Lean Cuisine Salad Additions...Thanks to BzzAgent!

I often get frozen lunches for work for convenience and price. There are really only 2 brands of frozen lunches that I purchase and Lean Cuisine happened to be one of them, so I was really excited to be part of this BzzCampaign! Up until that point I had not even seen these Lean Cuisine Salad Additions, but the next time I was in the store I did see them on display, and they looked so yummy! I was interested in 3 of the 4 varieties, so I had to try all 3; Asian-style chicken, Bistro chicken, and Southwest-style chicken. They seemed kind of pricey, but at least I was able to try one for free at first…although I did still have to pay for the salad (lol).

Now like I had said before, I am maintaining a 45lb. weight loss (and lose a lil more), so I also buy healthy frozen lunches. A salad was a great change to a typical toss in the microwave frozen lunch. Yes these do require some microwaving for the chicken and vegetables and such to cook, but it isn’t the same as a frozen meal, a salad just has a healthier feel to it. And it was so quick and easy! The main reason I would not normally have a salad that included things like beans and corn (like the Southwest-style chicken variety) I would have to open a whole can of each and then only use a part of it and try to either save the rest or let it go to waste. And what a pain in the butt to take up the time to cut up peppers and carrots or asparagus! The biggest reason my husband and I don’t keep a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables in the house is because of how fast they can go bad if you do not eat them right away or take care of them properly. I hate wasting money! But since these are frozen, they could sit in my freezer for a month or more if need be (although they won’t last that long in my freezer before being eaten!). I would usually put shredded cheese or maybe some croutons in my salads, but I did not even miss the presence of cheese, and the additions always included something crunchy, so there was no need for croutons which tend to add a lot of calories. Eating good for you healthy meals set you up for success and gives you more motivation to do other healthy things such as getting a workout session in. At least that is the way that I feel when I eat well.

I have always loved Lean Cuisine! Their delicious rewards points program is awesome. I was just recently able to order the collapsible salad bowl that they just added as part of the winter catalog. Also there is a chance to earn a free lunchbag if you log 20 codes before the end of March (or when supplies are gone) and you get to keep the points you accumulate to earn other great stuff (like that collapsible lunch bowl!). So if you have not already, you should check it out!

If you have read any of my previous blogs about being a BzzAgent, you know I absolutely LOVE it! It gives me the great opportunity to try products free of charge like this one, and then pass my opinions on to my family, friends, and readers. I get coupons or samples or both to pass out too. So, other than it being free, I am not compensated, and these opinions are my own.

Perdue Oven Ready chicken BzzCampaign :)

I was invited to this Perdue Oven Ready chicken BzzCampaign after it had already started, so by the time I received my coupons, I was already in a time crunch. I checked our usual Walmart, Meijer, and Kroger and was unsuccessful in finding them, even with the help of store workers. I was worried they simply were not in my area and I panicked until I realized I should check the Perdue website to see if there was a store locator (I sometimes have blonde moments, why didn’t I think of that in the first place!). Unfortunately there were only 2 Kroger stores that offered them, and they were both over 15 miles away, but at least one was near my parents house. It just so happened they had them on sale for $7.99, so we were lucky they had just 1 left when we got there.

My plan was to make the chicken the following night for dinner since it takes a minimum of an hour and a half to cook plus 10 minutes of rest time. The cook time is not a problem though even for a weeknight meal, if you just plan ahead; I made it on a Thursday. I also made salad, mashed potatoes and jar gravy since I did not at first realize there is a recipe on the bag for gravy that you make with the remaining drippings after cooking. We did make the gravy the next time we enjoyed one of these chickens and it was good and our guests enjoyed it. From the chicken that I made just for us, I was also able to make chicken noodle soup and chicken fajitas with the leftovers, it was great! Since this was my first time making a whole chicken, I was worried at first, but the Perdue Oven Ready chicken made the whole experience a great one with the fact that it is perfectly seasoned and in its own baking bag which makes cleanup easier. Both times that we have made them, they turned out tender and juicy, and so easy to get off the bone. I hope that they become available at our local Kroger or another local store soon, because if on sale or if I get my hands on more coupons, my family would be enjoying more Perdue Oven Ready chickens for sure! Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE being a BzzAgent?? I DO! :)

 I am not sure if it was a mistake or not, but I did not understand why there were 2-$3.00 off coupons and 4-$2.00 off coupons to hand out. I did not even realize that they were for two different face values at first, I should have checked closer I guess since it was kind of embarrassing when you hand one person a $3 coupon and another a $2 one, so I kind of felt the need to apologize to the people who only got $2 ones.