Cashew Kale Chips - a new snack from Trader Joes

What to get: A bag of Kale chips from the packaged snack isle, close to the toasted seaweed
Where to get it: Trader Joe's

Why we approve: we must admit veggie chips are a disappointment 99% of the time, but not this time. The recipe kicks ^$$!. This bag gives you two servings of delicious kale and dried veggies, some cashews and no nasty ingredients. There are not too many calories (150) and plenty of satiating fiber.

Preparation: Open the bag and try not to eat the whole thing. Someone with a sense of humor put a zipper on top to keep it fresh assuming the one who tries this stuff actually has self control. It's crunchy, it's delicious and you won't be sealing the bag so find someone to share it with.

Variations: You can eat this as a snack alongside some blander foods like string cheese or some Greek yogurt, or tuna for that matter. Other than eating it straight from the bag, you can use the chips to top some green salad or as a way to top an appetizer, such as goat cheese bites or roasted stuffed mushrooms. As a meal survivor item, I would pair this with a convenient source of protein: cottage cheese, hard boiled egg, fish...


Pros: This snack saves you a lot of time - just imagine cleaning, drying, and roasting the kale chips, let alone coating them in delicious salty-sour nutty mixture like TJ's have done! No way! This is a great way to get dried veggies in and add crunch to your lunch, snack or salad.

Cons: Most people would frown at the price of 3 + dollars since this bag only has 2 servings. May I kindly remind them that buying kale and adding the other ingredients + time would definitely come up to more than 3 dollars. Yet price is a limiting factor when it's only 2 oz of food. Another negative is that it's hard to stop at just one serving ;) No cons indeed.

Let us know what you think and enjoy!

Shakeology Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake

Some of my clients really love their shakes, and while I generally recommend whole foods and solid meals over shakes, I do understand that they have their benefits. They are convenient, easy, and can be tasty, filling, and satisfying to many people. Personally, a shake leaves me feeling like I still haven't eaten, so I only use them when I have to.

A good shake is pretty hard to find. You see plenty of protein powders on the market, but the list of bad guys is often much longer than the good guys where the ingredients are concerned. Soy predominates the 'ready to go' shake markets, unfortunately, but Shakeology is different! No soy!

While I'm primarily reviewing the chocolate one, today, know that they also have many other flavors, plus vegan varieties that also do not use soy protein, so kudos to them!

Shakeology Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake

What to get: A box of 24 convenient packets or a tub of 30 servings.

Where to get it: You can order it directly from Team Beachbody.

Why we approve: Gluten free, uses stevia as a sweetener, lots of vitamins, minerals, and 'superfoods.' No soy based protein powders. Delicious!

Nutrition: Calories, 140 per serving (can contains two servings), Total Fat 1g, Sodium 100mg, Carbohydrates 17g, Fiber 3g, Sugars 9g, Protein 17g

Preparation: I used 1 cup of water and 6 ice cubes. That's it. It was thick and rich and delicious. It was similar to a chocolate shake from a drive thru, only more rich and chocolate tasting.

Variations: Toss in a frozen banana or a good amount of coconut milk for more of a meal. I lean more toward adding extra healthy fat, but that's because people don't get enough fat. Add fat.

Chocolate & Tropical Strawberry (not reviewed in detail)

Cons: A little low in calories and very low in fat. It's enough to tide me over, but not a true meal replacement for me unless I have some nuts on the side, or add in something like coconut milk. However, if you eat meals or snacks every 2-3 hours then this could be perfect, as this is just enough to tide one over. A little gritty, but not too bad. Expensive, but if you truly replace a meal, particularly an unhealthy meal, it may be worth it for you for the convenience. '70 Healthy Ingredients' can make it hard if you find the culprit if you are sensitive to one or more of the ingredients. That doesn't make it bad bad, but it's something to keep in mind.

Pros:  The perfect 'tide me over' size snack. It says it contains over 70 Healthy Ingredients, so if you're looking for anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, and 'superfoods,' this is one stop shopping. The chocolate shake was thick and rich and delicious. It was similar to a dark chocolate shake from a drive thru. Gluten free. Vegan varieties are available, and from what I saw, they use primarily rice protein, which is preferable to soy. Convenient. Even drinkable with water and a shaker bottle only. Delicious.

Stagg Vegetable Garden Four Bean Chili

No matter how hard you look, a decent canned chili is hard to find. They might taste great, but check the labels, as they tend to filled with things you don't want to eat! 

I looked long and hard at the supermarket until I found a can of chili that met MealSurvivor standards. Actually, I found two, but one tasted terrible!

This one tastes good and has decent ingredients, but don't make the mistake of thinking that other Stagg's are similar in quality. Not so, as most cans of Stagg had soy and/or soybean oil, plus other things that make me shudder when I say them. ;)

Stagg Vegetable Garden Four Bean Chili

Stagg Vegetable Garden Four Bean Chili

What to get: A can of Stagg Vegetable Garden Four Bean Chili

Where to get it: Most supermarkets (I get this at Pavilions or Vons).

Why we approve: Chili is filling, and a meal in itself. Few questionable ingredients (Natural Butter Flavor?).

Ingredients: Water, Tomatoes, Beans, Black Beans, Kidney Beans, Corn, Tomato Paste, White Beans, Chili Seasoning (spices. Paprika. Sugar. Salt. Flavoring), Dehydrated Onions, Dehydrated Carrots, Modified Cornstarch, Jalapefio Peppers (contains Salt, Vinegar), Cornmeal, Salt, Onion Powder, Dehydrated Bell Peppers, Dehydrated Tomatoes, Spices, Garuc Powder, Natural Butter Flavor.

