Price: $3.34 on sale
Serving: 1 tray, 8oz.
Calories per panini: 330
Total Fat: 14%, 9g
Saturated Fat: 13%, 2.5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 12%, 35mg
Sodium: 23%, 540mg
Protein: 16g
Carbohydrates: 15%, 45g
Fiber: 12%, 3g
Sugar: 7g
Weight Watchers Points: 7 Points

Lean Cuisine says: Tortilla crusted fish with rice, poblano peppers, corn and red peppers in a sour cream sauce topped with cheese.

Abi says: Rather than figure out an elegant, simile-ridden way to describe this meal I will just tell you that the next time Lean Cuisine goes on sale, if you are remotely interested in eating fish, you should buy two boxes of Lean Cuisine’s Tortilla Crusted Fish. Maybe even three boxes. Especially if it is on sale at 3 for $10.00. Yes, that’s what constitutes a sale around here.

Sure, the name sucks. When do you hear the word crust and think ‘YUM!’ Personally, I hear it and envision morning eye gunk, lava and mocos. None of those are things that I want to put in my mouth. Fortunately for all of us, this simple, not-filling-but-still-delicious meal overcomes that name to leave me more pleased than I’ve felt in a long time. At least, when it comes to Lean Cuisine.

This meal proves that tortilla chips make anything better. The crusted fish fillet is actually crispy from the microwave. Crispy! Thank you, chips! And that rice with a couple of kernels of corn and what might be red pepper bits but might as well be bits of tissue paper is fantastic. It is creamy (thank you first microwaved sour cream sauce I’ve ever enjoyed in my 2-year reign as the queen of microwaved foods) and flavorful and sprinkled with yellow stuff that I’m assuming is cheese. Okay, I read the box, it is cheese. Look at all of that rice! Dang, I am in love with this meal.

This meal is not filling in that distended-stomach Marie Callender sense. Instead, I felt great for a couple of hours and then enjoyed an iced coffee. Because, hey! I had room in my stomach!

If you’ve had an unfortunate experience with this meal, I’d like to know. Did I get an amazing fluke Lean Cuisine or is this a new horizon for the leader in light lunches?

Price: $2.50 (Sale, Safeway)
Serving: 14 oz.
Calories: 350 per serving
Total Fat: 15%, 10g
Saturated Fat: 12%, 2.5g
Trans Fats: 0g
Cholesterol: 13%, 40mg
Sodium: 56%, 1340mg
Protein: 23g
Carbohydrates: 14%, 41g
Fiber: 32%, 8g
Sugar: 5g
Weight Watchers Points: 7 Points

Marie Callender says: Turkey Breast with Stuffing with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Green Beans & Cranberries.

Nicole says: Like many a turkey-containing meal, Marie Callender’s Turkey Breast with Stuffing looks dried out after cooking, so stir for appetizing results. Fortunately, this meal contains just the right amount of gravy to moisten those dry turkey pieces, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. Plus, the gravy is tasty without overpowering the flavors of the other meal elements.

Marie’s stuffing is better than Stovetop, significantly better. It isn’t fluffy and dry, no this stuffing is hearty, moist, and lightly spiced. And the turkey? It has the natural breast meat texture one expects from non-reformed meat. I counted twelve pieces of turkey ranging from the size of a quarter to that of a dispenser of post-it flags. The potatoes are real mashed potatoes, not the dehydrated-then-cooked sort. They have a nice creamy consistency and a couple potato lumps! I like lumps.

The green beans are a surprise and harmoniously paired with cranberries. Yes, the top beans are dried out, but the lower ones very moist without being soggy. The cranberry bits are surprising tender, somewhat different than the Craisin-y experience I predicted. These beans have about the same flavor as any frozen or canned beans, so don’t expect fresh here, just classic green bean taste.

Marie Callender’s Turkey Breast with Stuffing meal is delicious and filling. I recommend it to anyone who can deal with the sodium and wants a real lunch or dinner. I also recommend it for people who plan on having a very lonely Thanksgiving. Marie rocks.

Price: $3.99
Serving: 3 oz.
Calories: 150 per serving
Fat: 9%, 6g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 6%, 140mg
Protein: 2g
Carbohydrates: 8%, 24g
Fiber: 12%, 3g
Sugar: 4g
Weight Watchers Points: 3 per serving

Alexia: The wonderful flavor of Sweet Potatoes together with low sodium content make this Alexia favorite a wonderful and healthy alternative to the everyday fry.

