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The cooler of Amy’s Kids Meals arrived from FedEx just in time - we were in the midst of loading up the car (over and over again) for the move to our new home. While I am not usually a big fan of frozen meals, especially those packaged and marketed for children, the timing of their arrival made these ones even more appealing!

When the kids were finally able to persuade me to take a break from playing the part of a pack mule, I was desperate to find something easy to feed them for lunch. They were quick to remind me of the cooler that had just arrived, containing Amy’s kids meals for us to review. Ever since I started to review ingredients, snacks and other food for kids, my kids have been eager to try new foods and share their opinions.

We began by heating our meals in the microwave. I was skeptical when I saw the divided package of frozen food - each meal containing a main dish, a vegetable, a side of bread and a dessert. How on earth could I defrost all of these components and heat them properly at the same time? The directions asked us to heat the entire package for awhile, but then to remove portions before continuing to heat. I was relieved - and surprised at how well each element held up.

The kids dug into the Baked Ziti with gusto. When I read on the package that the entire meal was dairy and gluten free, I hesitated for a moment, thinking that the kids would notice and complain that it wouldn’t taste like what they were used to. But as a kids cooking teacher, I had enough sense to keep my mouth shut and not say anything - I wanted them to form their own opinions about what they were eating. Sure enough, they enjoyed it. My daughter said that she thought she wouldn’t like it because it was coated in a “red sauce”, but she said it was really good. My son and I liked the broccoli and enjoyed that it was still al dente. My daughter (the picky eater in our family) found it to be too soggy and stopped eating it after one bite. They both enjoyed the hand made rice focaccia and the apple crisp dessert. They loved the crumbly topping and couldn’t get over the fact that their meal included dessert!

After finishing their ziti, they dug into their sample of Mac N’ Cheese. Unlike the ziti, this one was not gluten and dairy free - and they loved the “super cheesy” flavor. Once again, my daughter resisted the broccoli, but that was no surprise to me. The apple dessert in this dish was not as well received as the one that came with the ziti dish. The kids agreed that the inside was very tasty, but they were not big fans of the “outside,” saying it tasted too much like a tortilla.

Overall, these Amy’s Kids Meals were quite a hit. I think that part of their appeal is that they come in a colorful package, complete with a removable tattoo…and dessert. And quite possibly, they were most exciting because I don’t usually partake in frozen meals. One thing you can count on with Amy’s food is that they are made from good quality ingredients, with no added chemicals. They are made from real food, which is always a plus, in my book! Their flavor was quite good and their convenience couldn’t be beat - especially in the middle of a move.