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No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut. ~Channing Pollock

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Michael Angelo’s Vegetable Lasagna

April 10, 2007 | Reviewer: Jess

SRP: $3.89
Serving: 1 cup, 8 oz.
Servings per Container: 1.5
Calories: 230
Fat: 11%, 7g
Cholesterol: 5%, 15mg
Sodium: 30%, 720mg
Protein: 20g
Carbs: 8%, 23g
Fiber: 12%, 3g

Michael Angelo says: Sara created this delicious recipe for her brother - the only vegetarian in the family! Our blend of 7 crisp vegetables is enhanced by our flavorful marinara sauce made from vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh garlic, honey and imported Italian olive oil. We then add low-fat ricotta, mozzarella and Pecorino Romano between layers of our firm lasagna pasta.

Jess says: Today I am going to take the opportunity to tell the people in my life, who I'm usually just snarky to, that I really care about them, but only if it's true. Do you know how lasagna ties in to love and caring? In so ways, my dear internet, in so many ways.

First of all, this veggie lasagna was sent to Abi for free! You know, like a gift. And free gifts and/or material possessions, just like an Aston Kutcher movie, are a lot like love.

Second of all, Abi then regifted this lasagna to me. She knows I have been dreaming of veggie lasagna since I realized that Amy's Kitchen was never going to combine the forces of their nearly-Vegan tofu vegetable lasagna and cheese lasagna (for shame Amy's Kitchen). But Michael Angelo has beat you to this race for delicious! The fact that Abi would allow me to partake in her bounty is a gesture of friendship and kindness. I'm really glad that Abi is my friend. Otherwise I wouldn't get to pass my lunch hours using my mental thesaurus for all the many ways of saying "delicious" and "nasty" as related to microwave food. Also, she's just awesome.

Lastly, this veggie lasagna taught me a very important lesson. Beauty is only pasta layer deep. Before eating the meal I had Abi take a "before" picture to show how the veggies were used as more of a last minute garnish to the lasagna than a real ingredient. They were seemingly thrown on top at as an afterthought.

You see, I had judged this meal before tasting it. But upon digging in I realized that this meal was more delicious than Valentine’s Day chocolates from a secret admirer (not really). Good sauce, nice and cheesy, an ample smattering of vegetables, and an overall hearty portion. I'd eat this again in two shakes. Oh, AND Michael Angelo doesn't bother with all that half power nonsense, which is an all-around crowd pleaser (just watch it close, no one like the tomato crusting, you know?)

Tonight I'm going to go out, get drunk and take this lesson to heart. I'm only going to flirt with guys that have their hearts on their lapel, not locked away behind layers of "sauce" and "cheese". Thanks Michael Angelo

This meal was provided to HeatEatReview.com by Michael Angelo’s. You can see all of our reviews of their products by checking out the Michael Angelo’s Review Archive. If you’re interested in seeing your company’s meals on HeatEatReview.com, check out our review policy.

Michael Angelo’s Eggplant Parmesan

April 9, 2007 | Reviewer: Abi

SRP: $3.19
Serving: 1/2 tray, 6 oz.
Calories: 240
Fat: 22%, 14g
Sodium: 21%, 500mg
Protein: 11g
Carbs: 5%, 16g
Fiber: 12%, 3g

Michael Angelo says: Eggplant Parmesan is one of our family’s favorites - we’re confident you will find our signature dish better than your favorite restaurant’s version. We start with our specially grown variety of farm-fresh eggplant that is delivered to us daily. We add layers of premium mozzarella, our traditional tomato sauce made from sun-ripened tomatoes, imported olive oil and Italian spices and top it all off with a blend of imported Romano and Parmesan.

Abi says: Today, while miserably cold, is the perfect day for Eggplant Parmesan. Michael Angelo’s claims that their Eggplant Parmesan will be “better than your favorite restaurant’s version”. What kind of frozen meal company claims that some deep-fried eggplant is going to be better out of the microwave than in a restaurant? That’s some serious crazy talk. This eggplant parm contains a ridiculous amount of breading (what’s the point? it isn’t crispy) and a tomato sauce that could be described only as ‘needing spices’ but at least it taste like real tomatoes. Oh, and the serving size is half a tray. Yeah, as though 6 ounces could be considered a ’serving’ of lunch. None of these put-downs explain why I keep buying this meal (yes, with my own money) instead of ordering eggplant parmesan from my favorite restaurant.

