Smart Ones Chicken Fettucini

July 28, 2008 | Reviewer: Abi

Photo of Smart Ones Chicken Fettucini Price: $2.50 on sale
Serving: 1 package, 10oz.
Calories: 340
Fat: 10%, 6g
Cholesterol: 19%, 55mg
Sodium: 28%, 680mg
Protein: 24g
Carbohydrates: 16%, 47g
Fiber: 17%, 4g
Sugar: 3g
Weight Watchers Points: 7 Points

Smart Ones says: Indulge in all-white meat chicken and ribbons of tender pasta in a rich creamy parmesan cheese sauce, topped with a sprinkling of parsley and a dash of ground pepper.

Abi says: I admit it, I’m a Smart Ones hater. While other reviewers toss around stars like they’re handing out candy at a parade, I’m less likely to hop on the Smart Ones bandwagon. For one, I am not on a diet. For two, they make mediocre food. For three, when you go to their website there’s a woman on there who starts talking and the last thing I need is a website to start making noise when I go there. This is not MySpace. This is food.

At least, I think this is food. The all-white meat chicken looks like its been grilled, but a quick perusal of the ingredients label reveals that ever-present caramel color glaze. Caramel color is the world’s most consumed (by weight) food colorant. I understand when it appears in cola. I don’t need it on my microwaved chicken.

The noodles are the same limp noodles that appear in just about every microwave meal. They are easy to cut with the side of a fork and hold sauce well. The little specks of parsley and black pepper shown on the box are also evident in the cooked dish. Is microwaved parsley delicious? Nah, but it is nice to have a break from the visual and textural monotony of faux-cream sauce.

Smart Ones’ Chicken Fettucini proclaims to be diet food, but when it comes down to it, you can get a tastier, non-diet entree that’s just one WW point more than this junk. Does Chicken Fettucini really require ‘corn syrup solids’ and ‘cheese flavor’? No, it doesn’t.

If you want something with a chicken and a creamy, cheesy sauce, stop buying stuff like this. Make the one-point-more sacrifice (okay, and wallet sacrifice) and pick up a couple of Michael Angelo’s Chicken & Asiago entrees.

comments

9 Responses to “Smart Ones Chicken Fettucini”

MaryAnne on July 28th, 2008

You know I’m scarily addicted to a website when I check to see if it’s updated and when I see that it is, I gasp and clap my hands with excitement. It’s the little things…
rob on July 28th, 2008

Now we are cooking with gas!!!
christine on July 28th, 2008

Ugh! That looks bad!
VeggieGirl on July 28th, 2008

Hooray for the return of the product reviews!!! :0)
Heather on July 28th, 2008

The texture of the chicken, as usual, is very non-mouth-friendly. I always get once piece that is just nasty. As in “spit into my napkin” nasty. But Smart Ones IMO is way better than Lean Cuisine in the pasta departments. Lean Cuisine LOADS their fettuccini al fredo with nutmeg! I belch up that stuff all night. I hate nutmeg.
Susan on July 28th, 2008

Abi lives! Yay!
Katy on July 29th, 2008

Yay! Abi’s back!

I have to agree. I’ve never had a Smart Ones that I found particularly appealing. And I don’t find ‘diet food’ that appealing either. I’d so much rather eat real food. That extra WW point or two is, IMO, far better spent on actual recognisable ingredients rather than saved by eating chemically processed, lab-created pseudo-food. That’s one of the reasons why I am such a fan of Amy’s stuff — I can eat frozen food and still feel like I am eating REAL food.
Rose on July 31st, 2008

It’s aliiiive.

I hate to say it, but I actually think this looks pretty good. however, I am one who enjoys frozen Michelina’s fettucini. and the only smart ones I’ve ever consumed was pretty good, but that might’ve been because I was shopping all day and hadn’t eaten. mmm carbs.
Meredith on August 1st, 2008

I think it would be good to have someone who IS on a diet review the meals intended for dieters. When one is denied yummy deliciousness on a regular basis, one learns to appreciate mediocre tastiness a little more. Yes, it would be nice if Smart One was just regular food but in a smaller portion - then I would say it could be reviewed equally. But since diet dinners are frequently made with alternative ingredients to bring down the calories so the portion can be a little bigger, of course they’re going to seem inferior to someone who doesn’t need to be on a diet. May I suggest leaving the reviews of the diet food to those of us for whom it is our only frame of refrence?

Smart Ones fettuccine alfredo can be compared to Healthy Choice fettuccine alfredo, but not to Marie Callendar’s fettuccine alfredo. That’s all I’m sayin’.