Thursday, July 15, 2010

Eggo Pizza Review, Tofu Xpress & Meals

This is going to be a bit of a packed post! First off, even though I do not post every day, I do cook daily. I wanted to show  you a few of the dishes that have been coming out of my kitchen as of late:

Turkey Stir Fry for Josh (ground turkey, water chestnuts, baby corn, stir fry sauce, sesame seeds) over couscous:

P1090294

Lots of fresh fruit bowls (ok…this isn’t cooking- but definitely noteworthy ;)):

P1090296

Ground beef & jalapeno burgers for Josh. Burgers were topped with American cheese and placed on toasted, homemade focaccia bread. Served with pickles & corn:

 P1090299 P1090301

Last night, I tried making up some homemade tofu for me using the Tofu Xpress I won from the fabulous and (almost) married Janetha (big early congrats to Janetha- hope the wedding and honeymoon are incredible!):

P1090284

The press was SO easy to use! I placed a block of Nasoya Lite Firm Tofu into the press and placed it into the fridge for a couple hours (Tofu Xpress recommends letting the press sit for at least an hour, but you can press overnight as well):

P1090290P1090292

Next, I dumped out the water:

P1090288

Covered the tofu with a little oil, garlic powder & Italian seasoning and cooked at 425 for ~25 minutes flipping once:

 P1090306 P1090309

I planned to eat it with a little marinara sauce….

P1090312

but it was just…..ick. Tonight, I’m going to try again and use it in a stir fry (which is how I’ve had it out at restaurants before). If I’m still not feeling it, I’m going to give it another go using either one of Averie or Broccoli Hut’s recipes. I ended up making a loaded sweet potato instead and served it with a mega bowl of melon & yogurt :).

Josh had been away on a business trip and was more excited than even I was about the Eggo Real Fruit Pizza’s we had received:

P1090315

He asked if he could sample the first pizza, Strawberry Granola. Since he was super hungry, we followed the microwave vs. oven cooking directions. The outcome (sorry, the pizza broke a bit from shipping):

 P1090316

According to Eggo, “Eggo Real Fruit Pizzas are an all-in-one combination of fruit and warm toasted granola on an oven baked cinnamon and maple-flavored crust.” Josh thought the flavor of the pizza was awesome- like a parfait in pizza form. The pizzas come in individual packages and retail at $2.79 (according to this website). We both thought this was a bit steep for a single pizza. Josh said he would purchase the pizzas if there was a 2/$3.50 type deal.

The pizzas are also pretty calorie dense. The Strawberry granola contains 400 calories, 12 g of fat, 6 g of saturated fat, 390 mg of sodium and 18 g of sugar (according to the back of the box).

P1090317

I will let you know my opinion when I give the Mixed Berry Granola a go!

What are you up to this weekend? I have some teaching to do (Attack Friday, Step & Pump Saturday). I am hoping to go to brunch after teaching on Saturday and Sunday I want to get some sun. Have a great one!

46 comments:

Naomi(Onefitfoodie) said...

wowzzaa that eggo pizza looks good BUT I bet a homemade version would be healthier and even more delicious!!! (just sayin) although eggo does know their breakfast waffles :)

I LOVE water chestnuts, I never could figure out what they were...a veggie, a fruit? Anyways, they add such graet crunch to any stirfry!

i want taht tofu express!!! I bet marinated the tofu in some soy, honey and garilc would be an awesome marinade!!!!

xoxoxo

homecookedem said...

Thanks for the review on the eggo pizza... I didn't know if it was just me, but I also thought the pizzas were a bit calorie dense. I don't think I'd want to waste a chunk of my daily calories on something that doesn't keep me satisfied. But hey, if it tastes good, it could be a fun treat every now and then! It sure does look yummy!

Tiffany @ The Chi-Athlete said...

All of the noms look amazing, hon! I haven't really tried tofu that much; mainly in soups.

The Eggo pizza...hmm...interesting. Haha! :D

Lauren said...

Hey beautiful! Love your melon bowls. You know I've been consuming mega amounts of fruit these days too! :)

I have the tofu express too and I really love it. I think it's awesome that you can press your tofu overnight and get a perfectly pressed piece of tofu when you are ready to use it. Sorry the recipe didn't turn out so well though.

These eggo pizza's intrigue me! I bet Toly would love them!

Jessica @ How Sweet said...

I'd like to try the pizza, but I also think a homemade version would be better!

Lauren @ Eater not a runner said...

That tofu press looks awesome, I would love one of those! And I have to agree with the other commenters, homemade would be much better I bet :-)

stephanie @cookinfanatic said...

