Carolyn

Carolyn left HeatEatReview.com headquarters to teach Kindergarten. We would be mad at her for this, but who gets mad at a kindergarten teacher? She's essentially reached a state of sainthood.

Latest Reviews by Carolyn:

Marie Callender’s Chicken Parmigiana

November 6, 2006 | Reviewer: Carolyn

“This meal was the first non “healthy” frozen meal I have had in a long time. And you can tell the difference. The chicken is fried, and covered in a creamy cheesy goodness…”

Marie Callender's Chicken Parmigiana

Price: $2.00
Serving: 1 meal, 16 oz.
Calories per serving: 650
Fat: 45%, 29g
Sodium: 42%, 1000mg
Carbs: 22%, 66g
Fiber: 20%, 5g
Protein: 31g

Marie Callender says: At Marie Callender’s, we serve our golden-breaded chicken breast with a chunky homestyle marinara sauce, all on a bed of tender linguini.

Carolyn says: This meal was the first non “healthy” frozen meal I have had in a long time. And you can tell the difference. The chicken is fried, and covered in a creamy cheesy goodness. The sauce has some flavor to it aside from the requisite sugary tomato base. Everything in the tray tastes rich That being said, the noodles congregated into a single bland, sticky lump. From that sentence you can probably gather that I didn’t eat much of the pasta. The clumpiness was not aided by being permanently hardened to the edge of the tray due to the 6.5 minutes of required cooking time. The veggies weren’t bad and I could detect a faint amount of seasoning, but not much. I was confused, wondering if this seasoning was meant for the veggies, or was instead supposed to live on the chicken portion of the meal.

Marie Callender’s Chicken Parmigiana is not a bad meal, but there are healthier others I’d recommend before I’d tell you to go buy this one.

Filed Under Chicken, Marie Callender Reviews, NaBloPoMo, Pasta, Three Stars | 9 Comments

Lean Cuisine Roasted Turkey Breast

September 4, 2006 | Reviewer: Carolyn

Lean Cuisine Roasted Turkey Breast

Price: $3.29
Serving: 1 tray, 12 oz.
Calories: 280
Fat: 9%, 6g
Sodium: 37%, 890mg
Protein: 17g
Carbs: 13%, 39g
Fiber: 16%, 4g
WW Points: 6 Points
Diet Exchanges: 1 1/2 Lean Meat, 2 starch, 1 other carbohydrate, 1/2 Fat

Lean Cuisine says: Tender slices of roasted turkey tenderloins in a traditional gravy with stuffing, whipped potatoes and green beans accented with cranberries

Carolyn says: This meal seemed like it was trying to go for that Thanksgiving feel, and I was not sure what to expect because Thanksgiving doesn’t come in a cardboard container. The other problem is that I don’t really like green beans, but I decided to give it a whirl. To my suprise, the green beans ended up being my favorite part! The cranberries mixed in with (accenting) the beans disguised the taste of those vegetables just enough for me to really enjoy the sweet and salty combo. The turkey was moist yet flavorless and the potatoes were nothing exciting. Overall I vote for bypassing this meal, unless you have tried everything else and want something new.

Filed Under 6 WW Points, Lean Cuisine Reviews, Turkey, Two Stars | 3 Comments

Lean Cuisine Alfredo Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli

June 19, 2006 | Reviewer: Carolyn

Lean Cuisine Alfredo Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli

Price: $2.00 (on sale)
Serving: 1 meal, 10 oz.
Calories: 270
Fat: 9%, 6g
Sodium: 28%, 690mg
Protein: 17g
Carbs: 13%, 38g
Fiber: 12%, 3g
WW Points: 5 Winning Points
Diet Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat, 2 Starch, 1 Vegetable, 1/2 Skim Milk

Lean Cuisine says: Grilled white meat chicken with broccoli and pasta tossed in a creamy Alfredo sauce made with Parmesan and Romano Cheeses.

Carolyn says: This meal was pleasantly tasty. Eating a ‘lean’ alfredo is always a dangerous venture. After cooking it for a long time (5 minutes, then mix, then 3 more minutes), I was ready to try this combo. The chicken and brocolli was cooked very well, and there was enough pasta to give me a filling (relatively speaking) lunch. Sauce was a little watery at first, and then solidified to a more regular alfredo type taste. Not something I will buy tons of times, but it was pretty good.

Filed Under 5 WW Points, Chicken, Lean Cuisine Reviews, Pasta, Three Stars | Leave a Comment

Lean Cuisine Thai-Style Chicken

June 8, 2006 | Reviewer: Carolyn

Lean Cuisine Thai-Style Chicken

Price: $2.50 (on sale)
Serving: 1 tray, 9 oz.
Calories: 220
Fat: 6%, 4g
Sodium: 25%, 610mg
Protein: 17g
WW Points: 4 Winning Points
Diet Exchanges: 1 1/2 Lean Meat, 1 1/2 Starch, 1/2 Vegetable, 1/2 Skim Milk

Lean Cuisine says: Grilled chicken tenderloins served in a rich and creamy roasted red pepper sauce made with fire-roasted red peppers and basil, accented with lime. Long grain white rice, hand-picked red peppers, spinach and lime are tossed together to finish the dish.

Carolyn says: This meal was relatively filling, but the content was not all there. The redeeming quality that saved this from being a 1 star meal was the sauce. That was some pretty good thai-style sauce. But what would have made it better is doubling the veggies, adding more substance, and not using tasteless and mushy rice. The sauce was enjoyable and had a medium level of spice. It was a nice contrast to the Italian meals I normally pick up in the frozen food aisle.

Filed Under 4 WW Points, Chicken, Lean Cuisine Reviews, Two Stars | 8 Comments