Amy’s California Veggie Burger

What comes to mind when I say, Veggie Burger? Are you thinking of a schlop of veggies pureed into a patty? Well that’s old school veggie burgers, my friends. Veggie & soy products have gone a looooong way from what they used to be, and some are actually quite tasty. I personally, have never had a veggie burger. So here it is- my first “veggie” burger experience. And what better brand to try than Amy’s?

Fortunately, I was sent the California Veggie Burger, voted Favorite Veg Meat by magazine VegNews in the “Veggie Awards of 2009”. They claimed “Vegetarian food darling Amy’s Kitchen delivers your top choice with a whole-foods burger bursting with flavor”. I was excited. This burger had to be good if it won an award in a magazine. Plus, I’m in love with Amy’s. How could i lose?

And I sure didn’t! 😀
Each burger is the average patty size, and actually decently thick. It has a brown/tanish hue and looking at the patty itself you can see all the yummy veggies, like celery and carrots, blended nicely in the burger. I cooked mine in the microwave for 60 seconds, and then popped it in the toaster oven to crisp it up a bit. I took a bite, and instantly I thought of Amy’s Kitchen Veggie Steak Whole Meal- a.k.a. formerly Country Dinner Whole Meal. The burger tastes very similar to the veggie steak in this meal, with slight variation of course. It has an oaty, lima bean taste, with a hint of cheddar cheese and some salt. It has a “grainy” texture, I felt it was more “crab cake” than “ground beef” consistency. There are also little crunchies throughout the burger due to the walnuts. It was very flavorful and I actually did really enjoy it. It also had a nice garlic and onion flavor to it as well.

Overall, I give this burger 4 stars. It was surprisingly filling and satisfying, and very tasty. Amy’s never lets me down! I had it twice so far, once as a light meal with some salad and applesauce, and once with a slice of cheddar cheese on top. Both were very good combinations, I especially enjoyed it with the applesauce because I love sweet & savory mixed together.

So-moral of the story? Don’t fear veggie products! (at least not ones made by Amy’s Kitchen). I really want to try the Cheddar Burger and the Gluten Free Bistro varieties too!! 🙂 🙂

1 burger is 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein. A good swap for beef anyday.

ORGANIC MUSHROOMS, ORGANIC ONIONS, ORGANIC BULGAR WHEAT, ORGANIC CELERY, ORGANIC CARROTS, ORGANIC OATS, ORGANIC WALNUTS, WHEAT GLUTEN, ORGANIC POTATOES, SEA SALT, EXPELLER PRESSED HIGH OLEIC SAFFLOWER OIL, ORGANIC GARLIC.

Amy’s Tamale Cheese Verde

So today was a crappy day. Just overall, i was NOT having a good day. And then i had this meal, and honestly, my day took a 180 degree spin in the other direction. I was not expecting this meal to be so GOOD! But let’s give some background information first. Amy’s tamale verde with cheese is new, is made with organic corn masa, tomatillos and rice. It’s gluten free (yay!) too. Amy’s says “The organic masa (ground and cooked corn) is poured onto individual parchments, filled with a mixture of Monterey Jack Cheese, chiles and jalapenos, and then folded and steamed. The tamales are then unwrapped by hand, topped withour delicious verde sauce and served with a side of Spanish rice made from organic brown rice and organic black beans”. Let’s Dig In !!!!

The Tamale- Summed up in a word, AMAZING. The corn masa=love. It’s soft, flavorful, buttery tasting and so satisfying. You know how you get a frozen meal with “cheese” and most of it magically vanishes in the microwave? Not here! They definietly don’t scrimp on the cheese in the tamale. It’s gooey and rich, and has chiles and jalapenos  embedded in the cheese. But they aren’t too spicy, and are perfect with the stringy and gooey goodness of the cheese. I don’t even like cheese that much ( i pull it off my pizza…!) but this was just so good. It’s even topped with the verde salsa- which had a sweet taste of lime.

