Green Giant Steamers

Recently, the grocery chain that I shop at (more on that in another post) offered Green Giant Steamers on sale at Buy-One-Get-One-free (BOGO). I had wanted to give the product a try, since I've bought Green Giant products in the past and found that the items were usually a good buy (good quality, price, etc).

While today's post deals with Green Giant Steamers, I will admit that I did not try every variety of the product. (The largest bags offered were more than I needed.) But I did try enough of the product(s) to give a reasonable review.

One of my adult sons and I started with the 7-ounce Antioxidant Blend Vegetable Blend with Broccoli While the website does not state how many servings are in the bag, the bag itself indicated that there were two (2) servings in the package. (Green Giant offers another 7-ounce antioxident steamer blend, the Antioxidant Blend Vegetable Blend with Cauliflower.)

After preparing the antioxident blend according to the microwave instructions, I attempted to open the bag. There is a line along the back of the bag with arrows pointing toward the line, indicating that this is where one is to open it. The bag also advises to use caution, as the contents of the bag will be hot; I attempted to open the bag while holding potholders, then using paper towels when I couldn't get a good grip with the potholders. Finally, I had to resort to cutting along the line with a sharp knife.

My son and I both agreed that while the 7-ounce steamers tasted good, and while we did share the bag (2-servings), we also agreed that the servings were small. I wondered if maybe I'd read the number of servings wrong, but the next 7-ounce bag of the antioxident blend that I bought also stated that it held two servings. One last mention: The veggies didn't seem to be as firm as they could have been. They weren't soggy, but they could have been a little firmer. On a 5-star scale (5 being fantastic), I'd give the 7-ounce steamers a 3 1/2 to 4 stars.

Next, I tried the Garden Vegetable Medley 12 oz. Bag, followed by the Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower & Cheese Sauce 12 oz. Bag Both product bags advise that they hold "about 2 1/2 servings." Both were prepared according to the microwave instructions. Both products tasted good, and the vegetables held up nicely: they were cooked thoroughly, and held up well during the cooking process (not mushy), and we found that the amount of seasonings were pleasant. Also, there was definitely an ample amount of the product for two people.

However, there was the problem opening the bags along the marked line; both times required a knife to open the bag. While others may have little or no problem simply pulling the bag open where indicated, since both my son and I ran into this problem on several of the bags, I suspect we're not the only ones requiring a knife to cut along the opening. We have since tried several other packages of the Green Giant Steamers products, and this does seem to be a bit of a problem. Not sure how they'll change that without having the bag fall apart at the opening. For the 12-ounce steamers, I give them a solid 5 on taste, firmness and serving size. (The bag's opening, though would knock that down to a 4 1/2.)

About the nutrition: If you're trying to cut out all saturated fats from your diet, check the labels. While most of Green Giant Steamers have little or no fat, especially saturated fat, several of the veggies with cheese sauce do have some fat (and some have some saturated fat). Their Macaroni & Cheese Sauce with Broccoli 12 oz. Bag contains 5 g total fat (7% of the daily value) and 1 g saturated fat (5% daily value). Still not bad, overall, but if you're watching your fat intake, it does help to read the label.

Okay, so if you're looking for the pros and cons of the Green Gian Steamers, here they are:

Pros (for both 12- and 7- ounce size, unless indicated):

Great taste

Right amount of seasonings

Veggies maintained their firmness (12-ounce bags)

Decent-sized servings (12-ounce size)

Cons (for both 12- and 7- ounce size, unless indicated):

The bags are a little difficult to open without resorting to using a knife (only one bag opened by simply pulling where indicated)

serving size (7-ounce bag)

firmness of veggies (7-ounce bag)

So, there you have it. Read the labels, especially if you're steering clear of all saturated fats (mostly on the steamers with cheese), buy more packages than you think you need (if buying the 7-ounce package for multiple people), and be care opening the bags. However, be prepared: The steamers I tried were definitely good-tasting; I will be buying more of them.

Boca Java Coffee

Early in 2006, I received an email offering a one-time deal on coffee. Since I absolutely love coffee, especially flavored coffees, I decided to give Boca Java a try. This is one decision I don't regret.

First off, their website is fairly straight-forward: the front page lets you know what the top selling coffee-flavors are at any given time, as well as some of their most popular items; their site is very user-friendly; they have a wide-variety of coffees, teas, cocoa, gifts, and a page where one can learn a little about their products.

Secondly, their customer service is really great. When I've had to call Boca Java, I have yet to run across any rude people. They're all friendly, very helpful, and have been known to occasionally engage in friendly chit-chat. Also, if there's ever a problem with your order, they're willing to fix it, no questions asked. Once, I'd gotten an order and one of the flavors wasn't what it should have been; I'd ordered Coastline Creamsicle, and for whatever reason, the bag smelled and tasted like blueberry (Deep Blue Blueberry favor). While I have nothing against blueberries, I'd really had my heart set on the Coastline Creamsicle; heck, the bag even said it was the right flavor. So, I called, explained what I'd ordered (it was one bag out of a 4- or 5-bag order), and what had happened.

"So sorry that happened!" I was told. "We'll send you out another bag of Coastline Creamsicle right away, no charge!"

Now THAT'S great customer service. I didn't have to send anything back, and I was getting the correct order.

Then there's their product. I've been ordering from Boca Java for 8 1/2 years, and intend to continue buying from them. Their coffees, teas, cocoas, etc. are really good. There's bound to be a flavor that really agrees with almost every coffee/tea/cocoa drinker. And if you sign up for their coffee club, they usually offer a choice of two one-pot bags to choose from each month; simply click your choice, and when you receive your paid order, the one-pot bag is free! This gives the customer a chance to try different flavors without committing to a large multi-pot bag, and also without having to pay for it. If you decide that the free flavor isn't right for you, fine. And if you love it, you'll now have another great flavor to choose from.

When I first started buying from Boca Java, they were located in Florida; they're now located in (if I remember correctly) Denver, which means it does take an extra day or two for my order to arrive (darn!). But no matter, they're still a great place to buy coffee from.

Disclaimer: I have not received any compensation for this blog post, meaning (of course) that I'm not a paid spokes-person...just a very satisfied customer.