Feeding a family our size provides a constant challenge. Breakfast is fairly easy (cereal or bagels anyone?) and supper requires some planning, but it’s really lunch that sneaks up on me most days. We get busy and before I know it it’s early afternoon.

Everyone wants something different and we usually have sandwiches, pancakes, Ramen noodles, or mac ‘n’ cheese. I’ve well exceeded the quota of PB&Js that a grown woman should have eaten in her lifetime. By a long shot.

Honestly, sometimes I get tired of what the kids want for lunch, so taste testing Healthy Choice’s new line of Top Chef inspired Café Steamers was a welcome change. The two I received were Grilled Chicken Pesto with Vegetables and Chicken Margherita with Balsamic (check out the full line-up here).

The packaging surprised me: no peeling back a corner or cutting slits in the film on top. Instead, Healthy Choice uses a unique steaming technology separates the sauce from the rest of the entrée to steam the meal in the microwave, allowing for crisp vegetables, tender meats and al dente pastas. You just stick the bowl in the microwave (it’s really a bowl stacked inside a bowl) and then pour the sauce on top of the entree—surprisingly good and easy!

I felt spoiled, as if one of the Bravo’s Top Chefs whipped up those meals just for me. I’m sure you understand if you’re the one who usually cooks for your family. Cooking can be satisfying and a lot of fun, but occasionally I need a break. The Top Chef Café Steamers were a real treat.

Today was actually easy: we got home last night and discovered that the slow cooker of chili that should have been simmering all day was actually unplugged. It cooked overnight and made a delicious (and on time, for once!) lunch today. Sadly enough, it took a supper fail to make a lunch success. {sigh}

Do you struggle to find fresh, healthy lunch options for your family? Do you eat frozen meals? If you’re a mom, are you able to shed the mommy guilt and make something separate for you.

{Disclosure: I received two frozen meals and will be compensated for writing this post. Opinions expressed are my own.}