Category: Work

Ever since the wife and I bought a house at the upper reaches of our financial abilities, the name of the game around themuy household has been to spend as little as possible so that we are still able to afford this beautiful home.

A big part of the money saving strategy has been to curtail the number of times we eat at restaurants. The wife and I looooove to eat food that someone else makes and brings to us while relaxing at a dimly lit table, so this has been a little difficult for us. But, apart from a few breakdowns that have lead us into Nuevo Laredo’s capable hands, we’ve been pretty good about eating at home.

So, instead of making my trip down to the local Quiznos for lunch these days (where they seriously ask me if I want “the usual”), I’ve been bringing something from home. Yep, the microwave and I have been getting downright chummy as of late.

For awhile, I was pretty loyal to Stouffer’s. They make a pretty damn good Chicken Parmigiana, but overall I got the feeling that I just ate a lunch made of plastic. It just feels very unhealthy to eat one of those things everyday. So, I went on a search to find a better, more healthy frozen meal. That search has lead me to Amy’s Kitchen. You might not know much about Amy’s since grocery stores usually stock them in the health food section, but I highly recommend that you seek them out.

First, let me get something out of the way: they’re all vegetarian (gasp) meals. My wife the vegetarian has been eating Amy’s burritos for years and that’s how I found out about them. So, if you’re looking for some carne, go somewhere else. But I assure you these are the best tasting frozen dinners out there, meat or no meat.

How does Amy’s make such great tasting frozen dinners? The secret is pretty obvious: just use good ingredients. Case in point, these are the ingredients of the meal I had today:

Black Bean Enchilada w/ beans and rice
Organic long grain white rice, organic pinto beans, filtered water, organic corn, organic tortilla (organic white corn cooked in water with a trace of lime), organic tomatoes, organic onions, organic bell peppers, organic tofu, organic black beans, expeller pressed high oleic safflower oil, organic zucchini, sweet rice flour, spices, sea salt, tapioca flour, black olives, organic garlic, organic green chilies, chives.

Sounds pretty good, huh? Simple ingredients, all organic, free of genetically modified organisms (GMO‘s), no preservatives and all from a small, family-run company.

Another great thing about these meals is the simple cooking instructions. I’m not crazy about the “cook for 2 minutes on high, rotate 1/8 turn and then cook on medium power until you see the cheese start to bubble, then take out of microwave, stir, replace plastic wrap, etc” method of cooking most frozen dinners. Again, here’s what my Amy’s meal says:

1. Remove tray from carton.
2. Put a 1 inch slit in overwrap.
3. Cook for 5 minutes.

Pretty simple.

I highly recommend Amy’s dinners. I’m a big fan of the Mexican meals, but the pasta and pizzas are excellent as well. They’ve been a nice addition to our household meal options. Oh yeah, and there really is an Amy.