Have you seen the new Healthy Choice commercials? The super fit Seinfeld alumna Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a potential spokeswoman for the company but needs further convincing. After I saw the commercial with Louis-Dreyfus gorging on Sweet Asian Potstickers, I contacted Healthy Choice. I wanted to know what changes they really made. As it turns out, the changes were substantial. Healthy Choice recently revamped its boxes, its label, and most importantly its food. The company has added more whole grains, fiber and antioxidants, and they've added a line of "Healthy Choice All Natural Entrées." The new meals are meat-free, but some contain chicken broth. The new entrées (suggested retail price $2-$2.49) sound tasty: Mediterranean Pasta, Portabella Marsala Pasta, Pumpkin Squash Ravioli, Portabella Spinach Parmesan, Sweet Asian Potstickers, and Tomato Basil Penne. In addition, Healthy Choice has added "premium" turkey and chicken (their term not mine--I'm not sure what that means, and what sort of poultry they used in the past), whole grain pasta and brown rice pilaf to their Healthy Choice Complete Meals ($2.88-$3.09). They've added new varieties of their Select Entrées ($2-$2.49), added new Café Steamers ($2.88-$3.29) with premium chicken, created three Vegetarian Soups, and changed the recipes of four other soups ($2.19-$2.39). We gave some of these "All Natural Entrees" a whirl. Find out what we thought! "Natural" is one of those marketing terms that pretty much means nothing. When I see the labels "now all-natural" or "100% natural" on a package, I think, "Well, what was in it before?" or "Of course, it's natural. But what does that really mean?" Still, the ingredients list on the new Healthy Choice entrees is shorter than the usual frozen food. There is no corn syrup or preservatives, and the entrée contains ingredients like beans, spinach, whole-grain pasta (not as nutritious as whole-wheat but still good), apples and cranberries.  Sweet Asian Potstickers I tried this meal one busy Friday when I forgot my lunch at home. The meal had three potstickers, about a half-cup of rice and about the same amount of vegetables--carrots, red peppers and green onions. (I added another cup or so of frozen broccoli.) The sauce was tangy and slightly spicy--I really liked it! The vegetables were still crisp, and the dumplings were filling and hearty. They had tofu and various vegetables and rivaled any you could get at an Asian restaurant. The rice was so-so. I would have preferred a fourth dumpling or--better yet--more vegetables than the rice. I would eat this again, and I think it tasted fresh and delicious. The sodium was a little high on this--I think that's because of the soy in the sauce--but it was good! Calories: 380 4.5 g fat 600 mg sodium 75 g carbs 6 g fiber 8 g protein  Mediterranean Pasta I was eager to try this out because the ingredients looked good, and it seemed like a healthy vegetarian option. Overall, I didn't care for the flavor very much--I thought it was kind of odd tasting and extremely sweet and fruit-filled for a lunch/dinner entree. While the meal was OK and the nutritional profile was also good (pretty decent fiber and protein for a vegetarian meal), I would have liked to see more vegetables and the use of whole grains. It wasn't bad by any means, but I wouldn't try this product again. The name "Mediterranean Pasta" seems like a misnomer, as cranberries are native to North America, and I don't think of apples and sweet dried fruit when I think of the Mediterranean diet. Still, this was tasty. It needed something savory to temper it--perhaps a grilled chicken breast or broiled tofu. Calories: 360 5 g fat 410 mg sodium 65 g carbs 12 g fiber 13 g protein Healthy Choice partnered with some great celebrities to host an event earlier this month where they donated $250,000 to Feeding America. To keep the cause going, they are auctioning off celebrity-signed plates from the event – plates were signed by Nancy O’Dell, Jennie Garth and Dhani Jones. For more info, or to bid, click here. Have you tried any of the new Healthy Choice meals? Which Healthy Choice product is your favorite? |
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