Rushing around, it can be difficult to grab a balanced meal and I often settle for something quick that is not necessarily healthy. Birds Eye Veggie Bowls have been designed to address this conundrum with a choice of four tasty veggie dishes: Thai Curry with Chickpeas and Sweet Potato, Super Green Italian Risotto with Lentils and Grilled Courgette, Moroccan Tagine with Chickpeas and Grilled Aubergine and Asian Sweet & Sour Noodles with Edamame Beans and Bamboo Shoots.
I have set a few goals for the year ahead, mostly around improving my fitness, shifting a few pounds and trying to improve my work-life balance. My kids are older now but still need a fair bit of ferrying around between school and after-school activities. I find it more and more difficult to exercise early in the morning, especially during the winter months. Trying to fit yoga, a fitness class or a run between work and school drop-offs can prove very tricky some days.
I try to plan some of my meals ahead but, more often than not, I end up eating a cheese sandwich at my desk or in the car. Not the best example of a healthy lifestyle. And then, there are the days when I am too tired to cook anything more than baked beans on toast. These days I am often left unsatisfied after my meals, wishing I had had something healthier and/or tastier.
I had a chance to try out two of Birds Eye Veggie Bowls; a vegan Moroccan Tagine with Chickpeas and Grilled Aubergine and a vegetarian Asian Sweet & Sour Noodles with Edamame Beans and Bamboo Shoots. Free from artificial additives, preservatives or flavours, each bowl is packed full of vegetables and counts towards two of the recommended five a day.
Conveniently Birds Eye Veggie Bowls are ready from frozen in just seven minutes, while also being low in saturated fat and containing up to 19g of plant protein per serving.
I was really glad to see that, with so much plastic packaging around, Birds Eye Veggie Bowls come in black cardboard containers. Except for the film covering the bowl, everything else is plastic-free.
Always keen on different world cuisines, I love the range of flavours from Thai Curry, Italian Risotto, Moroccan Tagine and Asian Sweet & Sour Noodles. Packed with goodness, Birds Eye Veggie Bowls are also prepared without artificial additives or preservatives.
I am a fan of frozen food as vegetables are picked at their prime ensuring maximum nutritional value. Also, I can stock ahead and grab one of these prepared meals when needed without having to worry that food will go off and that I will end up wasting it.
At 380g, the portions of Birds Eye Veggie Bowls are very generous and if you are watching your waistline they provide between 300-425 kcal depending on the meal. They are also very quick and easy to prepare and ready in less than seven minutes when microwaved straight from the freezer. Each pack has detailed cooking times depending on the power of your microwave. All you have to do is pierce the plastic film with a knife before cooking.
Birds Eye Veggie Bowls were very handy to have in my freezer over the past few weeks. The beginning of 2019 has already been quite hectic but I am determined to stick to my fitness and wellbeing resolutions. I am up to two 5k runs a week, which consistently leave me ravenous and in need of quick and healthy post-workout recovery fuel. Birds Eye Veggie Bowls are loaded with veggie goodness and meat-free proteins.
Not having to commute to work is a treat. Still, things can get hectic and when both Graham and I work from home, there are days when there is little time for a healthy and filling meal. So between conference calls and email, Graham decided to try the tajine.
Birds Eye’s Moroccan Tagine is prepared with chickpeas, parsnips, grilled aubergine, edamame beans, kidney beans, lentils, grilled pepper, tomato and quinoa. This hearty mix sits on top of a layer of couscous and smothered in a Moroccan tomato sauce seasoned with ginger, garlic, chilli, mint, coriander and cumin. This is the only vegan dish from the Birds Eye Veggie Bowls range.
The packaging picture showed ample tomato sauce but Graham’s tajine has much less of it. It was a bit drier and less flavoursome than expected but still very enjoyable. The lentils and edamame are a nice twist to a traditional tajine and the portion is very generous.
Back from the gym a couple of days later, I decided to try the Asian Sweet & Sour Noodles with edamame beans and bamboo shoots for lunch. It is a vegetarian dish with sugar snap peas, bamboo shoots, carrot, edamame beans, red pepper and Chinese black mushrooms doused in a rich sweet & sour sauce and served with thick noodles.
This dish looks exactly like the picture on the box. It contains a lot of vegetables and feels really healthy. Perfect as post-workout fuel. The sauce is delicious and extremely flavoursome. I really enjoyed my meal. The portion is again ample so I was left totally satisfied.
Available from Tesco, Birds Eye Veggie Bowls retail at £2.89 which is quite a bargain for the convenience of a filling and nutritious meal that can be ready in just seven minutes. I took the opportunity to stocking up a few in our freezer to keep my healthy eating on track on busy days. I cannot wait to try the Thai Curry with Chickpeas and Sweet Potato, Super Green Italian Risotto with Lentils and Grilled Courgette. What a fresh and healthy start of the year!
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