The Why: If you’ve ever heard of Moosewood, you must know the warm fuzzies that come along with the name.  And the food.  The cookbooks are great, but we were even more psyched to find out that they have come out with a line frozen meals that are wholesome, sometimes vegan, and organic. We tried a bunch, and they are all consistently good. Our favorite was the Chilaquile casserole (which we like so much that we're even gonna learn how to pronounce it correctly).

The Health Bonus: 8 grams of fiber, organic, and a completely legible list ingredients (see below).

What We Liked Best: These meals taste great, and have no trace of the “airplane food syndrome” that tends to plague lower-calorie frozen meals. Moosewood is known for their flavorful vegetarian recipes and their use of organic and locally grown ingredients. The sauces taste satisfying and rich (the mac n’ cheese was delicious, too, by the way!!), and because it's a pre-packaged meal, we give a thumbs-up for the portion control.

What We Liked Least: The calories and fat aren’t the lowest we’ve seen in frozen meals.

What It Replaces: Higher calorie comfort foods without portion control, other not-so-great frozen meal choices, and a slew of other food options you might be tempted to grab for quick or down-home, tasty meal.

The Price: About $4.00 each

Offerings:

Macaroni & Three Cheeses

Spicy Penne Puttanesca

Farfalle & Spinach Pesto Sauce

Chilaquile Casserole

Moroccan Stew

Pasta e Fagioli

Broccoli & Pasta Parmesan

Web Site:  http://www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/soups.html

Where to Buy: In the natural foods freezer section of your local supermarket

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 1 container

Servings Per Container: 1

Calories: 410

Calories from Fat: 150

Total Fat g 17

Cholesterol mg 25     

Sodium mg   750

Total Carbs 49g   

Dietary Fiber 8g

Protein 15g

Ingredients:

Chilaquile Casserole: Diced Tomatoes* (tomatoes*, tomato juice*, calcium chloride, citric acid), Cooked Red Beans*, Water, White Corn Tortilla Chips* (whole grain white corn*, sunflower oil*, salt, trace of lime), Tomato Puree* (tomatoes*), Cheddar Cheese* (cultured, pasteurized milk*, salt, vegetable rennet), Onions*, Corn*, Celery*, Green Bell Peppers*, Orange Juice Concentrate*, Corn Starch*, Vegetable Base* (sauteed vegetables*{carrots*, onions*, celery*}, sea salt, sugar*, canola oil*, carrot powder*, rosemary extract, potato flour*, onion powder*, black pepper*), Garlic*, Spices*, Canola Oil*, Reduced Sodium Sea Salt, Cayenne*.

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