Whole Foods Markets’ Newest Fabulous Frozen Items

I recently had the pleasure to try some items from the new Whole Foods Market line of frozen foods.  I went to the Laguna Niguel, California store and selected six different items varying from entrees to deserts.  First off, I love grocery shopping, but I am always all about the bargains, coupons and deals I can get in the store.This shopping trip really was no different in that I wanted to make my dollar go the furthest it could. In this particular shopping trip I was able to acquire two large pizzas, a bag of gnocchi for two, a beef and broccoli meal for two,

pint of ice cream, and two ice cream cookie sandwiches for about $26 total. This really was a decent amount of food for my buck.  I am always skeptical when it comes to frozen foods, as my husband is a fabulous cook and always seems to prepare the most awesome dishes, but I was excited to check these new items out.

The first item I tried was the lava cookie sandwich which took about 10 minutes to cook in the oven and came out warm and gooey. This cookie definitely tasted like it was a desert I bought in the restaurant and had quite a bit of yummy melted chocolate on the inside. Whole Foods definitely did not go light on the chocolate ingredient; there was quite an ample

amount. There was a perfect blend of salty and sweet in the cookie. There were 23 grams of fat and 500 calories in one lava cookie sandwich and my husband and I shared one, which was plenty. These were definitely not something to eat if you are watching your waistline, but they were a decadent pleasure to be enjoyed once in awhile.  The box of 2 cookies was $2.99 and I would definitely buy this desert again, but I would continue to share the cookie sandwich with someone else or only eat half at a time.

The second item I sampled was the Whole Foods chocolate ice cream AKA “A seriously simple ice cream recipe with six not so secret ingredients. The six ingredients included pasteurized milk, pasteurized cream, cane sugar, cocoa, egg yolks, & carob bean gum.  The flavor was creamy, but tasted light on the sugar to me. There was a very smooth consistency. The ice cream went nicely with the cookie,

but cookie really did not need anything with it. This product was priced at $3.69 and was noted as a low sodium item.  All of the other ice cream flavors offered in this product line are in the list at the bottom of this article.

The third item came from the skillet meal category and was a broccoli and beef frozen meal that was labeled under the Chinese Cuisine flavor.  This item had thin strips of lean beef that were marinated in soy sauce and stir fried broccoli florets in a blend of oyster sauce, garlic and ginger.  This item was my least favorite, as it had too much of a sweetness for my liking, but I must also say I usually do not eat much Asian food, as it is not my favorite, so maybe I am not the best one to judge this item.  My husband (he loves Asian food) really liked this item.  I think I would have liked this one a little bit better if there was a little more savory flavor, and a little less sweet.  A highlight of this entrée was that the entire bag was only 300 calories and was quite filling, as we shared this 300 calorie bag with a small side salad and we were both satisfied.

The fourth item was also from the skillet meals and it was part of the Italian Cuisine Category.  This one was called Gnocchi Quattro Formaggi.  This item contained all savory flavors that blended together quite nicely. The flavors consisted of potato dumplings in a bold cream sauce that combined four different cheeses; gorgonzola, grana padano, pecorino romano, & mozzarella.  There was a creamy intensity to this dish which I enjoyed thoroughly. I brought in some of the gnocchi for my students to try and they had never tried gnocchi before and they were all asking me for more when they finished eating.  The dumplings were made with durum wheat semolina and potato and had a great texture.  With 690 calories in a bag/ 3 servings this was able to be served as a meal for two with a side salad or it could even be devoured with a breast of chicken or a slice of salmon.

The two skillet meals were very easy quick serve meals that took under 10 minutes to prepare.  These types of dinners are great for everyone including parents rushing out to their kids’ soccer games or young adults coming home from a long day of work and not wanting to cook or elderly people as well that want something quick and yummy. It is always nice to have something quick to make midweek that can simply be pulled from the freezer during the week when in a hurry.  There is also a choice to cook these in the microwave or on the stove in the skillet.

The last two items I tried were pizzas.