Well, this stuff is pretty cheap. You can’t get eggplant parmesan in DC for less than ten dollars. Plus a 10% dining out tax and a tip for the waiter or waitress. I buy these on sale for just $2.50 and stock my freezer with plenty of cold-weather deliciousness. Also on the plus side, there’s a lot of cheese in this meal, enough that I can overlook the horrible nutritional statistics (just double all of the numbers up there) and pretend that the numbers refer to the entire (small) tray. Sometimes you just need to relax in the embrace of a piping hot lunch and ignore nutrition. After all, it is April and you’re wearing a sweater; nobody’s checking out your upper-arm definition.

This meal was sent to HeatEatReview by the folks at Michael Angelo’s. We received a free meal, but no compensation for this review.

Boston Market Turkey Breast Medallions

April 6, 2007 | Reviewer: Nicole

Price: $2.00 (sale)
Serving: 1 entree, 15 oz.
Calories: 360
Fat: 31%, 20g
Cholesterol: 21%, 14mg
Sodium: 65%, 1570mg
Protein: 24g
Carbohydrates: 12%, 35g
Fiber: 21%, 5g

Boston Market says: Tender cuts of turkey breast, homestyle mashed potatoes & gravy, with carrots and green beans.

Nicole says: (I'm sorry. I took a bit of veggies before I took the picture. So really, there were more than you see here by just a bit.)

This meal seems to be missing something. Like STUFFING. If you have turkey and mashed potatoes, it's fairly standard to give us some stuffing, too. But the veggie side of carrots and green beans is colorful, hearty, not too mushy, and sits in a light butter sauce. So I will forgive you. One day soon, but not today.

The turkey tastes and feels like turkey. Real, Thanksgiving Day turkey - except it's simpler to eat due to the "medallion" shape versus slices. No messy attepts at cutting turkey slices with the side of your fork. The gravy does not overpower the actual flavor of the meat, which is fabulous (the meat and the gravy). I begin to think I'm seeing double, as I keep eating but there is still all this meat left! 10-12 medallions ranging from the size of a quarter to the size of an oyster. The potatoes share the compartment with the turkey and gravy, and after natural mixing that occurs while heating, the gravy takes away some starchiness and leaves you with the creamy, lumpy essence of Grandma's house. It is a standard helping of potatoes, nothing special, but it adds to the serious fulfillment you'll get from this meal.

So we've established that Boston Market's Turkey Breast Medallions meal is pretty stellar in the arena of enjoyment. How about health? It's pretty low-cal at 360 calories for a 15 ounce serving. However, this tasty meal packs a punch of 65% RDA sodium. No wonder it tastes so good. Not that it was super-salty, just delicious.

If all the cheese in the world, and all the ingredients necessary to make cheeses, were somehow tainted, rendering all cheese deadly, and I for some silly reason chose life, then I would strongly hope that everything tasted like turkey, potatoes, and gravy. Grandma's or Boston Market's.

Michael Angelo’s Italian Meals

April 4, 2007 | Reviewer: Abi Jones

Next week HeatEatReview is going Italian with five straight days of Michael Angelo’s entrees. Yes, this means that all of you Lean Cuisine haters can stop whining about how all we ever eat is diet food. Sure, Michael Angelo’s meals could be included in a healthy diet, but you’d never know it from the immense amount of cheese they contain.

We spent a week gorging ourselves and now we’re ready to report back on a variety of hearty, tomatoey, potentially Italian meals. For now, feast your eyes on this list:

• Monday - Eggplant Parmesan
• Tuesday - Vegetable Lasagna
• Wednesday - Chicken Parmesan
• Thursday - Baked Eggplant and Chicken Bolognese Sauce
• Friday - Family-sized Meat Lasagna

Question for readers: Do you like the ‘upcoming reviews’ announcments or would you rather just be bombarded with five straight days of one type of meal? I’d like to hear your thoughts. - Abi