Like many of you, I'm a busy working mom with two kids always rushing from homework to practice or rehearsal or a friend's house... and this pace doesn't give me much time for meals that take more than 20 minutes to prepare. I was lucky enough to be asked by the nice folks at SocialMoms to review two Smart Ones Satisfying Selections meals from Weight Watchers, and the meals did not let us down. Did you know that these Smart Ones Satisfying Selections' portions are 30% larger than traditional "tray" microwave meals, have 25g of protein and less than 400 cals, and are only about $3.69 retail?
We purchased two Smart Ones meals, the Sesame Chicken and the Ziti with Meatballs, and truly loved both equally, as did my 9 year old tween who tied on her pink apron and just learning to cook her own meals in the microwave. One thing I'll say up front is that the meal was a perfect size for the two of us (unlike the single serve meals usually leave me craving more), and the price was fantastic. I did get these two meals reviewed for free (see disclosure below), but I see Smart Ones coupons all the time in my supermarket circular, and that price is terrific when you consider we are feeding two. Coupon for $1 off any five items here.
The Sesame Chicken offered really tasty all-white meat chicken with just the right portion of linguini and vegetables in a slightly spicy, slightly sweet sauce, similar to what I used to make in my wok all the time but without the chopping, messy oil splatter, and clean up.
In addition to the great portion size and taste, it was really quick and easy to make for those "rushing to practice" weeknights, and even Liv could handle making this on her own if she watches out for the steam, but the package is much easier for her to handle than the bagged/steamed alternatives.
In less than ten minutes and 360 cals/7g of fat per serving (4.5 WW points each), this product beat my expectations and did not leave me wanting more... and it was a kid-friendly dish, too.
The Ziti and Meatballs was just as easy to make, also 390 cals/9g of fat per serving and a surprisingly hearty but plentiful serving once you take it out of the package... again, especially when compared to the single servings. This was a no-brainer in terms of kid-friendliness; as a test, I made a separate dish that evening for my husband and son and my daughter and I tried this Smart Ones Ziti & Meatballs out... and they were asking to try our meals instead! The ultimate compliment. The meatballs were a little bit spicy and tasty but not overly so, and there was plenty of pasta to fill you up, and the perfect portion of gooey cheese to mix in. (10 points for this one).
SCORE: Five bananas out of five for each of these smart and shiny new meal additions to our household! Best of all, we had plenty of time to do the dishes together and snuggle on the couch without feeling guilty about stealing a WW raspberry chocolate bar a few hours later! (See my review here.)
Disclosure: This
post is part of a SocialMoms product evaluation, for which I’ve been selected.
I’ve been compensated for my time with 6,000 My
SocialMoms
Rewards
Points. The
opinions expressed in this post are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the
opinions of SocialMoms or Heinz.
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