Mom Said Always To Eat Your Veggies

Parents face an uphill battle when it comes to getting heathly foods into their kids.  With so many fast food joints and stuff thats pre-made, it's almost too easy to not make anything yourself anymore.  As I've been scouring the shelves and frozen food aisles I've started to see a trend at some of the more upscale stores. They have begun to carry lines that are not only aimed at kids, but have found brands that have devoted some major time including hidden fruits and veggies into the dish to help combat the Mc Donalds those kids had for lunch (but ketchup is a fruit!).  I've had some other kids meals, but this is the first that has gotten all ninja with veggies and hidden them in the dish.  I wonder if I'll even notice...


The Review

Brand:
Mom Made Meals Cheesy Mac

Price:
$4.39 at Whole Foods

Packaging Description:
(On Front)
Added veggies - Lower sodium than the leading brands of mac and cheese

(On Back)
Healthy and delicious? Yes, please! Mom Made Cheesy Mac is packed with butternut squash, sweet potato, fresh green peas, plus the taste you love and expect.

Preparation:
*Open the box and remove the tray.

I was going to take a picture with the vent holes poked in, but I couldn't even see them so I passed on the photo op.  You'll have to use your imagination readers!

*Take a fork and poke into the plastic wrap one time.

*Place it into the microwave and cook for two minutes.

I got so excited that I started to stir it before I took the pulled from the microwave picture.  Oops!

*Remove from the microwave, stir the meal up and then place back into the microwave and cook for one more minute.

Now properly stirred and cataloged.

*Take the tray out of the microwave and let it cool for one minute.

You don't look like the box picture.... but we're not here to judge on box pictures.

Second stir, post cooling.  I see plenty of peas... gee, thanks Mom.

*Commence with the nomming!

Taste:
I didn't really smell anything out of the microwave.  After bringing it in close (a risky proposition with some of these meals), I did get a nice whiff of peas.  Digging into it, I discovered that the meal was almost paste like.  The noodles were totally over cooked and had no texture.  The sauce wasn't a sauce, but some kind of adhesive that had no taste.  It was so thick that it would stick to the roof of my mouth, teeth .  There was some kind of sweetness to the 'sauce', which only added to the out of place nature of the dish.  The only thing I could actually taste was the peas.  They were cooked fine. 

Final Score:
Wow.  If my mom made food like this (she doesn't), then I'd have been an even pickier eater than I am (and i'm pretty damn picky).  I'm all for getting everyone to eat healthier and being one who's subjecting himself to a vast number of mac and cheese meals I do need to be careful, but this is NOT the way to do it.  A sweet tasting blob (something that I wondered about until I noticed the back of box blurb when I started writing this up) that didn't remotely act like it had any cheese in it was a complete shock.  After trying this (I gave up 3 bites in) I wonder if parents actually try this stuff themselves before they give it to their kids. Looking at the ingredients list, there is more sweet potato than there is cheese, which was in a powder form.  I've got a feeling that it sells only because it's "healthy".  Do yourself, your kids, your friends kids and America a favor and keep pushing your cart past this if you see it in your local grocery store. 

Nutritional Information:
Serving Size 7oz (198g)
Servings Per Container 1

Calories 230
Calories From Fat 70
Total Fat 7g (11% Daily Value)
Saturated Fat 4.5g (23% DV)
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 20mg (7% DV)
Sodium 370 mg (15% DV)
Total Carbohydrates 32g (11% DV)
Dietary Fiber 3g (12% DV)
Sugars 6g
Protein 9g (18% DV)