Smart Ones Thai Style Chicken and Rice Noodles

January 31, 2007 | Reviewer: Abi

Price: $2.00
Serving: 1 meal, 9 oz.
Calories: 260
Fat: 6%, 4g
Cholesterol: 9%, 25mg
Sodium: 24%, 570mg
Protein: 14g
Carbs: 14%, 43g
Fiber: 8%, 2g
WW Points: 5 Points

Smart Ones says: The flavors of Thailand are infused into this tasty dish of juicy white meat chicken and tender rice noodles in a spicy peanut sauce, accented with carrots, chives and red peppers.

Abi says: This Smart Ones Chicken in Peanut Sauce completely kicks the ass of Lean Cuisine’s Peanut Chicken. If these two meals were in a bar fight and the Lean Cuisine one would have to be taken away in an ambulance. That’s just how much better Smart Ones Thai Style Chicken tastes.

Caveat: They use rice noodles instead of whole wheat. That is sort of lame and not nearly as fiber-rific as the Lean Cuisine option. Just kidding! It is only one gram of fiber, so eat some broccoli and you are set.

Speaking of broccoli, the carrots should be broccoli instead. Also, these carrots-cum-broccoli should be on the side of the dish and not interspersed with the noodles, chicken, and dee-licious peanut sauce. If not a change to broccoli, then quit providing the carrots in ‘matchstick’ size…sticks. Seriously, they end up overcooked and soggy and pretty damn depressing. Also, they turn sort of brown and blend in with the sauce. It is not quite the explosion of color that the box picture would have you believe.

Chives and red peppers were described as present, but managed to slip out unnoticed, much like teenagers who have stoners for parents. Not that my parents are stoners, that I have teenage kids, or that I snuck out of the house growing up. Hey, I lived waaaay out in the country.
Sneaking out of the house would have involved walking miles through fields. No thank you.

And the peanut sauce that I have not yet lovingly described? I don’t often eat every single bit of food out of a frozen meal tray. Today was the exception. I chased every lame carrot matchstick and noodle bite with my fork and briefly considered licking the tray. Or maybe just running my forefinger across the tray and licking my finger. Whatever it was, it would have grossed out the people around me. Maybe the month of eating ‘diet’ frozen meals has finally done me in, or maybe you’ll just have to try this meal yourself and find out. It is only 5 Points.*

*Not that I really know how many Weight Watchers Points a person should have if they are on a diet. Is 5 acceptable? Does it make sense as a lunch? Is it a splurge? Please share, thanks.

Filed Under 5 WW Points, Chicken, Four Stars, Smart Ones Reviews | 11 Comments

Lean Cuisine Lemongrass Chicken

January 30, 2007 | Reviewer: Nicole

Lean Cuisine Lemongrass Chicken

Price: $1.50 (sale)
Serving: 1 meal, 9 3/8 oz.
Calories: 250
Fat: 8%, 6g
Cholesterol: 9%, 30mg
Sodium: 25%, 610mg
Protein: 18g
Carbohydrates: 10%, 30g
Fiber: 16%, 4g
WW Points: 5 Points

Lean Cuisine says: Roasted Chicken tenderloins in a lemongrass coconut sauce served over brown rice with broccoli,carrots,baby corn and yellow carrots.

Nicole says: LC is trying really hard on presentation, it appears. Was that a pun? No really, youYs meal was something consumed on Iron Chef.

But seriously - they include carrots AND yellow carrots. Why? Color. And, though it’s not mentioned in the description, you can see in the picture and in your meal that a few pieces of red pepper are thrown into the veggie mix - so few and such small pieces that they cannot possibly exist for taste. The mix is fine, though - the broccoli is firm and tasty, the baby corn is the best baby corn I’ve ever had - seriously - and the carrots are okay.

This whole-grain-brown-rice business is interesting as well. It almost feels like they’re trying to compete with the seven grain pilaf from Kashi. They didn’t do a terrible job - the rice is appropriately moist, has a nice texture - but it’s not brown, actually. It’s the opposite, dyslexic vesion of “like white on rice” - it’s off-white rice.

The lemongrass coconut sauce is basically drowning the chicken. This is probably a good thing, because after cooking the chicken maintained a moist texture, and the (probably artificial) good chicken flavor is actually locked into the meat. This meal included three or four medium bouncy ball sized “tenderloins” and four or five smaller pieces of chicken (think jacks or smaller). The lemongrass coconut sauce has a lovely flavor - you do get a hint of fruit, but it concentrated on lemongrass, and it’s neither heavy nor light. There is plenty of sauce included if you are so inclined to soak your vegetables, but most veggies stayed separate from the meat and sauce during cooking, so it was optional.

This meal did not quite fill me up - I’d say I was maybe 3/4 full. Not bad. But I betcha $5 I’ll be hungry again in three hours. Luckily, I have a fruit cup in the work fridge.This is a tasty meal, and considering the low calorie count, reasonably filling.

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

Smart Ones Chicken Santa Fe

January 29, 2007 | Reviewer: Abi

Smart Ones Chicken Santa Fe

Price: $2.00
Serving: 1 meal, 9 oz.
Calories: 140
Fat: 3%, 2.5g
Cholesterol: 10%, 30mg
Sodium: 33%, 800mg
Protein: 20g
Carbs: 4%, 11g
Fiber: 15%, 4g
WW Points: 2 Points

Smart Ones says: Taste sun-drenched Southwest spiciness in every bit of white meat chicken with zucchini, tomatoes, onions, black beans and bell peppers.