Oh no, so sad that your tofu experience wasn't a good one! I was skeptical of tofu before making it for sure - but have come up with a recipe that I can even get the man to eat! A quick marinade of coconut oil, ginger, tamarind paste, garlic, San-J soy sauce (only kind I'll use - it's so freaking good!) and agave... baked until kinda crispy and freaking delicious!! I've made it multiple times and it's a winner every time. TGIAF :)

Stacey said...

Tofu is something you have to work up to. I like firm tofu with some sweet chili sauce. I had it at Whole Foods and it's amazing. That's where I get all my tofu flavor/cooking ideas from. I just check out the salad bar. I once had a honey tofu that was really good.

Jenna said...

I need one of those tofu presses! I don't think I ever get out enough of the water.

I definitely want to try the Ego creation just because it sounds so interesting, but the nutritional facts are probably enough to scare me away from a second purchase.

Rice Palette said...

Eggo Pizza.. INTERESTING! I haven't had eggos in a while.. kind of craving them!

Heather said...

Can't wait to hear if you like the tofu in stir fry - I'm scared to cook it myself! :)

Have a great weekend - hope you make it to brunch!

Julie said...

you're totally getting brunch this weekend. don't pretend like you might not hahaha. if you don't i'm going to feel really upset!

eggo pizza? thats expensive!! i think you should make your own and then post about it. i mean you ARE the parfait queen. call yours "ericgo's parfait pizza" and then sell it to charleston cafe.

i JUST got the tofu xpress in the mail today!!!! i seriously am almost too amped to use it tomorrow..

i miiight pick up some of that mango chutney from tjs that averie was talking about the other day. or maybe not because my wallet won't love it so much. maybe i'll just make my own. hahaha look at me have a conversation with myself on your comment section

Lauren said...

tht eggo pizza just looks way too sweet and caloric for me.

Other ideas for your tofu that I like (I don't like it at all plain!)- use it in fried rice with pineapple, cashews, and some curry -or- bake it with a Korean sauce of garlic, crushed red pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil (I also use fish sauce when I make this but guess you wouldn't eat that.) My meat-loving hubby loves both of those preparations as well.

Lauren said...

oh- almost forgot my weekend plans - I have a great weekend coming up! Meeting some local food bloggers for a potluck brunch on Saturday, then going to the ballet in the evening (it's an outdoor thing, we'l bring a picnic dinner and wine) then on Sunday I'm getting my bike back from the mother in law who was storing it for me!! I'm so excited to get it back and start riding again.

Shannnon said...

Thanks so much for your message!! What is your email? I couldn't find it on here :-) I would love to come to a meet up!!!

I have tried to cook tofu so many times and always fail at it. I don't know what I am doing wrong! The only tofu i have found that I LOVE is in the prepared food bar in whole foods, so i just stick to that :-)

BroccoliHut said...

I still have yet to use my Tofu Xpress! Thanks for the reminder.

amanda said...

those meals look delicious-o!

something about a fruity pizza makes me happy. i didn't see them in my frozen aisle, yet. i wonder if they aren't out yet? mmm.

thanks so much for the mojo recipe! i will definitely make an attempt at it.

anddddd, yes. the dunkins around here ROCK. i love starbucks as well. however, DD is so much cheaper.

Christina said...

that eggo pizza is interesting. does it have a waffle texture? very random new product but it seems fun!

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

feedback:
it's too mushy looking for my taste. I think you need to press it longer, cut it thinner, and cook it possibly a little longer (and/or just cut it thinner). I am a texture whore and if it's too mushy, I cannot handle it..AT ALL. Ewww. Some people can do the raw tofu or very lightly cooked, not me. MUST be dense and firm. I am thinking that is part of it and the other part of it is possibly just not enough seasonings. You really have to season/marinade the crap outta tofu or it's not good. It took me YEARS to figure out how to make tofu I liked...hit me up on email girl if you need more info :)

xo

Kris | iheartwellness.com said...

This is a strange concept for me this eggo pizza thing!! I would love to hear more!

I think I would prefer to make my own??

xxoo

tam said...

I really need to try roasting some tofu one of these days I do eat it but never from the oven.......Fruit pizza looks kinda crazy! x x

Courtney (Pancakes & Postcards) said...

that sounds awesome! i am a real sucker for anything breakfast involving carbs topped with deliciousness aka pancakes, waffles, this... i would definitely buy that :/

Lori said...

How interesting about making the tofu! I've not seen a press like that before. Hope you have better results on the second try! My love of tofu is limited and I tend to like it fried or stirfried like the bean curd in Asian cuisines.

Lindsay @ http://pancakesnpajamas.blogspot.com/ said...

The pizza looks good, but 400 cals? Whoa. I have my cost accounting final this weekend, so I'll be studying and testing at some point...plus entertaining the dad. Hope we can catch up though! XOXO

Beth @ DiningAndDishing said...

