My opinion on tonight’s dinner was split. I love mushroom marinara, made with thick slices of baby bella mushrooms, but I’m not so sure about this Gardein Tuscan Breasts product I picked up.
I actually went to this store this afternoon in search of organic chicken breasts, which I have seen at this store before, but I guess they no longer carry organic meat. 😦 I saw the new Gardein products, and having seen them on a few other blogs, I decided to try them. The Tuscan breasts are made with soy protein and vital wheat gluten. I like the texture of seitan, which is also made from gluten, so I was hoping I would enjoy these as well. Each “breast” has 21 grams of protein.
I sauteed up the mushrooms, then pan fried the breasts (per the package directions) for two minutes on each side and then simmered in some tomato-basil pasta sauce. I threw that mess on some whole wheat spaghetti and was excited to dig in.
At first I told Brent that I really liked the texture of the breasts, but that they tasted “really earthy.” As I continued eating… the flavor continued to not grow on me. I’m not usually one to be negative, but by the end of my bowl I was feeling very unfavorably about the Tuscan Breasts. 😦
Brent agreed. He compared the smell of the breasts to “wet dog.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement. I don’t think I’ll be buying these again. I was hoping I would love them because they have a ton of products. I’m not sure if it’s worth trying some of the other meatless options from Gardein. Perhaps if they went on sale or I had a coupon I might try the “ribs” or something else.
I sauteed some onions and garlic, dumped in some chickpeas, chopped tomatoes and kale, topped with this sauce and a cup of water and simmered 10 minutes. Dinner was ready in 15 minutes and it was amazing! It tastes pretty close to the nav ratan korma we like at our Indian restaurant, so when we were in Chicago and near a Trader Joe’s this weekend, I had to pick up some more.
I was surprised how much I liked this because I rarely use any pre-made or packaged foods like this in my cooking. I don’t even buy pasta sauce because I can make my own, but for $2 a jar, this stuff is worth it! The ingredients have no weird additives or preservatives and it made about 3 servings. We also bought the Curry Simmer Sauce to try, so I’ll let you know if it’s as good as the korma.
I did try out some new items last night, which were convenient and saved me from pizza or fast food. Brent and I bought some 
The burgers were pretty ok. Again, nothing special but very convenient. I chopped some fresh dill and mixed with mayonnaise to top the burgers with and chopped a salad to go along side. The whole meal took 8 minutes to make and when school and clinicals start up in the fall I’m sure most of my meals will be similar to this.
Whenever the option is available and money allows, I like to try to buy organic for our animal products. I worry about it less so for our produce, but I’ve read animals, like humans store large amounts of chemicals and hormones in their bodies, which is of course, why people worry about mercury poisoning with larger fish. Anyway, it’s an argument that makes sense to me, but like I said, this is really only when money allows. That being said, the Greek yogurt is one area where I do not see a difference in price. Oikos costs the same amount in my local store as Chobani, and is slightly cheaper than Fage.
When I got home, I was starving, and wanted some bread, obviously, but I decided to try to be more well rounded. I steamed some broccoli that needed to be eaten and a carrot, and put a little red wine vinaigrette over it. Along with bread and stock/broth, salad dressing is on our list of things we don’t buy anymore. It’s way too easy to make at home. Our current go-to is canola oil, red wine vinegar, spicy mustard, honey and salt and pepper (and a bunch of sriracha for Brent). Whisk, and it’s done. The bread was calling, so I had a small piece with some PB&J too.
And because the dogs and I were so excited for the warm weather, I leave you with a few pictures of them frolicking.
The verdict: I really liked this cereal, but I was a bit surprised by how little I could taste the maple. It had a subtle sweetness to it, but I wouldn’t say the cereal tastes “sweet.” A major factor in my enjoyment was the fact that this cereal did not get soggy at all. Soggy cereal grosses me out, and for that reason I do not like very much milk in my cereal. This retains its crunch. Also, I really liked the chopped nuts in it to break up the flakes. I would really recommend it, although I don’t eat it for breakfast, pretty much only as a snack, so I can’t say it has amazing satiating power or anything like that because I don’t really know.
The rice cakes themselves appeared unflavored, and thus had a cardboard-like quality, and the chocolate “coating” was…. chocolate coating. If you’ve had it before, you’re aware of it’s semi-sweet plastic flavor. Blah. I didn’t HATE these, but I certainly would not buy this flavor. Because I don’t want to be completely negative, I will say that the Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks are pretty good in the BBQ flavor, which I’ve had before.
I purchased the 16oz tub for $3.99. The container claims to have 2 8oz servings, but first of all, I’m not eating $2.00 worth of yogurt at a time, and secondly, I rarely eat more than half a cup, so I think in my case this is 3-4 servings. I tried some yesterday for the first time, topped with copious amounts of blueberries. The verdict: I love this stuff! (like everyone else, duh). Of course, like all Greek yogurt, the protein content is great (23 grams for 1 cup), although the calcium is a bit lower. In comparison to other brands I’ve tried, I really think this is the creamiest and least tart. Fage, which I also like is tarter and thicker, more like a dip. I also really liked the Oikos brand, especially since it is organic, but the Chobani was actually the cheapest of the 3, which is awesome!
I kept telling Brent how great it was and his response was basically, “You’re claiming that your plain, fat-free yogurt is life-changing? Get a grip Vic.” I would buy this again I think, for a treat. 
