Price: $?.??
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Serving: 2 Samosas, 2.93 oz.
Servings per box: 3, 8 oz. total
Calories: 170 per serving
Fat: 10%, 6g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 15%, 350mg
Protein: 5g
Carbohydrates: 7%, 22g
Fiber: 12%, 3g
Sugar: 2g
Weight Watchers Points: 3 per serving

Trader Joe says: There might have been something on the box, but it wasn’t included with the review and Trader Joe’s doesn’t put any product information on their website.

Katie Hall says: I had never eaten Indian food before I met my husband. When introduced to the goodness that is the food of India, my husband (boyfriend at the time) and I developed a weekend ritual, that proved a sure-fire way to pack on the pounds:

1. Gorge on the delicious meats bathed in exotic sauces and wafting with far-away spices, piles upon piles of naan bread and sweet-smelling jasmine rice, and top it all off with some galub jumun at the local Indian food all-you-can-eat buffet for the ridiculously low price of $7.99.
2. Stop by 7-11 on the way home to by the biggest tub of coffee you can, so as to stem off the coming sleep-inducing carb-overload your body is about to endure. Be sure to take full advantage of all the “free” extras 7-11 offers: dump heaps of mini marshmallows in your hot chocolate, splash as many pumps of flavored syrup into your coffee as you can, stuff some extra chocolate flavored creams in your pocket for later!
3. Proceed to spend the rest of the day leveling up your night elf druid with said boyfriend in an appalling attempt to prove to him that, “Yes, we have TONS in common! Look! I LOVE to play pointless video games that have no end. EVER.”

But I digress…

Trader Joe’s Vegetable samosas are tasty triangles of tangible heaven. Though they are a little spicy for my taste (hence the 4 stars), but really, its nothing that a gulp of milk can’t tame. The outsides are crispy, though a bit greasy. Although the box says to bake at 350 for ten minutes (turning halfway through), mine came out of the oven a little cool inside so I put them in for a few minutes longer.

The box comes with some handy space-age metal coating on the inside top and bottom. This means you can cook the samosas in their carton, in the microwave. I have done this before and they have come out pretty good; I only decided to bake them this time because I thought they might come out crispier. They did come out marginally crispier, but I’d save time (and electricity) and nuke ‘em next time.

All in all, I like that I can understand all (OK, most, there are some wacky bacterial culture names that I have no idea how to go about pronouncing) of the ingredients on the back of the box. The calorie density isn’t that horrible — in fact, I almost always eat the whole box and never feel guilty/fat/horrible/gluttonous/stingy about it afterward.

Price: $2.00 on sale
Serving: 2/3 cup, 3.5oz.
Servings per package 2
Calories per serving: 50
Fat: 5%, 3g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 5%, 115mg
Protein: 1g
Carbohydrates: 2%, 7g
Fiber: 9%, 2g
Sugar: 3g
Weight Watchers Points: 1 Point per serving

Green Giant says: Broccoli Florets, Julienne Carrots and Red & Yellow Sweet Pepper Strips in a Garlic-Herb Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil Seasoning

Abi says: These Green Giant nutriceuticals are the dietary equivalent of the “For Dummies” book line. Instead of “Dungeons and Dragons for Dummies” or “Heartburn and Reflux for Dummies” we’re being marketed to with “Immunity for Dummies” and “Weight Control for Dummies.” Granted, I still buy this stuff but that’s because it is easy and can sit in my freezer for weeks before being cooked. You can’t say the latter about fresh vegetables.

This vegetable combo steams up significantly better than the zucchini-focused Healthy Vision item, keeping the broccoli tender-yet-toothy and the potentially mushy red and yellow peppers to a minimum. The carrots are in cube/matchstick form, making them less stabbable than other carrot incarnations. This lack of fork-friendliness makes me think that these vegetables are better used as an integrated element in a pasta dish (or with some couscous) than as a stand-alone side.

In other Green Giant products the butter flavorings have always been so overpowering that I haven’t been willing to use the vegetables as an ingredient. In the case of the Immunity Boost pack, the “garlic-herb infused extra virgin olive oil” was negligible. This is bad if you want a lot of flavor, but great if you’re looking to combine your vegetables with other ingredients.

If you’re looking for an easy, healthy way to bulk up those Lean Cuisines, I highly recommend picking up a few packages of Green Giant vegetables when they go on sale. Your eyes and mouth will both enjoy this vibrantly hued, subtly-flavored vegetable mix. And you can leave them in your freezer for weeks without worry.

