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Well, who’d have thought it, I’m lost for words really but I’ll give it a go. I went to Iceland and bought a Slimming World meal and although I’m not on a diet, nor do (I think) I need to be, I’m really glad I did.
In the spirit of decluttering, I took 5 bags of clothing that hadn’t seen the light of day for years, to the charity shop in my next village. Being a bit of a lazy cow, and especially as the bags were heavy, I parked as close as I could to the charity shop, which just happens to be more or less next door to an Iceland store
Now I‘m a bit of a stranger to Iceland. I’ve bought the odd pint of milk there but never really considered it as my ‘go to’ supermarket. But it was there, I was there, parked right in front of it, so I thought, what the heck, let’s do this.
As an aside, I’ve been mildly concerned about the amount of money I’ve been spending on my weekly shop. I’ve got into the habit of going to Tesco’s instead of Aldi or Lidl and I’ve really noticed my food bill creeping up. So it was on my mind to make some changes to my routine.
Maybe my subconscious was leading me to the delights of frozen food, and demanding that instead of just using the conveniently situated Tesco store ( in the same town) I should definitely ‘let it go’……(sorry)
What a revelation Iceland was. Firstly, what a pleasant surprise, as I entered the store, I noticed there was no massive queue at the till, and although there were other customers in the store it was a calm, crowd-free experience. Go Iceland.
I’m usually a person who cooks from scratch; admittedly I do make some weird and wonderful concoctions from weird and wonderful (usually cheap) items, but even so, all the faff of prepping, and washing up just for ME sometimes isn’t worth the hassle. Yes, I AM looking for a way out!
The bread was just inside the door, and a few special offers, loo rolls were piled high but then as I wandered around the store I realised the freezers are devoted to brand names and products. Gino has a great Italian range, but I was drawn to the Slimming World diet-focused freezer and Nasi Goreng ‘ a delicious FREE Indonesian rice dish with tender chicken and vegetables, in a fragrant sauce’. And at £3.50 for a 550g bowl, I thought that was good value for money.
I got home and defrosted the Nasi Goreng, but I had some vegetables to use up, so I cooked up some chestnut mushrooms and broccoli to add to the dish.
The cooking instructions give only two options, Microwave or Oven, but being the rebel that I am, I knew that I could still get away with a one-pan dinner, without using either of these.
I fired a few sprays of coconut oil into my wok and first stir-fried the broccoli, then added the mushrooms. Then I tipped the whole pot of my defrosted Iceland purchase into the same wok, popped a lid on it, and left it simmering for a good 10 minutes. The smell was amazing, really oriental, and mouthwatering.
So amongst the ingredients listed on the packet are, long grain rice (25%), Chicken Breast (92%), beans, bamboo shoots, kale, and sliced red onion (all 7%). There’s a variety of other Asian flavourings such as soy sauce, ginger and coriander, turmeric, and red chilli. And if you do have any allergies, there are things to watch out for such as wheat and soya.
I expected the portion size to be a bit on the ‘lean’ side but was pleasantly surprised. Even without my addition of broccoli and mushrooms, I still think this would have been an adequate-sized portion for me, and anyone else.
There was rice, chicken, green beans, bamboo shoots, and red onion in a tangy sauce with hints of lime and chilli. It was hot, but not TOO hot. The chicken was tender, the rice cooked to perfection. There was a crunch from the bamboo shoots and beans, and the sauce was more than enough to coat all the food with a spicy moistness. Really, there was enough of everything, without my additions, they merely added to the texture, more than to the amount or bulk of the meal.
It was actually delicious, and you could adapt this in many ways: add more rice, add more chicken, or add more veg to make a tasty meal for more than two people. The flavours are all there. Hints of chilli and lime run throughout, but despite it being a Slimming World diet meal, you would never ever know, and the fact that it is advertised as a FREE FOOD, does not, in any way, detract from the quality.
My addition of broccoli and mushrooms were still free foods, so even though I’m not trying, it probably did turn out to be more of a healthy option than I might have prepped and cooked myself from completely fresh food and probably added no more than 20p to the overall cost of the whole meal.
£3.70 for a tasty, filling evening meal, yes, I’ll take that, please!
No matter if you are trying to lose weight or not, this is a ‘must try’ frozen diet meal from Iceland… and guess what, today I’m trying another! Watch this space!
Are you an Iceland fan, what are some of your favourites to watch out for?
