Critique: Ronzoni Tri-Color Rotini!

Not only is this little corkscrew shaped pasta colorful, but the packaging assures one that it is also enriched with carrots, tomato and spinach solids from 'dried vegetables'!

I made up a batch of Ronzoni Tri-Color rotini for the first time and discovered that you have to be careful as it overcooks quite easily. The package states that 9 minutes is medium al dente, but I found it to be a bit over cooked!

At a cost of $2.49 for a 12 ounce (340 gram) package, the pasta is a bit on the expensive side. Nutritionally, each ¾ cup (56g) serving has 200 calories, so after adding some pasta sauce the total caloric impact can get up there! I generally like to make my own pasta sauce from scratch using low sodium tomato sauce and simple ingredients like onions and bell peppers. This keeps the overall calories in check, although the serving is rather small.

Critique: HC Roasted Chicken and Potatoes!

According to the package this 180 calorie entree has 'savory slices of chicken breast with redskin potatoes, crisp carrots and tender pearl onions all in a light chicken and herb sauce.' How, I wondered can you go wrong with that offering from the folks at Healthy Choice?

I posted a glowing review concerning their Chicken and Spinach Alfredo offering some time ago and still feel that it was one of the best TV style dinners I've ever had. It is one of like seven of their 'Baked' microwave meals that run on sale for about $2.80 plus tax here in Forsyth Missouri where I make my home.

This meal, like the Chicken and Alfredo also boasts only 560 mg of sodium and just 35 mg of cholesterol! However, please remember that this is an entree and as such, you don't get all that much to eat. But, when combined with a vegetable salad on the side, it does make for a good sit down meal.

Also, like the other entree I have reviewed, it is a slit and nuke affair that doesn't take much over five minutes to get on the table. (I like that in both my TV dinners and my women)! Once again and not to belabor the point, for under $3 you are getting something that is considered a fast food, yet is also healthy for you to eat! If I remember correctly, my last outing to McDonald's netted me only a hamburger and medium fry for something like $7! It was also over 900 calories and chock full of cholesterol and salt! And, while I do admit to slinking over to the 'Golden Arches' from time to time, I surely do not make it a regular habit.

Overall, the taste was pretty durn good! Maybe the carrots were a tad too crisp while the potatoes seemed somewhat so, I guess it's a preference thing. The sauce they used, compliments the entire entree and the chicken tasted like... chicken. Another winner! Score of 8 on a scale of 10.

Critique: Healthy Choice Chicken & Spinach Alfredo!

At $2.79, this 220 calorie offering from the the folks at Healthy Choice has a lot going for it! There's some chicken chunks, spinach and penne pasta – all three of which are up there in my 'like' department. Oh. and that Alfredo sauce isn't too shabby either!

Healthy Choice offers this TV style dinner as one of their line of seven 'Baked Taste' recipes that is actually prepared in your friendly (and fast) microwave. And, at just 241 grams in total wright, you aren't really getting all that much food, (which is another good reason to eat stuff like this if you are trying to diet). In addition, there is only 550 milligrams of sodium to deal with which makes it a low salt item as well. So, overall, I would give this meal high marks in terms of overall nutrition.

As to the preparation, that's also a breeze. It's a 'slit it and nuke it' affair on high for about 4 minutes. I like any TV dinner that has such few instructions. (If I see the words 'stir and reseal', I generally will give that item a pass). Not so with this meal deal or the other offerings of like venue. They're all easy to make. High marks, and smiles, all around.

After nuking this meal deal, I sat down and gave it the taste test. Hmm, the aroma was excellent and everything was hot and very tasty. Most importantly, the pasta was fairly close to al dente – something that the folks at Banquet have never seemed to get a handle on. I think we have a winner here! This meal got a score of 8 on a scale of 10 and yes, I will be trying the other varieties.

Critique: Del Pino’s Mini Beef Ravioli!

For about eighty five cents in 2013 currency, you can buy a Save A Lot canned brand product by the name of Del Pino’s ‘Mini Beef Ravioli’. On the label of this 15 ounce can is a picture of little beef ravioli’s all simmering in a tangy (it’s assumed) tomato sauce. The ingredient label reads like one of those TV drugs ‘Calmesterol’ (I made this one up) where the commercial spends a tiny amount of time on the supposed benefits of taking the drug ( for a calmer you) before launching into an much more extended explanation of the serious side effects some people (you?) experience when they take it. Seriously, one commercial reads; ‘some users have experienced; nausea, migraines, dizziness and in rare cases, exploding bladders along with other life threatening events’! Yeah, like that’s the drug for me. (Think I'll recommend it to people I don't necessarily like)!

Thankfully, Del Pino’s does not fall into this category. Although it does present some challenges to a health conscious person like myself. From a nutritional standpoint, each can contains about two cups worth of product – that’s 256 grams per serving to you metric people – and you’re getting about 240 calories when you eat it! And, a word of caution here; if what you're eating (be it from a can or from something you recently killed), and the food comes anywhere close to 1 calorie per gram, then watch out, it's potentially fattening! This product falls neatly into that range! Remember, high caloric foods translate into big hips for many of us common folk!