The rice and beans are a nice compliment to the tamale. They have a combination flavor between tomatoes and a “taco seasoning” taste. It’s really good-but not too spicy. The baby bell peppers also add a little kick. The rice (brown rice-whole grain yay!) is fluffy, and the beans are soft.  I liked mixing the rice with the leftover verde sauce that oozed on the side of the tamale 🙂

Overall, this meal, ROCKS. DEFinitely buying again, and it’s a 5 star for sure. It’s filling, it hit the spot, and it made my crappy day better 🙂 The only thing keeping me from eating this one EVERY night is the cheese/fat factor. There are 5 grams of saturated and 16 grams of fat per meal-which is a wee bit high, but it’s so good, and definitely healthier than anything you would get at a restaurant!
GET THIS MEAL !!!  🙂 🙂 🙂

1 meal is 360 calories, 16 grams of fat, 45 carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, and 10 grams of protein. There’s also 25% of your needs for calcium.

FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC TOMATILLOS, ORGANIC CORN MASA (ORGANIC STONE GROUND CORN FLOUR, TRACE OF LIME), ORGANIC ONIONS, MONTEREY JACK CHEESE, ORGANIC BROWN RICE, ORGANIC GREEN CHILES, ORGANIC BLACK BEANS, ORGANIC TOMATOES, ORGANIC BELL PEPPERS, EXPELLER PRESSED HIGH OLEIC SAFFLOWER OIL, SPICES, SEA SALT, ORGANIC GARLIC, ORGANIC EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, ORGANIC DISTILLED VINEGAR, BAKING SODA, ORGANIC JALAPENO PEPPERS.

Check out this Oikos giveaway!

Amy’s Broccoli & Cheese in a Pocket Sandwich

Cheeeeese. Who doesn’t like cheddar cheese? Or even cheddar cheese melted or cheddar cheese sauce. It’s gooey, melty and delicious. Amy’s says, “People love AMy’s broccoli pot pie. So we thought ‘why not take the same great tasting filling-the crisp organic broccoli, organic golden carrots, organic northern potatoes, and a smooth creamy cheese sauce0 and bake it into a pocket sandwich?”
 I was excited to try Amy’s Broccoli & Cheese in a pocket sandwich, because  I personally LOVE broccoli & cheese and potatoes and cheese, and this baby has BOTH. Plus, as an added benefit, out of all of Amy’s pocket sandwiches, it is the only one with a whole wheat crust.

So how did it hold up? Wonderfully, of course. Amy’s never lets me down. The crust was soft and chewy, with a slight sweet honey taste to it. You couldn’t even tell it was whole wheat- it tasted just like the other varieties. The cheese sauce was creamy and smooth as promised. It also had just a tinge of a sweet taste to it. It wasn’t too salty either like cheese sauces can sometimes be. It wasn’t YELLOW either like in powdered  macaroni & cheese varieties, but more of a beige/yellow-orange. After all, it was made with REAL cheese. The potatoes were soft and tender, the carrots were a good consistency as well, soft but not mushy. All together, the filling (which oozes out of the pocket bread if you cut it in half), tasted like a broccoli and cheese baked potato. It was really tasty, I really enjoyed it. It was pretty filling too despite it not being a HUGE pocket bread. I would say its a little bit longer but a little flatter than a Lean or Hot Pocket. I would reccomment this when you need a cheesy/potatoey fix. It will hit the spot!

1 pocket bread is 300 calories, 12 grams of fat, 350 mg of sodium (not too shabby for frozen), 40 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, and 9 grams of protein.

ORGANIC WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC POTATOES, ORGANIC BROCCOLI, EXPELLER PRESSED HIGH OLEIC SAFFLOWER AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL, ORGANIC CARROTS, CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CULTURE, SALT, ANNATO, ENZYMES [WITHOUT ANIMAL ENZYMES OR ANIMAL RENNET]), ORGANIC SWEET RICE FLOUR, HONEY, ORGANIC ONIONS, ORGANIC FLAX SEED, SEA SALT, YEAST, MUSTARD POWDER, PAPRIKA, SPICES.

