Total Solution Does anyone else think Exante hot meals (spag bol etc) are gross?

I can't stomach them at all. I'm considering swapping to slim and save or shake that weight. Has anybody got any idea which one has the best tasting meals? X
 
I quite like them too. Which meals have you tried? They are a bit nicer if you add seasoning to them I find. Have you tried the pizza, breakfast eggs, pancakes etc? They're different to the meals, but still quite nice!
 
The only one I like is the dhal curry so far but I haven't tried them all yet. I've had chicken salad for tea instead. I hope it doesn't interfere with my weight loss
 
Haven't tried them all, but really like shepherds pie, carbonara, noodles and chilli. The sausage mix is okay, but can't finish the burger mix. Must admit, the longer I do this diet the nicer I find some of them and then seem to go off others! Very odd.
 
I ordered a few of the hot meals yesterday to try them out and got them today.

First up is the Indian Style Curry with Rice. It was a bit of a faff to prepare, mixing with boiling water, then covering with clingfilm, microwaving for 2 minutes, take out, stir, microwave for another 90 seconds then leave for 1 minute.

When ready, it didn't look all that appealing, being a lumpy brown sludge with 'bits in' :D It did smell good, though so I tucked in.

Although quite loose in consistency, there is a chewable texture to the food which makes it more satisfying than a shake. More than that, it tastes very nice, and surprisingly, quite spicy (hot).

Overall, I'd recommend this - more like a meal than the shakes, makes a difference from all that sweetness, less sugar than a bar and has left me feeling almost full ;)

Next up are the Sweet and Sour Noodles, Carbonara and Bolognese.
 
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Today was the turn of the Sweet & Sour Noodles.

Slightly different/easier preparation method of stirring 230ml of boiling water into a bowl of the noodle mix, stirring a bit then microwaving for 90 secs, stir then another 90 secs.

I expected Super Noodles, but got more of a mush :D

Still, it's all in the taste, and these were fine. Slightly sweet with a good chewy texture. I was left feeling a bit hungry afterwards, but overall I thought these were very good.
 
Made a mistake with the carbonara! Not good.

firstly, it didn't cook properly, and after following all the instructions, it was a watery, yellow soup.
a few more minutes in the microwave, stirring furiously (and trying to ignore the yucky skin forming on it) and it was edible (barely).
it actually tasted ok-ish, with a reasonable texture, but this is one I won't be coming back to.
 
If anything, the spag Bol was worse. Sure, it cooked better than the carbonara, and the texture was good- real pasta with what could maybe pass for minced beef through it. Trouble was, it was super bland. The taste was not great, and very artificial, although the 'chew factor' was decent.

another kind I won't buy again.

last up will be the red bean chilli...
 
I've ordered the mix pack so I can try everything. Will post the results as and when.... these reviews are worrying tho ;)
 
Had the red bean chilli today.

two things....don't pay any attention to the instructions on the label, and use a sturdy bowl for microwaving!

i obeyed the rules on the packet, and ended up chewing my way through a reasonably nice chilli crammed full of little bits of hard leather (beans).

it needs at least ten minutes soaking time (not two as the pack suggests) for the beans to become soft enough to be eaten by humans, a fact I learned the hard way (as ever).

on the positive side, this is a tasty meal pack, quite substantial and filling, with a good, spicy, authentic chilli con carne taste and plenty of texture.

after all that soaking in boiling water followed by five minutes nuking in the micro means that your bowl will be encrusted with hardened magma afterwards, so washing up soon after is recommended.

overall, I'd give this the thumbs up, providing you soak yer beans properly :D
 
Great advise scan bran! If we work together, we can perfect these meals!! ;)
 
It's a bit of trial and error, but worth it I think, as the meals are a welcome change from shakes and bars, and are certainly much more satisfying than just the shakes :cool:
 
I was so shocked when I came to order my pack yesterday and there was REAL food!!! Last time I did exante it was strictly shakes and a few bars here and there. Hopefully the variety will keep me on track! Excited for my delivery tomorrow :D :D
 
Good luck with it Biz! I think the sheer variety keeps it interesting, and some of the stuff actually encourages me to stay on it. The new bars are very good too (double choc, peanut butter and lemon in particular!).
 
Thank you scan bran - you too :) got all my stuff here now, so much choice! It's amazing :)
 
Remember to report back on the savoury meals - 'yuk' or 'tuck (in)' ;)

I just had my first coconut shake.....FANTASTIC! :eek:
 
Just had the raspberry and lemon one, I decided to try that first as it's the flavour i'd usually like the least for "normal" food - it actually wan;t half bad!!! Tangy, but creamy and satisfying :)
 
Just had the raspberry and lemon one, I decided to try that first as it's the flavour i'd usually like the least for "normal" food - it actually wan;t half bad!!! Tangy, but creamy and satisfying :)


I really liked liked that one. Just as well as I bought 50 of them :D
 
I always go for porridge, bars and hot meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner when I do exante.

I like most of the meals although they do get boring! I've just tried the sweet and sour today and have to say I really like it! If you make it too thick just put it back in the microwave for another minute and it should thicken up.

With most of the meals I sieve them first then microwave the soya/beans/whatever for a couple of minutes first then I add the dry powder and microwave for another minute or two. This way you get properly cooked pasta/beans/soya and the sauce isn't ruined. They work far better like this. It's not that much of a faff - I mean if I wasn't on the diet I'd be chopping stuff, frying stuff, stirring stuff etc...

The pasta carbonara is a bit salty but I like it.
The chilli is ok but the kidney beans take a while to cook.
The spag bol is ok.
The shepards pie - I find it impossible to cook the peas without ruining the mash so I just have slightly hard peas. Pity as I really like this one.
Sweet and sour - only had once but nom nom!
Curry - I'm not sure if they've changed this as I don't recall rice last time I had it. It was quite poor and nothing really resembling a curry imo.
Moussaka - was ok but nothing like moussaka.
Turkey dinner - too many herbs but ok.

The eggs and the sausages are a waste of time imo and leave you feeling hungry.
Same with the pancakes.

Raspberry porridge is disgusting! It goes lumpy and doesn't taste very good at all.
The other two porridges are good.
 
Ah - checked in the cupboard where I've still got some old exante packs. The curry has changed. I hope the new one is better than the old one. :)
 
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