Real Food Faves: All-Natural Hits...and Misses

Since I'm a semi-single mom who works full-time, I don't always have the time and/or energy to make meals from scratch which means I rely on pre-made "convenience" foods quite often. Finding healthy, all-natural convenience foods is much easier than it was in the past, but not all of them taste good....and not all of them are as healthy as they claim. So I'm going to share with you some of the foods I've tried since I've started my real food journey...both the hits and misses.

First up, is one of my consistent "go-to" foods: Rudi's Whole Spelt Tortillas. I decided to try these on a whim for something different from the usual whole-wheat, high-fiber, low-carb tortillas and I was not disappointed at all. They are very tasty with a nice texture that lends itself to everything from burritos to pizza crust to quesadillas (one of Munchkin's favorite meals). They have a nutty, almost sweet flavor to them (thanks to the touch of organic honey in them), and don't go gooey and sticky when they get wet like the usual white flour tortillas do. They are 150 calories and have only 3 grams of fat. They are not as high-fiber or low-carb as some of the other tortillas out there, but they don't include any of the preservatives and artificial additives the others do either.

Next up is a brand name rather than just one product: Quorn. I've not tried everything from them, but my daughter enjoys the Chik'n Nuggets and I absolutely love the Cranberry & Goat Cheese Chik'n Cutlet. They really do have the taste and consistency of chicken and are good, healthier lunchbox alternatives. They are not lo-cal...they're healthy food, not diet food. And yes, they are processed, so if you're going for a no-processed foods lifestyle, they probably won't be for you. As for myself, my current situation makes using processed foods an occasional necessity.

Now...for a "health" food that I've tried and honestly cannot get on board with....kombucha. I've heard all of the wonderful health benefits to this drink and how great it supposedly is, but I've tried it once and it was utterly foul. At the time, I didn't know exactly what it was, only that it was supposed to be very healthy. After taking a few sips and wondering if I had gotten one that had gone bad, I did some research and found out that it's *supposed* to taste like vinegar. Ick! (And I say this as one who has actually drank apple cider vinegar as a remedy) What turned me off even more to it was what it actually is made of and what it looks like. I'm a pretty brave person as far as food goes...I've eaten squid jerky, raw quail eggs, liver, seaweed, and so on...but drinking something that is made out of a big lump of tea mold just makes my stomach turn (see pic below...doesn't that look yummy! :P).

That's it for today!