Garden Lites Loaded Potato Souffle

As I’ve been allowing myself to get more comfortable with the Garden Lites brand I decided to reach out of my “comfort zone” and try a new meal. Years back I found I wasn’t a fan of some of the classic soufflés, but the Garden Lites Loaded Potato Souffle sounded different and delicious, so I picked it up.

The description “a delicious soufflé of potato, broccoli & fresh chives topped with cheddar cheese sauce” and picture on the box held my hopes high that it would be a delicious dish. I decided to have it the other day, yet sadly my hopes were smashed after two bites. Now, I’m a big onion fan and I usually only have chives on my potatoes when going out and the potato is offered with chives on it. But I found the soufflé itself smelled like grated onion and tasted just as such yet with a mild broccoli flavor in the background. There wasn’t a potato or cheddar flavor there because the chive/onion flavor was certainly overpowering and sold the show – yet not in a delicious way. I was so overwhelmed by the flavor I actually threw the dish away because I couldn't fathom forcing it down - because if I find something isn't worth it, it certainly isn't worth it.

Each dish is 200 calories or 5 points plus values.

Garden Lites Southwestern Soufflé

Last week I made a special trip to Target to pick up a few Garden Lites, While there, I decided to buy a few soufflés I haven’t tried in the past. One of the “newbies” I picked up was the Garden Lites Southwestern Soufflé. What truly sold me was the photo on the front of the box.

According to the box, the soufflé is a blend of vegetables, black beans, corn and spiced with a chipotle spice blend. The soufflé makeup is food items I typically enjoy, so I had high hopes for this … and it played out to be exceptionally good. The soufflé itself was light, but the outside crust has a bit of bite to it. It’s not watery or soft, it’s baked perfectly on the outside and the inside is still airy and delicious. Flavor wise it’s your classic southwestern flavor, mildly spiced but not overwhelming with the chipotle seasoning.  It’s filling, flavorful and made for a delicious breakfast, but it would also be a great lunch with a small side salad.

A container is 180 calories or 4 points plus values.

Garden Lites Pumpkin Spice Souffle

I spotted this Garden Lites Pumpkin Spice Souffle at Target and into my cart it went. I admit, at first when I saw the words “pumpkin spice” and “souffle” in the same sentence I was a little apprehensive. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a rewarding food experience. But there’s a little saying that says “don’t judge a book by its cover” so I tried not to.

After calculating the points plus values, I was quite excited to see the points plus values are actually notated on the box. Once I found this, it made looking at other flavor options a breeze.

One day I wanted something pumpkiny for dessert. Wrinkling my nose at the options presented to me, I decided to give the pumpkin spice soufflé a shot.  I heated it up in the microwave per the box directions. After letting it cool for a few minutes I tried it and was very impressed from that very first bite. It tasted just like pumpkin pie filling.  I decided to jazz it up just a little more with a tablespoon of sugar free maple syrup over the top … and it was sinfully delicious! It was undoubtedly pumpkin spice – but more pumpkin than spice which I truly appreciated. It wasn’t eggy in the least bit, but it did have a little bit of a creamy quality to it on the tongue which was reminiscent of custard. Overall, delicious – and so delicious that I made sure to pick up another box on my last trip through Target.

A serving (the whole bowl – 7 ounces) is 190 calories or 5 points plus values.

QUESTION:

Have you tried any of the Garden Lites soufflés? If so, which one(s) is/are your favorite?