Personal Training

Frozen Entree Mishaps and Amazing Sammie!!

Posted on by Naomi

I am sad to say I had such high hopes for my Trader Joes Reduced Guilt frozen entree of Tilapia with butter beans and sauteed spinach. This looked so great, high in protein (21g), low in fat (2g), calories (190) a bit high in sodium (670mg) but nonetheless, I was thoroughly disappointed. This solidifies the reason why I do not buy frozen entrees


Why I would buy frozen entree’s

  • Convenience
  • Looks great on the box!
Why I wouldn’t buy frozen entrees
  • high in sodium
  • half the ingredients I don’t recognize nor are familiar with
  • Expensive
  • Scrawny in that little box
  • Not as fun to make my own meals
When I saw this in Trader Joes I decided to finally give in and give it a shot

Reduced Guilt Filet of Sole with rich butter beans and Sauteed spinach leaves


Please, tell me that this looks nothing like the beautiful picture on the box, I mean really?

Flavor: I give this a 5/10. The only part of this dish I enjoyed were the butter beans, which were rich and delicious! The dish had a bit of a curry, indian flavor to it, one of which I am not a huge fan of. The fish itself was extremely fishy, tough (maybe I overcooked it?) and none of the flavor of the sauce seemed to stick to the fish. The spinach was soggy and fishy tasting. I actually ended up throwing this out, minus the beans. Trader Joes, I love you with all my heart, but you gotta work on this reduced guilt recipe! maybe this is a lesson to not get frozen fish entree’s.

Onto bigger and better things

This delicious smoothie!

1 Cup frozen cherry mix from TJ’s
1/2 banana
1/2 C almond milk
ice/water
Agave
This is by FAR my favorite Amazing grass superfood flavor!! I know I mentioned yesterday that I am certainly going to have to get used to the wheaty and grittyness of the amazing grass packets, well this flavor did it! This smoothie was so delicious and I could really taste the chocolate flavor to this superfood with none of that odd gritty taste!

Some benefits of the Chocolate AmazingGrass

  • Boosts your energy and immune system
  • Loaded with a complete spectrum of the three major Green SuperFoods; Cereal Grasses, Alfalfa and Micro-Algae.
  • More organic whole-leaf greens per gram than most other ‘green drink powders’ – Not from Juice!
  • Polyphenols in cacao promote healthy cholesterol levels.
  • Contains no Soy Lecithin fillers
  • Naturally balanced powerhouse of Anti-oxidants, B-Vitamins, Beta Carotene, Bioflavonoids, Lycopene, Folic Acid, Dietary Fiber, Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD), and Omega 3, 6 & 9 Essential Fatty Acids.
  • Complete “Live Food” with beneficial enzymes, carotenoids and phytonutrients (plant pigments) that help fight free-radical damage, aging and tumor causing mutations.
  • Contains probiotics- the friendly microorganisms that promote healthier digestion and regular elimination.
I had this shake after my workout and brought it on my way to work. My workout was great! I followed the program from my trainer on Monday. I was sweating!! sometimes I forget how much you can sweat from the plyo’s and weight training, and not sitting on a machine doing straight cardio! I felt awesome after this! Tomorrow is SPIN day!!
    ——————
Lunch was a Arnold Sammie thin

Arnold thin, lettuce, red onion, tomato, laughing cow wedge
Maybe I should help out Trader Joes with their Reduced Guilt meals and show them this sammie!

Snack Time
Pumpkin  mixed with chobani, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and Truvia (Don’t worry I did mix the Truvia packet in!!)



Cashew Cookie Larabar

Two ingredients on this baby: Dates, Cashews. This was a first for me with this flavor. Again, not a huge fan! So far my favorite Larabar flavors are the Banana bread and Cinnamon Roll. This was ok, nothing spectacular, maybe  this is because cashew is not my all time favorite nut? It just could’ve used some more flavor, it was a bit bland. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, maybe cinnamon? Not bad, not great… 6/10
———————
After this I TAUGHT MY FIRST SPIN CLASS!!! Yes the normal instructor called in to say her car wasn’t starting and I of course took this opportunity to teach! We have 9 bikes in our studio and 6 were taken up, which we consider a pretty full class! It was awesome. I love the energy and motivation That I give the class, they loved it and were drenched in sweat

Some things I learned
  • Hard to go all out, while talking at the same time
  • The students have pretty poor form when you are paying close attention to them all. I had to fix some people’s forms so they didn’t injure themselves!
  • They love to sing along to the songs that the recognize. I guess I never noticed this while taking a class!
  • They love when we talk loud and scream at them-this is a bonus because I am quite good at this!
What do you think makes a good exercise instructor? 

I myself teach a muscle sculpt class once a week and the class loves it, they love the motivation and the fact that I show them things they would otherwise not do on their own!

I ended the night with some of these from my awesome Newmans Own Organics Package
Cinnamon:
Organic Sugar, Gum Arabic, Natural Flavor, Organic Corn Syrup, Rice Bran Extract.

Really yummy! Not a HUGE cinnamon flavor, but left my mouth feeling delicious!

Ok very tired foodie over here!

SLEEP TIGHT BLOGGIES!!

xoxo
Naomi

check out Julies natures path giveaway!

Naomi
Naomi

27 thoughts on “Frozen Entree Mishaps and Amazing Sammie!!”