Abi says: I feel so dumb for buying this.

Sure, it contains 8-10 cubic inches of nicely seasoned chicken. But it also manages to supply 33% of my sodium for the day in one tiny 140 calorie serving. It also looks completely different from the picture on the box. Oh, not in a “Where are the grill marks?” way. It is more of a “Where the heck are the beans?” issue. Also, I accidentally purchased two of this meal. I am going to go back to Safeway next week and see if I can exchange the second one for something better. Yes, that’s how little I liked this meal…I am going to return it.

When I think of Santa Fe, New Mexico (I’m assuming that is the Santa Fe of which they speak on the box), I don’t think of zucchini. I think of fabulous Tex-Mex, fine wine, gaudy turqoise jewelry, and my mom’s friend Dr. Reba Eagles. She actually lives in Albuquerque, but I think that there are few enough people in New Mexico that we can easily generalize about their general tastes, likes, and dislikes. It is a beautiful state, by the way. Somewhat depressing to drive through Southern New Mexico during the winter…but they have some of the loveliest Springs in the world. Also, the landscape is so impressive and rough that you feel like a miniature being no bigger than a bug. There aren’t enough places like that in the United States. At least, not near Washington, DC.

People in Santa Fe should be suing Smart Ones for releasing such a horridly salty and unsatisfying product into the marketplace and with their city’s name. Yeah, it contains an impressive amount of chicken, but that does not make up for the fact that I grimaced after nearly every bite. What it the “Sun-drenched Southwest Spiciness”? No, it was the absolutely insane saltiness of the meal. Maybe I would like it if I were a deer. Also, where are the freaking black beans? I counted four in my meal. FOUR BLACK BEANS. Not acceptable. They could more accurately name this meal ‘Watery Santa Fe-Style Zucchini with some Chicken Chunks’.

If you’re on a diet and thinking about eating this meal, please skip it. Not lunch, just this meal. I know that it is just two Weight Watchers Points, but quite frankly you are going to be so sick of the salt taste in your mouth that 30 minutes after consuming Smart Ones Chicken Santa Fe you’ll be in line at Starbucks ordering a Frapuccino to get the horrid saltiness out of your mouth.

That’s what I would like to do. Except that is it exceptionally cold outside (current temperature + windchill = zero degrees) and I am a) too much of a wimp to walk to Starbucks, and b) too much of an Earth-lover to drive a car the five blocks to Starbucks. So, no Frap for me.

If you’ve already got some veggies and cheese in the fridge, think about eating a 2 Point Amy’s Tamale Pie bowl instead. It has beans, is significantly more satisfying than the Smart Ones meal, is cholesterol free, and contains actual flavor rather than salt.

Filed Under 2 WW Points, Chicken, Smart Ones Reviews, Three Stars | 14 Comments

Lean Cuisine Pork with Cherry Sauce

January 26, 2007 | Reviewer: Nicole

Lean Cuisine Pork with Cherry Sauce

Price: $2.00
Serving: 1 meal, 8.25 oz.
Calories: 260
Fat: 6%, 4g
Cholesterol: 9%, 30mg
Sodium: 23%, 570mg
Protein: 15g
Carbs: 14%, 41g
Fiber: 14%, 4g
WW Points: 5 Points

Lean Cuisine says: Honey roasted pork in a dried cherry and red wine sauce with a side of wild and brown rice with French cut green beans and yellow carrots

Nicole says: For a meal with a great amount of color and textural variety, it’s amazing that this Lean Cuisine’s Pork with Cherry Sauce still manages to look unappetizing. Chunks of pork buried under a slop of cherries and cherry sauce. Icky icky eww. I want salty, savory food. Not dessert on top of my meat. Oh, well.

I really didn’t enjoy the first few bites of cherry-sauce-soaked pork. The pork is a bit chewy. The grains are too dry and bland, even with the pretty green beans and yellow carrots decorating the side dish. If you are starving to death, you might appreciate the side; while picking through it I found some unsauced pork and was surprised by the actual Good Flavor present therein. I guess the blandness of the side was a positive thing. While eating, I slowly adjusted to the sweetness of the sauce and cherries, and started to enjoy it a bit. Sizewise, you get three large-ish pieces (silver dollar) and four small (marbles or peas) chunks of pork. If you like sweet and you like pork, you will probably really dig the meat part of this meal.

The National Pork Board gave this the “Esteemed Trendsetter” award in 2005. Maybe because you’d get really thin if this is all you had in your house to eat, and thin is trendy. This meal is small and not very filling. Not to mention I didn’t actually finish it even though I was very hungry. Bring a snack if you have the misfortune of having this for lunch. However, if you are jonesing for cherries and sauciness and want some satisfaction, get a cherry pie.

And no, I’m not thinking about a group of guys with long frizzy hair wearing tight black pants and black tops (or no tops and fringed denim jackets) and wondering why “swingin’” is a good euphemism for sexual intercourse.

Warrant:

Tanya over at IateaPie.net thought this meal was delicious. [Read her review]

Filed Under 4 WW Points, Lean Cuisine Reviews, Pork, Two Stars | Leave a Comment