Yes, making a homemade version of that pizza would be really delish and probably not as pricey!!

I'm really excited for the weekend. My best friend and her husband will be in Annapolis for a wedding so they're swinging through DC on Sunday before heading home. She is pregnant and this is the first time I'll get to see her baby belly! :)

Hope you guys enjoy your weekend also!

CaSaundraLeigh said...

We are in desperate need of a tofu press at work--I am always using a skillet on top of the tofu to press it out lol! And I've never seen that Eggo pizza thing before, but yes, I would agree that's a steep prize and a high cal count.

vanillasugarblog said...

i LOVE stir fried tofu with a good thick flavorful sauce. and thankfully whole foods has a ton of healthy sauces to choose from that won't spike my blood sugar.
have an excellent wknd girl!

Anonymous said...

I need to get a tofu express! This weekend the hubby and I are hanging out with some friends we haven't seen in a long time. I can't wait!

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is some high sugar in those little eggo pizzas! You could probably create your own with 1/2 the sugar and it would be delicious. Kind of like the parfait from Charleston's Cafe, but on a waffle?

Sorry about your tofu. It is really good grilled with bbq sauce. Have you ever tried the silken variety? It is great in a smoothie and there is absolutely no taste.

Have a great Friday!

Katie said...

Sorry the tofu wasn't good! I hope you give it another try.

Thanks for the Eggo review... what an interesting idea!

Have a great weekend!

Krista said...

Sorry to hear your tofu was kinda ick! Better luck with the next dish, I hope!

The pizza sounds like something my kids would really enjoy.

This weekend? Not up to much which is awesome! Have a good one....

Angharad said...

Hmm sorry about the ickness. I feel like stir fry would be the safest bet! tamari, ginger, garlic, maybe a little honey...yum!
This weekend I'm off to a friend's cabin on lake superior! Have a great one x

Anonymous said...

Love stir-frys!!!
I also love that you will still cook meat for the hubs.
And I have yet to try tofu because I'm scared of it being "icky" - let me know if you find a great recipe that I just "have to try."

Anonymous said...

I love tofu in stir-frys, but I normally marinate it overnight for best results.

Do you subscribe to Cooking Light? It had a whole article on Body Pump and I immediately thought of you!

My parents-in-law are coming in this weekend and I am catering their first day on Sunday - should be interesting!

ericaunmasked.blogspot.com said...

Okay seriously - now Eggo has a pizza. Well of course they do....who am I kidding:) I can't wait to see your version...you are such a sleuth in the kitch! I want a gluten/egg free high protein waffle - any thoughts:) I have yet to try body pump - and I can't wait. oxoxoxo

Autumn @Good Eats Girl said...

Those pizzas look interesting!

Sorry that your tofu didn't turn out how you wanted it to! I have yet to try cooking with tofu...I'm a little bit scared of it!

The Blonde Duck said...

Those look like they'd be a good dessert!

Alycia @ Fit n Fresh said...

Yum!! Those look so good! And I totally count fruit bowls as homemade meals haha (:

Simply Life said...

I just got those eggos in the mail - I'll be curious to hear more of what you think!

Ann Claire said...

Hmm I've certainly never seen fruit pizza in a box, sounds pretty good though! I am a big fan of homemade fruit pizza. Of course, I pretty much like anything that invovles fruit :)

Priyanka@thehealthydiary said...

That tofu express is quite the rage in the blog world. have you tried the tofu marinated in hot sauce?Just had it for dinner tonight. It is really good!

Maria said...

I want a tofu xpress! Have a great weekend! We are still working on our kitchen, but will take a break to go to the pool:)

lynn said...

i love my tofu press! use it to press out frozen spinach too, a task i used to dread!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm not a tofu lover, but your's looked great and another gadget...did I mention..I LUV gadgets...lol!

Thanks for the review...always helpful!

Went for our 12 mile bike ride yesterday, farmer's market, rented a couple movies and today..running some errands later and Cliff is golfing now....<sheesh...that sounds like alot...lol!)

Enjoy your day Sweetie! xoxo

Kelsey Ann said...

Eggo waffles to eggo pizzas!! omg i didnt even know they made fruit pizzas! thats so cool!! they really look YUMMY <3

Foodie (Fab and Delicious Food) said...

Oh my gosh, I want a Tofu Xpress so bad! I tried pressing tofu before by draining some of the water out and weighing it down with plates, but it didn't really work! I was so disappointed! Plus, I think it's kind of a pain to do it that way since you have to use so many paper towels and plates/pans to do so! The Tofu Xpress would make things so much easier!

I didn't know Eggo made fruit pizzas! That's pretty cool! They look yummy!

Thanks for all the reviews!