How healthy is your pantry?
August 13th, 2009
If you were to grade my pantry on how healthy it is it would probably get about a B. We have lots of healthy food in there like all-natural peanut butter, almonds, olive oil, rolled oats but we also have a few not-so-healthy selections like Cocoa Puffs and the occasional box of Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies. But our pantry just got a whole lot healthier with the addtion of family meal kits from The Healthy Pantry.
The Healthy Pantry believes that “many common lifestyle illnesses resulting from eating the Standard American Diet (high calorie/low nutrient density foods) can be prevented, remediated or reversed with four fundamental dietary changes:
- Reducing overall glycemic load of diet
- Upgrading quality of dietary fats
- Avoiding chemical, artificial and highly processed food products, ingredients or additives
- Increasing micronutrient content and variety in diet
I would love to give you the complete lowdown on how they do this with their pre-packaged meal kits but it would take the entire page. Believe me, their nutritional philosophy is worth the read. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll learn about nutrition and how your food choices could be affecting your family’s lifestyle.
I’m all for improving the quality of food I feed my family but it has always seemed a task requiring more work than I have time or energy for. That’s why I love The Healthy Pantry—their meal kits take very little time to prepare, use quality, natural whole foods and are backed by sound nutrition. Their meal kits are basically simple bags (and an applesauce cup or jar of chutney once in a while) you open and mix with an ingredient or two from your fridge. They have a huge selection of meals, from whole grain apple cinnamon pancakes to chicken tenders with apple-baked beans to oatmeal raisin cookies. And customers can review each meal so you know what others thought of the recipe before trying it. Though some of the prices may seem a bit high for a mix, take into account someone else is buying, measuring, chopping those all-natural, healthy, good-for-you ingredients so you don’t have to. That’s definitely worth it, especially when school is back in session and weeknights get crazy!
The Healthy Pantry sent us a few of their meal kits to test, and though I didn’t have time to test as many as I’d like, we did try out their whole grain oatmeal raisin cookies (a bestseller) and pineapple meatloaf. The oatmeal raisin cookies were a cinch for my 11-year-old to make even with the “help” of her little brother and sister, and they were super tasty even for a “healthy” cookie. The dough was a bit trick to work with when it came to scooping it onto a cookie sheet (a little on the dry/crumbly side so we had some runaway raisins) and we found the baking time was way off for our oven and size of cookies (about 11 minutes instead of 18). But I’ve managed to eat about half a dozen a day, so it’s a good thing it made a lot!
The pineapple meatloaf was quite possibly the easiest dinner I’ve made in weeks (except for the Stouffer’s enchiladas I baked the other night…but those are definitely not the healthiest meal!). A spice mix, a jar of chutney, three eggs and two pounds of ground turkey. I had been looking for a way to incorporate ground turkey into meatloaf but was scared to do so ever since my grandmother made a “turkey loaf” once. It scared me off ground turkey meatloaf for years! But this changed my whole perspective! The Healthy Pantry’s pineapple meatloaf had a wonderful blend of peppery spices and pineapple chutney, which made for a sweet and spicy meatloaf that was super moist and full of flavor. You couldn’t even tell it was ground turkey! I totally loved this new take on our traditional recipe, though two of my kids stayed true to Grandma’s version and turned up their noses at this one. What can I say? They love Grandma’s meatloaf!
I am anxious to try more of The Healthy Pantry’s meal kits and not just because they make meal prep easier. It’s about time I paid a little more attention to what I feed my family and The Healthy Pantry makes it easy to do so&mdashand with my life as it is now, I’m all about healthy and easy!—Emily
*** Giveaway The Healthy Pantry is giving away a $100 gift certificate for use in their online store! To enter to win you can do a few things:
- Become a fan of The Healthy Pantry on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you’re their newest fan.
- Visit their site and tell us which meal kit you would like to try.
- Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.
- Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.
We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: August 20, 2009 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.
- Congratulations to Bonnie Walker, the winner of The Healthy Pantry giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!
August 13th, 2009 at 10:07 am
definitely their dinner kits. it’s been difficult coming up with different variety of healthy dishes.
August 13th, 2009 at 10:53 am
I am a fan on FB now. I would like to try the turkey chili and the whole grain banana bread. The whole grain apple cinnamon pancakes look really good too!.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
I tweeted: http://twitter.com/BoutiqueCafe
I also joined their Facebook group today too. Great review Emily, now I’m really curious to try this out myself!
