Stouffer’s Italian Sausage Stuffed Rigatoni

November 26, 2006 | Reviewer: Nicole

Stouffer's Italian Sausage Stuffed Rigatoni

Price: $1.64 (sale at Giant)
Serving: 1 tray, 9 1/8 oz.
Calories: 380
Fat: 21%, 14g
Sodium: 37%, 880mg
Protein: 25%, 18g
Carbs: 15%, 46g
Fiber: 8%, 2g

Stouffer’s says: Rigatoni pasta stuffed with Italian sausage in a five cheese sauce

Nicole says: So, is stuffed rigatoni really that much more interesting than, say, ravioli? It appears that the stuffed pasta shell is supposed to have a ribbed texture, which gets a bit lost in the freezing-microwaving process. So are they really ribbed for her pleasure?

The pasta shell is a bit thicker than your typical ravioli, which makes each bite seem a bit more substantial. Plus, it is complemented by a sweet and spicy Italian sausage stuffing. The five cheese sauce thickens up well after a minute to cool (it comes out of the microwave thin and bubbly), and is an excellently creamy, cheesy contrast to the flavor of the sausage. This is from Stouffer’s “Classic Recipe” collection, which consists on rather small meals - ths meal comes in a box that’s about 5″ tall, 7″ wide and 1″ deep, and only contains 380 calories. However, as it is tasty and a bit rich, Italian Sausage Stuffed Rigatoni suffices for a light meal. This could find it’s place as a tasty Italian standard if you’re not always a big eater, especially with the nice price.

Filed Under Pasta, Pork, Stouffer's Frozen Meal Reviews | Leave a Comment

Trader Joe’s Week Nov. 27 - Dec. 8

November 25, 2006 | Reviewer: Abi Jones

Image of the cover of the book 'The Trader Joe's Adventure'

Are you tired of turkey yet? Do not fear!
Trader Joe’s Week* is almost here.

On September 1st a Trader Joe’s store opened just 8 blocks from HeatEatReview.com headquarters (a.k.a. the office where most of us work). Since then we’ve been tasting and writing about a whole host of items. As a break from your typical “Ideas for turkey leftovers” fare, HeatEatReview.com will feature 12 days straight of Trader Joe’s goodness beginning Monday November 27th. We’ll kick off the week with the announcement of our Trader Joe’s gift pack winner and move right into reviews of TJ goodness (and not-so-goodness).

Did they give us free food? Ha, we wish. As usual, we’ll be reviewing our actual lunches and dinners. Enjoy the reviews and let us know what you think of TJ’s week. Don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you? Well, you’ll just have to keep your eyes peeled for the next contest.

Sincerely,
Abi Jones
Editor, www.HeatEatReview.com

P.S. If you are from Trader Joe’s and would like to send the staff of HeatEatReview.com some free food, that would be awesome. Also awesome: giving us a sneak peek at your food-testing process. Need to get in touch with me? Send and email to abi@heateatreview.com or use the contact form.

*You may have noticed that while I wrote “Trader Joe’s Week”, this event actually occurs over the course of 12 days, which is more than a week. I said week because I don’t want to get into horrible “12 Days of Trader Joe’s” jokes already. There’s time enough for that come December.

P.P.S. Tomorrow review is not going to be a Trader Joe’s item. It is going to be a Stouffer’s item. Please don’t freak out on me and tell me that it is not a Trader Joe’s item. This celebration of cheap gourmet food does not begin until Monday.

Filed Under Site News, Trader Joe's Reviews | 1 Comment

Simply Asia Sweet and Sour Chow Mein

November 24, 2006 | Reviewer: Sarah

Simply Asia Sweet and Sour Chow Mein
Price: $2.99
Serving: 1/2 package, 10.6 oz.
Calories: 370
Fat: 3%, 2g
Sodium: 28%, 670mg
Protein: 8g
Carbs: 25%, 75g
Fiber: 10%, 3g

Simply Asia says: Authentic Asian Noodles with sweet & sour sauce, vegetables, and crunchy shallot sesame seed topping. Fork included.

Sarah says: When Abi asked me if I liked sweet & sour foods, I was excited. When she handed me the box of hot, steaming noodles, I was ecstatic! Well, if such a thing is even possible at 11:30am on a Monday morning.

While Mondays are often disappointing, I was not let down by this box of noodles. The first thing that I noticed about this meal was the fact that the noodles were absolutely delicious. They weren’t soggy or powdery, as microwavable pasta has a tendency to be. They were very thick and extremely filling; so filling that I couldn’t even finish the entire box. This is probably a good thing, seeing as how at 740 calories, this chow mein would better serve my diet as 2 or 3 meals. Luckily, though, the 4 grams of fat and complete lack of saturated fat makes me feel a little bit better about the entire experience.

The sauce was indeed a good mixture of both sweet and sour flavors. The peppers involved gave it extra flavor, which Iâ€™m sure I would have enjoyed more if I actually liked peppers. All in all, I would definitely eat this again, but Iâ€™m interested to try some of Simply Asia’s products with meats or more vegetables. The whole â€œjust noodlesâ€ bit would be sure to get quite boring after a while, delicious or no.

Filed Under Four Stars, NaBloPoMo, Simply Asia Reviews, Thai Kitchen Reviews | Leave a Comment

Happy Thanksgiving

November 23, 2006 | Reviewer: Abi Jones

Dear Readers,

I hope that your Thanksgiving is full of joy, rest, and delicious foods. If you’re celebrating with family, perhaps it would help to keep in mind the words of Johnny Carson:

Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often.

If you happen to be alone or without a working oven, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with a review of Lean Cuisine’s Turkey with Stuffing and Cinnamon Apples. What’s more, we have reviews of three other turkey dinners. Ok, links to reviews, which means that you’ll have to do some clicking to view the other meals (horrific, I know).

Lean Cuisine Roast Turkey with Cinnamon Apples
Lean Cuisine Roast Turkey with Green Beans
Banquet Turkey Meal with Mashed Potatoes and Peas
Healthy Choice Turkey with Mashed Potatoes

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,
Abi Jones
Editor, www.HeatEatReview.com

Filed Under In the Kitchen, NaBloPoMo | Leave a Comment