Price: $4.19 for 3 servings
Serving: 1/3 box, 7 oz.
Calories: 260
Fat: 13%, 9g
Sodium: 29%, 690mg
Protein: 24g
Carbs: 9%, 28g
Fiber: 13%, 3g

Stouffer’s says: Traditional lasagna noodles layered with an herb seasoned tomato and meat sauce and three kinds of natural cheese

Chad says: The traditionally Italian lasagna dinner Stouffer’s attempts to recreate is more on par with the Olive Garden’s pasta dish. This meal is slightly deceptive with the small size of the plastic dish, yet in the end turns out to be 3 separate meals. For the very active (wo)man this is great way to take in a lot of protein (72 grams!!) in one sitting without the feeling of being ridiculously carnivorous.

Stouffer’s lasagna actually happens to be one of my most favorite microwave meals. In less than 15 minutes, you have a meal that truly passes for a good time. If you enjoy immense layers of sauce and cheese purchase this lunchtime favorite. It has never let me down. I also recommend getting the family size which normally acts as two separate meals for me.

Price: $2.50 (sale)
Serving: 1/2 tray, 6 oz.
Calories: 350
Fat: 17%, 26g
Sodium: 38%, 920mg
Protein: 15g
Calcium: 30%

Stouffer’s says: Al dente macaroni in a creamy, sharp cheddar cheese sauce.

Colleen says: As far as macaroni and cheese goes, this is perhaps as good as it gets for frozen or packaged versions. Unlike Kraft macaroni and cheese, which is relatively flavorless and made from powdered cheese, Stouffers’ version is pretty darn close to home made. Of course with better taste comes more fat and calories, but I would be willing to make that sacrifice again.

The noodles could stand to be a bit firmer, but they stay intact even after re-heating and do not mush in your mouth. The most important part of the dish –the cheese part of course– is a nice creamy sauce and there’s certainly plenty of it! Although the cheese sauce could stand a dash of salt to spice it up, it is a quite tasty cheddar-flavored, just-creamy-enough sauce.

Word to the wise: make sure to keep the macaroni and cheese hot while you eat it because for some reason or another, the taste changes as it cools down. I can’t begin to explain the mystery of why microwave macaroni and cheese requires a specific temperature in order to maintain its homestyle flavor, so just trust me and re-heat if necessary.

Price: $1.19 (on sale, of course)
Serving: 1 package, 9 oz.
Calories: 420
Fat: 28%, 18g
Sodium: 43%, 1030mg
Carbohydrates: 15%, 45g
Protein: 20g

Stouffer’s says: Breaded Alaskan pollock fillet and macaroni and cheese

Abi says: Every year I subscribe to a fresh batch of magazines. Last year was the year of music. This year I am into science. I get Discover, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, and National Geographic. I am enjoying the science year much more than I enjoyed the music year.

While flipping through the February issue (yes, I read old issues) of Discover, I came across an blurb out biodiversity. Apparently, Glenn Jones, a paleoceanographer at Texas A&M Galveston has been studying 200,000 menus from the past 150 years. He found that wild fish are vanishing from menus due to overfishing. According to Discover’s Elise Kleeman “Halibut gave way to codfish, then haddock, and now scrod, which includes young haddock or codfish.”

Opening my freezer this morning, I was greeted by frozen food abundance. Would I go with an old favorite, like Cheese Enchiladas from Amy’s Kitchen or Healthy Choice Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo, or would I try something new?

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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 Stoufer’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 you’ll be happy. It does look and pretty much taste damn good after it’s done.