Critique: Four Cheese Ziti Marinara

This will be the last review of this excellent line of the Healthy Choice Baked entrées. Ziti macaroni and sauce are tube shaped pasta's that are characteristic of Italian-American cuisine. The other meals they offer (I've reviewed three others) are of little interest to me.

Other than the Ziti pasta, this boxed TV entree also contain Marinara sauce which is an Italian tomato sauce usually made with tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and onions. (Usually a very tasty and nutritional sauce to eat)! The four cheeses consist of fine Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, and mozzarella. (Not the best things for you to eat). So, what we have here is a ying and yang meal deal that will only kill you slowly... you have been warned!

Now what caught my eye originally while surveying the entire line of these 'Baked' products at the grocery store was the word 'ziti'. At first my mind confused it with the word 'titty' and so aroused my interest. Even after I worked it out mentally, I thought it might be an interesting if not a little bit dangerous meal to try. Why dangerous? Well, contrary to culinary lore, eating cheese which contains saturated (read as harmful) fats does not directly cause coronary heart disease – it just doesn't help all that much. So, eating cheese once in a while is probably OK.

The directions, as they are for most all this line, are simple to execute. Slit the plastic and then nuke for four minutes! I like meals like this!

Even though this is a meatless pasta dish, I still liked eating it! I mean those, oh so bad for you, mix of cheeses were hard to resist! This 260 gram meal has 310 calories, 5 mg of Cholesterol and 560 mg of sodium. Not all that bad! I scored it a 7 on a scale of 10!

I'm enjoying a pork chop meal amid all the cancer controversy!

Each serving was about 2 1/2 ounces!

With all the controversy currently swirling around a new study that was referred to in The Guardian and which was entitled 'Diets high in meat, eggs and dairy could be as harmful to health as smoking', I was not sure what to do about eating meats like pork! Now true, while the study did find that for people up to the age of 64-65, that eating a diet high in meat protein was akin to smoking in terms of the risks! It all mentioned that for those over that age, the risks actually became much lower! Interesting.

Well, the truth be told – I do like eating meat and, as they say, 'that is that'! In my defense, I also have a salad with most of my meals (including breakfast) and maybe that's helped me over the long run. Pork or the 'other white meat' as it is called contains much less fat that does a juicy steak. I think the recommended portion of protein for men is about 54 grams per day or about 2 ounces and the portion pictured here was pretty close to that amount. In addition, rather that consuming a whole Russet potato, I generally eat only half. That helps hold down the carbohydrate load considerably. The organic sauerkraut brings some probiotics to the party and the small romaine salad,  maybe a bit of roughage and fiber! (Special thanks to CherylAnn Corcione who likes to share nutritionally related articles via FB and who also markets the Tower Garden).

So, overall, a fairly well balanced meal deal – for a meat eater that is!

Richard Harris MacArthur Park

A friend asked me to think outside the political box, and so I thought of this song by Richard Harris! Strange how a random thought, by other song writers, begets such a mental path. Please listen to, and enjoy this true classic by Richard Marx. The days that we will face in the coming months and years will likely be difficult. (I think we all know that in our hearts).

This Republic or United States, for most all my life, has been my only reality. Good times, good work and an existence that would be a fantasy for most of the rest of the world. (Something I took for granted, even as close friends I knew, perished in far distant battlefields to sustain it).

Now, that reality is fast fading in my view. But, what troubles me the most, are the children we baby boomers will leave behind. Young eyes that looking innocently up, to old men, like myself.

Questioning and innocent eyes, seeking the assurances, that such incredible wealth as I have enjoyed throughout my long life....Will still be there for them as they also grow older....

I'd Really Love to See you Tonight!

A blast from the past! I'd sure love to see a warm wind right about now!

Moody Blues with Isn't Life Strange!

A long time ago, back in the 80's, I had the opportunity to help this band with a problem involving a McIntosh computer that controlled their light show at an event just outside of Chicago. Yes, I fixed the problem..with a simple fan. Isn't it strange, how life throws people together...even if for but a second? For me, personally, this song was popular at a time when I was a student at SIU in Carbondale IL and remember one wonderful afternoon when I actually viewed heaven on earth in the form of a woman whose name was Susan Zimmer! Nothing came of that...just a turn of the page...

David Bowie - Heroes Live

David Bowie, being David Bowie! Enough said... one of my all time favs! This video is mis-tracked by about 2 one thousands of a second for the audio....too lazy to correct it... The sound is full boat and the message clear! We - America - can be heroes...again!

Pink Floyd: Welcome to the Machine!

A great song that maybe is more for this time in our history than it was back when Pink Floyd first sang it back in 1975! Got headphones? Use them for this number - I've already cranked up the volume! Now, for the meat so sweet. For me, time has passed swiftly. For you, listening now, this song impacts. So, my time back then or yours now.. what was the dif?