Taste Test Tuesday: Gourmet Frozen Pizza

The words "gourmet" and "frozen pizza" can now be used in the same sentence.

I love pizza so you might not be surprised to know that I don't usually consider frozen pizza a viable option. For a busy family though, having a couple of pizzas in the freezer can be a lifesaver from time to time and don't I know it.

Well, move over Red Baron, because Mr. Puck is in the house! Wolfgang Puck's signature (literally) is now on boxes of frozen pizza found in your local supermarket. The pizzas are about the size of a small pizza parlor pizza, which is perfect if you are splitting it with someone or if you want to wrap up part of it for lunch the next day.

They are just the size that they fit into my toaster oven so I'm not turning on the big ol' oven in the middle of summer. From start to finish it took about 15 minutes (since you save time because you don't really need to preheat a toaster oven).

The label says that each box serves 3 but if it's a meal and not an actual "appetizer", I’m thinking it's serving more like 2 people. That said, each serving (1/3 the pizza) of Four Cheese, Tomato and Pesto Pizza contains 340 calories, 15 grams fat (39% calories from fat), 6 grams saturated fat (mostly from mozzarella and fontina cheese), 0 g trans fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 15 g protein, 36 g carbohydrate, 620 mg sodium. You might want to enjoy the pizza with some fresh fruit or steamed veggies, which will help bring down the percent calories from fat for the meal.

The first six ingredients for the Four Cheese, Tomato and Pesto Pizza are:

• organic wheat flour
• mozzarella cheese
• water
• sliced tomatoes
• extra virgin olive oil
• and fontina cheese.

My compliments to the chef; this pizza didn't taste like your typical frozen pizza. My only request for the future is to lighten up by using a part-skim mozzarella and perhaps a whole-wheat flour blend to bump up the fiber. Wolfgang, are you listening?

~~Elaine

Related Topics:

• Frozen Dinners to the Rescue
• Recipe: Spunky Vegetable Cheese Recipe

Technorati Tags: pizza, frozenpizza, wolfgangpuck

Breakfast Skippers Listen Up!

The good news is there are some great-tasting whole grain cereals in the supermarket aisle and they do offer people who might normally be skipping breakfast a "better than nothing" breakfast choice. A recent literature review found that breakfast skipping is rampant in the U.S. and in Europe.

The irony is that some people skip breakfast in an effort to lose weight and the opposite appears to be true. Twelve out of 16 studies recently reviewed suggested that breakfast skipping was actually associated with an increase in body mass index.

What could be easier than making yourself a bowl of cereal in the morning? If you are late and trying to get out the door, take one measly minute to pour some cereal in a bag. You can enjoy it by the handful without milk on your way or enjoy it once you get to work with some milk from the cafeteria or snack bar.

When choosing your breakfast cereal look for:

• cereals made from whole grains (a whole grain should be the first ingredient in the ingredient list)


• it would be great if your cereal serving contributed 5 grams of fiber or more to your daily fiber total


• cereals with enough sugar that it tastes appealing but not too much (look for the % calories from sugar to be 25% calories from sugar or less - this might be higher if the cereal you choose contains dried fruit, which counts toward the total sugar grams)
  

To calculate the % calories from sugar take the grams of sugar (from the nutrition facts label) and multiply by 4. Divide this number by the total calories per serving and multiply by 100 to get the % calories from sugar!

~~Elaine

Related Topics:

• The Most Important Meal of the Day
• Healthy Briefcase Breakfasts

Technorati Tags: breakfast, cereal, diet,

Taste Test Tuesday: My Favorite Find - Frozen Diced Fresh Herbs

I love using fresh herbs in my cooking but I don't love having to run out to the store to get them (because they aren't something I always have in my kitchen) and I don't love paying top dollar for them either.

Then I found these cute little 1.75 ounce boxes of frozen diced herbs at Whole Foods Markets. They are a product of Italy and imported by a company called White Toque, Inc. They had all sorts of different herbs, but I decided to pick the ones I thought I would use the most first and see how that went.

I bought a box each of:

• Frozen Diced Parsley
• Frozen Diced Basil
• Frozen Diced Chives
• Frozen Diced Shallots
  

They have been working excellent in everything I've added them to. My only problem is remembering that they are there! I particularly like that they are already diced and chopped so all I have to do is dip my measuring spoon in the little box (after opening the handy dandy flip up lid) and I'm good to go.

