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Weight Watchers. Everyone knows the name. Many people have tried it at some point in their life. It is probably one of the best diets (or should I say eat right) plans out there. Now with Weight Watchers Online, it has become even more popular. I was contacted by Catherine Bowen Brophy, a Greencore/Weight Watchers consultant, about a new line of Weight Watchers ready meals. Catherine said she could send me some meals for free in exchange for getting the word out to my readers and asking them to send in their input. Um, excuse me? Review some Weight Watchers meals? Sure, I’m in!

A few weeks later, I received 7 ready meals to try out. Beef Lasagna (which actually got damaged in shipping so I did not get to try it), Three Cheese Ravioli, Chile con Carne with Beans, Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes, Three Cheese Macaroni, Roast Turkey with Stuffing and Turkey Meatballs with Penne. For the full line of products available, visit Weight Watchers Ready Meals and Salads.

So what did I think of the new weight watchers ready meals?

Some of them left me wanting more, while others were surprisingly good. About the size you would expect for a tv dinner meal, but still enough to satisfy you when eaten with a small salad. The great part about ready meals is that since they are not frozen, they are done in about 2 minutes – but I did freeze some because I was not going to eat them all by the expiration dates. So that being said, they still warmed up nicely, and it took about 5 minutes from frozen. I did not have the pleasure of trying the salads because they were fresh out when my shipment was sent, but I have heard good things about them. All in all, pretty good, and great if you are on Weight Watchers because they have the number of points on the meal. I certainly would not buy all of the varieties available (I would stay away from the three cheese ravioli), but there were a few that I would go back for (namely the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and the roast turkey with stuffing).  The ones that were in the middle – nothing a little salt could not fix. So if you love Weight Watchers and would like to see certain types of dishes, they need your help in deciding what flavors to add to the line up.

Information from Weight Watchers:

There are currently 13 varieties of Weight Watchers Fresh Meals.  Creators of these meals are interested in adding one more and are looking to customers for input!

• vegetable lasagna with seasoned ricotta and marinara;
• meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes;
• roast turkey with cranberry stuffing topped with seasoned turkey gravy;
• turkey meatballs and penne;
• Mediterranean chicken;
• 3 cheese ravioli;
• beef lasagna;
• baked ziti;
• 3 cheese macaroni;
• Santa Fe rice and beans;
• chicken & mushroom Alfredo;
• chile con carne with beans;
• chicken with BBQ sauce

Customers are encouraged to email info.byfield@greencore.com.

Yummy, better-for-you comfort food that leaves you satisfied and with a couple extra bucks in your pocket and more time on your hands.

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