Price: $2.00 (sale!)Serving: 1 tray, 10.5oz.
Calories: 290
Fat: 14%, 9g
Cholesterol: 10%, 30mg
Sodium: 24%, 580mg
Protein: 15g
Carbs: 12%, 35g
Fiber: 14%, 4g
Weight Watchers Points: 6 Points

Smart Ones says: Now even better! A chunky garden-style sauce covers five tantalizing layers of fresh pasta and creamy ricotta cheese with a topping of real mozzarella and parmesan cheese. So delicious, so satisfying. . .and another little way you can be good today.

Veda says: The texture is nice, the pasta al dente (when following directions), but the cheese never fully melts until it begins to burn. Unlike some frozen lasagna, it wasn’t too salty and had a decent flavor. Portion size was decent and there’s plenty of spinach, but very few of the other veggies. Pretty good for what it is, but the picture deceives. So, just save the one tiny piece of zucchini for the last bite.

Price: $3.99/box, 80 cents ea.
Serving: 3/4 cup
Calories: 230
Fat: 7%
Sodium: 24%

without boursin

with boursin

They say: This product is made with organic pasta and the best totally natural white cheddar cheese.

Abi says: A long-time lover of Annie’s Organic Alfredo shells and Cheddar, I was introduced to this microwaveable mac and cheese by Amy. All you do is open the macaroni packet and pour it into a bowl, then add a half cup of water. I eyeball it and generally end up cleaning pasta-water out of the microwave when it overflows. Microwave for 1.5 minutes, then stir in the contents of the cheese packet.

Unfortunately, when I followed the instructions, I found that my mac and cheese just didn’t look as good as Amy’s. The cheese didn’t really seem to coat the pasta. Turns out she adds a smidgen of boursin to her mac and cheese. Wow, what a difference it makes when one adds cheese made with cow’s milk and cream, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley and chives

I like this meal as a back-up plan. I keep a box in my cube area and just make some when I forget to bring a heartier lunch.

I am hoping that Amy will take me with her when she goes to Trader Joe’s so that I can buy some boursin too. Maybe some more for her also, considering that I have partaken of hers on three occasions now.

About Boursin: http://www.boursincheese.com

Price: 2 for $5
Serving: 1 bowl, 10 oz
Calories: 310
Fat: 20%, 13g
Cholesterol: 11%, 30mg
Sodium: 31%, 740mg
Protein: 19g
Carbs: 10%, 30g
Fiber: 22%, 5g
WW Points: 6 Points

Amy’s Kitchen says: Tender organic pasta shells are stuffed with low fat ricotta, organic broccoli and organic spinach in a genuine Italian tomato sauce and smooth creamy white sauce.

Abi says: Wow. This meal includes 40% of Vitamins A and D and 40% of your RDA of calcium. I must admit that before I heated up the meal I was intrigued by a note on the back that read ‘Try our other bowls. . .’ and noted that there’s a ‘Country Cheddar Bowl’. I want to try one. Ok, so I don’t even know what is contains (I’m guessing potatoes, noodles, corn, or similar) but I can’t help wondering ‘What are the default ingredients of a “Country” item?’

This will be explored later when I track down a Country cheddar Bowl. For now I’ll delve into the world of stuffed pasta shells.

Pasta shells are delicious. The tomato sauce could use a little garlic, onion, and oregano, but the overall effect is suprising for a frozen meal. I feel like someone actually made these for me. Problematic: too much cheese. Yes, too much cheese. Or maybe the problem is too much pasta, because you can never have too much cheese. You see, I like a good pasta-to-cheese ratio. With these shells there’s very little pasta for the enormous amount of cheese. Not that cheese is bad, it’s just that nobody is going to eat ricotta with a spoon. Or a fork. You just don’t eat ricotta by itself.

I wrote spoon because I was one of the last people to eat my lunch today and there were no forks left. Tomorrow I will eat my lunch earlier in the day.

Also, I am intrigued by ‘Mexican Casserole’. Being half-Mexican I am not sure what that could contain. I will have to use my rain check from Giant to purchase a Mexican Casserole Bowl and a Country Cheddar Bowl. They had better be good.

Price: $3 at Giant
Serving size: 1 bowl, 8.5 ounces
Calories: 310
Fat: 5%
Sodium: 20%
Protein: 8 grams

They say: Discover the world of Asian flavors with Simpla Asia all natural noodle bowl. Our heat & serve bowl combines pre-cooked noodles with a savory Asian sauce, vegetables, and a delicious topping. Innovative technology seals in the fresh taste of authentic Asian noodles for a quick and satisfying meal ready in just 2 minutes. No boiling required.

Abi says: This meal did not taste good. Even before I put it in the microwave, I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied. Granted, I should give all meals a chance. And I was a little heartened by the look of the meal after I added the peanut topping, but I couldn’t really get over just how little went into the meal. I could have sworn that I had to open four packets just to eat. The noodles were fine, but the sauce was bland and the vegetables non-existent. Sadly, I spent the lunch hour looking longingly at people with salads from Cosi. I prefer High Noon and even McDonald’s. Really, you know it isn’t worth the effort when you’re staring at someone else’s salad from Cosi. What a waste of $3.00.