You’ve got parent-teacher meetings, football and soccer games, cheerleading practice, PTA fundraisers, game-night tailgates…too much on the plate? The family is going every which way, and there’s no time to put a decent meal on the table. What’s a body to do?!
Not to worry, GreenAcres “frozen food and cold case entrees” to the rescue. While fresh is best, don’t pass up the organic/often gluten free/all natural frozen foods section in GreenAcres Market. Many of these heat-and-serve dinners are prepared and flash frozen immediately at peek goodness and flown into the store ready to eat. Through the years, we’ve offered moms and kids samplings of the following “fast food” entrees to rave reviews and everyone’s satisfaction. If the kids liked them, and all mom and dad had to do was pop them into the oven, they got an A+ and went immediately on the shopping list.
All of the nutrition and none of the guilt, as we say. Don’t overlook frozen entrees and snacks. They are not the 1950s brand of “TV dinners” that had way too much salt and fat, and hardly any flavor. Here are some frozen, all natural–and in some cases, gluten free—dinners you might want to stock in the freezer just for that moment when things get too hectic, but everyone’s got to eat.
Not every GreenAcres Market has all of the entrees listed below, but all our stores have some of them. Check them out!
-Amy’s No Cheese Pizza – For the dairy free family, this pizza is chock full of shitake mushrooms, sweet onions and roasted red pepper on Amy’s new thin crust. In other words, full of flavor, none of the fat.
–Amy’s White Pizza – Spinach, broccoli (the foods some kids might not like, but in pizza form, oh yeah!) mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta cheeses on regular crust. Absolutely no GMOs, and absolutely delish.
-Amy’s Cheese Pizza—For the purest. Made with a rice flour, gluten free crust, tangy tomato sauce and gluten free cheese.
-Gluten Freeda has a great gluten free Chicken and Cheese Burrito made with all natural ingredients and completely kid friendly. Other favorites we’ve sampled in the store to the kids’ satisfaction: Vegetarian Bean & Cheese (who says you can’t serve breakfast for dinner or dinner for breakfast?) All have excellent taste and texture. Just pop into the oven to heat.
-Applegate Chicken Nuggets are hands down kids’-voted favorites. They’re gluten free; contain no nitrates, from free range chickens raised without antibiotics. (Parents have been known to grab a frozen box to put in the freezer for just the right party or tailgate function.)
Think about the above the next time it’s dinner impossible and make it easy on yourself. You can always embellish a cheese and sauce frozen pizza by adding some of your favorite fresh ingredients: mushrooms, arugula, sliced tomatoes, olives. Think about it! The “pie’s” the limit.
And chicken nuggets go so well with a variety of dips: hummus, aoli, tzatziki, pesto, fruit and nut cream cheese. Kids love to dip, and so do adults. Use your imagination, but save yourself time by starting off with “frozen!”