Lean Cuisine Honestly Good

I received this product to try for free through Bzz Agent. 

Before trying Lean Cuisine Honestly Good meals, I wanted to know if they were a healthy meal option for someone who is counting calories. I have tried a few different frozen meal entrees that were supposedly healthy, and although they were lower in fat grams, they had high levels of sodium, and many processed products making them undesirable. I wanted to know if this product would taste good, fill me up at a meal, and was easy to find at the store.

Firstly, I had kind of a hard time finding this product at the store. I looked in the frozen section of several stores but to no avail. I even asked several people at several different stores for assistance and they said that if it wasn't next to the other Lean Cuisine options, they likely did not carry it yet. After several stores on several different occasions, I finally gave up. It was by chance that I happened to be at Target looking for an organic item for a nutrition class at school when I happened to spot the Lean Cuisine Honestly Good meals. I think that if the product were next to the other Lean Cuisine meals and not in the healthy organic section, they might be more noticeable and easier to spot to the general consumer. Once I found them at Target, I looked in the same sections at other stores and found them there.

Next I wanted to see if the item was as nutritionally sound as they claim. Surprisingly there were healthy ingredients and the additives were to a minimum. This was promising. The ingredients were whole grains, vegetables and lean meats. The calories were in check and it did have higher levels of vital nutrients and minerals than most frozen meals. One item that was a little concerning was the level of sodium. I understand that it was quite a bit lower than most frozen entree choices but was still higher that I would have preferred. Overall, I was impressed by the quality of ingredients and the whole grain products used.

Lastly, I wanted to know it this would fill me up for a meal. I had gotten the Lemongrass Salmon. It cooked up very nicely in the microwave and the meat was soft and fresh unlike most frozen meals. The salmon was not overly fishy tasting which I like and the vegetables and brown rice were a nice consistency. The sauce was excellent. I really enjoyed the flavor of the lemongrass. It was unique and fresh. The meal did fill me up for the most part. I added a piece of fruit and a glass of milk and the combination of the meal plus those extras was perfect. It left me comfortably full and not weighed down and gassy.

Overall, I was quite impressed with this product. I will definitely be switching my current choices for frozen meals over to Lean Cuisine Honestly Good in the future and can't wait to try the other options available. I have recommended this product to many people and will continue to do so in the future. Strong work Lean Cuisine!   

Kroger Yogurt Smoothie Bars

I received Kroger's Indulge Without Guilt Yogurt Smoothie Bars for free through Bzz Agent to try.  Before receiving Kroger Yogurt Smoothie bars, I wanted to know a few things. I knew they were 60 calories after reading the campaign details, but I wanted to know if they tasted only 60 calories (meaning a little diet-ish). Another big thing for me, was would my picky husband and children eat them. No sense buying something that will get freezer burned by the time I polish off the whole box myself. And lastly, I wanted to know if there was a flavor that would be a good fit for our family.

I ended up getting the Triple Berry as I am not a fan of banana flavoring. After dinner one night, I opened the box and handed out a Smoothie bar to every person in the family, including my 10 month old baby. I tried one as well. My husband loved them, but said he needed at least 2 to feel satisfied. My four year old also loved them and my baby couldn't get enough. I thought they were just okay. I liked the flavor and didn't feel like they tasted bland or anything, I am just not into fruit flavored ice cream bars and ice cream as much as chocolate or vanilla. This is a personal preference and has nothing to do with the product or the brand, just my individual tastes. As far as the texture, they were smooth, fruity, and very creamy. I did like that. They were also more filling than your typical Popsicle with less  calories which I also found to be a great feature.

Overall, I thought they were okay, but I marked them a 4/5 because my family thoroughly enjoyed them. Had I been living by myself, I probably did not love them enough to choose them over other frozen products. However, my family loved them enough that I would definitely buy them again as I feel they are a healthier option over a lot of products out there. One thing to note, it that there are only 2 options for flavors. Since I don't like banana, the Triple Berry was really my only option. It would be nice to see Kroger come out with a few more flavor options like a peach, or something similiar. I have also recommended these to several friends and family members, especially the ones that I know enjoy fruit flavored ice cream.

belVita

When I first received this product, I was very skeptical. I am not a big fan of breakfast bars as I tend to feel like they are dry, flavorless and don't fill me up. This package came with four biscuits which is considered a typical serving. This serving has 230 calories, 3 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein. The taste was very good, especially compared to like products that I have tried. The cinnamon brown sugar flavor reminding me of a graham cracker so I decided to try the ultimate test. My picky eating three year old son. At first he was fairly unsure, but I convinced him that it tasted like a cookie in the hopes that he would try at least one bite. Much to my delight he DEVOURED it! That alone is reason to buy it again for our family. The only downside I found was that they were slightly dry, but nothing a little milk couldn't help!

"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."