August 13th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
I am dying to try the pineapple meatloaf – yum!
August 13th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
I would love to try the Cowboy Sloppy Joe’s with Cheesy Shells vegetarian ( and low sugar) meal or Wild Salmon Patties! Thanks!
August 13th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
I am healthy pantrys newest facebook fan
(kim delatorre)
August 13th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
I would love to try their Spicy Blackened Chicken with Calypso Rice, sounds so healthy and good
August 14th, 2009 at 12:26 am
I’m a fan on Facebook
August 14th, 2009 at 12:27 am
The Cowboy Sloppy Joe’s with Cheesy Shells sound yummy!
August 14th, 2009 at 12:29 am
I tweeted (tjb415): http://twitter.com/tjb415/statuses/3303781052
August 14th, 2009 at 12:33 am
I blogged: http://luckycanuck.blogspot.com/2009/08/enter-to-win-100-gift-card-to-healthy.html
August 14th, 2009 at 6:47 am
I am a fan on Facebook! {Rob n’ Ki Smith}
August 14th, 2009 at 6:48 am
I twittered:
http://twitter.com/CherryBlossBaby/status/3307625150
August 14th, 2009 at 6:49 am
The Cinnamon Oat Pancakes sound WONDERFUL
!!
August 14th, 2009 at 7:37 am
I’d like to try the turkey chili.
August 14th, 2009 at 7:49 am
They all look great. I think my 2 & 1/2 year old would like the spicy blackened chicken with calypso rice, and of course the “real food” cocoa cake!
August 14th, 2009 at 7:55 am
I didn’t even make it past the wild salmon patties and the dal kit – I’m there!
August 14th, 2009 at 8:29 am
I’d like to try their Wild Salmon Patties and their Mac ‘N Cheese.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:47 am
The Asian Turkey Burgers with Stir Fried Rice sound really good!
August 14th, 2009 at 10:59 am
I’d love this one: Asian Turkey Burgers with Stir Fried Rice
August 14th, 2009 at 11:00 am
tweeted: http://twitter.com/kgail11/status/3312189695
August 14th, 2009 at 11:18 am
I’m a fan on Facebook and I’d like to try the Daal. What’s funny is that I was born and raised in Billings!
Crazy
August 14th, 2009 at 11:47 am
I’m a FB fan. I’d like to try the Dal, because it looks flavorful and it is different from my normal fare.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Tweeted:
http://twitter.com/nfmgirl/status/3313098537
August 14th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
The turkey chili sounds yummy! I think this a great idea and would love to try them.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Please enter my name in your wonderful draw. Thanks.
wandanamgreb (at) gmail (dot) com
August 14th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I’d love to try the Wild Salmon Patties
August 14th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
The Pasta Mediterranean and Wild Salmon Patties are tied in my book. Thank you for the intriguing offer!
August 14th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Facebook fan: carolyn gonzalez
August 14th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
I would love to try the Cowboy Sloppy Joe’s with Cheesy Shells
August 14th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
I’d love to try the Whole Grain Apple Cinnamon Pancakes/Waffles.
August 14th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Leslie Mayorga is a fan of Healthy Pantry on Facebook!
Leslie
August 14th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Visited their site and the meal kit that looks Delish is the Dal!! I am a Vegetarian! YUM does this look FABU
Bring it on! Healthy and Wonderful can be Delish too! LOVING this so much!
Leslie
August 14th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
LeslieVeg left a Tweet
http://twitter.com/LeslieVeg/status/3319408441
Leslie
Thank you for a GREAT Giveaway
August 14th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Wow, what a great company and neat idea!!
We would try the Beans and Rice for a vegetarian meal and the Smoked Salmon for some healthy protein.Definitely the Mediterranean Pasta too;)
August 14th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
I’m a facebook follower! What a great company!
August 14th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Oh my! They all look so delicious! I would love to try the Wild Salmon Patties!
August 14th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
I love breakfast! this would be the first thing I would try:
Whole Grain Apple Cinnamon Pancakes/Waffles
August 14th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
I would love to try the Asian Turkey Burgers with Stir Fried Rice. Thank you for the giveaway!
August 14th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
I would like to try the Asian Turkey Burgers with Stir Fried Rice!
