(Standard Theodora disclaimer: sponsored post below.)

If you read more than this blog, and you read other FitFluential Ambassadors’ blogs, maybe you’ve heard of these Barilla microwavable meals.

Maybe you wonder why it’s so hard to boil water that you need something like this to make it easier. It takes soooo long, right?

It’s not that hard to boil water, and it doesn’t take that long, but hey, if I’m getting home at 9pm and waking up early to run, every extra minute I can reclaim helps.

As a marathoner with an Italian mother, pasta is basically a food group in my life, so I relished a chance to get paid to eat pasta.

The meals come in these plastic containers, with one side for sauce and one side for pasta.

You microwave it for a minute, and then pour the sauce over the pasta. That’s it!

They have five different varieties: tomato and basil; marinara; spicy marinara; whole-grain tomato and basil; and whole-grain vegetable marinara.

I obviously prefer the whole-grain varieties, but for nights before long runs, when I eat a little less fiber, the white stuff is okay.

The best part of these meals is obviously the convenience, but the sauces were actually really good. The pasta itself was a bit gummy; I prefer my pasta al dente. I added veggies and protein to them most of the times I made them to make for a more nutritious meal, although each meal has between 9-11g of protein. They’re also made from all natural ingredients and have no preservatives. The sodium level is 29% of the recommended daily value, but given that I’m training for a marathon and have low blood pressure, this didn’t bother me at all–and is pretty in line with some of the healthier microwaveable meals. The portion size was ample, too. All of the meals were around 300 calories, and even when I didn’t add protein or veggies, they were still filling.

I liked the spicy marinara flavor the best, though I wish that it came in a whole-grain variety. Of the whole-grain ones, I really liked the whole grain vegetable marinara.

Would I buy these with my own money? Yes–I’d absolutely buy some of whole-grain varieties to bring to work for an easy lunch.

What about you? Do you ever do microwaveable meals–or do you have a favorite meal you can make in less than five minutes?

FitFluential LLC compensated me for this campaign. All opinions are my own.