Nutrition: Calories, 200 per serving (can contains two servings), Total Fat 1.1g, Sodium 890mg, Carbohydrates 37.0g, Fiber 8.1g, Sugars 8.9g, Protein 10.0g

Preparation: It's a can of chili. Open it and heat it. I eat big meals, so I ate the whole can, plus some cheese.

Variations: Top with cheese, avocado, or sour cream, because it's really low in fat.

Cons: A little salty for some, and too low in fat to be satisfying for some.

Pros: Easy to keep in the office, filling, and contains no animal protein or gluten.

 

Do Not Eat!

Most of us have good, solid mental lists of foods that are good for us, but the "bad foods" escape us.

Are there truly bad foods? Sure, foods like transfats (most shortening and many margarines) have no place in our diets AT ALL.

Here's a reminder of our MealSurvivor "Bad Guy" foods. Put it memory or print it off and take it with you when you shop. Either way, avoid or minimize these "bad guys!"

Bad Guys

There are ingredients in our foods that prevent us from being at our optimal health, weight or performance levels. You may see these as ingredients on boxes and labels, items on restaurant menus, or you may encounter them as single items at the grocery store, either way, stay away.

YOU WANT TO COMPLETELY AVOID:

CORN OIL

SOYBEAN OIL

VEGETABLE OIL
SEED OILS (SUNFLOWER, SAFFLOWER, ETC.)
MARGARINE

SHORTENING

HYDROGENATED FATS

TRANS FATS

NON DAIRY CREAMER

HIGH SODIUM FOODS

YOU WANT TO MINIMIZE:

SUGAR AND SWEETS

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

SODA AND JUICE

FANCY COFFEE DRINKS

ALCOHOL

HEAVILY PROCESSED PACKAGED FOODS

DEEP FRIED/BREADED FOODS

SALAD DRESSING

SOY PRODUCTS
SESAME SEED OIL (when sprinkled as a seasoning, it's ok)

PROCESSED GRAINS

We did try to keep the list short and easily remembered, but if you see one we left off, let us know in the comments or drop us a line here.

Trader Joe's Marinated Chipotle Chicken Skewers

A brief note on the label of "paleo" that I added to this one. Yes, it contains canola oil, which isn't "approved" for paleos, but there's only 1g of total fat per skewer, so how much could there really be? The sugar in your paleo-approved dark chocolate or the omega-6s in your almond meal is a bigger health concern than this tiny drip of canola oil... think about that, before you quibble.

Trader Joe's Marinated Chipotle Chicken Skewers

What to get: Trader Joe's Marinated Chipotle Chicken Skewers

Where to get it: Trader Joe's

Why we approve: Easy to cook, versatile, and high in protein. Very few bad guys, and what little there is (canola oil) is very little (only 1g of fat per skewer, which means hardly any oil at all). It doesn't really taste a lot like chipotle, so you can eat it with almost any style of cuisine.

Preparation: It's right on the box; roast them for under 20 minutes at 400 degrees. I also pan fried them in a non-stick skillet (after thawing) and they came out pretty good!

Variations: I ate it with a simple chopped salad and a packet of Wholly Guacamole, from Target.

          Simple Chopped Salad Recipe

          4 small, ripe tomatoes (TJ's Kumatos pictured), chopped

          4 Persian cucumbers, chopped

          1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

          salt to taste 

          Stir all ingredients together before eating.



Cons: A little salty.The picture gives you the idea that you'll get some sort of sauce, but there's no sauce (just chicken skewers).

Pros: Tender and juicy chicken. Fast and easy to cook. Goes well with almost any veggies and starches. Doesn't come with any horrible, bad-guy laden sauce.

Enjoy!

Flat iron steak and veggies from New Seasons Market

What to get: A quart of steamed mixed veggies and flat iron steak with herb salsa verde
Where to get it: New Seasons Market, Portland and around

This is another guest post, and we thank our good friend, fitness trainer, Chris Bathke, for the contribution. Chris is a super busy guy, owner of the Elemental Fitness Lab, who has a super active lifestyle and has learned how to be a real meal survivor.
We love the freshly made organic food at New Seasons Market and we are glad that Chris keeps sharing delicious meals from there that are also fast and convenient.

Why we approve: Chris chose mixed steamed veggies and steak - a high protein, well balanced meal, with the carbs coming from veggies - that would be a great choice if you are on a fat loss diet.

Preparation: none is necessary, just open the package and enjoy :)

Variations: You can choose to add potatoes  or rice, or a corn tortilla, if you just had a hard workout and if you have space for carbs in your menu

Pros: quick, delicious and fast, rich in protein, 15$ for two people

Cons: I really cannot think of any :)

For anyone who lives in Oregon, know we are jealous you have New Seasons Market.  Enjoy!

Spinach, poached egg and cheese - 5 minutes to your plate

What to get: a bag of organic spinach, eggs, butter, cheddar cheese
Where to get it: your local supermarket or Trader Joes

5 minutes to a yummy dinner

I love tossing a few fresh ingredients in a pan and getting a delicious dinner in a matter of minutes. Sometimes Roland feels like having some meat, and I prefer to eat a lighter dinner, and last night was one of those nights. This meal also makes great breakfast, or a delicious stuffing for a lunch wrap or breakfast burrito. 

This is a super simple recipe for 1  :) To feed more, simply double, triple, etc, the suggested amounts:

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh spinach
1 tbsp butter
1 egg
1 oz cheddar cheese
pepper to taste

To make, place the leaves with a few tbsp of water in a pan, and let them cook until the leaves have wilted. Add the butter, season with the pepper and stir. Add the cheddar cheese in small pieces, crack the egg on top and cover with a lid. Let it cook until the white has hardened completely.

Move to a plate, let it cool off and enjoy!