Guest Reviewers

The guest reviewers at HeatEatReview.com are usually one-time review volunteers.

Latest Reviews by Guest Reviewers:

Smart Ones Fruit Inspirations Honey Mango Barbeque Chicken

April 22, 2008 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Smart Ones Fruit Inspirations Honey Mango Barbeque Chicken Price: Free/$2.56 (on sale)
Serving: 9 oz.
Calories: 240 per serving
Fat: 5%, 3.5g
Cholesterol: 11%, 30mg
Sodium: 21%, 490mg
Protein: 9g
Carbohydrates: 11%, 34g
Fiber: 0%, 0g
Sugar: 14g
Weight Watchers Points: 5 Points

Smart Ones says: White meat chicken with diced mangoes in a honey barbeque sauce and orzo pasta

Chaviva says: Oh Smart Ones, you’ve finally done it! A Smart One I will look forward to purchasing in the future. My only two beefs on this chicken meal are that

It lacks any fiber. At all. Note zeros above.
The barbeque flavor is completely missing.

Luckily, I chose this dish because I was stoked about the idea of a mango sauce. I cooked the package in the microwave according to the instructions and after it’s few minutes of sitting idle, I dove in. I was trying to decide whether the bbq flavor was meant to be in the sauce, which essentially just looked like a mango chutney, or if it was some type of flavor cooked into the chicken. Either way, the flavor was not apparent, though there definitely was a zing and bite to the chicken and mango sauce. The orzo pasta was delicious, though I have no gauge as I’ve never had orzo pasta before. It has a slightly cheesy flavor to it, which I didn’t mind. I’m pretty sure the mix-ins were spinach and red pepper, and I dumped the orzo pasta over into the
leftover mango sauce.

I think the pro to this dish was that it wasn’t all watery like a bulk of the Smart Ones I’ve purchased. That extra watery goo just rains on my eating healthy parade, and it often turns me off from an entire brand. But this one was spot on. The mango sauce was not watery and didn’t require any mixing in with spare moisture left by the chicken. The orzo also lacked any overly liquidy content, making it just darn near perfect.

I’ll admit that I ate this dish super fast – it was that good. I could probably go for a whole additional one, but at 5 points it pretty much rings in as a good dining choice for Weight Watchers folks. I imagine that the point value would drop dramatically if there were some fiber enjoined in this fruity concoction. So I implore you, pick up this fruit creation and enjoy. And avoid those other Smart Ones (especially the Chicken Santa Fe, oy, that gets a 1 star on my radar, if even that).

Now to go find some more fruits to fill the void left by the consumed mango sauce … oh, and sorry for the poor photo quality – my small, convenient digicam is broken, so the blackberry is serving as my on-the-go camera for work photos. I can guarantee that the colors of the mango sauce and the chicken and orzo are much more appetizing and bright than this photo portrays!

[The folks at Smart Ones’ PR company sent coupons for free meals to reviewers as part of their ‘Fruit Inspirations’ promotion. Yes, we got this meal for free. Actually, Chaviva got one for free. I paid for one and until I saw this review, I was trying to figure out how I could trick George into eating it. -Ed.]

Filed Under 5 WW Points, Chicken, Five Stars, Smart Ones Reviews | 9 Comments

Hormel Compleats Beef Steak & Peppers

April 17, 2008 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Hormel Compleats Beef Steak & Peppers with Savory Sauce & Noodles Price: Free from Hormel
Serving: 1 Container, 10 oz.
Calories: 210
Fat: 8%, 5g
Cholesterol:17%, 50mg
Sodium: 24%, 580mg
Protein: 20g
Carbs: 7%, 22g
Fiber: 8%, 2g
Sugar: 4g
Weight Watchers Points: 4 points

Hormel says: Beef Steak & Peppers with Savory Sauce & Noodles. Created for a healthy lifestyle. Ready in 90 seconds!

Matt says: The title of the meal is “beef steak & peppers,” which is not to be confused with “pepper steak” of Chinese fare. Beef is definitely the star here. For a meal that sits in the cupboard at room temperature the beef is surprisingly tender, and for the package size there is plenty of it. As promised the meal is very hot in 90 seconds.

My main complaint is that everything tastes like the beef gravy, meaning only the meat stands out. The gravy has a mild peppery flavor, but not enough oomph to make it spicy. Considering that this dish contains 580mg of sodium (24% of my daily intake) I’m surprised it doesn’t taste salty.

The noodles are present en masse. However, they are so soft they merely create a mushy bed to hold the meat. There are carrots, onions, mushrooms, and green and red bell peppers present in the dish but they are lost in the mushy-meat mess. The carrots and peppers are cut into strips that are similar in shape to the noodles. In one’s mouth the noodles and vegetables are indistinguishable in flavor and texture.

Because of the packaging for the shelf, the texture difficulties are somewhat unavoidable. Regardless, I would have liked a little more spice to the sauce to liven things up. How about bigger cuts of the vegetables? While the meal in edible, it is nothing that will force a midnight run to Safeway.