In addition, I noted that the sodium impact, per serving, was a hefty 1100 mg. That’s a lot of salt, and the reason they add so much is twofold; 1) salt is a great preservative and 2) we humans are genetically built to crave it. So, loads of added salt make for a cheap product, that tastes blinking good, stores for about a year on the shelf and which will help us all along the road to higher levels of blood pressure. (You’ve been warned)!

After all those disclaimers were noted, I nuked myself a cupful and would rate the product thusly: Really good and even damn good! This was one of the better ravioli dishes I’ve eaten and it only takes a moment or two to prepare in the microwave! (A busy parent's dream come true)! I’d rate this product a solid 8 on a scale of 10 in terms of taste while giving it a 4 when it comes to nutritional value – The bottom line for me? Something I’ll stock in the pantry for occasional consumption!

Critique: Best Choice Scalloped Potatoes!

For someone who is still on a diet (me), I’ve some how been emotionally shanghaied by the desire to eat and critique more of the many variations of packaged potato offerings that are out there. Today, I’ve undertaken to write a post about this offering from the folks at Associated Wholesale Grocers (www.augbrands.com). The 140 gram contents supplies about 100 calories per half cup prepared (there are 5 of these portions per box). That’s the same number of calories as a recent post I did on a similar product made by Idahoan; a similar scalloped potato dish that came in at just a little bit more money and which offers up only 4 - ½ cup servings. Ah, I see some savings here! The thing is I’m not trying to pit one company against the other for just the difference of a few cents! What I am doing is hoping to catch a ‘comfort food’ that makes sense. (For the record, this box cost me $1.79 on July, 2012. It was purchased in Forsyth, Missouri and has an expiration date of May 30, 2013). Ultimately, I want to do a comparison between commercial boxed preparations versus homemade with respect to cost and nutrition.

The instructions on the plain Jane box were pretty straightforward; preheat your oven to 400F, add 2 cups of boiling water along with 2 tablespoons of butter and ¾ cup of milk into a 1.5 quart baking dish. Next, stir in their little packet of ‘cream sauce’! Whatever that is??  Next, you add them dehydrated potato slices and stir the whole thing up. Bake this in a quart and a half oven proof container, uncovered, at 400F for 35 minutes or until them tatters are tender. (Note: if you live in the mountains; set your oven to 425F)! Side note: This package does have directions for the microwave and stovetop, but trust me, just do the oven deal if at all possible…

After baking, here’s the result! Very pleasing to the eye and the taste was on a par with most everything else I’ve tried. Gave this one a score of 8 and due to the extra quantity for a cheaper buck would recommend it to all.

Critique: A Healthy Choice Meatloaf Meal throw down!

With all due apologies to Bobby Flay, I went out and bought myself a Healthy Choice Meatloaf Meal in an effort to see why the sky high price of $4.15 makes this TV dinner so much better than an identical Banquet version I reported on earlier in the year, and which cost only a buck to boot! I mean who is jacking who? While the Banquet meal tasted like a dream, for three bucks more, this one had better taste like a ‘wet dream’! Let the TV dinner throw down commence!

First off, I wanted to take a look at and compare some key nutritional items between the two meals. They have, after all, pretty much the contents; a serving each of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn and in the case of HC a desert! Here’s what I found:

Meal             Weight      Calories       CFF       Cholesterol    Sodium (mg)

===============================================================

Banquet         269            280          150                40                  1000

H.C.                349            350          80                 35                  550

OK then, some interesting numbers here. Remembering the cost differential was three bucks, I figure that the were it not for the desert I'm good to go with Banquet. That is, for the same money, I can get three of the Banquet meals. HELLO! Anyone argue with that? OK, so what if I'm getting hosed with sodium!  But, I mean is that difference really worth worrying about unless your old and hypertensive like myself? I dunno, you be the judge! Let’s move on to taste, shall we?

Taste

All things being equal, the overall taste is what I remember the most. Sure, the salt may pickle me and the cholesterol may clog my arteries, but the thing that really counts is taste! Healthy Choice doesn’t let you down on this count. The meatloaf was just the right texture and had a great aroma. The corn and mashed potatoes were also good, but the real seller was the desert. Anytime you serve apple bits in a sugary syrup you got my attention! I’ll also venture a guess it was the Apple Cranberry Crisps that added all the extra calories, but it did help make the meal, so it’s forgiven. High marks also for overall smell and texture.

This meal gets a solid 8 in my book and the old adage is evidently true; you do get what you pay for! While I would still buy the much cheaper Banquet product (mainly because I am cheap), people who can afford to spend the extra money should opt for Healthy Choice version.

The skinny on Stove Top’s Stuffing Mix for chicken!

Having pretty much exhausted the line of Banquet Dollar Meals, I now turn my culinary eye to Stove Top and their line of stuffing mixes. The question I had uppermost on my mind today was who actually gets stuffed here? Is it my taste buds? Maybe my waistline or even my pocketbook? Hmm?