Amy’s Southern Dinner

Let me start off by saying I love Amy’s. Yes, Amy, you are expensive. Yes, you continually eat up my extra cash in my wallet. But, yes, you continually will remain in my freezer, my microwave/oven, and my happy stomach. Amy’s Southern Dinner IS THE BEST dinner i have had so far. I have tried MANY of her dinners, all satisfying, but this one really takes the cake. It is cornbread & beans with greens and sweet potatoes, of course made with all natural/organic ingredients.

I’ll admit, picking this dinner up i was a little iffy. Eh, spinach? I don’t like spinach i thought. And sweet potatoes? i normally pass on those at Thanksgiving. Was this dinner really worth the $4.99 i was about to pay?
YES YES AND YES.Let’s just start with the breakdown of this meal.

The Beans- Pinto beans to be exact. I really am not a fan of beans. But these were yummy. Soft and tender, they reminded me of baked beans you would get in a can (but better!). I especially enjoyed the crusty edges that form from the sauce when you cook it in the microwave (i dont know if that’s just me, but i enjoy that “crusty overcooked” part in pretty much every frozen dinner…)

Greens- a medley of spinach, collard greens and swiss chard. There was also hidden mushrooms that popped up under all that green goodness. As i said before, i HATE spinach. I dont care if Pop-eye eats it. I dont care if it’s like the BEST vegetable to eat. I HATE IT. But not if Amy is cooking it! The greens were buttery and garlicky and just yummy. An enjoyable experience with veggies. 🙂

Cornbread=yummy & yellow. It actually had kernels of corn in it you could see, and little red pimientos throughout the cornbread. It was light, a little grainy, but sweet and delicious. It was my second favorite component of the meal (sweet potatoes won me over).

Lastly- Sweet Potatoes. Holy. Moley. THESE=HEAVEN. So creamy and buttery i was SO HAPPY eating this. I never wanted them to end! I never really had a sweet potatoe straight up, and whoever cooks them at my Thanksgiving dinner NEEDS to take some cooking advice from Amy, because SHE ROCKS AT MAKING SWEET POTATOES. Ahh these were so delicious.

Overall, i can’t wait to buy and eat this again. CAN”T WAIT. It was so satisfyingly delicious. Normally you get a part of a frozen dinner that is “eh”, but this WHOLE dinner is good.

One dinner is 310 calories, 7 grams of fat, 51 carbohydrates, 8 grams of fiber, and 11 grams of protein. Nice 🙂

apparently there’s cheese in this meal?? i didn’t really taste any. but. who cares!?
ORGANIC PINTO BEANS, FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC SWEET POTATOES, ORGANIC COLLARD GREENS, ORGANIC SWISS CHARD, ORGANIC LOWFAT MILK, ORGANIC ONIONS, ORGANIC CORNMEAL, ORGANIC CORN, MUSHROOMS, GRADE AA BUTTER, ORGANIC TOMATO PUREE, ORGANIC WHEAT FLOUR, NONFAT YOGURT, ORGANIC EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, PIMIENTOS, CHEDDAR CHEESE, SEA SALT, ORGANIC GARLIC, EXPELLER PRESSED HIGH OLEIC SAFFLOWER AND /OR SUNFLOWER OIL, ORGANIC MAPLE SYRUP, ORGANIC CORNSTARCH, SPICES, BAKING SODA, ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, ORGANIC BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES, BAKING POWDER, ORGANIC GREEN BELL PEPPERS, ORGANIC CELERY, ORGANIC BLACK PEPPER, NATURAL HICKORY SMOKE FLAVOR, MUSTARD SEEDS, GRAIN VINEGAR.