Fresh herbs (and shallots) and all the flavor and nutrition they provide, but as convenient as dried herbs! The price wasn't unreasonable either as I remember.

It's a win, win, win!

~~Elaine

Related Topics:

• An Herb Guide to Keep on Hand
• Herbs, Spices and Other Speedy Taste Boosters

Technorati Tags: herbs, healthy cooking

Grown Ups Can Order Kid Meals, Too

My secret is out. I often order kid meals at restaurants for myself, clearly I am not a "kid" since I'm in the "forty-something" group. But what can I say? This is the perfect amount of food for me! I appreciate that the kid meal comes with a small drink and usually a mini sized dessert too! I draw the line at the cute little toy surprise though (LOL). I usually offer to pay extra especially if the waiter or waitress looks at me funny.

One of the burger restaurants near my house started officially letting grown ups order the kid meals; they just tack on a couple of dollars. That seems fair to me. Especially when it comes to ordering burgers at a restaurant. I'm not a big meat eater and the smaller-sized burgers are just the ticket! Ordering the kid-size meal can help someone eat a healthy "comfortable" portion of food.

I think most of us would agree (and research backs me up) that the more food that is served to you and sitting in front of you on your plate, the more food you are likely to eat. So, don't be afraid to demand to be served smaller, more reasonable portion sizes in restaurants, by ordering the kid meals! The restaurant chains usually have a kid menu (Elephant Bar, Claim Jumper, Applebee's and Denny's - to name a few).

I'm one of those annoying guests who also ask for fresh fruit instead of French fries. Oh well, at least I'm a big tipper! How do you keep yourself from eating too much when you go out?

~~Elaine

Related Topics:

• Fast Road to Fat City
• Healthy Restaurant Lunches

Technorati Tags: portionsize, diettips, kidsmeals

Taste Test Tuesday: Vegetables Meet Fruit - In a Cup!

"If only I could just drink my vegetable and fruits servings," I've heard people say over the years. Well, the V8 company (part of Campbell Soup) seems to have just made that possible. I'm not a tomato juice kind of gal (love tomatoes every other way including sundried) so I'm not usually hanging around the tomato juice and V-8 area of my supermarket.

But V8 has a new juice invention they are peddling. It's V.Fusion, 100% vegetable 100% fruit juice and each 8 ounce glass qualifies as a 1/2-cup serving of vegetables and a 1/2-cup serving of fruit.

It comes in three flavors:

• Strawberry Banana
• Peach Mango
• Tropical Orange

How did it taste (we tasted the Strawberry Banana flavor)? First of all let me just say, it tastes great. Just make sure you get it good and chilled before you enjoy a glass (once you open the 46-ounce plastic bottle you have to store in the refrigerator).

Strawberry Banana V.Fusion
8 ounces serving =
120 calories
28 g carbohydrate
1 g protein
0 g fat
70 mg sodium
250 mg potassium

NOTE: they don't have grams of fiber listed on the Nutrition Facts label but the label does mention that it is not a significant source of calories from fiber.

70% Daily Value for Vitamin A
100% Daily Value for Vitamin C
10% Daily Value for Vitamin E

~~Elaine

Related Topics:

• Learn to Love the Veggies You Hate
• No Excuses: Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables

Technorati Tags: v8, vfusion, tomatojuice, vegetables, fruits

Two Choices for Coconut Milk

If you cook Thai dishes sometimes or if you gravitate toward tropical-style flavors, there will come a time when you are asked to add coconut milk to your recipes. I know it sounds innocent enough but coconut milk is LOADED with calories, total fat grams and saturated fat grams. You don't believe me? Well, 1 cup of canned coconut milk usually contains 445 calories, 48 grams of fat and 43 grams of saturated fat.

See what I mean?

But, you have two light options. You can do what I've always done and that's use fat free half and half and add coconut extract to make my own "coconut milk" or you can use a lite canned coconut milk. I believe there are at least a couple of brands out there doing this but the one I used last night while testing a Light Coconut Cream Cake for the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic was from Whole Foods.

"365 Organic Coconut Milk Lite" (made in Thailand) comes in a can and 1 cup of this stuff contains 160 calories, 16 grams of fat, and 12 grams of saturated fat. This is still a respectable ingredient, adding fat grams to your recipe, but it's definitely a lot less shocking compared to regular canned coconut milk.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Ethnic Eating Out Tips, Recipe: Coconut Custard Pie

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Taste Test Tuesday: Spinach Lasagna di Parma

If your palate is a bit picky and you are mostly used to home cooked meals, you probably have had trouble finding frozen entrees that appeal to you.

