Critique: Schwan's Meat Lasagna!

According to Schwan's – Their #709 Meat Lasagna at $5.49, is 'convenient, great tasting, Italian-style lasagna made just for you! This lasagna is made from scratch, with curly edge pasta noodles, three layers of rich meat sauce, and a four cheese filling featuring Ricotta, Parmesan, Romano and Mozzarella. Same formula as our Family Size Lasagna (#716). Perfect for a scrumptious lunch or dinner entrée!'

In the small package, you get two one cup servings that total about 340 calories! The directions are simple; just make 5 small slits in the plastic cover and plop it into a preheated oven set at 375°F for 32 minutes, then remove the plastic cover and cook for an additional 12-15 minutes. The internal temperature should be 165°F or higher. There are also directions for preparation in the microwave.

A customer review: LOVE THIS !!! YUMMMMM!! Date:March 16, 2012

" I grew up in an Italian neighborhood and ate homemade lasagna a lot. Next to what I ate then, this is as close as I have ever come. I cook in microwave, and after it is done I leave it in there for five minutes or so. Result: YUMMMMM !!! "

My take on this meal was that for the money, it is a phenomenal deal. The taste was superb, the noodles cooked to perfection and I was tempted to eat both serving at one sitting! I gave this meal a solid 8 on a scale of 10 and plan to order it often!

Using simple ingredients for cheap, healthy meals!

Times are hard, you find yourself either unemployed, under-employed or on a fixed income. Doesn't matter much which, they all suck! (That's about half this country these days)! Eating well and eating cheaply can sometimes be real hard to do. Here's some ideas that require just a few simple ingredients to make some healthy meals without stripping you penniless!

Ingredients:

Oscar Meyer hotdog, sliced

1/2 cup pork n beans

1/2 medium russet potato, baked

toast, slice

1 c. 2% milk

butter or fake butter

salt (fake optional) and pepper

Total calories ~517

I got a good deal on the hotdogs and potatoes; a package of 12 Oscar Meyer franks for only a buck and a 10 lb bag of russet potatoes for just $3! so, figuring about twenty six 174 gram potatoes per bag, my cost per potato was about 12 cents! Likewise, each wiener worked out to be about 8 cents each and with other items figured in, I would guess one serving would cost in the neighborhood of 67-75 cents! That's affordable even by my standards!

By mixing in just a few more ingredients; sauerkraut, cottage cheese and salad fixings from the garden (you do have a garden, right)? You can come up with an entire group of tasty creations that won't break the budget!