Bale

Bale is the office frat boy. He's the one that complains when a meal weighs less than a pound or does not contain enough cheese or chicken. Bale is very, very serious about softball and he DJs at a couple of clubs in DC. Also, he is obsessed with Jon Bon Jovi and he runs the office daily trivia game. Yes, our office has a daily trivia game.

Latest Reviews by Bale:

Stouffer’s Corner Bistro Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Flatbread

April 25, 2007 | Reviewer: Bale

Stouffer's Corner Bistro Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Flatbread

SRP: $3.99
Serving: 1 flatbread, 9 3/8 oz.
Calories: 640
Fat: 30%, 23g
Cholesterol: 40%, 120mg
Sodium: 33%, 780mg
Protein: 33g
Carbohydrates: 25%, 76g
Fiber: 19%, 5g

Stouffer’s says: Shrimp and roasted garlic topped with a combination of mozzarella, Parmesan and Romano cheeses over a roasted garlic sauce.

Bale says: I really can only think of two words to describe Stoufferâ€™s new Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Flatbread: oily and pestoeey. I’m not even sure that ‘pestoeey’ is a word, but it is the best word to describe this food.

I am not the biggest fan of eating plain cheese pizza, but this was free, so I made do. I love me some flavorful sauce on my pizza, but in this case Stouffer’s thinks that the oil makes up for the lack of sauce. FYI, Stouffer’s, oil doesn’t make up for zero sauce.

The flatbread is an okay portion at nearly 10 oz but not truly filling as a meal. I guess I would buy this again if it was on sale but as I write this I can still feel the oil permeating my taste buds, so I might change my mind about making this meal a future purchase.

The final problem with this pizza is the incongruity between the box and reality. Look at the picture on the box and you’ll see wonderfully plump shrimp. Those are nearly cocktail-size shrimp! Opening up the flatbread is a different story. The shrimp are half the size and a couple of them are chopped up. Stouffer’s shouldn’t be advertising large shrimp and substituting salad-sized shrimp instead. I give this 3 out of 5 stars but only if the oil taste in my mouth goes away soon.

This meal was provided to HeatEatReview.com by the Stouffer’s PR company. They’ve also provided us Lean Cuisine meals in the past.

Filed Under Frozen Pizza Reviews, Stouffer's Frozen Meal Reviews, Three Stars | 10 Comments

Stouffer’s Corner Bistro Sesame Chicken Meal

July 31, 2006 | Reviewer: Bale

Finally, we have a male reviewer at the HeatEatReview Headquarters.

Stouffer's Corner Bistro Sesame Chicken Meal

Price: $5.00 ($2.50 on sale)
Serving: 1 meal, 12 5/8 oz
Calories: 510
Fat: 22%, 15g
Sodium: 58%, 1380mg

Stouffer’s says: Breaded sesame chicken tenderloins on a bed of noodles, julienne carrots, green beans and red peppers with a sweet & sour sauce.

Bale says: Stoufferâ€™s Corner Bistro meals are pretty tasty. Their Sesame Chicken meal keeps up with the other meals Corner Bistro meals Iâ€™ve had the opportunity to try. The Sesame Chicken meal contains a decent portion of chicken and sauce, but I’m a hungry guy who could use a little more of both. Overall these meals are a pretty satisfying choice. They can get a little expensive ($5 retail) but are entirely worth $2.50 when they’re on sale for half off at the local grocery store.

Filed Under Chicken, Four Stars, Pasta, Stouffer's Frozen Meal Reviews | 4 Comments

Marie Callender’s Macaroni and Cheese

July 14, 2006 | Reviewer: Bale

Marie Callender’s mac and cheese is probably the best frozen mac and cheese in existence…

Marie Callender's Macaroni and Cheese

Price: $2.50
Serving: 1 cup, 8 oz.
Servings in tray: about 2.5
Calories per serving: 350
Fat: 23%, 15g
Sodium: 47%, 1130mg
Protein: 16g
Carbs: 12%, 36g
Fiber: 12%, 3g

Marie Callender says: I blended tender elbow macaroni with a rich, creamy cheese sauce made with real butter.

Bale says: Marie Callender’s mac and cheese is probably the best frozen mac and cheese in existence. Not only is it a very large portion (20 ounces if you eat the whole box), the texture of the noodles is very good . . . not too soft and not too hard. The best thing about this side dish as a meal is the flavor of the cheese. You couldn’t ask for anything cheesier unless you make a pan of macaroni and cheese from scratch. That’s the only thing that would give this meal a run for its money.

The HeatEatReview.com staff has also reviewed:
Banquet Macaroni and Cheese;
Stouffer’s Macaroni and Cheese;
Annie’s Microwaveable Mac and Cheese; and
Kraft Easy Mac Cups.

Filed Under Five Stars, Mac and Cheese, Marie Callender Reviews, Pasta, Vegetarian | 8 Comments

Stouffer’s Corner Bistro Monterey Chicken Meal

April 7, 2006 | Reviewer: Bale

Stouffer's Corner Bistro Monterey Chicken Meal

Price: $5.00 ($2.50 on sale)
Serving: 1 meal, 12 oz
Calories: 500
Fat: 35%, 23g
Sodium: 54%, 1310mg

Stouffer’s says: A grilled chicken breast with BBQ sauce, topped with bacon and Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, served with garlic mashed potatoes.

Bale says: At almost $5 retail the Monterey Chicken can be expensive but if you wait until they are on sale you can buy any Stouferâ€™s Corner Bistro for half that. Although not the biggest piece of chicken, the bar-b-que sauce and pieces of bacon make up for it, so did the garlic mashed potatoes. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would have to give it and 8. The only downside is that is says to cook it on half power for 11 minutes but go right ahead and go full power for a little over 5 minutes and youâ€™ll be happy. It does look and pretty much taste damn good after itâ€™s done.

Filed Under Chicken, Stouffer's Frozen Meal Reviews | 3 Comments