Faster-Than-Fast-Food Healthy Pantry Lunch

  • Hey Trader Joe's shoppers, if you haven't tried the pre-fab brown rice that comes in a little sealed bowl??

    It's a new pantry staple of mine! You can nuke it in 90 seconds. It's really good, especially combined with TJ's black beans, leftover roasted sweet peppers and salsa and fresh diced avocado.....Yum!

    !
  • I just read about it in the Fearless Flyer.....what is the nutritional information for that?
  • Well, just the same as if you made the rice from scratch, the ingredients are brown rice and water - no added fat, salt, etc.

    The package says 340 calories and lists the whole thing as one serving, but it's really 2 servings, I either split it with my husband or put away half for later so that would be 170 calories.

    Half of it is 2/3 cup, so that's a lot, it's very filling. I really find that a little brown rice keeps me full until dinner, especially combined with veggies & tea.
  • Thanks...I'll have to pick it up next time I stop by TJ's.
  • I got smart last week and cooked up a huge pot or brown rice and chicken breast. Separated into 1 cup portions each. Tossed in a sandwich bag and froze in a freezer bag.

    Today I was really hungry and for some reason the sandwich I started eating tasted salty!

    SO I grabbed a bag and popped in the microwave. yummy!
  • I'm so jealous of those of you who live close to a TJs. Up until two weeks ago, we lived within walking distance of one. We did virtually all of our grocery shopping there and at the farmer's market. (Even in CA TJ's produce is a bit spotty, and I hate all that plastic packaging they use!) Now the closest one is a 4 plus hour drive. Waaaahhhh!!!!

    Kim
  • Ha! The nearest one for me is, hmmm, let's see. A hour's drive to the airport, ~2 hours waiting, 3.5 hours flight, another 30 minutes getting out of the airport, and then about 45 -60 minutes drive to TJ's. Seriously, if I can get to one one my way home from a trip I do. But unfortunately the frozen food it out of the question. I loved it when we lived about 10 minutes away from one.
  • For those of you who don't have trader joes, but have wegmans, they have them in the natural food section.
  • I need a bigger freezer!! I love freezing cupcake-portions of brown rice & steel cut oatmeal (they both take forever to cook!) in cupcake pans and popping them into ziplock bags, but between the kids popsicles and the ice and the little things you freeze for the lunchbags etc etc there's no room for FOOD in my minascule freezer!

    BTW if you do freeze the cupcake size brown rice portions (1/2 cup each) they come out really good if you pop the frozen rice in a steam with fresh broccoli & carrots -- 7 minutes, and sometimes I broil some cheese over that.
  • I love the convenience of heat and serve rice!!! I hated making rice.

    Annie Chun also makes white/brown rice as well as delicious sushi kits (which I ADORE!)

    http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/n...cgrfnbr=582392

    For those of you missing out in your local stores - you can order online
  • Quote: I love freezing cupcake-portions of brown rice & steel cut oatmeal (they both take forever to cook!) in cupcake pans and popping them into ziplock bags,
    This is such a great idea. I try to buy things in bulk and cook/freeze rather than buy the "instant" version. I'm going to do that today!

    Quote: BTW if you do freeze the cupcake size brown rice portions (1/2 cup each) they come out really good if you pop the frozen rice in a steam with fresh broccoli & carrots -- 7 minutes, and sometimes I broil some cheese over that.
    Yummy. I also sometimes use brown rice as a hot cereal - add honey, milk, nuts, dried fruit, cinnamon, or any combination thereof.