Kittery-based Good To-Go brand microwaveable meal cups. Photo by Leslie Bridgers

Even for those of us without kids (or cats), the pace of life does seem to pick up in September. I had that in mind when I spotted a convenient-looking product that I hadn’t noticed before in the made-in-Maine section of Hannaford: Good To-Go brand microwaveable meal cups.

I decided I’d be pleased enough with myself about spending a little extra money to buy local that it would cancel out any shame I had about eating processed food. Plus, the packaging boasted the Kittery-made products as “real food,” “chef created” and “sustainable” and the ingredients as ones “you can pronounce,” further separating them from their Cup Noodles cousins. So, I threw two into my cart.

Sure enough, when an after-work commitment left no time for making dinner, Good To-Go’s Mushroom Risotto came to the rescue. An additional draw for me was that this risotto was vegan. While I eat meat – and think adding some leftover protein would be a great way to make it a fuller meal – I often find cheesy risotto overly heavy, so I was excited to enjoy a dish that I love without the usual drawbacks.

The cooking instructions gave me pause – just 1 minute, 25 seconds in the microwave, followed by letting it sit for 7 minutes – but, sure enough, in that time, it thickened up to a perfect consistency, and the rice softened to just the right toothsome texture that I never can seem to achieve in my kitchen despite continuous stirring and testing. Here, all I had to do was sit and wait. (You can also cook by adding boiling water and waiting 14 minutes.)

With no time that night to pack a lunch, the next day, I tried the Pad Thai cup, which had a spicy, nutty flavor that veered from typical but grew on me as I ate it. While the Mushroom Risotto may have edged on bland (you win, cheese), this was pungent and probably the one I’d go back to first. But before that, I’ll have to try the Cuban Rice Bowl.

Good To-Go cups, $4.99. goodto-go.com