Scoring sweet swag, reviewing awesome products and living the rad mom life.

Posts tagged ‘cooking’

Love for Luvo!

My latest BibRave Pro opportunity was to review Luvo Meals.  These are healthy, frozen meals that cook right in their own little steam pouches!

I was really excited to try these because I’m not the greatest cook and I don’t have a lot of patience in the kitchen.  But I do like to eat healthy and since I am training for the upcoming Carlsbad Half Marathon, these came at a perfect time!  Frozen meals are usually hit or miss so I typically stick to Amy’s or Lean Cuisine, but those can get pretty bland and boring.  As soon as I opened up the box I was delighted to see all of the exciting and unique flavors!

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I liked that there’s no plastic trays or wrap to mess with. Everything steams right in the bag!  Just pull out of the box, put on a plate and stick in the microwave (or the oven) and in 5-6 minutes you have yourself a quick and healthy meal!

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The average calorie count ranges from about 250-350 and each meal is loaded with plenty of protein and veggies.  So were these little gems too good to be true?  How did they really taste?!  After trying 10 of the meals, I’ll give you my top picks and least faves.

My favorite picks were the spinach ricotta ravioli and the orange mango chicken.

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These were the most flavorful and the ones that most closely resembled the pictures on the boxes.  There were some other good flavors, but the appearance wasn’t as pleasing as these two.

Then there were a couple that missed the mark for me…

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Since it’s the fall season, I really wanted to love the turkey meatloaf mashed potatoes…but I just wasn’t feeling it and I felt a little disappointed.  The vegetable bibimbap looked okay, but was just a bit too spicy for me.  To be fair, it could also be an acquired taste type deal…I just wasn’t in love.

Overall, I was really pleased with this product! I love finding quick ways to incorporate more veggies and protein into my meals without having to do a lot of prep work or spending a ton of time in the kitchen.  The only drawback is that they aren’t in every grocery store just yet.  The closest location to me is about 30 minutes away.  Some flavors are available online…but a pack of 8 costs about an average of $85-$90 (per Amazon) due to the shipping process. Mine came shipped in a nice little box with dry ice so I could see how this could be costly.

I do have a love for Luvo and I would definitely purchase some of these flavors in the future if they come to some stores closer to me.  There is a product request form that you can fill out which is nice since it seems that these meals are a little bit harder to obtain than other brands.

What do you think?  Have you tried these “Steamazing” meals?!

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***Note: I was given this product free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review as part of the awesome BibRave Ambassador program.  All opinions are my own.

And be sure to checkout #BibChat every Tuesday at 6pm PST on Twitter!

Can’t wait to bring you the next product review!!

~SM

 

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San-J Review

My latest review is for San-J, which is a brand that makes Tamari soy sauce and other quality marinades and gluten free products.  Again, I was provided this opportunity through the Moms Meet blogger program.

When the package first arrived, I was pretty stoked to see….you guessed it!  Swag!

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My package came with three different flavored sauces, a brush, a cutting mat, an adorable San-J shaped thumb drive, and a canvas tote bag.  I was excited to see a lot of fun stuff that I can actually use!

First, I tried the orange sauce (60 cals per 2 tbsp.) as a marinade on some chicken.

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This was my favorite marinade out of all three.  I liked that it just had a subtle hint of orange and wasn’t too sweet.  I would definitely use this one again as a marinade or as a dipping sauce.  The brush was also helpful and it’s a handy little tool that I plan to use with future recipes.

Then, I tried out the cutting mat!  At first, I thought it was just a flimsy little thing and I wasn’t expecting a whole lot out of it.  But I quickly changed my mind after learning how easy it was to use!  You just chop everything up, fold and pour into your pan, pot or even crockpot!  It was extremely lightweight, but thick enough to get the job done.  The food also slid off and didn’t stick like some cutting boards tend to do.

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Then I tried out the Mongolian sauce (70 cals per tbsp.). I’m not really a big beef or steak eater so I used it on some chicken and vegetables.

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I really liked the hints of ginger and garlic in this one and I think it would be great to use on more stir-frys or even some salads.

Lastly, I tried the Thai Peanut sauce (80 cals per tbsp.).

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I knew it was going to have a little spice to it, but I was kind of surprised at how spicy it actually it was.  It wasn’t inedible, it just wasn’t pleasant.  I probably would not use this one again just because of the spiciness. Obviously, you could go Pinterest-crazy and find some really awesome recipes to incorporate these sauces!  I just kept it simple with chicken, veggies and rice so I could really taste the product.

Overall, I was pleased with San-J!  I like that they keep their sauces free of preservatives, artificial flavors, GMO’s and gluten.  I will definitely use these  (except probably the peanut sauce) in some future recipes!  What special recipes would you use for San-J?!

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog. The opinions posted are my own.

Can’t wait for the next review!

~SM

 

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