Have you ever noticed that this time of year you’re usually so busy baking goods for gatherings and gifts that you often don’t stop to eat a real meal? For example, the other night I was so busy making cookies that I didn’t bother to stop and eat dinner – unless you count gingerbread cookie dough. 😉 Oh, what a relief it is to have something quick and simple to grab at times like these. I love the convenience and speed of frozen meals. The only thing I don’t love is the fact that they are often high in calories and low in nutritional content. So when I had the chance to try some complimentary samples from Garden Lites, it couldn’t have been better timing.
I received the box pictured above, packed with Garden Lites products and a fun tote. Garden Lite produce vegetable dishes and soufflés that are gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians, with some products also being suitable for vegans as well. Each Garden Lite product contains two full servings of vegetables, which makes it a really intriguing option for meals in a rush. With this month being extremely hectic, it wasn’t long before I tore into my first Garden Lites dish!
The first one I tried was Broccoli Soufflé. I really loved this one – the broccoli tasted very fresh and the soufflé had a great flavor. These are intended to be used as a side dish, light lunch, or snack, so the portion sizes are modest. And so are the calories – this soufflé clocked in at 140 calories, with only 10 calories from fat. Good way to balance out all that gingerbread dough! 😉
After trying my first soufflé I was very excited to sample the others, but I have to say that I didn’t really enjoy the other flavors. I tried the Butternut Squash, Roasted Vegetable, Spinach, and Zucchini soufflés, and I didn’t really care for them; I wasn’t a big fan of the flavors. I also found these to be a little hard to cook – the soufflés have the tendency to get crunchy on the outside and mushy on the inside. Bear in mind that I only prepared them in the microwave and did not try cooking them in the oven. To be fair, they recommend putting the soufflés back in the microwave for 1 extra minute at 50% power after cooking and cooling them, and I didn’t do this because I wasn’t sure if it would make a big difference and it seemed like a hassle. Otherwise, the preparation was pretty straightforward. The packaging gets very steamy while you’re cooking them in the microwave, so you have to be careful opening it. The plastic container that the Garden Lites meals are served in gets pretty greasy, so you’ll want to put them on a few napkins or a plate before serving.
I may have had mixed feelings on the soufflés, but I did, however, love the Zucchini Marinara. This is a great dish that uses zucchini slices in lieu of pasta. All in all, I think these Garden Lites dishes are a great option to reach to on a busy night rather than grabbing fast food, and are especially great since these products are suitable for many with dietary restrictions as well as anyone wishing to watch calories. I would gladly grab a Broccoli Soufflé or Zucchini Marinara on a busy night, and Jai was happy eating all of them!
Learn more about Garden Lites products by visiting Garden-Lites.com. You can locate a retailer near you by clicking here.
Oh, yummy! Those look so good!
Those look so good! I have never heard of this company. Thanks for letting me know!
I’ve never heard of these before either, they do look tasty! I just spent the day baking with my daughter and we didn’t stop to eat, luckily my hubby came home with some deli potato wedges and fired chicken, Garden Lites would have definitely been a healthier option!
I got to try these at a demo station at Costco and loved it, and I’m not a big fan of vegetables AT ALL. I saw them on sale at Stop & Shop and picked up a few- Roasted Vegetable, Spinach, and Broccoli, Butternut Squash and fell in love. I eat these with a Lean Cuisine and am now actually FILLED UP when I am trying to be “good” 🙂 My partner also likes them, although I don’t let him near the Butternut Squash since he has such a sweet tooth.
I love that they are gluten-free and vegetarian. They look yummy!
We love butternut squash so we might enjoy these.
Thanks for the honest review – as for the souffles..I think my son would only like the broccoli as well….but the marinara’s look good!
I have seen these in the grocery store here. I love brocoli in just about every way I can find it…the souffle sounds interesting!
I think they are all yummy except for the butternut squash, but I’m not a big butternut squash fan. If you cook them correctly it will resolve the mushy problem. It’s really not that much of a hassle once you get used to it 🙂