When I was approached to try out the Weight Watchers ready meals chilled range I was intrigued. It is about 14 years since I tried a Weight Watchers meal so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
I knew that they had shaken up the Weight Watchers plan so was not sure if these would fit in with other plans or how healthy they would be.
Whilst I am a big advocate of cooking meals from scratch most of the time ready meals do have their place too.
When you cook from scratch you have so much flexibility but sometimes time is your focus. At lunchtime the most popular food is ham sandwiches, how crazy is that!
I love the idea that with healthy ready meals you can spice up your lunchtime without spending hours cooking.
Ready meals are never intended as a regular choice but for lunches, on days that you are in a rush, they can be a lifesaver!
Weight Watchers Microwave Meals for Convenience
The Weight Watchers meals we tried out all took around 5-7 minutes to cook in the microwave. This is ideal for lunchtime when you maybe only have a short break from work.
They were only suitable for cooking in the microwave and not a conventional oven. Whilst I rarely cook meals like this in the oven I know some people do so this is worth remembering.
It is also worth noting that the packaging says they are not suitable for home freezing.
I received mine directly from the company however they had approximately 4 weeks’ date on them so even purchasing in shops these shouldn’t be too short-dated.
It does however mean you would be better at meal planning or buying when you need them so they don’t get to their expiry date having not been used.
Weight Watchers ready meals portion size
All the meals we tried were a similar size, that of a standard ready meal. Of course, ready meals are never massive portions but are enough for a lunch.
Alongside a drink and some fruit would be perfect for a work lunch break.
We did notice that the meals did not really contain much in the way of vegetables. That said, how many ready meals do in reality?
The meals were filling enough and had a good mixture of carbohydrates and protein from what we could tell to keep you full for a while.
Weight Watchers Meal nutritional contents
At less than 360 calories for each of the meals, they are great either on their own or with additional items for a lunchtime snack and so much more exciting than a sandwich.
The meals as I said above didn’t contain much in the way of vegetables but these could be easily added if you wished depending on time and practicality constraints.
All the meals seemed to be low in sugar and didn’t have anything I found concerning in the nutritional advice on the packaging but I am no expert.
Weight Watchers Microwave Meals Packaging and Cooking
The instructions to cook the meals were all easy to follow. The meals were all cooked thoroughly and evenly when following the instructions.
I was impressed that the film on top of the meals was easy to peel off. For some microwave meals the film is too thin and difficult to peel off in one piece, these came off in one piece with no problem.
I also noticed most of them were shaped well so there were easy parts of the container to hold and not burn yourself.
The Taste of Weight Watchers Ready Meals
As my regular readers will know I am a vegetarian. Unfortunately, there were no vegetarian meals we could try.
Whilst I cooked the meals and can tell you everything about my thoughts on them I have used Stuart and Ben to taste the meals and give their opinions on them for you.
Red Thai Curry and Sticky Jasmine Rice
This had chicken which wasn’t immediately obvious from the title. Stuart enjoyed it however isn’t keen on Sticky Jasmine rice. Ben found it to be a bit too spicy for him.
The sauce seemed of good consistency and the meal as a whole cooked well. The rice was sticky, but then it is supposed to be.
As a result, the rice did come out of the container moulded into that shape. The portion size seemed good.
Chicken Leek and Mushroom Pie
Only Ben tried this meal because he loved it. He was a little unsure at first as insisted he isn’t keen on a mashed potato but actually really loved it.
There seemed a lot of the mashed potato compared to the base to me but Ben enjoyed it and it filled him up well.
Lincolnshire sausage and root vegetable mash
Both Stuart and Ben really enjoyed this meal. The gravy was quite runny but of course, everyone has different preferences and you can’t suit everyone.
There were two sausages in the portion which was good for a lunchtime snack but I guess not perfect for everyone.
The root vegetable mash was a nice touch and of course more full of flavour and nutrients than normal mashed potatoes.
Hunters Chicken and Spicy Rice
This was the meal I think looked the nicest of them all. The rice was a little spicy and both Stuart and Ben found this to be their favourite of the meals.
It smelt delicious and apparently tasted as good as it smelt. With two chillies for the measure of how spicy it is of course it had a bit of a kick.
Stuart and Ben both agreed that to be an accurate rating and would definitely have this again.
Chicken Tikka Masala and Basmati Rice
This was again a popular meal with Ben and Stuart. The amount of chicken in the meal seemed very reasonable and it smelt lovely.
Apparently, it wasn’t too spicy and was very tasty. The meal and rice cooked well and evenly following the instructions and the sauce was a good consistency.
Our Overall Thoughts on the Weight Watchers Ready Meals
We found the meals to be great for ease of cooking and a perfect size for a quick lunchtime snack as an alternative to sandwiches.
Whilst cooking food from scratch yourself would mean you could make larger portions and include more vegetables these are quicker and easier when you are in a hurry.
I would like to say that they seem to be a great low calorie but filling lunchtime meal that could be made even better with a little salad or some microwave vegetables with them if you wished.
I would like to see them develop some vegetarian choices however as lunchtime options for vegetarians are even more limited.
The selection cost around £2.50 per meal depending on where you purchase from and current offers. This seems a reasonable price to me for a low-calorie healthier choice if you need to buy something and want to avoid salad or sandwiches.
Have you tried any of the Weight Watchers ready meals yet? What do you enjoy for a busy lunch?
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What a useful review and well written to boot!