Critique: Healthy Choice Lasagna with meat sauce!

For some reason, the folks at HC decided that they needed to placed the word 'BAKED' in super large words for some reason that is unclear to me. Isn't the dish, by definition, already pre-baked before it was frozen? I mean you don't really cook this entree in just a few minutes in the microwave do you? Sheesh! They also inform the buyer that the lasagna is made 'with meat sauce'! Well, what else would they make it with? Tofu fashioned to look like meat? Give me a break guys. Lastly, you'll note that they are obviously proud of the fact that there are 'No Preservatives'! Duh! That's because this is a frozen product and not a canned one.

Media version vs real thing!

OK, all that aside, I made the plunge and brought one home to try out. Check out the picture of this meal that they post of their web page with a side by side view of the real thing. Hmm. I think I'd like to choose what's behind curtain one...

Nutritionally, what you get for this 269 gram square of pasta, cheese and meat is about 280 calories. (Not a diet buster, that's for sure). And, there was really not all that much in the way of cholesterol or salt (15 mg and 380 mg respectively). Take note that these low levels of sodium and cholesterol are the reason why the Healthy Choice line of products was invented in the first place. It seems the owner of the company was looking for ways to survive his poor cardio-health while still eating what could be classified as 'junk' food. (It also helps to explain why the Healthy Choice logo'd products are generally more expensive than other brands that contain similar meals). In general the less salt there is in a TV style dinner the worst it's likely to taste!

So, it was with some trepidation that I popped it into my microwave set on high for about seven minutes after first cutting a slit in the film cover as directed. There was no stopping and stirring required which I really liked. After the required time had elapsed, I removed it to my table and prepared to dig in.

As to the taste... OK, I must tell you I've had great homemade lasagna in the past. A friend named Sharon Davidson used to made me some of the finest lasagna I've ever tasted. (A true culinary experience by which I judge all others that came after). This offer by Healthy Choice was no where near that! Was it edible? Sure. I'd give it a 6 on a scale of 10, to give everyone some idea of how I felt. Would I spend $3 buck on it again. Maybe...

Critique: Marie Callender’s Herb Roasted Chicken

Whoa there partner! What we got here is perhaps the all American meal! Chicken with the bone in, corn and mashed pertaters! Wow! And, at only about four dollars per this could be a real steal. Or could it? Only way to find out will be to stick her in the microwave and see what’s up the old skirt.

Right off the bat, I’m a little confused when the box directions say to cut a slit over the vegetables. Are they talking just the corn or would that also include the pertaters? OK, then, I’m going to guess they mean just the corn since the mashed potatoes are in there together all cozy-like with them chicken parts.  Next, you  are instructed to nuke this baby on high for four minutes, then you stir them potatoes like there’s no tomorrow and then you reseal and give ‘er another go in the microwave for bout three minutes or so. Then, ya’ll get ready to eat!

Here I have a picture of the finished meal. Hmm. Maybe the arrangement could use some work. Well, who really cares…as long as it tastes good. (Remembering now, this whole shebang cost me four bucks, so you get what you pay for…)

So, how did it taste. That, after all, is the point of any food critique!

Nutritionally, you’re getting it in the old caboose with this dish. I’m sorry to have to report that the cholesterol is at 45% of your daily needs while the salt is almost a third. Not very good numbers if you’re watch either. The caloric content stands at 470, so that puts this offering pretty far up the scale for just one meal.

As to the taste! Well, that was a bit of a disappointment also. The taters looked and tasted like toothpaste (perhaps I didn’t stir them enough or more likely they were not very good to begin with)! The chicken was just OK while the corn was the only part of the meal I really did enjoy. Sorry to say, this one will not be revisiting my humble place in the near future. Scored only a 6 or less!

Update: March 27, 2013 - And yes, I decided to give this meal another chance. Call me crazy...

The meal (on sale) cost just $2.50! Wow! I'm guessing that's a good deal. Right?  I prepared it as before, but this time I made sure to add some butter to the mashed potatoes.

The results:  The chicken - just acceptable - still not sure where the 'thigh' portion originates on the chicken. The potatoes - well, any portion you don't eat could be used as bondo for your car, perhaps. The corn - great as it was last time! Bottom line, even at $2.50, this dish should get a pass.

Update: October 30, 2013 - No small amount of time has now passed since I last made the mistake of purchasing this meal from Marie Callender. But, as a testament to my short memory - I bought this sucker again! I figured that perhaps, since it's so close to Halloween I might be able to resurrect it from the dead. Well, it was a thought anyway.

Sadly, this meal was identical to the previous two, even down to the mysterious piece of chicken stuck firmly in the middle of the mashed taters....

Update: January 12, 2015 -  The cost of this mysterious meal was $2.99, but this time things had

changed! I was able to discern quite clearly what the chicken parts were! Swimming in a sluggish sea of mashed pertaters was a thigh and a leg! Clear, Marie C must be following my blog and mended their ways by offering real chicken parts! And, OK, perhaps it was the passage of time in that the meal had improved to some extent. Still, it will always remain a weird sort of duck as you have to fish around for the chicken in all them potatoes! A messy meal that requires lots of napkins for sure.