I'm always on the lookout for frozen entrees to try just because they do come in handy for a quick lunch at the office or at home when you are running low on fresh food.

This week I tried Seeds of Change (certified organic) Spinach Lasagna di Parma (purchased at Whole Foods) and it was definitely a small but pleasant meal! It smelled good and looked good so I wasn't too surprised when it tasted good as well.

The first seven ingredients are: cooked lasagna, spinach, ricotta cheese, carrots, onions, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Nothing too suspicious here, right folks?

Each frozen entree tray contains:
340 calories
10 grams fat
6 grams saturated fat (this is mostly from the ricotta cheese and mozzarella and parmesan cheese)
35 mg cholesterol
4 grams fiber
20 grams protein
750 mg sodium

Would I buy this again?

Definitely! This is a great vegetarian micro-meal option. The second ingredient is a dark green vegetable too!

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Make Your Own Frozen Entrees, Health & Cooking: Frozen Foods

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Vegetarian Burgers: New Generation of Options

Boy, who knew ten years ago that there would be a bunch of vegetarian burger options in the freezer department of several grocery stores. I say "several" grocery stores because there are some unique choices at Trader Joe's and then some at Whole Foods stores, and then some at your typical supermarket chain.

Vegetarian Burger Tip #1: Trial and error works because everyone is different and you need to find a vegetarian burger that works for you personally. My husband likes this one with Indian spices that he gets at Trader Joe's (Vegetable Masala Burger) while I tend to like the GardenBurger options at my regular supermarket.

Vegetarian Burger Tip #2: Decide whether you are looking for a burger that is trying to pose as a beef burger or a burger that is unapologetic about featuring vegetables. Both types are available in most supermarkets these days so be clear which one you are looking for. Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers are literally green to the eye and have all sorts of chunks of vegetables in the burger. It is undeniably all about vegetables and I rather like that about this burger.

Vegetarian Burger Tip #3: Some will need a quick spray of canola cooking spray for the nonstick skillet or before you place it on the grill. Some of the vegetarian burgers are visually on the dry side and could use a light coat of canola to help them brown up while cooking, such as with Amy's Chicago Veggie Burger (this burger tastes halfway between a beef burger and a vegetable burger).

Vegetarian Burger Tip #5: Don't be afraid to throw some cheese or condiments on top of the burger (some will need the extra fun and flavor.)

Vegetarian Burger Tip #6: These are a great quick meal option because they keep in the freezer, usually in individual burger wrappers, and you can heat one or two up within 5 minutes!

Vegetable Masala Burger (Trader Joe's)
1st six ingredients: potatoes, canola oil, carrots, green beans, water, bread crumbs
1 burger = 120 calories, 8 grams fat, 1 gram fiber, 360 mg sodium

Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers
1st six ingredients: carrots, onion, string beans, soybeans, zucchini, oat bran
1 burger = 110 calories, 4.5 grams fat, 4 grams fiber, 250 mg sodium

Amy's Chicago Veggie Burger
1st six ingredients: organic mushrooms, organic onions, organic brown rice, filtered water, organic celery, organic carrots
1 burger = 160 calories, 5 grams fat, 3 grams fiber, 390 mg sodium

~~Elaine

Related Topics: 10 Tips for Meatless Meals, The Part-Time Vegetarian

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Taste Test Tuesday: SOYATOO Whip Topping

It sure looks like the whipped cream that squirts out of those pressurized cans. Does SOYATOO taste like whipped cream? Well, sort of. It's whipped topping made from organic soy milk, organic coconut oil and organic fractionated palm kernel oil (that's where the .5 grams of saturated fat comes from), organic sugar-beet syrup, and a few other ingredients.

I found it at Whole Foods and I had to try it especially when I saw that each 2 tablespoon squirt contains:

10 calories
.5 g fat
.5 g saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
0 mg sodium
1 g carbohydrate (1 g of which is sugar)
0 g protein

How did it taste?

My husband said it tasted "okay" and that's pretty much what I thought. He could taste the hint of coconut (from the coconut oil) but I couldn't. They got the pressurized can whipped cream texture right, that's for sure.

If you are used to the taste of soy milk, chances are good you will probably like this product. If you aren't used to soy milk, this will probably taste a little "off" or just "okay" to you.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: The New Cheese, Is Soy Healthy for Your Family?

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