August 15th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I would try the grilled patties , mac and cheese, and cocoa cake!
August 15th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Wow! I would be checking out the Gluten Free products like the “Real Food” Cocoa Cake
August 15th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
The turkey chili sounds good
August 15th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
After looking around their site I couldn’t help but think that this would be a great way to bless our sister when the baby arrives since she is far away and we can’t bring them meals. We would get the Wild Salmon Patties and Tuscan Telapia to try. Yum!
August 16th, 2009 at 5:10 am
Newest Facebook fan betty dennis
August 16th, 2009 at 5:24 am
love to try Pineapple Meatloaf. It sounds like a tasty version of a old-time classic meal
August 16th, 2009 at 5:25 am
tweeted Thanks for the review
http://twitter.com/bettycd/status/3343550184
August 16th, 2009 at 5:27 am
I would love to try the Whole Grain Apple Cinnamon Pancakes/Waffles—yum
August 16th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
The Asian Turkey Burgers with Stir Fried Rice sounds great!
August 16th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I’m a FB fan.
August 16th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
I would love to try the mini meatloaves!
August 16th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
I would love to try the Asian Turkey Burgers with Stir Fried Rice.
It would taste great & be good for me.
August 16th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Tweet!
http://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/3350717859
August 16th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I just became your newest fan at Facebook.
Barbara Montag
August 16th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
It all looks tasty! I’d love to try the Spicy Blackened Chicken.
August 17th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
THE MINI MEAT LOAVES SOUNDS SMART AND TASTY!
GENEVIEVE
August 17th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Cool site. I visited the Weight Loss Kits and am very interested in the Quinoa Chili. I’ve never tasted Quinoa but read recently about its high protein content.
August 18th, 2009 at 12:58 am
the quinoa chili sounds yummy!
August 18th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
I would love to try the Pineapple Meatloaf! Yum! Thanks!
August 18th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I became a FB fan.
facebook.com/spoodles
August 18th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
The Quinoa Chili sounds fantastic! I’m getting hungry.
August 18th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Oh, golly. Just noticed that I said the same thing as the comment before me. I promise I looked at the site. Piper just happens to know good food when she sees it! Great minds, you know.
Anyway, I tweeted it: http://twitter.com/Spoodles/statuses/3396161535
August 18th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Blogged here: http://spoodles.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/the-healthy-pantry-giveaway/
August 18th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
I just became a Facebook Fan. JeansandTs@hotmail.com
August 18th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
I would like to try their Whole Grain Apple Cinnamon Pancakes/Waffles
August 18th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
I tweeted:
http://twitter.com/daer0n/statuses/3397259709
August 18th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
I blogged:
http://ohmygiveaway.blogspot.com/2009/08/healthy-pantry-100-gift-certificate.html
August 19th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I’d love to try the Asian Turkey Burgers with Stir Fried Rice meal kit!
August 19th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
I am the Healthy Pantry’s newest fan on facebook
August 19th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
I would like to try the Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies and the Mac N’ Cheese.
August 20th, 2009 at 8:03 am
the dinner kit especially the asian turkey burger with stir fried rice looks amazing
August 20th, 2009 at 10:46 am
I am the Healthy Pantry’s newest fan on facebook!
August 20th, 2009 at 10:47 am
I’d like to try the spicy blackened chicken kit.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
I would like to try the turkey chili and the whole grain banana bread.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
facebook fan
August 20th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
tweeted @momsfocus
August 20th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
I would love to try the Asian Turkey Burgers with Stir Fried Rice.
thanks for the chance to win.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
I am a facebook fan of healthy pantry
August 20th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
The snack kit has some really good snacks in it. Would like to try that one.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
The Pineapple Meatloaf looks yummy! =9
August 20th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
I’d like to try the Cinnamon Oat Pancakes.
iluvchrisnlevi@aol.com
August 20th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
The Asian Turkey Burgers with Stir Fried Rice Meal Kit sounds healthy and delicious
August 20th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
from the weight loss kit i would love to try Quinoa Chili thanks for the chance to win eaglesforjack@gmail.com
August 20th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
im a fan on facebook thanks for the chance to win eaglesforjack@gmail.com my id is lepaige
August 20th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
I tweeted thanks for the chance to win eaglesforjack@gmail.com
August 20th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
http://twitter.com/eaglesforjack/status/3443981256