Nukeable Nutrition: The Tastiest Eco-Friendly Microwaveable Meals
Posted Sep 02 2011 6:01pm
While fresh food is almost always a better choice than the processed, packaged alternative, now and then we all find ourselves too drained to cook. When your culinary ambitions don't extend beyond pushing buttons, try these Earth-friendly, zap-ready recommendations from packaged-food experts.
JULIA STAMBERGER, who created and developed United Airlines' buy-on-board prepackaged-meal program, recently launched GoPicnic , a brand of portable, ready-to-eat meals sold in grocery stores, hotels, and airports.
"The Chicken Enchilada bowl from EVOL ($5) tastes like a fresh, made-from-scratch Mexican dish. It's so good that I have to remind myself that this frozen microwave meal is healthy and free of GMOs, hormones, and gluten. The manufacturing and packaging is also ecofriendly; the compostable bowl is made of sugarcane. To offset its electricity use, Evol buys one renewable-energy credit for every kilowatt-hour of electricity its facilities consume."
ARNOLD CASALE is the CEO of Original SoupMan , the company that inspired Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi" episode. Casale oversees production and purchasing for all the company's products, including a line of frozen soups sold in supermarkets.
"The Margherita Pizza ($5) from AMY'S KITCHEN has an organic rice-flour crust and organic tomatoes and is gluten-free. Amy's makes one of the best microwavable pizzas I've ever had. If I'm looking for something quick and I'm not in a soup mood, which is rare, this is the best option."
STACY GOLDBERG is the founder of the nutritional-consulting firm What's in Your Cart? and the chief nutritionist at the online food store Daily Gourmet .
"The Mayan Harvest Bake ($5) fromKASHIis a nutrient-dense dish filled with plantains, roasted sweet potato, black beans, and antioxidant-rich kale with a spicy ancho sauce. It's served over whole-grain polenta and amaranth. Kashi prides itself on using safe food with minimal processing, on sourcing products domestically, and on using packaging made of recycled products. Its mission – 'find simple, natural ingredients and don't mess them up' – aligns with my clean-eating philosophy."
"Microwavable meals that you make and freeze yourself are far more eco-friendly than those that are commercially produced, packaged, and transported in refrigerator trucks to supermarkets. My favorite is a homemade burrito [click here for Sicard's recipe ] with green chilies and eggs for breakfast, or with grilled vegetables, tofu, rice, and beans for lunch. I assemble at least 50 at a time, complete with hot sauce and cheese, and store them in the freezer. Five minutes or so in the microwave, and I have a healthy, satisfying meal."
"While meatless alternatives are always important, I like the flavor of BOSTON MARKET's Beef Pot Roast ($4.25), which is tender with a kick of juicy flavor that complements the vegetables and home-style mashed potatoes. Their new frozen-food trays, made partly of calcium carbonate, use 40% less plastic and emit 55% less greenhouse-gas pollution. It's nice to see a well-established brand make a proactive move toward a more sustainable environment."
While fresh food is almost always a better choice than the processed, packaged alternative, now and then we all find ourselves too drained to cook. When your culinary ambitions don't extend beyond pushing buttons, try these Earth-friendly, zap-ready recommendations from packaged-food experts.