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Amy’s Non-Dairy Burrito

Now im not normally a “burrito” kinda gal. Just not into the whole beans,cheese and rice thing. But i figured i would try one of these at work today including i had a shift from 3-7, and only a 15 minute break. It was the perfect size to eat in 15-20 minutes and had enough protein/fiber to keep me going.

So the taste? Well, let me tell you- these burritos may just make me a “burrito” kind of gal! The burrito’s “wrapper” tastes just like the top of Amy’s pot pies, and i LOVE LOVE LOVE her non-dairy vegetable pot pie. Needless to say, i could have eaten just the wrapper and have been satisfied. But, moving on to what’s inside the wrapper, is pinto beans, brown rice (yay! not white rice!), tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, garlic, and spices. There are soo many beans in this, it’s oozing with filling! It has a soft consistency when you take a bite, so the pinto beans worked out quite nicely. The rice is fluffy, and the filling is perfectly spiced. Not too spicy, but not bland at all. I didn’t even notice there wasn’t any cheese in this burrito, because there was so much flavor going on!
I also really like the fact that there aren’t a TON of ingredients (but when are there EVER a lot of ingredients in Amy’s wonderful products?). It was strictly the wrap, the veggies, and spices. No yucky fillers or preservatives like you’d find at um, say, Taco Bell? I shudder at the THOUGHT of eating that food.

So how does this baby sum up? It may be smaller than your average lunch or dinner volume wise, but it is FILLING!! I was surprised how FULL i was from this thing! At first i was substantial after i ate it, but about 30 minutes later, i was STUFFED! I blame the beans, personally, but this thing ROCKS! I also had plenty of energy to walk my dog when i got home from work, due to the jam packed complex carbs from brown rice & beans. I think it would be perfect for a filling, nutritious on-the go lunch, and maybe a dinner if you paired it with some salad or other crudites 🙂

1 Burrito is 280 calories, 6 grams of fat, 48 carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber (a-ha, so that’s why i was so full!), and 9 grams of protein.

Organic pinto beans, Organic whole wheat & wheat flour, filtered water, Organic brown rice, Organic tomatoes, expeller pressed high oleic safflower oil, Organic onions, Organic bell peppers, sweet rice flour, sea salt, spices, Organic garlic. 

Amy’s Teriyaki Rice Bowl

Oh, Amy’s, you never disapoint me. I eat Amy’s meals frequently, and I was excited to try this twist on Japanese/Asian cuisine.
So i opened the box, and there are a LOT of veggies in this. Amy definitely doesn’t scrimp on the veggies in this bowl, so i feel even better about eating this.
After popping it in the microwave for 5 minutes, i opened it up and gave it a stir. Here’s what it looked like after…

I took a bite and-delicious! The sauce is light, the rice was fluffy (and whole grain, may I add) and the veggies cooked just right (except for the few stray green beans which were a little overcooked-but I can ignore that).  My favorite part was the broccoli and the marinated tofu. Yum! Why can’t my tofu ever taste like that?!

This is definitely going to be a staple in my house, and it hits the spot when your craving something like sweet and sour chicken but want something healthy.

290 calories, 4.5 grams fat (.5 saturated), 53 carbs, 4 grams filling fiber and 10 grams of protein.

ORGANIC BROWN RICE, ORGANIC BROCCOLI, ORGANIC TAMARI , ORGANIC TOFU ,PINEAPPLE JUICE, ORGANIC GREEN BEANS, ORGANIC EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, MUSHROOMS, ORGANIC CARROTS, WATER CHESTNUTS, ORGANIC BELL PEPPERS, ORGANIC LEMON JUICE, FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC GINGER, ORGANIC SESAME SEED OIL, ORGANIC CORNSTARCH, ORGANIC GARLIC, EXPELLER PRESSED HIGH OLEIC SAFFLOWER OIL, SPICES.