One of handiest fast foods I can prepare at home is Maruchan's Instant Lunch with Shrimp. The instant lunch is composed of LOTS of noodles with a few very small shrimps, a few peas and a few pieces of carrot. The big pluses of this food item are the ease of preparation and the time it takes to be ready. Preparation wise, all you have to do is unwrap the noodle cup, open it, pour in boiling water and close it. In 3 minutes, your quick meal will be ready.
There are downsides to Maruchan's product. For starters, it has a LOT of sodium in it. 1 serving contains 1,120 milligrams of sodium or 47% of a person's daily requirement of sodium. Another downside in my opinion is their use of Monosodium Glutamate, a flavor enhancer that may also give you a false sense of being filled up. Last downside in my opinion is the fact you must pour boiling water into the noodle cup and wait for the food to cool off some before it's safe to eat. I would STRONGLY recommend parents be very careful with this food item when giving it to their kids. The noodle cup can be very hot initially and, there would be the risk of scalding oneself if you try to move the cup while it's still hot.
Another important note about this item is that it ISN'T microwavable according to markings on the package. People might think it is and, it's not. I would think there would be the risk of it overflowing if you tried to heat 1 of these up in a microwave oven.
Price wise, I can't quote you and exact price though I think they are very affordable (I think something like $5.70 for a box of them though don't quote me on that price) at discount clubs such as Costco and Sam's Club (the places where I buy mine) though you will have to buy a box of the cups if you buy them from such a club. Each box comes with 24 cups.
Calorie wise (quoting from the Maruchan lunch cup itself), each cup contains 290 calories with 110 of those being fat. For those who worry about trans fat, each cup has ZERO trans fats which is a good thing. However, there are apparently a fair amount of saturated fats in each cup as they provide 30% of the daily value of saturated fat.
Maruchan offers their instant lunches in 2 different flavors - chicken and shrimp. Personally, I prefer the shrimp because has actual shrimp in it whereas the chicken flavor only offers a chicken broth with the noodles and vegetables.
Overall, Maruchan's instant lunch is a handy and quick way to grab something to eat as long as you're CAREFUL when preparing it as well as giving it some time to cool off. Price wise, it can be a very affordable meal costing around 25 cents for a cup (based on a price of $5.60 divided by 24 cups in a box). Bon Appetit all!
Note: On my next trip to Costco or Sam's Club, I'll check the current price for a box of these cups and post it here.
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