Natalie says: Sweet potato fries are my new obsession. They have the same shape as regular french fry, but are made with the “healthier” sweet potato instead. Finding Alexia Sweet Potato Fries in the frozen aisle at the grocery store made me beyond excited. I picked up the package, thinking they were going to be bad for me but I was in for a surprise. They’re only 150 calories per serving and they are low in sodium.

When I got home, I read the back of the bag in more detail. A “serving” is 12 pieces. Twelve pieces of these seemed small (the size and length is slightly larger than a McDonalds French fry), so I spread out a couple more servings on the cookie sheet. I put a batch in the oven and couldn’t wait to try them. After 16 minutes and turning them over a couple times in the oven to make sure all the sides get nice and crispy, they were ready for me. They came out great, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They have very light seasoning and the flavor of the sweet potato really comes through. I’ve always had a hard time making homemade sweet potato fries crispy, so I’ll be using these when I’m in the mood for fries. If you’re a sweet potato fry freak like me, you’ll love these!

[If you’re an Alexia fan, check out the coupons section on their website. Register there and get a 50¢ off coupon on ANY Alexia product, good until 12/31/2008. Sometimes grocery stores double manufacturer’s coupons, so you could get $1.00 off these fries. Also, the registration system doesn’t require a real email address. - Ed.]

Calories: 530
Total Fat: 32%, 21g
Saturated Fat: 30%, 6g
Cholesterol: 27%, 80mg
Sodium: 54%, 1300mg
Carbohydrates: 18%, 54g
Fiber: 20%, 5g
Sugars: 19g
Protein: 31g
Weight Watchers Points: 12 Points

Stouffer’s says: Grilled chicken tenders with BBQ sauce, topped with bacon and monterey jack and cheddar cheeses with mashed potatoes.

Nicole says:I previously reviewed a Stouffer’s Chicken Monterey. This is a different meal, completely. Just to clarify. Strange? Perhaps. Stouffer’s should think about working on their adjectives/regional or ethnic references.

This “Restaurant Selects” meal is a “NEW Larger Satisfying Size”, at 14.5 ounces and 530 calories.

Instead of the monterey jack cheese sauce, this chicken baths in barbecue sauce with both monterey jack and cheddar cheeses. And bacon. Very different, but probably a good different.

My current hamburger obsession (formerly bleu cheese) is the “Texas” burger, which in the best version I have seen is topped with bacon, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, red onions, and coleslaw. This is the healthy alternative to that burger, minus the coleslaw and red onions.

Yes, my chicken has grill marks, so barbecue sauce is the right condiment. The chicken is moist and well-portioned, with about 8 pieces ranging from niblet to finger-sized, mostly on the larger end. However, the flavor of the chicken is lost in the sauce and the added yummiyummiyumminess of the pieces of bacon in that sauce. The cheeses in the sauce also pretty much get lost, except where they have melted together into balls of cheese (in sauce), which are pretty yummy but still rather barbecue flavored. The sauce goes take on a gelatinous texture around the edges, but stay away from those edges and you’ll be fine. I did get one bite of chicken that was a bit too “gristly” for my liking. Don’t worry, I discreetly spit it into a napkin, so as not to offend my keyboard, monitor, telephone, or coffee mug.

The mashed potato portion is huge - approaching the size of my hand with fingers spread, and I have long fingers. The herbs present in sight, taste, and smell are really lovely, but I can’t place the herb and it’s not one you’d generally pair with a barbecue dish. I really enjoyed them, but the meal might feel better rounded with a smaller potato share and a small third side. I recommend cornbread or baked beans.

The meal is definitely filling and would be suitable for a dinner or a lunch for a hearty appetite. It’s overall very tasty and I’d buy it again without a second thought. I will reiterate:

1. How does changing the name from Chicken Monterey to Monterey Chicken turn a chile cheese sauce to a barbecue sauce and switch the sides from mashed sweet potatoes and mexican rice to mashed herb potatoes?
2. A big part of the reason this is filling is the above-average size of the potato portion. Split the side portion of the tray and offer another side dish! It’s be great to get more than starch from my “side vegetable”.