I've always hated meat substitutes, specifically soy based. I always thought they were gross. I got carried away at Costco one day when I saw a huge pack of Boca Burgers at 100 calories each. So I bought them, knowing I hate meat substitutes.
Today for lunch, I had a Boca burger sandwich with lettuce, tomato, light whole wheat bread and some good mustard. I cooked the boca burger in the toaster oven.
It was actually very good and I was shocked. I think I will stay away from soy based substitutes for the most part but it was a good change of pace. So I am coming to terms with the Boca burger and maybe I won't bad mouth it so much in the future.
Also, my sandwich was 2 WW points total and just under 200 calories. (high fiber, low fat)
Can't beat those stats for a burger, Nelie! It's once in a blue moon I can handle a boca burger, but I'm branching out now. I also shouldn't get into any more soy subs because I have enough- soymilk, tofu, soy yogurt... I do hear about how great all the veggie based ones are, so I might give that a go.
I think it's great to have on hand if a craving hits or the mood strikes. I think it would do the trick for me, but I couldn't do it everyday.
Oh the veggie ones are awesome!! I love veggie burgers, a lot.
I don't eat a lot of soy in general. I favor almond milk over soy milk, I don't cook tofu at home (although I have pressed tofu in the fridge itching for some action) and I have been eating 1/4 cup of soy yogurt daily.
I couldn't imagine eating soy based meat every day but it is a good change of pace.
I'm not a big fan of 'veggie' products either, because most of them taste fake or just plain strange to me. But every once in awhile, you end up with a gem. A few of the ones that I enjoy are Tofurkey products (from Planet Organic), and President's Choice World's Best Meatless Meatballs.
I've tried and don't care for the veggie breakfast sausages, but I really like the Boca Burgers. For those who haven't tried one yet, don't think that it will taste exactly like a hamburger, because it doesn't. But they do taste good, are so easy to prepare, last forever in the freezer. They are especially tasty with condiments - I like a small squirt of BBQ sauce on it, plus lettuce and tomato. The amount of fat and calories saved is amazing!
Oh, I *love* boca burgers! They have such a lovely nutritional profile, and even though they're more processed than most of the foods that make up my diet, I will sometimes make an exception for a boca burger. I actually prefer them to meat.
I bought some Boca Burgers a few weeks ago. I tried one, but it just tasted very salty to me. I haven't eaten another since. However, I was eating it plain with some soup on the side. Maybe I need the bun and toppings!
I definitely agree. I could eat 'veggie' based burgers every day. I don't consider those meat substitutes and they taste like vegetables rather than meat wannabes. Those are in a different realm than Boca burgers I think
Tara,
I don't eat salt normally so I'm pretty sensitive to salt. They didn't taste salty to me for some reason. Who knows?
Anyone here eat the Morningstar Farms brand? I think they blow Boca Burgers completely out of the water! Especially the Tomato-Basil-Pizza Burger. Probably not as low cal as a plain Boca, but still better than the real thing...
Also, anything by Yves is amazing as well. They make "hot dogs" and sandwich "meats."
One other item worth mentioning- and I'm drawing a blank on the brand- is a cheese substitute made with almonds (it has a metallic label that says Almond Cheese). It only comes in Cheddar style, but it's low fat and is the only fake cheese I've tried that tastes even remotely good.
I found the morningstar farms products to be incredible (not vegan...so its all fair game for me!)
I don't eat burgers that often though...I found that the Quorn chicken is hands down one of the best chicken subs out there. Its a bit daunting when you first eat one...I know I was running to the lable every bite *just* to make sure that it wasn't really meat
I'm crazy for Gardenburgers, especially the Portobello and Regular ones. I don't eat a whole lot of meat subs, but the burgers and Morningstar Farms hot dogs are the best! Tofurkey Kielbasa was really disappointing for me, didn't taste like the real thing which can be expected, but also didn't taste like anything else I'd ever tasted. It was ok, but not the best.