Critique: Smart One’s Beef Pot Roast!

Whenever I see a package labeled with the word ‘smart’ I just know they’re referring to moi! After all, I is the smartest person I know! (OK, so maybe that’s just because I hang out with only the mentally challenged). But, seriously, anything made by or for Weight Watchers just has to be investigated. At $2.50 for this 190 calorie meal, I wanted to see if this product which is actually made by Heinz was up to snuff.

Almost anyone who is over the age of forty more than likely had parents who made a pot roast on a regular basis. I can remember my mom bring out a large platter that was filled to over brimming with morsels of beef, carrots and potatoes. The whole lot was covered with a wonderful gravy; the source of which I never discovered. (Young boys are like that, all stomach and little, to no curiosity). Back then, I’d sit down and gorge myself and then run outside to play with my friends before the sun set. By the time I got back inside, I’d burned all the calories from the meal and was ready for more. Today, I get to sit down to a lousy 190 calorie meal and then will hobble over to the sofa for a quick nap before bedtime. How times change.

Making this TV dinner in the microwave is pretty much a snapola. You take the meal out of its box, peel back a corner of the film to vent and nuke it on high for 4 minutes. After the dinger dings, you stir everything up and recover the corner with the film and heat again for about a minute (see note below). That’s all there is to it, (which also explains why I eat so many of these darn things)!

As is usually the case, the reality of what you get is a far cry from the artwork on the front of the box. And, as is also often the case, I’ll ruin the whole ‘diet concept’ by artistically adding a few ‘sides’ of my own (as in a few beers and some potato chips). With some really awful looking meals, I’ve found it useful to close my eyes, on occasion, as doing that improves the overall eating experience. In this case, however, that wasn’t necessary. The food was cooked properly and the taste and smell was exceptional.However...

This one gets only a 6 on a scale of 10. Note: You have to be very careful with the plastic foil – when you try and stir the meal prior to the last minute of cooking, it tends to bunch up. In addition, the veggies tasted not that very well done. Specifically, the carrots and potatoes could have used some more time.

 At two and half bucks (one sale), I feel this one is a little too expensive to find a permanent place in my freezer. Overall, a rather poor creation from the folks at Heinz. My personal recommendation…look elsewhere.

Critique: Lean Cuisine Glazed Chicken!

Seeing as this TV meal deal was a ‘Chef’s Pick’, I just had to avail myself of the opportunity to purchase one. At $2.50 for a 240 gram meal which yields only 240 calories or about a calories per gram, I thought it just might live up to the company logo. (by way of contrast, potato chips yield close to 5 calories a gram).I felt if I could make this the major part of a dinner, I could get myself back on track to losing some weight!

At first glance, I found the concept of a glazed chicken somewhat distasteful. Glazed, in the manner of which they are speaking, generally refers to some sort of sweet marmalade that covers the meat.  In this case, they are referring to a ‘savory lemon tarragon sauce’ which doesn’t sound too bad. Also, as I looked at the package cover, I’m guessing those little green sprigs were supposed to represent the tarragon. Rounding out this presentation, we have white rice, green beans and cashew chips.  (Sounded absolutely yummy to me). So, onwards to the preparation.

Assuming you have a microwave (you do have a microwave don’t you?), the directions are as simple as can be; take the meal out of its box, throw it into the microwave and nuke it for 5 ½ minutes on high. (Something even I couldn’t screw up)! After the dinger dinged, I removed the meal, sat it in front of me and stripped off the plastic cover and prepared to eat.

This meal made by Nestlé (you know - the chocolate milk people) tasted only so-so. Frankly, I was disappointed by the experience. The chicken was chewy and the rice tasted undercooked. Overall, I gave this meal a sad score of 6 on a scale of 10.

Critique: Marie Callender’s Balsamic Chicken was just so-so!

OK, so I’m now on the ‘steamer basket’ kick for a while! Actually, I like the concept; you nuke it, but it’s actually a steamed dish. That part is cool! But, at 400 calories a serving, I doubt I’ll have enough room for even a couple of cans of Miller Lite after dinner. Not cool!