Price: $2.32
Serving: 8 oz
Calories: 180
Fat: 5% 3.5g
Cholesterol: 11%, 35mg
Sodium: 23%, 540mg
Protein: 18g
Carbohydrates: 7%, 20g
Fiber: 12%, 3g
Weight Watchers Points: 3 Points

Lean Cuisine says: Chicken breast and creamy herb sauce, roasted potatoes and vegetables

Becky says: I love me some chicken and ‘taters. I live in Idaho – I think that’s a prerequisite to live here. Now, I won’t mention that ‘chicken and potatoes’ really means ‘fried chicken and potato wedges. Uh, wait . . . okay, well, I won’t mention the mounds of sour cream that I dip my potatoes into. Er, so I’m feeling honest today! Yes, I need to eat healthier. I do pretty good during the day, but the minute I walk in my front door, any attempt at healthy goes out the window, all thanks to my chef husband who flips his lid anytime ANYTHING ‘low fat’ occupies space in the kitchen. They do say opposites attract.

When I picked this meal up, I had mixed feelings. It looked promising, but with less than 200 calories, how long would it be before I’m raiding the bottom of my purse for change so I could make a selection from the vending machine? I’m up for the challenge!

UGH – this is yet another one of those meals where they torture you with cooking at 50% power. Luckily, I have that cooking method down to a fine art. 10 minutes later, I peeled back the plastic and was disappointed. It looks PUNY. But, using the ‘don’t knock it until you try it’ school of thought, I dug in.

WOW. Don’t judge this book by its cover! The sauce (which contains mushrooms) in this dish is fantastic. There’s enough to stir into the potato/veggie (which consisted of broccoli and a few red pepper pieces) mixture, as well. Only mildly salty, this sauce packs a lot of taste, and for that I was grateful. The chicken was tender, although tough to cut (yes, I did break a tine on my standard-issue plastic fork before I went in search of a knife), was moist and tender. All in all, this was a great dish, much better than I expected – I just wish there had been more substance to it!

Update – Okay, so it’s 2½ hours later, and I’m hungry again. Not a good sign, especially considering the fact that it’s going to be 5 hours until dinner. I have a feeling that I’m going to succumb to the power of Cheetos. Remind me to get some healthy snacks to bring to work!

Price: $4.19
Serving: 1 package, 10.3oz.
Servings per box: 1
Calories: 360
Fat: 25%, 16g
Cholesterol: 7%, 20mg
Sodium: 33%, 780mg
Protein: 10g
Carbohydrates: 15%, 45g
Fiber: 20%, 5g
Sugar: 5g
Weight Watchers Points: 8 Points

Amy’s says: Corn masa tamale filled with Monterey jack cheese and Anaheim chilies. Topped with an authentic verde sauce of organic tomatillos. Spanish rice made with organic brown rice and tender black beans are served on the side. Gluten free.

Abi says: I’ve been eating a lot of small meals throughout the day. Oh, just kidding. I’ve been eating a lot of almonds throughout the day, so many almonds that I think I actually got sick from them yesterday. You see, I discovered some local lightly roasted (baked, not fried) almonds at my nearby natural foods store and I figured that I’d start bringing a million and one little snacks with me to the office and just snack throughout the day rather than eating a big lunch time meal. Because big lunch time meal = nap and I no longer work at home.

This tamal from Amy’s definitely fits into that filling-yet-not-stuffed category. For one, it is much flatter than the image on the box, something I don’t understand because Amy’s seems to have a really compressed supply chain where marketing folks shouldn’t dictate reality. Alas, this tamal is not super cheesy, featuring about half the filling shown in the photo.

On the plus side, the flavors in the tamal are mild and fresh, with a fluffy masa that’s significantly better than the stuff in Trader Joe’s tamales. There’s a tiny bit of heat (spice, not temperature), but nothing that’ll send a midwestern farm boy running for the water pump. The tomatillo salsa isn’t overpowering like a lot of red salsas, so it adds a great color element (definitely some Biggie influence showing through here) while providing balance to bites of earthy masa and rich cheese.

The rice was definitely heavier and had a ‘tomatoes from the can’ taste to it, something that is common in Spanish-style rices and causes me to avoid them whenever possible. I’d like to trade half of the rice for some Wahoo’s spicy white beans (so freaking good!) and add a brownie. With those changes (okay, just the beans, no brownie) then this meal would be a five star choice any day.