Who doesn’t want an Honestly Good meal in just minutes?

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Lean Cuisine, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #HonestlyGood #ad http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

Back when I had a corporate job, I brought lunch almost every single day. Some days lunch was just what I grabbed as I was running out the door, and some days it was leftovers and lovingly made lunches.

But, the days I really looked forward to were my Lean Cuisine hot lunches, which always felt like a special treat. I would find myself craving Lean Cuisine meals and would even *gasp* opt out of restaurant meals in favor of my favorite meal: Lean Cuisine Pizza. 

In addition to being delicious, these Lean Cuisine lunches taught me a lot about portion control and the idea of "not hungry" vs. "stuffed". They ended up being a great tool for me back then and even on the days I ended up eating out or we ordered in, I had trained myself to stop eating when I hit the point I wasn't hungry anymore instead of eating everything I was served.

But, while my days of corporate office life are behind me now, and these days I work from home right next to a fully stocked kitchen, I feel like I need Lean Cuisine meals more than ever. Sitting next to kitchen with a full refrigerator and pantry tricks you into thinking that you will prepare gourmet lunches every afternoon and that you will be able to eat better than ever before, but that hasn’t been the case for me. Instead, I find I’m more rushed than ever with two kids, a job, and a website to run, so lunches for me almost always take a back seat.

This typically means that I skip breakfast most days, graze throughout lunch, and then am starving when dinner rolls around. Even though I’ve made an effort to make healthy choices, I haven’t eaten foods that fill me up enough or feel like a meal. This means I tend to snack in the afternoon and eat more at dinner, which takes a toll after a working at home for 5 years now.

When I heard about the Lean Cuisine Honestly Good meals debuting this year, I decided I needed to make Lean Cuisine part of my weekly meal plan again. With gourmet choices such as Plum Ginger Grain-Crusted Fish and Pomegranate Chicken, I knew I had found a great solution for enjoying a hot lunch in my busy day.

So, armed with three coupons, I headed out to Target to pick up a few meals to try out. They only had a few flavors in stock, but even so, I still spent far too long debating about what to purchase and reading every single package. In the end, I chose two Pineapple Black Pepper Beef and Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Honestly Good meals to take home with me.

Immediately upon picking them up, I could tell these were no average TV dinners. Packed full of real food, vegetables, and premium ingredients, these are just like the meals I wish I had enough time to whip up at lunchtime while I work.

Doesn't this just make you hungry?

Besides having great pictures that show what's in each meal, another thing I absolutely love is that they are packaged in a way that you can actually see the food simply by sliding off the sleeve. While I wouldn't recommend doing this if you don't plan to purchase in case you accidentally slice open the sealed interior package, the fact that the meal isn't hidden shows you how truly confident Lean Cuisine is with the food inside.

The next thing I really appreciate is that Lean Cuisine Honestly Good meals are not smothered in sauce, gravy, or toppings to obscure lesser quality ingredients. In fact, in the Honestly Good line of meals, the sauce packets are all completely separate so you have control over how much or how little you add to your meal. This is especially important for those with dietary concerns who have to limit certain ingredients, but I appreciated the control the packets gave me as well.

I first tried the Pineapple Black Pepper Beef meal and was really surprised by all the delicious flavor packed into the meal. With tender beef served over rice with pineapple paired with green and wax beans with orange and yellow carrots, all covered in a pineapple black pepper sauce, it certainly isn't what one might think of when they think freezer meal. It may be “lean” but it was definitely “cuisine” and tasted like a meal you would pay a premium price for while dining out.

Later that week I tried the Honestly Good Roasted Red Pepper Chicken meal for dinner, and it was just as delicious as the first meal. I love red peppers so I was in heaven with grilled chicken breast with a roasted red pepper sauce served over whole grain cavatappi pasta, with sea
salt and lemon-seasoned broccoli florets.

I may not have someone waiting on me and refilling my water, but getting to enjoy a hot meal in a busy day was a huge treat. The Lean Cuisine meals I have tried were all delicious and I'd definitely try them again. But, not only were they tasty, they were also plenty big and satisfying and they kept me full until the next meal, which meant I didn’t feel like snacking. 

I loved Lean Cuisine meals all those years ago, and now that love is renewed with their new Honestly Good meals. I’m going to make sure I keep some Lean Cuisine HonestlyGood lunches and dinners on hand for those days that I just can’t cook but I want a hot meal that’s delicious and still doesn’t sabotage my diet.

Lean Cuisine Honestly Good meals are full of 100% all natural, wholesome ingredients and the varieties I've tried were all packed with flavor. After trying the Pineapple Black Pepper Beef and the Roasted Red Pepper Chicken, I'm really excited to try the Honey Citrus Chicken, Lemongrass Salmon,
Plum Ginger Grain-Crusted Fish, and Pomegranate Chicken next.

In addition to delicious and nutritious food made in just seconds, Lean Cuisine has yet another way to make you feel good about buying their meals. Together with their farmers, they’re donating a portion of the vegetables grown for LEAN CUISINE HONESTLY GOOD meals to local communities. You eat fabulous and you help other families eat good as well!

You can buy Lean Cuisine Honestly Good meals at your local Target store in the freezer section. Stock up for your weekday lunches, last minute dinners at home, or plan ahead and have a relaxing Lean Cuisine meal all to yourself like I did – you can choose the menu, control the portions, and now you can even add the sauces yourself!