I did like the idea of there being pasta in this dish! Actually, I tend to like any dish that has pasta in it. (I’ll even eat a meal consisting of just pasta)! I was also hoping spinach and mushrooms would taste pretty good too, assuming that is, that I can find them after the cooking is done! So, let’s see how this meal did, shall we?

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Pkg Art:     8    I’ll admit it, the picture did catch my eye! Job well done!

Reality:      6    The steamer concept looks cool anyways. A little gimmicky perhaps!

Cost:          5    At $4 a shot, this entree is too little pricy for me!

Smell:        6    Just OK! I smell Asian here, not Italian!                     

Texture:     6    The pasta was over-cooked for my taste.        

Taste:         6    So-so – Too much of an Asian taste for me to get into!          

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Average:    6    Take a left in the frozen isle and miss this one!         

Not the best meal I’ve had. Maybe it was the spinach or maybe it was the overcooked pasta or maybe it was the complete lack of anything oregano. I did eat the entire meal, but was not overly happy about the fact. My other negative was the high sodium content at close to a thousand milligrams. Finally, I was never able to find that neat looking sprig of basil I saw on the package.

Bottom line! While some of you out there may send me threatening letters saying how totally awesome this meal is, I did not share the sentiments. This one goes into my culinary trash bin!

Critique: Banquet’s Chicken Pasta Marinara

OK, maybe critique is too big a word for me to be using. A critique actually refers to an article that criticizes something, as in fault finding and that’s not always the case with the way I write my ‘critiques’. Why I remember only a few weeks back where I actually gave a TV dinner pretty good marks! I think that was the Charbroiled Patty Meal. It got a six rating. Not very stellar, I’ll admit, but still better than most of the other meals I’ve tried from the folks at Banquet. My principal objection to these ‘dollar meals’ is their salt content. Most, if not all, are very high in sodium (as much as 20-30% of a person’s recommended daily requirements). The manufacturer’s use salt to make up for lack of taste in almost all cases. (So, you might say that the folks at facilities like ConAgra lack very much taste)!

That said, what about this one? Well, you do get 280 calories for your money which is not bad. Then, things go downhill a bit with a high fat content of 14 grams and a sodium reading of 550 milligrams (23% of the recommended daily allowance). So not good, not bad, just so so.

The other nice thing about these meals are how easy the preparation is assuming you have a microwave, of course. Just a couple minutes on high, a quick stir and then another minute on high to eliminate any cold spots. Voila, you’re ready to chow down on yet another meal that didn't cost very much and it quick to make!

First, as to quantity. This meal went down very fast, so it’s definitely not of the ‘Hungry Man’ lineage.  Just a couple of mouthfuls and it was time to zip up your fly and say goodbye. In the area of taste, I noticed that the chicken portion was breaded (disguised?) and just a teensy bit mushy-ushy texture-wise, while the pasta in contrast was actually quite good. (The marinara sauce helped out big time). Overall then, a good meal to dig into if you’ve been working late, doing chores or looking for ways to get rid of pesky relatives (just kidding). I gave this deal a stripped down 6 on a scale of 10. As in the earlier Charbroiled Patty rating, this is a meal that works for those times when speed is of the essence.

In closing, I do wish I could figure out what to do with the plastic tray when you get done eating. I hate throwing them out, but have never figured out a use for one after it has fulfilled its primary function. Any suggestions out there?

Critique: Homestyle Charbroiled Patty Meal

I think I have this charbroiled meat thing pretty much figured out. (I’ve seen it on a few Banquet dinners now). You take a chunk of meat like material (this package lists the meat patty as seasoned cooked beef, pork and turkey); pour some gravy over it, add a few noodles and voila, you have a charbroiled whatever. Hint: Sometimes they use different sides in an effort to confuse you. It’s important to note that this meal is also ‘a good source of protein’. (I will sleep better tonight knowing that)!

When you eat this meal, you are getting 310 calories, 950 mg of sodium and about 50 mg of cholesterol. I found the patty to be the consistency of congealed mush, but it did have a rather pleasant taste. The noodles were al dente, thank God, and went well with the gravy. This is another meal I gave relatively good marks to. A good six on a scale of ten. I did not expect any of these buck a meal deals to rank very high and a six is pretty much at the top of that scale.