Let me start this review by mentioning that I purchased this meal and yes…with my money. I am not being paid for this review. I just thought other people may find the information helpful.
Ok, so now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the review! 🙂
I first noticed this Organic Bistro Savory Turkey frozen meal when I was pantry shopping for emergency lunch meals to keep at work for Eat in Month. I noticed that though this product wasn’t even on sale, it was nearly sold out in this flavor. I figured it must be pretty good. And anyways, turkey is one of the things I normally like in frozen meals.
I also couldn’t believe that this meal came with a side of lentil-quinoa pilaf. What?! How awesome! I’ve never seen lentils OR quinoa in a frozen meal. The green beans veggie side was pretty cool, too. I do like my veggies.
I enjoyed reading the little story on the back. If a holistic doctor created Organic Bistro Whole Life Meals, they must be pretty good. I feel like a holistic doctor would be more inclined to make their products as nutritious as possible.
The ingredient list was impressive:
- tons of organic ingredients
- readable
- natural ingredients
- REAL FOOD…in a frozen meal!
This meal is also a Gluten Free frozen dinner (or lunch).
The nutrition info was pretty impressive, too:
- only 370 calories (that means I can have a snack later!)
- a whopping 31 g of protein!
- only 240mg sodium (this seems to be the downfall of most pre-packaged foods)
This frozen meal can be prepared in the microwave or conventional oven (but not toaster oven – trust me, I thought about it since you guys know I don’t like microwaves, but it says no toaster ovens on the box or I woulda tried!).
Here’s a photo of the meal after cooking. It doesn’t look quite like the photo, but the taste made up for it!
Upon first bite, I thought the flavor was a tad on the bland side. I guess it did only have 240 mg of sodium. So, I added a sprinkling of salt, which really helped bring the flavor out. I was glad I was able to add the amount of salt I wanted instead of the sauce being already too salty.
The green beans ended up a bit on the over-cooked side but I was relieved they weren’t doused in an overly salty or heavy sauce. The turkey was pretty tender, the sauce was nice and light, and the lentil-quinoa was GREAT and ever-so-slightly spicy!
Overall, the Organic Bistro in Savory Turkey was a frozen meal WIN! I normally am not a fan of frozen meals, but this one is made with real food, mostly organic, and has a good nutritional panel. I thought the flavor was overall quite nice, I was happy the ingredient list was readable, I loved the unique ingredients (quinoa!), and that I felt great after eating it. I will definitely be buying more of this frozen meals!
I have a couple more frozen dinners I’m looking forward to trying, including some from Kashi and Helen’s Kitchen.
What is your favorite frozen meal (brand and flavor)?
I feel like I am weird because I actually like (a lot!) Lean Cuisine's frozen French bread pizza's. Other than that, they have other flavors that are pretty good too.
sounds tasty! i rarely buy frozen meals with meat though because i am always convinced it tastes weird and then i dont eat it. totally in my head i am sure!
but i do like some of the vegetarian ones, like kashi pesto pasta (hard to find but SO YUM) and the lean cuisine vegetable ravioli bowl. amy's are pretty good too but some have pretty high calorie & fat counts, so i am always checking that!
Frozen meal sounds and looks great!
I hate to say it, but the Organic Bistro has changed the recipe. It’s nothing like it once was. It has a bitter powdered garlic taste and the turkey is now chunks of unrecognizable processed meat. Very sad.
2011