Rebecca

Rebecca used to teach chemistry and therefore has an unhealthy obsession with reading ingredient lists while her food is in the microwave (she does not recommend it - -it makes the food taste much less delicious). After a brief stint in the HeatEatReview headquarters, Rebecca now works in an office with no usable microwave. She hopes that someday this problem will be fixed but since she works in education, she does not expect change will happen anytime soon.

Latest Reviews by Rebecca:

Trader Joe’s Thai Style Lemon Grass Chicken

August 10, 2007 | Reviewer: Rebecca

Trader Joe's Thai Style Lemon Grass Chicken Price: $2.69
Serving: 1 bowl, 11 oz.
Calories: 390
Fat: 15%, 10g
Sodium: 4%, 105mg
Protein: 22g
Carbs: 18%, 54g
Fiber: 16%, 4g

Trader Joe says: Thai Style Lemon Grass Chicken and Seasoned Rice.

Rebecca says: On a day when everyone was eating leftover boxed lunches from ABP, I decided not to eat another Thai Chicken Wrap and to instead try Thai Style Lemon Grass Chicken and Seasoned Rice. Although I had no picture of what the food would taste like, I luckily had the “Inspected for Wholesomeness” stamp of approval from the USDA. After some quick online research, however, I learned that this does not in fact mean “tastes good” or even “good for you” as the definition of wholesomeness might suggest. Rather it means “meets government regulations for transporting meat across state lines”.

But enough with the etymology lesson—let me tell you about the food. The best thing about this dish was the flavor— the seasoning was nice and green curry-ish. It may have smelled overwhelmingly of coconut milk, but the dish actually tasted like a spicy curry sauce (yes, this is a bit spicy). Be warned — after its first round in the microwave (before I stirred and removed the film cover) it seemed pretty liquidy, but I followed the directions to the letter and the end result was nicely saucy without being watery.

Although the flavor was delicious, the texture could use some work. The chicken appeared in decent size chunks but a couple were too big and contained veiny and/or tendony parts. While the rice was well cooked (not too crunchy or too mushy), the vegetables were nowhere near tender. Both the carrots and green beans were still crunchy and too crunchy in comparison to the tender rice and chicken. By the end, I found that I was eating the vegetables separately so as not to mess up the textures.

I’m not going to rush out and buy it again but next time I’m at TJ’s, I might throw one in the basket OR I might just try one of the Lemongrass Chickens that Nicole already reviewed.

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

Lean Cuisine Chicken in Peanut Sauce 3

June 22, 2007 | Reviewer: Rebecca

Lean Cuisine Chicken in Peanut Sauce

Price: $3.29
Serving: 1 tray, 10 oz.
Calories: 280
Fat: 11%, 8g
Sodium: 26%, 680mg
Protein: 22g
Carbohydrates: 9%, 30g
Fiber: 12%, 3g
Points: 6 Weight Watchers Points
Diet Exchanges: 1 1/2 Very Lean Meat, 1 1/2 Starch, 1/2 skim milk, 1/2 Fat

Lean Cuisine says: Roasted chicken tenderloins in a flavorful peanut sauce with garlic served with crisp water chestnuts,shoestring carrots,and snap peas over whole-wheat pasta

Rebecca says: If I have learned anything from my forays into the frozen food realm, it is that you cannot expect frozen food to actually match anything you might find in the outside world. Things that are made in small plastic containers to be reheated weeks or months later are unlikely to taste like anything that one could buy at the Thai restaurant across the street. I should have not associated my “Chicken in Peanut Sauce” by Lean Cuisine with my “Chicken Peanut Sauce” that I sometimes have for lunch from across the street.

By the two major markers (chicken and peanut sauce), my Spa Cuisine most definitely loses. The chicken were tender to the extreme— in other instances I might say “the chicken was so tender it fell off the bone” but here it was kind of strange. Perhaps the chicken had spent too much time stewing in the sauce—the miles and miles of sauce. The saucy was watery and both diluted the flavor and caused splatters all over my desk.

The chicken seemed especially tender in comparison to the crispy water chestnuts and snap peas—they stood up to the sauce and maintained their firmness (apparently there were carrots too but I have no recollection of them). But snap peas and water chestnuts do not make up for bland, watery peanut sauce.

Speaking of carrots, I did a little snooping on the side of my box to find out where carrots were in the chain of command and discovered that the second ingredient in this dish is….wait for it…skim milk. Yes, skim milk. Not chicken, not peanuts/peanut butter, skim milk. Do skim milk and peanut butter even go together? No wonder the sauce was so watery and bland—it was milk.

