If it’s Paleo, it’s gluten-free so go ahead and give it a try! I have been stuck at my office literally watching concrete dry for the past 4 hours. Yes, I knew in advance concrete would have to set up. No, I didn’t realize things would go exactly like they went, so the snacks I brought weren’t enough. Now, I’m starving.
I need to find some food that’s quick, close, and microwaveable. The neighborhood store has Tastefully Plated® frozen Paleo meals. I think I’ll give one a try. The sausage & egg scramble with cauliflower grits sounds interesting. It has 21 grams of protein and 280 calories. Not only is it gluten-free, this selection is also milk free.
Now that I’ve removed the meal from the box, I finally understand the Tastefully Plated branding. Each meal comes seated on a white plastic plate that has been vacuum sealed with plastic. The plate is a step up from most frozen meal packaging. The problem is, when you shrinkwrap sausage, eggs, and cauliflower grits, the result looks a whole lot like a regurgitated meal on the plate and that’s not too appetizing.
Knowing that we eat with our eyes first, perhaps the viewing window in the boxes isn’t such a great idea. The plate is the unique part, and it isn’t even visible when the meal is in the box. Perhaps the die-cut in the box could just show the edge of the plate and feature a photo of the food. Looking at the product in the store, I kept wondering why it said Tastefully Plated when it looked like something I may have plated a couple of times after a late night of drinking too much Scotch.
I will confess that I’m not a frequent purchaser of frozen entrees or meals, so in a sense I’m comparing this frozen meal to my memory of a home or restaurant cooked version of it. I was recently reminded how widely quality can vary. On a Thursday afternoon, I grabbed some scrambled eggs at a racetrack snack bar that had limited gluten-free choices. That night, I stayed at an old resort hotel. The building was beautiful, but the room was showing its age. The next morning, I ordered room service scrambled eggs and bacon thinking they’d be a repeat of the previous day’s meal. Boy was I wrong. The eggs were light, but firm and unbelievably good even after sitting under a metal cover.
In fact, there was no comparison between the racetrack meal and the hotel meal. The hotel, in spite of its deteriorating decor, fuzzy TV reception, and questionable plumbing still can deliver an incredible egg. It is possible that the difference is that those eggs are cooked on site rather than being rewarmed on site.
I mention this to say that while it would probably be more fair to compare a frozen entree only to another frozen entree, that’s not what happens in my real life, so it’s not what’s happening here. This frozen Paleo meal was passable. The sausage seemed a bit more bland than my usual brand. The eggs were fine, but not full of flavor. The cauliflower grits, were watery and lacking substance.
The meal wasn’t so bad that I’d say I’ll never eat it again, but it wasn’t good enough for me to remember to choose it again on purpose. Perhaps I’d be more pleased with the braised beef with chipotle sweet potatoes & broccoli, or the grilled chicken breast with plantains & petite green beans. I like those food combinations.
I am grateful that these Paleo meals exist. They got me out of a jam without having to resort to frozen gluten-free pizza, mac & cheese, or tacos. And they offer other interesting combinations like braised pork with roasted potatoes, mango chutney, and salsa verde; cajun style shrimp with root vegetables, corn relish & plantains; and sweet potato hash with scrambled eggs and chicken apple sausage.
Paleo Tastefully Plated meals are appropriate for anyone who follows a gluten-free diet. With that being said, I can only see buying these when I’m in a jam.
So, what’s the takeaway? Perhaps this: anything that’s Paleo is, by definition, gluten-free! Anything that’s Specific Carbohydrate Diet compliant is, by definition, gluten-free. Anything that’s gluten-free may or may not be Paleo or SCD compliant.
If it’s any of the three, it can be tasty – especially when it’s made with love in your kitchen.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
These snacks aren’t just like butta, they are butta! When I get hungry between breakfast and lunch, I usually need protein so I’m always on the lookout for easy-to-carry, protein-filled, gluten-free snacks. 