The two pizzas I selected out of the three were the Wood-Fired Margherita with Cherry Tomatoes and the Wood-Fired Stracchino and Arugula.  Both of these pizzas were well-balanced, thin crust pizzas and I can honestly say I did not like one more than the other. It really would just depend on my mood if I prefer a tomato based pizza or a creamy based pizza.  The Margherita pizza was made from a wheat flour crust with a light tomato base and cherry tomatoes with mozzarella and a sprinkling of oregano.  The flavor of this pizza was quite pleasing on my palate after a long day at work and a hardcore work out at the gym. Paired with a light salad, this pizza definitely satisfied my appetite and my waistline at only 360 calories for half of the entire pizza!  The second pizza I enjoyed the following week was the Stracchino & Arugula.  This was a rich, creamy pizza made with a white sauce consisting of mascarpone cheese and a stracchino cheese sauce, mozzarella, arugula cheese, and black pepper.  The white pizza was only 20 calories more than the tomato based pizza.  Both pizzas were lovely paired with a salad or a plate of veggies.

Something that I loved about all of the new frozen Whole Foods items was not only the convenience factor, but the fabulous flavors and how they satisfied my appetite and my sweet tooth.  I will definitely be back to try more of the new Whole Foods Frozen food items.  For the full list of new products, see below.  Thank you so much for reading my review of the new Whole Foods frozen products.

If you would like to enter my contest to win a FREE Whole Foods $25 gift card, please subscribe to my blog with your email on this website and also like my facebook page.  I will announce the winner on Friday, November 23 in the comments section of this post and on my facebook page.   Thanks again for reading and to check out more daily deals like my facebook page and follow me on twitter.

FULL LIST OF NEW WHOLE FOODS FROZEN ITEMS TO TRY NOW!!!

SAMOSAS:

· Whole Foods Market™ Tandoori Chicken Samosas

· Whole Foods Market™ Potato & Pea Samosas

EGG ROLLS:

· Whole Foods Market™ Vegetable Egg Rolls

· Whole Foods Market™ Chicken & Vegetable Egg Rolls

POTSTICKERS:

· Whole Foods Market™ Vegetable Potstickers

· Whole Foods Market™ Pork & Vegetable Potstickers

ITALIAN WOOD-FIRED PIZZAS:

· Whole Foods Market™ Wood-Fired Buffalo Mozzarella with Cherry Tomatoes

· Whole Foods Market™ Wood-Fired Margherita with Cherry Tomatoes

· Whole Foods Market™ Wood-Fired Stracchino and Arugula

SKILLET MEALS

Asian:

· Whole Foods Market™ Broccoli & Beef

· Whole Foods Market™ General Tso’s Chicken

· Whole Foods Market™ Orange Chicken

· Whole Foods Market™ Sweet & Sour Chicken

Italian:

· Whole Foods Market™ Fettuccine Alfredo

· Whole Foods Market™ Fettuccine Alfredo con Funghi

· Whole Foods Market™ Gnocchi alla Sorrentina

· Whole Foods Market™ Gnocchi di Polenta with Peas & Kale

· Whole Foods Market™ Gnocchi Quattro Formaggi

· Whole Foods Market™ Penne all’Arrabbiata

MEAL STARTERS

· Whole Foods Market™ Chicken Fried Rice

· Whole Foods Market™ Vegetable Fried Rice

· Whole Foods Market™ Shrimp & Vegetable Stir Fry

· Whole Foods Market™ Stir Fry Vegetables

DESSERTS:

· Whole Foods Market™ Caramel Apple Blossoms

· Whole Foods Market™ Chocolate Lava Cakes

· Whole Foods Market™ Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies

· Whole Foods Market™ Caramelized Panna Cotta

SIX INGREDIENT ICE CREAMS

· Whole Foods Market™ Chocolate Ice Cream

· Whole Foods Market™ Coffee Ice Cream

· Whole Foods Market™ Strawberry Ice Cream

· Whole Foods Market™ Vanilla Ice Cream