Skip to main content

Limited Options - Part 5 of the "I hate being trendy series"

     I'm done with this series after this.   I'm still trying to eat more plant based items and I do have a few more products stored in the fridge and freezer, but I find that I'm limited on what's available to me here in the country.   The only supermarket that sells vegan/vegetarian items near me regularly is Aldi's and the selection varies week to week. 

    While I enjoy Aldi's items I really don't want this series to turn into just being about the products of one store.   That being said, I've been able to find items from Beyond Meat, Impossible foods, the Jackfruit Company,  and other products at other stores, but not on a regular basis.

    So I'm trying to eat healthier and plant based where ever and when ever I can.   It's simply a matter of being able to do what I can do and when I can do it, for example the other night I stopped at Burger King and ordered their impossible burger not because I wanted it so much as it was the only choice I had.


    Last November, I picked up Aldi's Meatless Turkey Breast for under $5.00 US and it got pushed to the back of the freezer till I found it while on a arctic exploration.  The box stated that their were two" breasts per box and offered a few ways to cook them; including pan frying, the microwave and in the oven.  I "oven roasted" the turkey.

    Now that being said, there is no gravy included so other side dishes would fill out this item nicely.  It also cooks quickly in that it only took 10 minutes or so to make.  The "breast" itself is rather thin and is coated with a "breading"which sort of reminded me more of a fish fillet rather than a turkey breast.

    Taste wise it's not that bad, it's not "turkey" and frankly it is not even a close approximation to turkey.   I also found it a bit dry.   Of course, some gravy would of helped.  They also held up well as I ate them.   There were no "mushy" bits.

    Honestly with some potato's and stuffing, I think this wouldn't be bad at all.   In fact, I think I could eat this on Thanksgiving or Christmas and be perfectly happy with that choice.  Maybe a little more herb, a little more spice would only help the flavor.

    One "breast" piece was enough to satisfy me and the second piece would be enough to serve as "leftovers" for a sandwich the next day. 


    I actually liked the taste, it's tofu...make no mistake about that and it reminded me of chicken more than turkey...but I actually liked this product a lot.  Hell, I be happy to buy this product anytime and cut it up with some Bombay Potato's and make a burrito out of it!

    That being said, the nutritional part of this equation is a mixed bag.   Again, we are talking about a highly processed food and those tend to be high in salt.  In this case that's 510 milligrams, or about 22% of our recommend daily intake of Sodium.  It's still not bad but generally speaking anything below 20% is considered "healthy"

    With 4 grams of saturated fat (or bad fat) it's not a serious issue, but that makes up 19% of your recommend daily intake.   Since saturated fats can lead to heart disease, this is a bit of a concern.  There is zero trans fat.

    One "breast" however does have 13 grams of protein so that's wonderful.  It's also high in Iron and contains no trans fats or cholesterol.  So comparing this to the nutritional value of an actual turkey, it holds up pretty well but without some of the environmental and ethical issues that surround eating meat.

    The question becomes...would I have this again?   Yes, Yes I would. I can't think of a better way to end the series (for now) than on a high point. 

Labels:
Location: Stoneboro, PA 16153, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

What all the cool kids are reading.

Maybe we need to rethink invasive species???

Hi. As the writer of the post and feel that I need to clarify something. I do not advocate the planting of invasive species. The point that I'm trying to make, and clearly didn't, is that perhaps we should be thinking about an invasive species in a different light. Apples, figs and other crops are clearly non native to America and Europe but are widely cultivated because they have use to humans as a food source, animal feed, etc. Kudzu is an edible plant and although it is clearly harmful can it be used someway by humans? It's a food source, it's been used as a cloth and is showing some use as a building material. All I'm trying to do is to create discussion on how we can use invasive plants in new ways.   It's mid April here in Western Pennsylvania and so far it's been warm and wet.  The buzz of lawnmowers fill the air as I gallivant through my back yard collecting dandelions to make some tea and bread with them.  I had always known that they w...
1 comment
Read more

Honoring the past - Thinking more about "invasive" plant species.

 Recently I've been giving some thought to invasive species.  I had received both positive and negative feedback on the blog post concerning kudzu and recently I came across a very well hidden, and very small, wild cherry tree while doing some yard work.  Since it's against the house it would have to be removed since the root systems could damage my foundation.   A buddy of mine at work was asking if I was going to transfer it, his logic being that it was a fruiting tree that would not only attract a variety of pollinator's but that the deer would eat the bark and cherries, keeping them away from the garden (which Sue and I swore we were not going to do this year).  It occurred to me that I was going to have to do a slightly better job of identification, since black cherries are native to America , where as other types of cherries are not.  Being able to make a precise identification would be helpful.   I used to be able to identify all these tre...
Post a Comment
Read more

Random Parts and Pieces - Let's pretend we're dead

 Before my mother passed back in October of 2020, she and my dad has basically consolidated their lives to a small 2 room apartment building.   In the brutal logic that both my mom and dad practiced it made sense.   Less to maintain as they grew older meant less to worry about. Their sons were married and had moved away from home a long time ago. They didn't need much or wanted much.  They lived simple lives and would rather spend their days on things they enjoyed like watching a family of deer romp in a field that their balcony overlooked.  Going out to dinner and spending time with loved ones and family. When she passed unexpectedly and Gary, my brother, and I cleaned out the apartment, we were still amazed by the junk they had accumulated.   Somehow, we managed to get through the days.  When my dad passed , it was a little easier to not only deal with his passing, but to clean what he had left in his bedroom. The original paint and d...
2 comments
Read more