I'm always on the look out for shelf stable products that are healthy and delicious that I can serve up for a quick lunch or dinner.  Since my daughter became vegetarian I've explored some new areas of the supermarket and came across this product in the fridge section which she and I both think is delicious!

The ingredients are similar to what I use when I make my own mexican quinoa and black bean bowl - water, black beans, onions, roasted tomatoes, potatoes, tomato paste, vegetable oils (canola or sunflower), capsicum, eggplant, red quinoa, sweet potato, spinach, chipotle puree, spices , yeast extract, lime puree, stock powder, sea salt, garlic puree, coriander puree and brown sugar.  I like that there is a simple ingredient list with no preservatives preservatives, artificial colours or flavours.

Skipping over to the nutrition panel 1 serve (the entire packet) gives you 970 kj (230 cal), 10g of protein and nearly 17 g of fibre, well on your way to your target of 25g (women) or 30g (men).  This is a bit light for most active women for lunch or dinner so I'd recommend combining with a wholegrain wrap or some brown rice and adding a dollop of greek yoghurt to increase the protein.  Or you could get fancy and cook an egg in the sauce as a kind of mexican shakshuka.  There is less than 400mg per 100g of sodium, which is good and doesn't compromise the flavour.  Overall the product is slightly runnier than I'd like so it does need some rice or bread to mop it up.  And of course bonus points if you serve it with a side of leafy green veggies.

This isn't a sponsored post, just reporting back on a high quality, tasty supermarket find!  You can find  more ideas for healthy office lunches here.  

Rachel is a university qualified Clinical Nutritionist based in Balmain.  She is also the busy working mum of two teenagers, so is practical and realistic with her advice . Rachel offers private consultations to improve your family's health and well-being. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram for more healthy tips and tricks.