Price: $3.19
Serving: 1 Burger, 2.36 oz.
Calories: 100
Fat: 4%, 2.5g
Sodium: 15%, 350mg
Dietary Exchange: 1 lean meat, 2 vegetables

Morningstar says: Each pattie is a savory vegetable and grain burger with a blend of carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, black olives, brown rice and rolled oats.

Jess says: I am a cheap bastard.

I am proud to call the Morningstar Veggie Patty one of my staple items. You get a package for about $3 and some change and you have four relatively healthy meals. I like to throw them in between some toast ($.99 for about 12-16 slices) and add some ketchup ($1.29 for a bottle). If I’m feeling fancy, I can melt some cheese on top. Or I can add some tomato slices or even spread some roasted red pepper hummus on there. (In the case of hummus there is no ketchup. Damn that would be nasty). One box and I have 4/5 of my work lunches taken care of which allows me to focus on the more important things of life like where to go to happy hour or why Americans like dipping sauces so much or why writing lunch blurbs is so inexplicably entertaining.
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Price: $2.79 ($2.49 on sale)
Serving: 1 meal, 11 oz..
Calories: 290
Fat: 8%, 5g
Sodium: 25%, 600mg
Protein: 16g
Carbs: 15%, 46g
Fiber: 24%, 6g
WW Points: 6 Points
Meal Exchange: 2 Lean Meat, 2.5 Starch

Healthy Choice says: Fire roasted red pepper sauce compliments the moist, blackened chicken breast while the seasoned rice is the perfect side dish. An apple praline crisp dessert tops the meal.

Nicole says: The seasoned rice looks really disturbing when it comes out. I went to a child’s birthday party this past weekend and the cake was topped by a teddy bear whose fur was made by a method similar to the Play-doh sets that produce spaghetti and the like. That’s kind of what it looked like. But well seasoned. The sauce is well represented by the box pic: it really does have all those red peppers, corn kernels, and beans, but it’s much less spicy than I anticipated. The “blackened” chicken is also less spicy than anticipated, even for frozen food. Tasty and lean, but not . . . really . . . blackened. Emeril would be so disappointed. And finally, dessert: yum, surprisingly tasty. Sweet, real apple chunks, moist . . . needs more crunch for the “crisp”, but I would definitely take seconds if available on dessert. Please and thank you.

Disclosure: Yes, there’s an ‘Abi’ on the box. Abi has also consumed this meal, but that was months ago. This is a good picture and it shouldn’t go to waste.

Price: $3.99 ($2.50 on sale)
Serving: 1 meal, 10 oz
Calories: 350
Fat: 17%, 11g
Cholesterol: 2%, 5mg
Sodium: 33%, 780mg
Protein: 16g
Carbs: 16%, 47g
Fiber: 35%, 10g
WW Points: 7 Points

Amy’s Kitchen says: Amy’s own corn tortillas, organic rice, beans, tofu and vegetables, layered with mellow Jack cheese and our special enchilada sauce. This is a real favorite with our friends and family. Gluten free.

Abi says: The words enchilada and tofu shouldn’t be in the same sentence. Don’t get me wrong, I like tofu in Pad Thai, with Peanut Sauce, as a stir fry ingredient, or in the guise of Morningstar Buffalo Strips. I have a knee-jerk reaction to the inclusion of tofu in Mexican food. Even in Tex-Mex. Fortunately, I didn’t notice any tofu in this meal. People who really like tofu in Mexican food may be greatly disappointed by this perceived absence.

Upon opening the door of the microwave I was greeted by an intensely hot plastic bag full of boiling condensation. Yes, boiling condensation. Beware of the bag and use some sort of utensil maneuvering to scoot your Santa Fe Enchilada Bowl onto a plate or just let it sit there like the directions tell you to do. After the transfer, use a pair of scissor to cut off one end of the plastic bag, then slide the bag off of the bowl. These may seem like unnecessary steps, but you need to plastic wrap part to ensure moistness and you need the scissors to prevent severe hand burns.

In terms of taste, the meal is an 8. It had some unfortunate blandness that shouldn’t be off-putting to those of you who eat polenta straight from the package. The amount of cheese could be improved (which means increased) and below I have created a sketch of the ideal enchilada bowl construction. Though I still think that the enchilada meal is the best.

Amy (of office fame) says: I think the crunching of tortilla chips [an after-market addition] is key to enjoying this bowl.

Diagram of Enchilada Bowl Perfection I will make this when I am not at work.

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