I have spent the last few minutes trying to convince myself that it has merits in terms of money (4 for $10 is much less than the restaurant charges) and convenience but the Thai place is pretty speedy and would get my order only a couple minutes after this 8-minutes-at-50% dish is ready.

If, however, you do not know of the chicken/peanut dish from across the street, you might find this mighty delicious but if so, do not ever order said dish from a Thai restaurant. It will ruin this Lean Cuisine dish for you.

[Yes, this is the third review of Lean Cuisine’s Chicken in Peanut Sauce. For other opinions, read Jess’s take on the meal (one of my favorite reviews) and my own dismal experience. - Ed.]

Filed Under 6 WW Points, Chicken, Lean Cuisine Reviews, Two Stars | 9 Comments

Lean Cuisine Beef Portabello

June 4, 2007 | Reviewer: Rebecca

Lean Cuisine Beef Portabello Price: $2.50
Serving: 1 meal, 9 oz.
Calories: 220
Fat: 9%, 6g
Cholesterol: 10%, 30mg
Sodium: 28%, 660mg
Carbohydrates: 8%, 25g
Fiber: 8%, 2g
Protein: 16g
Weight Watchers Points: 4 Points

Lean Cuisine says: Tender pieces of roasted beef in a rich portabello mushroom sauce, accompanied by whipped potatoes made with red skin potatoes, carmelized onions, roasted garlic and chives.

Rebecca says: There is something to be said for the appearance of a dish. The fact that a dish looks relatively unappetizing when it is removed from the microwave could be a sign of disaster. But sometimes, I can be talked out of my initial reaction. So I showed my food to Abi and to Jenn and they both supported my initial hypothesis that my beef portabello looked disgusting. When food looks disgusting (there is a bit of a crust on the potatoes and a thin film on top of the meat portion), that's usually internalized as an omen of bad taste.

The appearance of the food could have been overcome. Sometimes things look bad and taste delicious (and vice versa) but this dish also had a problem with texture. The whipped potatoes, the "cooked beef product,"? the mushrooms didn't really mesh well together and even mixing the potatoes into the sauce didn't work out.

Yes the mushrooms were tasty but my threshold for mushrooms is extremely low. Also, they were so drenched in sauce that I could only distinguish by texture and taste rather than by appearance.

I like the idea of mushrooms, roast beef and mashed potatoes but should have known that mushrooms, roasted beef and whipped potatoes was not the same thing. Don't be seduced by a sale or the desire to try something new. This doesn't taste like how mama used to make it or even how the cafeteria lady used to make it. If you see it in the store, make the wise choice and walk on by.

Filed Under 4 WW Points, Beef, Lean Cuisine Reviews, One Star | 17 Comments

Progresso Vegetable Classics Lentil Soup

May 15, 2007 | Reviewer: Rebecca

Progresso Vegetable Classics Lentil Soup

Price: $1.79
Serving: 1/2 can, 9.5 oz.
Calories: 150
Fat: 3%, 2g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 36%, 870mg
Carbohydrates: 21%, 28g
Fiber: 20%, 5g
Protein: 9g

Progresso says: A traditional Italian combination of lentils and spinach gives this naturally flavorful soup an authentic Italian taste.

Rebecca says: According to their website, Progresso's slogan is "A Taste of the Good Life." Indeed, Progresso's Vegetable Classics Lentil soup was quite tasty. It had the salty, onion-y flavor of restaurant lentil soup and didn't seem to miss anything by absence of onion pieces, carrots, or tomatoes which were suggested in the recipe I found for lentil soup online.

As one can see from the picture, the lentils sunk to the bottom, which gave the illusion of too much broth. However, unlike the Gumbo I previously reviewed, a quick stir resulted in a nice mix of broth and lentils. The lentils themselves were flavorful and neither too mushy nor too crunchy.

There were pieces of spinach and celery throughout the soup which were, amazingly, the same size as the lentils. This attention to detail must be evidence of the "good life" Progresso reveals to us. As I ate the soup in full spoonfuls, I could not identify the taste of these vegetables as they were outnumbered and out-textured by the lentils. Mostly, I just tasted the lentil-onion combination.

The only thing missing from this meal was a crusty piece of bread which would have been great to help scoop out the lentils. I'll have to make sure to get that for next time. Although the soup claims to be an excellent source of fiber (especially because I consumed both servings), I needed my afternoon snack earlier than usual. Perhaps some bread would have postponed the hunger a bit longer.

Filed Under Progresso Soup Reviews, Three Stars, Vegan, Vegetarian | 11 Comments