I’ll wager that, you the reader, have a box of stuffing mix hidden away somewhere in your pantry. Possibly a box that never got used on the last holiday. Come on. Get up right this minute and go check. I’ll wait…. My box was behind some other boxes of Mac and Cheese (which I will not be reviewing thank you kindly). And, I’m guessing it’s been around a while as the use by date is set for January 2012. My how the time does fly!

The directions for making the stuffing could not be easier. You bring one and a half cups of water mixed with butter (4 tbsp) to a boil then stir in the package contents. Cover this and let it stand off the heat for about five minutes. Voila – you’re ready to rock. Note: If you do, in fact, find these directions confusing, I would suggest contemplating suicide in the drive up lane at McDonald’s.  'Yes, I’ll have that order super-sized. Ka Bam!'

Before getting into the nutritional stuff a word of caution. Kraft’s idea of a serving is rather strange. They must think the world is full of midgets. A serving, according to them is 28 grams. Check the picture A for how that much looks on a standard plate. What is that? Maybe a mouthful? Two? Anyway, that’s not what I call a man’s portion (picture B at 78 grams). So, right off the bat, I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get screwed here. Instead of just 110 calories, I will be ingesting more like 300! And the sodium, who doesn’t need more sodium in their diet? Well, 430 milligrams now shoots up to 1,195 milligrams or about half a days worth! Think I’ll stop right there, I’m already depressed. I should have been wary of any food with the word ‘stuffing’ in it!

But wait! There is a redeeming quality to be had! For one thing the smell of this side dish is to die for. If you’ve just thrown together a dinner that screams leftovers, the addition of a little stuffing could be the game saver you’re looking for. So, for that alone I’ll give this one a score of 8 on a scale of 10. Just remember, that for most of us, the calories here are the real stuffing.

Critique: Banquet’s Boneless Pork Rib Meal

Finally! After working my way through a gaggle of 'buck-a-meal' Banquet offerings over the past month, I think I may have found the pick of the crap. Uh, crop.

Whenever I think of pork ribs, I’m always reminded of the infamous McRib that is still offered, off and on, by the McDonald’s franchise. While over-priced (like much else they offer), it still tastes pretty good. (I think this is due, in no large part, to that tangy sauce! Take that away and you'd maybe have a Banquet Meatloaf Meal in a bun).Yuck!

The cooking instructions (like many of Banquet's dollar meals), runs along the line of; slit it, nuke it, stir it up and then nuke it 'one more time baby' just to make sure it's positively and absolutely dead.

After watching my evening meal spin around for three minutes in the microwave (can you get brain damaged from doing that? ), I went to the fridge, got the butter out and grabbed a fork from the dishwasher. Man, I'm ready to eat!

A short time later, while seated at a table, I pointed my TV remote at the tube and got down to eating this meal a deal. As usual, the process went pretty fast (hunger does that to you). Also, there just wasn't all that much to eat... about 370 calories and two hundred and something grams, if I remember correctly. (Actually, every $1 Banquet Meal comes in at only 300-400 calories, now that I think about it. A factoid I may want to investigate at some future date.)

Surprisingly, the overall taste of this meal was much better than I’m used to from Banquet! Whereas most of the critiques I’ve done were lucky to get a six on a scale of ten, I ranked this one a solid 8! The combo of mashed potatoes, corn and BBQ sauce on rendered pork is hard to beat and good to eat!

Update: Since this post, Banquet has since downsized this meal and now calls it their Boneless Pork Riblet Meal! The newer and smaller meal is only 283 grams for 310 calories. What progress!

Critique: Del Pino’s Spaghetti and Meatballs

I love reading the ingredients on some of the canned products that appear on grocery shelves these days. Take a can of Spaghetti and meatballs I recently brought home, for instance. This product, made by a company called Del Pino’s, shows a picture on the can of five meatballs nestled in a bed of pasta and what appears to be some sort of tomato sauce. So let’s take a close look shall we?

Turns out the tomatoes actually consist of a mix of tomato puree and water. OOOK. The pasta is wheat gluten and the meatballs were made from a combination of beef, pork, water and crackermeal (whatever that is). The can cost .79 cents and for that amount of money you get a total of 418 grams or about 15 ounces of product. There is a best by stamp of January 24, 2013 on one end of the can so this stuff can hang out on a shelf for quite a while before you have to eat it. I’m guessing there are more preservatives than you’d really want to know about in each can. So, let’s see how the stuff tastes…

Since there are only 280 calories in the entire can, I elected to do just that. Eat the entire can. Part of the effect of doing so will insure a not so healthy does of salt to the tune of 1050 milligrams or about half the average daily adult allowance. Carbohydrates came in at 34 grams which is about a quarter of the daily allowance and it is relatively high in saturated fats at 5 grams. But, I digress. After nuking the contents for a couple of minutes in the microwave, I shot a picture of the meal which shows the meatballs covered with a thick sauce. Those meatballs tasted pretty good and what really makes this meal is the thick and savory sauce that was delicious. My overall opinion is that we have a winner here. I give this one a solid 8 on a scale of 10.

Del Pino’s is distributed by Save A Lot stores of Earth City Missouri.