Disclaimer: I received Luvo Meals to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!
As a full time teacher, wife, mom of two, and runner/blogger, I am often on the lookout for quick and nutritious meals. I and my colleagues often pack frozen meals to heat up and eat during our lunch break. When I was offered the opportunity to try a new brand of frozen meals, I said, “Yes, please!” I was quite stoked when my package of 10 Luvo free meal coupons arrived!
Prior to accepting the offer to try and review the Luvo meals, I went to the Luvo website to see which of my local stores sold Luvo products and to also see if they had vegetarian meal options. (Check out my journey towards becoming a no-meat athlete HERE.) I was pleased to find that several stores in my area sell Luvo meals AND Luvo has many vegetarian options.
Here’s what I found when I headed out to purchase my Luvo meals:
Safeway – $4.99
Whole Foods – $5.99 with a $1.00 off coupon taped to the box
Walmart – $4.42
Bel-Air – regularly priced $5.99 on sale for $4.99
Raley’s – regularly priced $5.99 on sale for $4.99
Nugget Market – $5.99
Sadly, when I traveled to six stores within a 40 mile radius to my house, I did not find any vegetarian meals. I still purchased a few meals, however, since the rest of my family are not vegetarians. The first meal I prepared for my husband was turkey meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
The first thing that surprised me about the Luvo meal was that it was “steamazing”. It steams perfectly in the paper pouch. There’s no puncturing, no mess, and it slides out easily when it’s done cooking! My husband’s first comment after tasting his meal was, “It tastes homemade.”
After trying hard to find some local vegetarian Luvo meal options, I contacted BibRave to let them know I wasn’t able to find any. They ended up contacting Luvo. Luvo was kind enough to send me not one, not two, but eight vegetarian meals to try! So awesome!
The first meal I decided to try was the quinoa and vegetable enchilada meal. Again, it steamed nicely in the pouch, and tasted great! If I could only eat one type of food for the rest of my life, it’d be Mexican food. Seriously, I am always in the mood for Mexican food! This quinoa and vegetable enchilada meal not only helped to give me my Mexican food fix, but it also had a little spice to it which made my taste buds dance!
As I began to do some more research in the Luvo brand, one thing that caputured my attention was their 3-2-none promise. The three things they focus on are: fruits and veggies, whole grains, and quality proteins. The two things they limit are sodium and added sugar. None. The things they leave out entirely are artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners. (Read more at http://luvoinc.com/blog/fighting-obesity-basic-nutrition/)
One of my fellow BibRave PROs, Lindsey, posted that her favorite meal was the steel cut oatmeal meal, so that was my next meal to try. Oatmeal is not a food that I eat vey often. This Luvo meal, however, tasted so good that I think I could eat this every morning for breakfast and not grow tired of it! (As you can see from the pic collage below, it smelled so good that I didn’t even take a before pic. I only got the after pic.)
I recently spent an entire day eating only Luvo meals! I ate a steel cut oatmeal for breakfast, a so cal kale and bean bowl for lunch, and a quinoa and vegetable enchilada for dinner. I felt full, energized, and even ran 3.1 miles that evening for the first time in a month!
Overall, I’d recommend Luvo meals if you’re looking for a quick and nutritious meal option. The only con I’d comment on is the lack of variety found in my local stores. Perhaps it’s due to brand being fairly new in the market? Perhaps it’s my area? Not sure, but what I am sure about is it’s true… Luvo meals are healthy, quick, and delicious!
What are you favorite healthy, quick, and delicious meals? Have you tried Luvo meals before? Have you seen them at your local grocery store?
Until next time,
