As I’ve occasionally mentioned in the past, I usually stay away from providing my opinion on SPECIFIC products or services, by virtue of my job and given the fact that my blog was never intended to be used in such a way. But once in a while, I cross something, a book, movie or other product, that I either feel deserves to be mentioned or that lends itself to a more educational piece as it relates to some of my blog’s topics, so here we are!
I’ve been no stranger to changes and transitions in recent months. What with our home being under heavy renovations (a post about that to come later) and all four of us camped out in our basement for the duration, to the heat of summer starting to strike the Prairies and having no room to workout consistently, to noticing a reduced appetite and basically having to force myself to eat in order to stay alive… That last one has been a particular thorn in my side, as finding the means and the motivation to ingest three balanced meals on a daily basis can be a challenge for someone in general, let alone a Type-1 Diabetic.
As a result, I’ve been trying a number of different things to try and nip this problem in the bud. Although I’ve been happy with some of the weight loss I’ve been seeing, losing weight as a result of not eating is never a good thing and one needs to acknowledge that some of it comes as a result of loss of muscle mass, given that my bench and weights are currently buried under a pile of my shit in the basement. For the most part, I’ve taken to gulping down a low-sugar bottle of Ensure every morning, which some of you may recognize as a meal-replacement supplement.
Ensure has always fascinated me, because I’ve noticed that if I’m actually hungry for breakfast and I drink one, I’m actually not hungry afterwards. I guess if it gives you what the body needs, the body no longer sends out hunger signals. Who knows? What am I, a doctor? The point is, it’s a handy go-to for a person who’s on the go and doesn’t necessarily have time to prepare something comprehensive, first thing in the morning. However, one cannot simply live on meal replacement shakes, alone…
Flash forward to a few days ago when, while doing some grocery shopping, I happened to fall upon some frozen “breakfast bowls” that caught my eye. Since I don’t like getting sued and don’t want to be accused of defamation of a product, I’ll keep the name of the specific brand off of here, but it’s basically a frozen tv dinner, but in breakfast form. They take less than five minutes to heat in the microwave, boast only 260 calories (approximately) each and only 17 grams of total carbohydrates. Sounds great, sign me up! I grabbed one of each: a bacon, egg and potato and a steak egg and potato. This morning, I tried the bacon, egg and potato.
There she lies… One of the first things I noticed when I finished heating it up, is the cheese included with the bowl isn’t quite as prominent as it is on the packaging. This probably shouldn’t surprise me to overly much, considering,m but disappointing nonetheless. The other immediately noticeable issue, and you can likely tell from the photo, is the potatoes still look white and raw. And guess what? They fucking were! Granted, every microwave is different but I added several minutes to makes sure the potatoes would cook and soften. Didn’t happen.
Generally speaking, since frozen meals tend to be on the more unimpressive side, they tend to try and jazz it up by seasoning a few things or adding some flavour. They really didn’t seem to do that here. The potatoes were plain and bland, the eggs were, well…eggs, and the bacon was the only thing that seemed to taste good, given that you can eat bacon as is, and it’ll still be fuckin’ bacon. I’ll die on that hill. But it was an otherwise unimpressive meal that left me wanting and disappointed that I didn’t have my Ensure, instead. How sad is that?
Now, it might seem like I’m being a tad negative with things, here. And that’s likely because I am. As with all things in life, there is a balance of good and bad in everything. So, here’s the good. The low calories are a good thing, given my reduce physical activity and the fact I sit on my rump all day at work. The 18 grams of protein it boasts is a nice addition. But as with most frozen meals, its small portion still carries 25% of my daily intake of sodium, which can be detrimental if I decided to make a habit of eating one of these on a daily basis.
One silver lining is that the amount of cabs I needed to bolus for appear to be somewhat accurate for this item and my blood sugars aren’t going haywire. It can be a nice change, when you don’t have time to prepare a hot breakfast but still want something. The only suggestion I would make is to season your meal yourself, before you eat it. A little flavour helps one to get through their day. And mind that sodium; easier isn’t always healthier and as any Type-1 Diabetic knows, sodium levels can wreak havoc. Food for thought…☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 
After my hip replacement surgery in January I started eating a lot of tv dinners. Guess what? I gained a fair bit of weight. Probably due to all the sodium! My diet has gotten better as my recovery progressed. I’ve gravitated quite a bit to cooking healthy meals in the Instant Pot. I love it!
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That’s interesting, I can see how increased sodium would cause swelling of the tissues and promote some weight gain. I like the Insta pot idea… What would you say is your favourite meal to prepare in it?
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Veggie medley. My wife is a vegetarian. So this particular meal is a base. I can add beef or chicken to my bowl of the veggie medley. I’m slowly expanding my Instant Pot repertoire!
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