 

Critique: Marie Callender's Meat Loaf and Gravy

I gotta hand it to the folks at ConAgra, they sure know how to take liberties with words like meat and loaf. I've had real homemade meat loaf in the past and brother, this ain't it! Even the picture on the front of their package cannot get away from the truth. This is a meat slab, not a meat loaf. The texture and feel was tough and dense, but still just edible. (Perhaps it was all that salt they add that helped). I sort of liked the gravy, but had a heck of a time locating anything that even remotely looked like a mushroom. Likewise the mashed potatoes should be renamed creamed potatoes as it was not too unlike eating toothpaste. Finally, there was the corn side dish! Wow. Who would have thought of adding that?

OK, The bottom line is that while I did eat this 380 calorie offering from Marie C., I wasn't all that happy. There are better products out there for me to spend my money on. Next time I get a hankering for something like this, I think I'll go visit a restaurant. This one gets a score of 6 and no, I don't plan on buying it again.

Critique: Best Choice New Orleans Style Rice Mix!

While perusing the isle in my grocery store that has rice products, I came across a package of Rice Mix, New Orleans Style. Well golly, I thought, who doesn’t like a good old plate of beans and rice from time to time? I bought a package for $1.50 that contained 227 grams or 8 ounces of product. I must confess, my expectations were running high.

The preparation of this dish is quite simple using a 2 quart pot with a lid; you add some water (3 cups), a tablespoon of butter and the package ingredients. These are brought to a brief boil then cover and reduce to a simmer for about thirty minutes. Voila – simple as can be.

Since I had some left over ham, I cubed a slab to form a meaty platform for the rice mix. A note of caution. Taste before you add any salt! A cup of this stuff packs a 1,060 mg of sodium. So, it’s already somewhat salty to the taste! As to taste, it wasn’t all that bad! I think the next time I try some, I’ll add a shot or two of Tabasco sauce to liven it up a but, but otherwise it was quite good. An interesting thing about this dish is that when beans and rice are eaten together, they supply all the essential amino acids a body requires. You could actually sustain your life by only eating this mix although that could get a bit boring after a month or so.

Banquet’s Pepperoni Stuffed Breadsticks

Did I already forget to mention that there is also some marinara dipping sauce in this box? Hard to believe you get two bread-sticks and dipping sauce for only a buck! Gee, two whole five inch bread-sticks! OK, they tasted great and the sauce really does compliment the sticks. Having said that, this paltry morsel is like offering an alcoholic a single shot of booze. Not enough to satisfy! No, not enough by a mile!

At just 250 calories per serving and only a buck a meal, I suppose I could buy two and that would be a pretty good way to spend an evening snacking in front of the TV. But, gosh almighty ye God's of the frozen entree! Banquet, you have got to have a little feeling for us older (and larger) guys! We get tantalized by stuff like this! Will the torture never end?I'd score this deal a 6. Would have been higher if they'd snuck another breadstick in.

Critique: Banquet’s Chicken Finger Meal

First off and for clarity, this meal is apparently offered in two dollar-a-box versions. You have your choice of either French fries or Mac n Cheese. I elected to try the Mac and cheese side on the theory that in no way would I be happy eating that micro serving of fries. That would be too much like being asked to eat just one Lays potato chip! Can’t be done.

Like many others who have written internet reviews, I was struck by the offering of the brownie. A true rarity in the world of TV dinners, especially the cheap ones like the ones I tend to eat. In the picture it looks really, really big too. I could hardly wait to get my mouth around that puppy. My only concern was whether I could eat it all at one sitting.

Then, there is the little pile of macaroons sitting in the other side compartment looking like decapitated slugs. I used to eat these a lot when I was in college and couldn’t afford better food. Now, decades later, I’m still in the same predicament due to ‘Obama-ecometrics’. I’ve got money, mind you… it just isn’t worth very much anymore. I gazed at them for a second more, sighed, and then moved on to main entree.

The ‘chicken fingers’ are the main focus of this meal. There are three of them big boys just lying there waiting for their chance to shine. Now, if you bothered to read the directions on the back of the box, you would know that you are supposed to ‘rearrange’ these guys half way through the cooking process. In my mind, this could open the door to all sorts of creative (read as perverted) arrangements. I settled for just moving them around a bit with my fork. To my credit, I did opt for a bottle of BBQ sauce in which to dip them.

So, a few minutes after doing the microwave thing, I had my steaming repast neatly arranged between my fork and my bottle of sauce. I removed that pesky film that covered the meal and chowed on down. A process that took no time at all. For what it’s worth, the Mac and cheese side was pretty decent. Not enough there to really matter, but good none the less.  The fingers tasted just OK, (that BBQ sauce I added really helped), but the brownie… Uh, how can I put this? The brownie sucked! It was deflated in the tray and just didn’t want to be eaten! I had to dig it out of its compartment with my fork in a manner reminiscent of removing barnacles from the side of a ship. And, the harder I worked at it, the more it disintegrated until I finally gave up.

The brownie not withstanding, I gave this meal a six on a scale of ten. Once again, like so many of the other meals by Banquet, it’s good for those times that you don’t want to cook. Then, after you eat it, you remember why you want to take up cooking in the future.