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Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort. ~Norman Kolpas

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Stouffer’s Chicken Monterey

October 23, 2006 | Reviewer: Nicole

A new first here at HeatEatReview.com: Whipped Sweet Potatoes.

Price: $2.50 (sale)
Serving: 1 tray, 14.25 oz.
Calories: 500
Fat: 27%, 17g
Sodium: 39%, 940mg
Protein: 28g
Carbs: 19%, 58g
Fiber: 28%, 7g

Stouffer’s says: Herb-seasoned chicken breast strips in a monterey jack cheese sauce witih fire-roasted chiles, mexican-style rice and whipped sweet potatoes.

Nicole says: Oh, 500 calories, why are you so tough to find in a microwave entree? In this word of “Lean”, “Healthy”, “Organic”, and “All Natural”, this cheesy, meaty 500 calorie delight is a beacon to people like me who just want to eat something yummy.

Whipped sweet potatoes? Wow! Who thought of that? They are quite tasty and a pretty appropriate texture, a bit stiffer than mashed potatoes but creamier, too. And I’m not even a big sweet potato fan. I am of the school that meals are savory and desserts are sweet. I even prefer savory snack foods to sweet ones. So, yes, some great sweet potatoes.

The meat portion is by no means large. There were 7 or 8 small to medium chicken strips drowning in a sea of cheesy pepper sauce. The rice shared the meat compartment, but was just touching the cheesiness, so it was moist but not souped by Monterey.

Speaking of Monterey, in case there were any questions, the meal clearly refers to the town in California (Monterey) versus the one in Mexico (Monterrey), which is apparent by the town’s spelling; whether this is intentional or accidental, I do not know.

Back to chicken, rice, and cheese. The chicken was nicely textured and delicioso with the cheese sauce, which was so yummy I did end up mixing it with my already-perfectly-moist rice. The portion, though not large, did fill me up for the rest of the work day.

Complaint: the package recommended microwaving on HIGH for 6 1/2 to 9 1/2 minutes - this is an awfully broad range. I went with a seemingly safe 7 1/2 minutes, and ended up with a burnt edge to my chicken/cheese sauce/rice section.

Boston Market Glazed Rotisserie Chicken

October 20, 2006 | Reviewer: Abi

Price: $2.00 (sale, of course)
Serving: 1 package, 16 oz.
Calories: 390
Fat: 23%, 15g
Sodium: 72%, 1740mg
Protein: 30g
Carbs: 11%, 34g
Fiber: 17%, 4g

Boston Market says: Our boneless, skinless chicken breast is slow roasted to seal in the flavor. It’s served up with a side of our signature mashed potatoes, and topped off with a rich gravy. Chicken… it’s what we do best.

Abi says: While the chicken is the best part of this Boston Market meal, that isn’t saying much. The potatoes were lifeless and the side of veggies mushy beyond compare. In the meat department Boston Market must be soaking their chicken breast in vats of ultra-salinated water before slowly roasting them to seal in that salty goodness. Sure, you’re supposed to brine turkeys and roast chickens, but this breast was alarmingly salty. After all, how often does your mouth actually pucker when eating chicken? Mine did today.

For extra fun with this meal, play “Guess the Sodium” with a friend. I played this amusing and enlightening game with Kate. Oh Kate, such a believer in the goodness of others. She lowballed the meal at 30% of your RDA, but quickly rose to the 50% mark when I kept telling her that she was wrong. This meal will give you a shocking 72% of your sodium for the day.

Boston Market’s Glazed Chicken meal made me a little sad because I was quite excited to see the Boston Market items go on sale. I’d be more than happy to eat at a Boston Market (mmm, cornbread) restuarant, but eating a Boston Market frozen meal is a whole different story. Then again, Nicole seemed to adore the lasagna.

If you’re going for a Chicken Breast in Gravy option, I recommend the less expensive (albeit smaller) Stouffer’s meal. Your arteries will thank me.

HeatEatReview.com in Real Simple Magazine

October 19, 2006 | Reviewer: Abi Jones

Dear Readers,

Thanks to your support and enthusiasm, HeatEatReview.com is featured in Real Simple’s annual Food Issue, on newstands until November 7th. Haven’t read Real Simple before? They categorize themselves as a women’s lifestyle magazine, but 90% of the tips they supply are beneficial to both genders. I’m betting that many people who read this site have also lusted after the organizational schemes featured in Real Simple.

If my mom has purchased all of the copies of the Food Issue in your area, you can find the blurb about HeatEatReview.com here or view Real Simple’s reviews of microwave meals. Many readers of both have noticed that there are a few disagreements between their reviews and ours. That’s ok because variety is the spice of life.

Sincerely,
Abi Jones
Editor, www.HeatEatReview.com

Want to know more about Real Simple Magazine? Here’s the info from their about page:

Founded in 2000, Real Simple magazine continues to be a leader in the category of women’s lifestyle publications. Its concise, useful strategies, coupled with a clean, inspiring design, focus on making busy women’s lives easier, from preparing a fast, healthy breakfast to getting a good night’s sleep. In essence, Real Simple helps its readers do what they need to do, so they have more time to enjoy what they want to do.

Campbell’s Chunky Grilled Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

October 18, 2006 | Reviewer: Rebecca

Campbell’s Chunky Soups make their first appearance on HeatEatReview.com. We’re kicking off with Rebecca’s review of Campbell’s Grilled Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and we’ll continue reviewing plenty of tasty soups as the weather cools here in DC.

Price: $1.58
Serving: 1 cup (half a can)
Calories: 140
Fat: 4%, 2.5g
Sodium: 35%, 850mg
Protein: 8g
Carbs: 7%, 21g
Fiber: 12%, 3g

Campbell’s says: A zesty gumbo loaded with chunks of grilled chicken, sausage and vegetables like celery, red and green peppers plus lots of rice in a savory seasoned broth.

Rebecca says: Gumbo may be the best soup ever. It has almost all of the major food groups: meat, vegetables (the word gumbo comes from the Gullah word for okra), rice and sausage. I try to eat gumbo that someone else is willing to make whenever possible because cookbooks make it sound really complicated. When I saw that Campbell’s offers me a ready-to-eat gumbo with a surprisingly low amount of fat (for a gumbo), I had to try it.

A good gumbo is more like a stew: with a hearty combination of rice, meat, chicken, etc. without too much broth. The Campbell’s version, however, is relatively brothy with maybe 20% more broth than I would like. When you get a spoonful of mostly broth, the “savory seasonings” of the broth are a little overwhelming and you’ll want to get another bite of rice in to erase the pseudo-spicy taste that screams “natural flavorings.”

Other than that, the portions are relatively good - there is a hearty amount of rice and enough okra to really be a gumbo without making you hate okra. There are also some red and green pepper bits (although I didn’t know what they were until I read the can). The chicken actually looks and tastes like chicken and is not too chewy (however, I think the grill marks on the side are ridiculous) and the sausage is decently flavorful, although also a bit chewy.

In response to the claim that Campbell’s Chunky Soup eats like a meal, it’s really only a meal if you eat the whole thing, which is two servings. An entire can is quite filling although you may want a slice of bread on the side to soak up some of the broth.

Next time, I may skim a little broth off the top before I heat it to subdue the excess flavorings and equalize the broth-substance proportions. Yes, there will be a next time. I love me some gumbo, even if it’s in a can.