Our supermarket’s frozen food section is filled with frozen foods that are marketed as “healthy” options, but they are usually filled with sodium and preservatives.
Good Food Made Simple recently sent me some samples of their frozen food line. They claim to use all natural, simple ingredients just like someone would make the foods at home.
But, are they really as wholesome as they claim?
Steel Cut Fully Cooked Oatmeal
They offer three varieties of steel cut oatmeal and since this is one of my usual breakfast choices, I was happy to see how they compared to my homemade version.
Fruit and Berry Oatmeal
Serving Size: 8oz (227g)
Ingredients: Filtered water, steel cut oats, sweetened cranberries, sweetened blueberries, currents, sweetened cherries, vermont maple syrup, brown sugar, sea salt.
| Calories: 200 | Fat: 2.5g |
| Sodium: 55mg | Total Carbs: 39g |
| Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 15g |
| Protein: 5g | Vitamin A: 4% DV |
| Calcium: 4% DV | Iron: 10%DV |
2.5 minutes in the microwave and the oatmeal was hot and ready to serve. It was creamy, tasty and I loved the berry combination. As for the ingredients, it is just like I would make it at home minus the vermont maple syrup. However, I use fresh fruit or non-sweetened dried fruit. 15 grams of sugar isn’t bad, but I would suggest that if they would use non-sweetened fruit, they could get this number down a tad more.
Vermont Maple Syrup Oatmeal
Serving Size: 8oz (227g)
Ingredients: Filtered water, steel cut oats, vermont maple syrup, brown sugar, sea salt.
| Calories: 180 | Fat: 2.5g |
| Sodium: 55mg | Total Carbs: 35g |
| Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g |
| Protein: 5g | Vitamin A: 0% DV |
| Calcium: 4% DV | Iron: 10%DV |
Again, same as above and great tasting. I could have still enjoyed it a little less sweet. Perhaps they could eliminate the brown sugar and just use the maple syrup. 10 grams of sugar isn’t bad though.
Plain Oatmeal
Serving Size: 8oz (227g)
Ingredients: Filtered water, steel cut oats, sea salt.
| Calories: 150 | Fat: 2.5g |
| Sodium: 55mg | Total Carbs: 27g |
| Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 0g |
| Protein: 5g | Vitamin A: 0% DV |
| Calcium: 2% DV | Iron: 10%DV |
If you want to add your own amounts sugar, stevia, or berries, then this plain oatmeal variety is perfect. I would probably pick this one because I like to add frozen blueberries to my oatmeal and just a pinch of brown sugar.
Egg Patties
Good Food Made Simple has two types of frozen egg patties available.
Whole Egg Patties
Serving size: 2oz (57g)
Ingredients: Whole eggs, egg whites, whole milk, cornstarch, sea salt, pepper
| Calories: 70 | Fat: 4g |
| Saturated Fat: 1.5g | Cholesterol: 155mg |
| Sodium: 140mg | Total Carbs: 2g |
| Fiber: 0g | Sugar: <1g |
| Protein: 6g | Vitamin A: 4% DV |
| Calcium: 2% DV | Iron: 4%DV |
These took about a minute to heat in the microwave and are just like I would make eggs at home except for the cornstarch. I tried them plain and with some cheese. Even plain, they had a good taste, but the texture was a tad rubbery although impressive for a frozen egg product.
Egg White Patties
Serving size: 2oz (57g)
Ingredients: egg whites, whole milk, cornstarch, sea salt, pepper
| Calories: 35 | Fat: 0g |
| Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg |
| Sodium: 140mg | Total Carbs: 2g |
| Fiber: 0g | Sugar: <1g |
| Protein: 6g | Vitamin A: 4% DV |
| Calcium: 2% DV | Iron: 0%DV |
For those on a low cholesterol diet, these are perfect. Again, they are a little rubbery, but still tasty even by themselves. I would question 0 grams of fat since whole milk is used. They probably have less than 1 gram so it’s not required to be listed.
Verdict
Good Food Made Simple lives up to their claims as far as I’m concerned with only natural, wholesome ingredients and their products were easy to eat. Should someone with time to make their own oatmeal and eggs at home choose this product? Well, only if you have extra money to burn because making your own is way more inexpensive.
However, for busy people on the go, Good Food Made Simple provides some nice healthy, frozen breakfast options.
I love the steel cut oatmeal but cannot find it in the fort worth texas area .Sams club no longer has it .if anyone knows where to get it please let me know
@Raymond, try whole foods or just order it online…
Love the stuff but can’t find it.They did sell it at Costco but dis-continued it.
I am so mad that Costco’s discontinued this oatmeal. I went there today to get some and was told they no longer have it. Does anyone know of another store that carries it? I am so disappointed…this oatmeal is delicious.
Hi Marlene, Their website is linked to from the article. Perhaps you could contact them via their website, I’m sure they would be glad to help you out.
i was buying the egg whites at market basket. it was my breakfast for months with a wheat english muffin and low fat cheese.
Now they only sell the oatmeal.. Where can I buy the egg whites? I really fell in love with them
Where can I buy this brand?
It may be be lazy, but it’s certainly not artificial… nothing but real oats in there
I am a big fan of oatmeal. I’m going to have to try that and see how it tastes.
Looks pretty solid from health perspective.
I don’t understand why people think they don’t have time to make breakfast. Wake up ten minutes earlier then jeez. There is tons of stuff you can make in under ten minutes. For example I cook my steel cut oats in the microwave. It takes 5 minutes tops! Just nuke it 2 mins, take out mix, nuke it another 2 mins. DONE! Eggs! Jeez eggs are healthy and only take 2 minutes to microwave scramble.
Lol, frozen oatmeal!? This screams lazy, artificial, consumerist, emperor’s-new-clothes junk culture.
The only thing this screams of is that you do not know what you are talking about! The oatmeal is NOT artificial, and your sarcasm fell flat.
Excately.. I see the point in the egg products, if you are at the office or something. But oatmeal.. come on, lazy.
I was going to ask you how much these cost. I can buy a big pack of oats for a couple of bucks and it makes a ton of oatmeal. I don’t know if I’d shell out more money just to have the convenience of it being frozen. I mean, realistically, how difficult is it to make oatmeal from scratch? You add water to the oats and microwave it. I suppose if you’re incredibly lazy or busy, these could be a good option. Otherwise, I think I’ll pass.
There are 16 big packages of oatmeal and they taste exactly like homemade. Eight of the packages have berries in them. They were about $8 at the Costco here. This has NOTHING to do with being “incredibly lazy,” and there is NOTHING wrong with being busy.
@Lin, I agree “to each their own” and it is a great product.
These look like good options for “emergency rations” at the office.