Lean Cuisine Chicken Teriyaki Bowl

July 21, 2006 | Reviewer: Abi

“Someone should send all of the frozen food manufacturers a little vegetables in the microwave continuum. A chart, if you will, because they need to learn that snap peas lose all snappiness when they’ve been microwaved in sauce for over 5 minutes…”

Price: $1.49
Serving: 1 bowl, 11 oz.
Calories: 320
Fat: 4%, 3g
Sodium: 29%, 690mg
Protein: 16g
WW Points: 6 Winning Points*
Diet Exchanges: 1 1/2 Lean meat, 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 other carbohydrate

Lean Cuisine says: Roasted chicken white meat in a flavorful teriyaki sauce with golden pineapple, snap peas, carrots and red peppers over a bed of long grain rice.

Abi says: While waiting in the microwave line at work and then heating this lunch multiple people commented that they had enjoyed the Lean Cuisine Chicken Teriyaki bowl. Not only had they enjoyed it, but Tanya over at Iateapie.net raved about the meal (minus the lack of a lovely white bowl).

They’re all wrong. Or maybe I got a bad Chicken Teriyaki bowl, though the whole point of frozen meals is that they’re the same EVERY SINGLE TIME. I don’t want surprises, I want consitency.

Yay: Delicious teriyaki sauce. In my reviews here, here and here I speak about the horrors of Lean Cuisine sauce. They need to find whoever made this chicken teriyaki sauce and give that person a promotion

Boo: The chicken and vegetables are frighteningly soft. You don’t even need teeth to eat this meal. You could just gum away at the whole thing. Is that appetizing? Certainly not.

Someone should send all of the frozen food manufacturers a little vegetables in the microwave continuum. A chart, if you will, because they need to learn that snap peas lose all snappiness when they’ve been microwaved in sauce for over 5 minutes. There, I’ve thrown down the gauntlet for all frozen food manufacturers out there.

*This meal is rated at both 5 and 6 Weight Watchers points. The meal as reviewed was 6 Points, but since then this meal has been reconfigured with fewer calories and the points value has changed. This review does not refer to the new, lower calorie version, but we just thought you should know what’s what.

Filed Under 5 WW Points, 6 WW Points, Chicken, Lean Cuisine Reviews, Three Stars | 3 Comments

Starkist Tuna Lunch Pack

July 20, 2006 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Starkist Tuna Lunch Pack

Elizabeth says:I am not a fan of mayonnaise, particularly after watching my students pump it onto their hamburger buns in huge disgusting globs. However, when it comes to tuna salad kits, the mayonnaise and relish are quite tasty.

I like these kits because they travel well. Recently, I threw the kit into my bag for a trip to New York and made it my dinner at the airport. Complete with plastic case, can of tuna, spoon, and packets of mayo/relish, it’s easy to mix and serve on the 6 crackers provided.

Caveats: I never want to eat this ON the plane because the scent may be strong for people. Also, I could do with more napkins for this concoction. That said, it’s an easy, quick, and cheap meal on the go.

Filed Under Fish, Four Stars, StarKist Tuna Reviews | 2 Comments

Amy’s Kitchen Asian Noodle Stir Fry

July 19, 2006 | Reviewer: Amy

When Amy’s Kitchen says “distinctive flavor . . . for which Asian cuisine is famous” they mean “this tastes like ginger”..

Amy's Kitchen Asian Noodle Stir Fry

Price: $2.29
Serving: 1 Meal, 10 oz.
Calories: 290
Fat: 11%, 7g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 28%, 630mg
Protein: 9g
Carbs: 17%, 50g
Fiber: 16%, 4g
WW Points: 6 Points

Amy’s Kitchen says: The tender organic rice noodles, combined with a traditional chinese sauce, organic mushrooms and organic vegetables give Amy’s Asian Noodle Stir-Fry the distinctive flavor and texture for which Asian cuisine is famous.

Amy says: I ate this meal a while ago and forgot to submit a review. Details of the meal are a bit fuzzy, but I do remember several irrelevant facts and they are as follows: 1-I heated this and then brought it to Dupont Circle to eat, it was a beautiful spring day and 2-I picked out the broccoli because I loathe broccoli. This may be because when you steam broccoli it smells like fart and the odor is very strong. I have never been able to get past the funky smell of steamed broccoli and will not eat broccoli in any form.

There are also two things I remember about this meal (and yes, they are relevant) that left quite an impression on my brain and taste buds. Item 1-when Amy’s says “distinctive flavor . . . for which Asian cuisine is famous” they mean “this tastes like ginger”. I do enjoy ginger, but other flavors come to mind when I think of Asian food, such as soy sauce, sesame oil, and teriyaki sauce. This entire meal tasted like ginger. Mayhaps I would have enjoyed the broccoli had I left it in as it would have tasted just like ginger as well. I am thinking about Abi as I write this, she is passionate about her ginger, mayhaps she would be enamored with this bowl. This leads me to Item 2-the noodles to vegetable ratio was not ideal for me. Even after I had removed the broccoli I ran out of noodles long before I ran out of vegetables. I like a bit of noodle and vegetable in every bite, but once the noodles were gone all I could do was stare morosely at the remaining veggies.

Overall, the meal was decent, but not Amy’s finest. I love me some Amy’s, but have learned to stick to meals that somehow involve dairy.

Filed Under 6 WW Points, Amy's Kitchen Reviews, Cholesterol Free, Three Stars, Vegan, Vegetarian | 1 Comment

Stouffer’s Corner Bistro Garlic Chicken Pasta

July 17, 2006 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Unlike most frozen meals that promise asparagus and fail to deliver, this one had plenty of tasty spears…

Stouffer's Corner Bistro Garlic Chicken Pasta

Price: $2.89
Serving: 1 meal, 12 oz.
Calories: 340
Fat: 12%, 8g
Sodium: 41%, 1000mg
Protein: 25g
Carbs: 14%, 43g
Fiber: 20%, 5g

Stouffer’s says: Tender strips of seasoned grilled white meat chicken tossed with bow tie pasta, asparagus, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes, topped with a creamy roasted garlic sauce.

Veda says: I was pleasantly surprised to find that this meal lived up to the picture. The chicken was moist and well-seasoned and pasta was al dente. Unlike most frozen meals that promise asparagus and fail to deliver, this one had plenty of tasty spears. With no shortage on garlic or sun-dried tomatoes, I found myself pleasantly full at the end of the meal. Good job, Stouffer’s. If I had one request it would be the same as my usual request to Stouffer’s: Less salt, please.

Filed Under Chicken, Four Stars, Pasta, Stouffer's Frozen Meal Reviews | 4 Comments