  1. Mari says:

    Grrr for some reason your page is not being updated in mu blog list or reader…I will look into this when I get to work in the am.

    dude you need to open a sandwich shop! Forget jared ha

    I think a good trainer/instructor has to be upbeat and also appreciate the people who attend their class. I hate when you go to a gym and the people that work there make you feel like a loser. I try to make every lady feel welcomed when they walk into the gym (well most…some are so blah) lol

    congrats on teaching your first spin class!

  2. eatmovelove says:

    Great job with the spinning!

    I think a good instructor is someone who pushes you when your ready to slack off with motivational stuff – not just rampant screaming 🙂 – but also knows to say that everyone is different so your version of ‘hard’ is different from someone elses. Oh, and they MUST have good music haha!

    Totally agree with the frozen entrees. I still buy them sometimes, but I hate when it’s mostly just sauce and nothing else
    :(. Some of the Lean Cuisine aren’t bad – I like their lasagnas.
    Also, AMY’s makes a great veggie lasagna that’s not bad nutritionally. I try to keep the sodium no higher than 500-600 if possible because I’m sure I get enough with all the other food I eat (like spaghetti sauce – my addiction on and with everything from veggies to chicken to beans – yikes !!

  3. One Healthy Apple says:

    I am not a frozen meal kind of a girl- I’m just too picky for the combinations they come up with!

    Your smoothie looks waaay better than the fish!

    I love instructors who are enthusiastic, eager to help, and play good music. Please tell me you won’t do a spin to 50s or 60s music, k?

  4. Sophia says:

    I did not know TJ could be such a dismal failure. Sigh. But then, I’ve never tried their frozen entrees before. I find that they take longer to cook then whipping up a great grilled cheese sandwich for myself!

  5. sweet26 says:

    i think fish just wasn’t made to be cooked in the microwave…i’m going with that because i don’t want to accept that trader joe’s actually has a bad product 🙂

  6. THE ACTORS DIET says:

    yay for your first spin class! boo to your gross frozen meal! i like an instructor who is friendly, b/c i am usually scared in class situations. i like to feel welcome!

  8. Jessica says:

    Girl! I am right there with ya! I NEVER eat frozen meals. My mom never gave them to us growing up, and I just can’t imagine every doing it. Would you believe that I have never even HAD a Lean Cuisine or anything like that? I have tried 2 Amy’s meals and they were OK, but I just am not into frozen means, either. 🙂

    Have a great Friday!!!

  9. Andrea@WellnessNotes says:

    I have seen that exact same frozen meal at TJ’s and almost bought it for an “emergency.” I usually don’t eat frozen food either for all the reasons you listed above. Reading your review and looking at your picture, I am really glad I didn’t buy it… I hope you found something better to eat! 🙂

    That’s exciting that you taught your first spin class!

  10. Abby (Abbys Vegan Eats) says:

    Super post.. IM LOVING that smoothie!! Im also not a frozen meal eater.. too much sodium and they usually taste like crap.. you can make something fresh that tastes 100% better! Plus I hate how TINY they are.. no thanks!

  11. Kat- Kat's Daily Plate says:

    Naomi,
    Thanks for visiting my blog! I’ve enjoyed reading through yours as well!
    In terms of frozen meals, have you tried Amy’s meals? I loooove them! They are a bit expensive, but not as much as getting lunch or dinner out. I looove the burritos, the enchilada meals (amazing), and even the pasta and rice + tofu dishes. They are all vegetarian and made with ingredients you will recognize. If you give em a try, let me know!

  12. forthehealthofit01 says:

    I agree..I do love it when my instructors are hard core. Very motivating! I love to sing in class and I love an instructor who is confident and is personable. Now I just gotta figure out whow to wrap that all into my classes while still concentrating on getting the choreography right. lol. It will all come together. I’m getting there rather quickly.
    I’m sure you’re an awesome instructor! Think I’m going to start subbing for spin at my gym too. YAY!

  13. Erica says:

    ahhhhh! Congrats on the first class! Don’t worry, the whole talking thing gets MUCH easier. I think the first few weeks I taught I was bright red and exhausted after every class…but you do get use to it! Bummer about the frozen tilapia- the packaging sure does make it look good. And hooray for pumpkiN! Have a great weekend

  16. Missy says:

    Congrats on teaching your first spin class! I think a good instructor takes the time to fix people’s form like you mentioned, plays great music, and makes you feel good about yourself and never like you are “bad” at working out!

  22. footloosefancyfree says:

    Congrats on teaching your first spin class! I am a major spin fan and totally believe that the instructor can make or break the class (along with the music, obvi). And you’ve convinced me to try the chocolate Amazing Grass flavor! That smoothie looks delicious!

  23. Kristine says:

    the only frozen entrees ive had that actually taste as good as they looked are amys! but i only save those for my super lazy days when i dont feel like cooking.. haha

  24. Anonymous says:

    I cooked it in the oven and it is just as bad. I just ate the beans. MAybe they should remake this as, TJs butter beans (a side dish) THe fish was abysmal.

    I agree about Amy’s though! I love the burritos and pizzas!

  25. Anonymous says:

    I’ve just eaten the Trader Joe’s meal, and it was pretty good! True, it didn’t look like much, but the taste was fine.

    True, it’s shocking that the fish tasted a bit like fish. And amazingly, the spinach cooked in the same sauce also tasted mildly of fish!

    If you are going to pooh-pooh frozen entrees on the whole, then of course you won’t like this. It comes out of a box in a little plastic tray. From the freezer.

    Next time, mix the sauce up a little, don’t overcook the thing, and perhaps plate it outside the unattractive tray. Then maybe you’ll see this is an inexpensive fish meal made with real ingredients, and tastes really pretty decent. I will likely be purchasing again.

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