I am not one for processed food, let me state that up front. In a recent pinch for lunch the other day I tried a Lean Cuisine Flat Bread.
I tried the chicken pesto melt because even in a pinch I have a weakness for pesto. The flat bread cooks in less than three minutes, but needs to rest, much like a steak, for 60 seconds. It tasted good though not great, but only kept me full for about two hours. There was a generous portion of chicken and I had a sweet sun dried tomato in almost every bite. The problem with many of these quick food solutions is you need other food to make them a sustaining meal, but when you are on the go chances are high you don't just happen to have a salad or some steamed broccoli stashed in your back pocket.
To see nutritional information and what the flat bread truly looks like, just read more
The flat bread looks very much like the image on the box, you can see there are a lot of red peppers and sun dried tomatoes.
| Calories | Fat (g) | Protein (g) | Cholesterol (mg) | Sodium (mg) | Fiber (g) | Sugar (g) |
| 330 | 8 | 22 | 20 | 630 | 5 | 6 |
My main problem with this meal is the amount of sodium, since it contains 25% of the recommended daily intake of sodium (2,300mg is the upper limit of healthy per day). Plus why not use whole wheat in the crust and make the bread part healthy and more than just a vehicle for toppings? I do think it is great that Lean Cuisine gets credit for not using trans fat in this one.
Ernest Jones
Sephora
Milly
Well, I still think that Kashi and Amy's have better quick picks for meal stand-ins. Ya gotta give it to Lean Cuisine for their variety, even though it's just so bad for you with the sodium and general un-wholesomeness. But as for portion control with a reasonable amount of calories (disregarding nutrition), this is better than a jaunt to McDonalds.
1But that's just 630 milligrams of sodium per serving. Not grams (unless it's a typo and should be grams (g).
So if you have this sandwich you are still 370 milligrams from reaching one gram of sodium.
And if the daily maximum is 2,300 grams then this sandwich has barely made a dent. Probably from the Sun dried tomatoes alone are high in sodium 1 oz has 587mg on average.
Anyway, converting 2,300 grams of sodium into milligrams that's 2,300,000mgs and subtracting the 630mgs leaves 2,299,370mg converted back to grams you still have 2299.37 grams before you reach maximum overload on sodium.
Never watching Stephen Hawking late at night.
Yeah why isn't on whole grain whole wheat flat bread? Write them an email!
2Aha quick research the daily sodium intake is 2300mgs to 2400mgs not grams. So there's a typo.
3It does have a lot of protein, which is very good.
4i had one of these the other day and i agree, it doesn't fill you up. i think all lean cuisnes are this way.
5I had one of these yesterday and I was actually pleasantly surprised. Despite the sodium, I thought it tasted pretty good, and after adding a little mid-afternoon snack I was good to go until dinner. But I agree on the whole grain...that's a really good idea!
6i always cook a whole package of chicken on sunday nights then just integrate it into other meals throughout the week. bread, prepped chicken, jar of pesto? that's all this is?
wren, the protein comes from the chicken.
7That's the main reason I stay away from the frozen meals, the high sodium factor. My body doesn't take to sodium very well, I'll get bloated and uncomfortable...bleh.
I agree though Fit, I LOVE pesto! One of my favorite splurges is the North Beach sandwich from Baker Bros.
8I like Lean Cuisine's chicken broccoli alfredo mixed with hot sauce and a little cottage cheese. I usually end up picking out a lot of the chicken though and just eating the broccoli. It's not the best food out there, but it's quick, cheap, and easy to doctor up.
9None of the prepared meals, even the organic so called good ones are good for you. Part of my 2008 Goals are to cut these completely out of my diet so far so good. Every Sunday I make sure I have some chicken cooked up for the week and integrate that into my lunches and for dinner I have some kind of fish.
10wachdoodle -
Thanks for the heads up on the typo! The daily sodium intakes 2300mgs to 2400mgs (not grams). I fixed it in the post.
11I'm a bit conflicted. I do not purchase anything frozen or processed at all. However, on the days I forget to bring my lunch or whathaveyou, I end up just snacking on a few crackers or walnuts but don't really eat a full meal for lunhc.
Is eating artifical/highsodium/processed foods really better than not eating a full meal at all?
12Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
13They look so great. I can't wait to try them. They are great in a pinch and to bring to work where everyone steals lunches.
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