Lean Cuisine Chicken Spinach & Mushroom Panini

April 27, 2006 | Reviewer: Jess

Lean Cuisine Chicken Spinach Mushroom Panini Price: $2.50 (on sale)
Serving: 1 sandwich, 6 oz.
Calories: 280
Fat: 12%, 8g
Sodium: 29%, 690mg
Protein: 21g
WW Points: 5 Winning Points
Diet Exchanges: 2 Lean Meat,2 Starch,1/2 Fat

Lean Cuisine says: Grilled white meat chicken strips with spinach,mushrooms,roasted red peppers, three cheeses and a cheese sauce on italian bread

Jess says: Buckle up, Internet. This is a long one.

Why would anyone want to eat a frozen food panini? As if such a thing were even possible?! In my mind, panini brings to mind the sizzle of bread underneath the pressure of a food iron (I don’t know what the sandwich press thing is actually called. You could Google it. I’m not going to do everything for you.). The cheese oozes out of the sides of the sandwich. Perhaps you see a glimpse of the veggies that are sailing on the lactose sea. And you wait, stamping your foot impatiently, while Italian men say dirty things about you because they think you are a dumb Americana (your impatience regarding food that takes a total of 3 minutes adds to their disdain). I did, in fact, purchase this meal. This was mostly out of curiosity. Moreover, it was an excuse to write this paragraph.

First, a warning (why do my reviews come with warnings?). Do not haphazardly tear apart the container!!! You must skillfully lift the tab, and pull back slowly along the perforation. This will reveal your little open face panini wrapped in a plastic blanket, resting atop its grey toasting sheet. Leave the sandwich in the plastic as you position the grey toasting sheet atop the box (which you have turned upside down to make a platform). Grey side up! All depends upon this detail. Then you take the plastic sheet off the sandwich. All the contents of this open face sandwich will have jostled about in the plastic. Therefore, you have to reassemble the frozen vegetables and cheese atop the frozen bread. This is fun, as long as you are not too hungry. And when you are done, you rather feel like you just played a pretend model game with your food. It looks like quite the star all pretty on its platform. THEN you microwave it for like 2 and a half minutes. The box illustrates these details in the 3 succinct steps. They hire people less wordy than me. I hope these people like their jobs. What an awesome job!

Filed Under 6 WW Points, Chicken, Lean Cuisine Reviews | 6 Comments

Lean Cuisine Grilled Chicken and Penne Pasta

April 27, 2006 | Reviewer: Carolyn

Lean Cuisine Grilled Chicken and Penne Pasta

Price: 3 for $9.00 (sale)
Serving: 1 package, 12 oz.
Calories: 330
Fat: 7%, 4.5g
Sodium: 24%, 580mg
Protein: 20g
WW Points: 6 Winning Points
Diet Exchanges: 1 1/2 Lean Meat, 2 1/2 Starch, 1 Vegetable, 1/2 Fruit

Lean Cuisine says: Grilled herbed chicken tenderloins,penne pasta,hand-picked broccoli and carrots in a garlic herb sauce accented with tomatoes and parmesan cheese,served with apples in a caramel sauce.

Carolyn says: This meal is larger than the standard Lean Cuisine fare (supposed to be for dinner), but that means a nice and filling lunch. The broccoli and carrots were good - not too soggy, and very flavored with the sauce. The chicken was cooked well, as far as microwave chicken goes. And the sauce and cheese hit the spot. Can’t find much to complain about the entree. The apples in a caramel sauce were good, but there were not enough of them. They only partially filled the space that was designated for the apples. Overall, this was a good selection, and I heartily recommend the Lean Cuisine Grilled Chicken and Penne Pasta.

Filed Under 6 WW Points, Chicken, Four Stars, Lean Cuisine Reviews, Pasta | 1 Comment

Green Guru Vegetable Pad Thai

April 27, 2006 | Reviewer: Abi

Green Guru Vegetable Pad Thai

Price: $3.29 ($2.79 on sale)
Serving: 1 tray, 10 oz.
Calories: 490
Fat: 29%, 19g
Sodium: 31%, 740mg
Protein: 10g

Green Guru says: Tangy and Spicy, stir fried rice noodles mixed with select vegetables and tofu, prepared with spices, tamarind and ground peanuts.

Abi says: There is a mushroom in the picture. There was also a mushroom (a whole one!) in the meal. I took it out before cooking because I don’t like mushrooms. Thus, this image is not accurate. Inaccuracies aside, this is the best frozen meal I’ve had in weeks. In honor of April being National Poetry Month (thanks Slate.com) here is a haiku:

tamarind glory
wafts over cubicle walls
coworkers jealous

Filed Under Five Stars, Green Guru Reviews, Pasta, Tandoor Chef Reviews, Vegan | 2 Comments

Safeway Eating Right Black Peppered Chicken

April 27, 2006 | Reviewer: Carolyn

Safeway Eating Right Black Peppered Chicken

Price: $3.50
Serving: 1/2 box, 11 oz.
Calories: 300
Fat: 16%, 24g
Sodium: 29%, 700mg
Protein: 16g
WW Points: 6 Winning Points

Safeway says: Peppered to Perfection! Spicy chicken breast strips served with rice, water chestnuts, onions, celery, yellow carrots, and mushrooms.

Carolyn says: This was the most disappointing frozen meal I have had in a long, long time. The large size of the portion had me excited for a big, hearty lunch. The box clearly said “TWO SERVINGS”, but if it was good I knew I could finish the meal. As soon as I took the tray out of the microwave I realized this meal was not going to be as the picture suggested. The vegetables were soggy and brown. I’m not sure why they decided that bean sprouts were appropriate for a frozen meal, but it was a very bad decision. The onions were brown and soggy clumps, the celery was slimy, and the only thing that displayed any crispness were the water chestnuts. The peppered sauce coagulated while heating, and despite my stirring, there were areas of caked teriyaki sauce along the sides of the container and in two corners. The chicken was the only decent part of the meal, so once I finished the pieces of chicken, I threw the rest away.

Filed Under Chicken, One Star, Safeway Frozen Meal Reviews | 9 Comments