Two Healthy and Tasty Pantry Must-Haves!
Considering the nutritional horrors that are often consumed due to time constraints, I am always eager to share products I personally come across — and try out for myself — that make it possible to whip up tasty and healthy food in minutes.
First up– Seeds of Change’s microwaveable rice pouches.
Four of the six varieties are 100% whole grain:
- Arroz Hispaniola Caribbean Red Beans & Brown Rice
- Rishikesh Whole Grain Brown Basmati Rice
- Tigris — A Mixture of Seven Whole Grains
- Uyuni — Quinoa & Whole Grain Brown Rice
It gets better. All varieties are already seasoned with organic spices and a variety of organic vegetables (not vegetable powders — REAL vegetables!).
While many boxed and seasoned grain products contain ridiculous amounts of sodium (as much as 600 or 700 milligrams per serving), Seeds of Change gets brownie points for offering, at most, 380 milligrams per serving (the average sodium content of these four products is an outstanding 268 milligrams per serving).
Each of these pouches also offers, on average, 5 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein.
Next up — Tasty Bite’s Simmer Sauces.
Need to quickly and effortlessly dress up beef, chicken, seafood, tofu, tempeh, seitan, or some stir-fried vegetables? Look no further.
These sauces use real food — as opposed to flavored chemicals — and a variety of spices to liven up your dish of choice.
Consequently, each serving contains no more than a practically non-existent 45 milligrams of sodium (Two-thumbs-up-FYI: a serving is half the pouch, not a quarter of a teaspoon!).
Even varieties like the pad-thai simmer sauce, which packs in several teaspoons of sugar, are fine if you are using half a pouch for a meal that serves three or four people.
Go ahead and add these to your “I want something healthy and delicious… and I want it NOW” shelf.
Cindy said on August 27th, 2009
I have recently discovered the tasty bite pouches, and I can attest that they are shockingly tasty. I love the idea of “season to taste” – you do need to add a dash of salt, which is ok with these. We just had the tikka masala, and added grilled eggplant and lentils. My husband and I have been on the DASH diet for a year, and keep well under 1500mg of sodium a day. Sadly, Andy, you are SO right that when time is tight, the best intentions go out the window… have these around, with frozen veggies makes excuses minimal.
Amanda said on August 27th, 2009
I love the Seeds of Change packets…so delicious!
Courtney said on August 28th, 2009
Doesn’t it make you uncomfortable that these are packaged in plastic?
stan said on August 29th, 2009
The most impressive fact about these products is that they don’t have any MSG, in any form. MSG is present in almost all of these types of products, usually disguised as “hydrolyzed yeast”, “natural flavor”, “spice” or any of a few dozen psuedonyms. Especially watch out for these when the label says, “No MSG.”
Andy Bellatti said on August 29th, 2009
No. I am not going to reject healthy food products simply because their containers are made with some plastic. There are alternate things one can do from an environmental standpoint. Similarly, if I am thirsty while walking around on a hot New York City summer day, I have no problem buying some bottled water. It’s all about context.
Courtney said on August 29th, 2009
I meant from a standpoint of putting bad things into your body.
Antoinette said on September 1st, 2009
I really recommend Seeds of Change simmer sauces too! They have all these different great flavors, and it’s a great way to make seasonal veggie sautees a little more interesting. Some have a little cream, some are vegan, and I think they’re all organic. AND packaged in glass jars.