Filed Under 4 WW Points, Beef, Hormel Reviews | 9 Comments

Trader Joe’s Chicken Chile Verde Burritos

April 10, 2008 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Trader Joe’s Chicken Chile Verde Burritos Price:$2.69
Serving:1 burrito, 7oz.
Calories:360 per serving
Fat:13%, 9g
Cholesterol:17%, 50mg
Sodium:40%, 960mg
Protein:21g
Carbohydrates:16%, 49g
Fiber:11%, 3g
Sugar:2g
Weight Watchers Points: 7 Points

Trader Joe says: Nothing. I guess they had nothing clever to say about this product.

Angela says: I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of burritos. Frozen, fast food, homemade, breakfast, I’ve tried (and loved) them all. And around here, they’re not hard to come by. So when I was shopping in Trader Joe’s for something to eat for lunch at work, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try a burrito I’ve never tried before.

Enter this little guy, the Chicken Chile Verde Burrito. First things first, it comes in pack of two. The pack is not resealable, so I suggest just bringing one to work and leaving the other at home, unless you trust the freezer at your office, which I don’t. The instructions tell you to first defrost the burrito on 50% power for two minutes, and then cook on full power for one minute, which is what I did.

Now, generally I associate Trader Joe’s with (mostly) healthy food. Upon reading the ingredients, I realized that this burrito may not be much different than the ones you find in your regular grocer’s freezer section. The amount of salt is really what got me. 40% of your daily value? Wow! I’m not one to be discouraged by nutritional information, so let’s get to the eating part.

Upon first look, the burrito is definitely a little wimpy looking. Not that most frozen burritos aren’t, but maybe I just had my hopes up too high. Also, it’s a little soggy and difficult to pick up. So those who care about dripping sauce on their clothes might want to grab a fork and knife for this one. Inside, there is a lot of Chile Verde, and every few bites there is some chicken. I suggest that TJ’s changes the name around to better suit this ratio. The Chile Verde is kind of slimy, and maybe a little too salty. I guess that’s where the 40% daily value of sodium comes in. Last but not least, the end of the burrito is all tortilla, as it is with most frozen burritos. It gets kind of hard when you microwave it, so I recommend not eating that part.

So all-in-all, this burrito is edible, but not really delicious. I will probably eat the second one if I’m in a pinch, but I’m not sure I would buy this particular variety ever again.

Filed Under 7 WW Points, Chicken, Three Stars, Trader Joe's Reviews | 6 Comments

Lean Cuisine Pesto Chicken Flatbread Melt

March 25, 2008 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Lean Cuisine Pesto Chicken Flatbread Melt Price: $2.85 at Wal-Mart
Serving: 6.75 oz.
Calories: 330 per serving
Fat: 11%, 8g
Cholesterol: 7%, 20mg
Sodium: 25%, 630mg
Protein: 22g
Carbohydrates: 14%, 43g
Fiber: 21%, 5g
Sugar: 6g
Weight Watchers Points: 6 Points

Lean Cuisine says: Grilled white meat chicken, sun dried tomatoes, red peppers, cheese and creamy pesto sauce in a soft flatbread

Andrea says: Wow guys, wow . . . I think this sandwich actually broke one of our microwaves with it’s awesomeness. Seriously, a minute into it’s 2:45 journey into my stomach the microwave just gave up and bowed down to the frozen meal gods.

My first reaction after taking this out of the box was “Woah, that’s actually a good bit of stuff here.” As I was watching it turn in it’s second microwave trip (after it killed the first microwave), the cheese started to melt and the pesto-y goodness started to ooze from beneath the massive amount of chicken, peppers, and tomatoes. The break room filled with the aroma of herbs and bell pepper, and my mouth was starting to salivate. The first bite produced an explosion of flavor and texture from the chicken that actually tasted like chicken, to the cheese that actually strung from the sandwich a la a pizza commercial or that Beefy Cheesy Taco Bell commercial that sends chills down my spine. The roasted red peppers were abundant in flavor and quantity, the sun-dried tomatoes were chewy yet provided a slight sweetness and the flat bread was soft, thick, filling and tasty! Unlike most nuked breads that are usually soggy and super dry at the same time, Lean Cuisine’s flat bread maintained it’s chewy structure that we all know and love in our flat breads. I guess if I had to write one negative thing about this meal, it was the amount of red peppers.. but I think that’s just me, if you’re a pepper person you’ll probably love the abundance of peppery love on this sandwich, complete with grill marks might I add.

I will definitely pick another Lean Cuisine Pesto Chicken flatbread, for the price it wasn’t bad and (hey!) I’m not hungry anymore! If you need more than a Lean Cuisine, I found it paired well with Doritos and grape Kool-aid.

Filed Under 6 WW Points, Chicken, Five Stars, Frozen Pizza Reviews, Lean Cuisine Reviews | 19 Comments