novice can pull this off, there are even plating directions and suggestions for wine pairing! We sampled the Spice-Rubbed Pork Loin and the Chipotle Bean Cakes with Corn Chowder and they were very flavorful.
Gorton's Shrimp Temptations
Gorton's has always provided delicious frozen seafood over the years so there was no surprise that their new Shrimp Temptations were a hit with our staff. We sampled the Lemon Butter and Scampi and they were well flavored. What a great way to get more seafood into your diet.
Birdseye Steam & Serve and Herb Garden Collection
We all know we have to eat our vegetables- we sometimes don't have the time to prepare them or make them taste more appetizing. Birdseye has developed Steam & Serve and Herb Garden Collections. Steam & Serve Vegetables are a collection of chef-inspired fruit and vegetable blends like Lemon Pepper Vegetables and Spring Vegetables in Citrus Sauce. The Herb Garden Collection includes Petite Peas & Mushrooms with Chives and Green Beans with Thyme. These Birdseye new products will definitely make even the pickiest eater like vegetables.
Pelican's Choice
Pelican's Choice Gourmet Albacore is of the highest quality albacore, and it is obvious in each bite. Dolphin-safe, this tuna is naturally processed: no bleaching, fillers, or preservatives. The natural Omega-3 oils are retained for healthier tuna. The cans of albacore are available in six delicious flavors for every different taste: All-Natural, Original, Dill, Garlic, Jalapeño, and Smoked. Gift boxes are available, with one of each flavor packaged in a handmade pine "fish crate."
Island Trollers
Island Trollers Gourmet Albacore is another great tasting high quality albacore caught in the North Pacific. Island Trollers has all natural ingredients and is cooked only once to preserve flavor. It comes in great flavors such as capers, jalapeno, alder smoked, garlic, smoked and if you are brave enough - habanero. Some staff members who don't eat tuna loved it.
Horizon Organic
Just in time for the holidays, Horizon Organic comes out with the Low-Fat Eggnog. A tasty alternative to regular eggnog, Horizon Organic's is rich and creamy, pleasing even the toughest food critics in the family. The eggnog is made without artificial colors or flavors and is produced without the use of antibiotics, added growth hormones, or dangerous pesticides.
Silk Nog
Silk, a leading soy beverage producer, has released Silk Nog, a low fat egg nog alternative for the holiday season. It is very tasty and will appease your vegan friends because it contains no dairy or egg products. It is also a great tasting treat for those watching their cholesterol because it has none.
Adagio Teas
Adagio teas, the classic teas from China, are the way tea is supposed to be had. The natural tea leaves come in clasped containers to keep in the freshness. With no calories, sweeteners, or preservatives, Adagio teas, in flavors such as Golden Yunnan (black tea), and Ti Kuan Yin Goddess (oolong tea), makes a great pick me up cup of gourmet tea.
Tea's Tea
Tea's Tea is hardcore green tea. This is authentic Japanese green tea. You have to love the flavor of green tea to like these teas. I liked the more mild flavors like Pure Green and Green White. One of our staff members loved the more potent roasted varieties like the Green Hoji and Green Genmai. They also make Mugi Cha, which is a barley tea. If you like robust teas, these are the best around. Of course, they are packed with all the goodness that green tea has to offer.
Soy Blendz
Fruit and Soy Protein Smoothiez from Soy Blendz are a delicious way to get your protein each day, with 8grams per bottle. All natural and made with whole soy and real fruit juices, these are some of the healthiest and tastiest fruit smoothies out there. They are available in Mixed Berry Medley, Mango/Orange Dream, Orange Citrus Splash, and Strawberry Banana Blast.
Lipton
Bringing Café-style teas to homes, Lipton, the world's leading tea brand, introduces Lipton Premium Tea Pods. This new line is composed of four flavors: English Estate, Vanilla Hazelnut, Raspberry Truffle, and Citrus Blossom Green Tea. Specially formulated for the Home Café brewing system, these flavorful and deliciously aromatic teas are rich and robust. A must have for any tea drinker.
Sambazon
Sambazon Smoothies are an environmentally aware drink that not only is good for your body and good to your taste buds, but is also good for the environment. Made with Acai fruit (an organic berry from the Brazilian Amazon) and Amazon cherries, this smoothie is so good and high in Vitamin C as well as antioxidants, that Sports Illustrated even recommends it. Good to go, with breakfast, during exercise, or anywhere you have a hand. They also make Pure Acai Powder called PowerScoop and Acai PowerCaps so you can reap the benefits of Acai fruit in other forms.
John WM Macy's Cheese Crisps
John WM Macy Cheese Crisps are an all natural snack that comes in a variety of flavors such as Sesame Gruyere and Cheddar Asiago. They are crunchy with a very cheesy aftertaste. Our favorite was Sesame Gruyere- good quality cheese and real sesame seeds help make this one of my favorite snacks.
Function Urban Detox
Function Urban Detox is a product that is scientifically developed to combat hangovers and airborne pollution that gets into your lungs. It uses N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) which is a very strong antioxidant that helps the liver clear the body of toxins that are produced when the body breaks down alcohol. It also has a great orange and prickly pear flavor. In short, if you haven't ingested good for you beverages- this will clean you up.
Odwalla Nourishing Food Bar
Odwalla has made snack-sized bars of their popular full sized bars for an easy snack you can take with you. They come in great flavors such as Chocolate Chip Peanut, Peanut Crunch and Carrot Raisin. They are made with whole fruits and grains and do not taste like they are good for you!
Cedarlane Zone Meals
Cedarlane and Dr. Sears Zone have teamed up to make great frozen entrees that follow Zone principles. These entrees are absolutely delicious and are made of high quality all natural ingredients. The entrees come in a great variety including breakfast omelettes like Cheese or Spinach Mushroom as well as great lunch and dinner options like Enchilada Pie, Spinach and Cheese Pizza and Vegetable Lasagna. They are a great way to have a quick and healthy meal.
Naked Juice
Having Naked Juice products is one of the best ways to get your daily intake of fruit. Each 15.2 oz bottle has a pound of fruit and/or vegetables. These juices which come in great flavors such as Pomegranate, Pomegranate Blueberry and Protein Zone are all-natural and contain no extra sugar or preservatives. They are also absolutely delicious. Some of our favorites were Strawberry Banana-C and Might Mango.
Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet Rubs
Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet Rubs are some of the best and unique tasting rubs we have tried. These rubs contain only natural ingredients. They are definitely a quick way to spice up ordinary meats. The Kalamazoo Garlic Rub has great ingredients like sea salt, garlic, onion, basil and rosemary oils. The Big Boris Pepper Rub, inspired by Slavic Cuisine, has ingredients like fennel and bell peppers. This rub was great on any meat we put it on. We highly recommend these rubs.
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