Price: $2.50 (sale at Giant)
Serving: 1 packet, 1.5 oz.
Calories: 160
Fat: 3%, 2g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 4%, 100mg
Protein: 4g
Carbs: 11%, 33g
Fiber: 20%, 5g
Weight Watchers Points: 3 Points

Kashi says: With warm, creamy oats naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup, it’s a tasty way to do more for your heart.

Abi says: Warm? Check. Creamy? Check. Naturally sweetened witih pure maple syrup? Maybe. My tongue’s initial reaction to this oatmeal was not one of pleasure. First, it was far too creamy for my taste. I like a bit of crunch in my oatmeal and in this session, crunch was absent. Second, the distinctly chemical taste of the oatmeal made me draw back…from my own mouth. If you’ve ever tried to do that, it does not work.

“This is not good oatmeal.” I announced to the cube area. Then I stared at the bowl of Kashi Golden Brown Maple Oatmeal for a couple of minutes, trying to figure out what could possibly make such a horrid taste come out of a food item that is the definition of innocuous.

A quick perusal of the ingredients has led me to believe that it is one of these things:

• Chicory Root Fiber
• Activin Grape Seed Extract
• Decaffeinated Green Tea Extract
• Alpha Tocopherol Acetate
• Tomato Extract
• Pyridoxine Hydrochloride

Yes, all of those things are on the actual ingredients list for this oatmeal. Now you understand why it got two stars.

Admission: I ate two more packets of this oatmeal before writing ‘Free Oatmeal’ on the box and leaving it in the office kitchen. I’m not proud of that, I just thought I should let you know how long it took me to pick up a new box of oatmeal.

Yes, sometimes HeatEatReview.com seems like a series of laudatory paragraphs on Amy’s Kitchen meals. Sometimes we’re highly critical (see Black Bean Enchilada Meal), but generally we love the foods produced by Amy’s Kitchen. According to Heather, the toaster pops are no exception.

Price: $2.99
Serving: 1 Toaster Pop (55g)
Calories: 150
Fat: 6%, 3.5g
Sodium: 5%, 110mg
Protein: 4g
Carbs: 9%, 26g
Fiber: 4%, 1g

Amy’s Kitchen says: Made with Organic Apple and Flour. The same crisp Granny Smith apples that are in Amy’s popular Apple Pie and Country dinner. Perfect for dessert. Non-dairy/low fat.

Heather says: Oh, Amy, how do I love these? Let me count the ways:

1. They’re like Pop Tarts - only healthy!
2. They’re kinda like apple-filled empanadas - only healthy!
3. They would make an awesome substitute for those nasty McDonald’s apple pie things I crave now and then because my Mom bought me one when I lost the eighth grade spelling bee (vacuous, v-a-c-o-u-s, vacuous. What, no?)

But I digress.

In short, these are yummy. I grabbed one on my way to campus and felt like I got both a tasty and healthy start to the morning. And that’s even after I burnt mine in my hot new toaster oven. Although not especially filling (I was hungry again after about two hours), they’d make a great snack or part of a breakfast. I’m also contemplating topping one with some soy ice cream and calling it apple pie a la mode. I have no doubt of the deliciousness. Next time you’re feeling hungry (or are having spelling-related anxiety), do give ‘em a try.

Price: $3.49
Serving: 1 piece, 4.5 oz.
Calories: 170
Fat: 9%, 6g
Sodium: 18%, 440mg
Protein: 6g
Carbs: 10%, 29g
Fiber: 22%, 5g

Gabila’s says: The Original Coney Island Square knish.

Heather says: Right. I know. “What is this?,” you might ask. Lean Cuisine, it is not. Take this random product review as testament to the dearth of vegan products in the local mainstream grocery store. Normally, I get my tasty earth-friendly meals from one of the local whole-foodsy chains, but I was in a rush last week and needed to grab something from the local Fry’s supermarket. Ha. Rush. Right. What a joke.

If there’s anything you do a lot of as a vegan, it’s reading the back of labels, throwing up your hands in disgust, moving on to the next product, and repeating aforementioned behavior. So it was that after about five minutes of trying to find something anything, please God, anything that didn’t have animal product in it, I finally found this item, the knish.

I have tasted a fresh-baked knish before and found it to be mighty tasty. I did not, however, have high expectations for this product. Something about frozenness and mushy potatoes just not coexisting peacefully. Imagine my surprise then, to find that these knishes kicked vegan ass. They tasted, not surprisingly like: “lightly seasoned mashed potatoes wrapped in a crispy crust” (as Gabila’s says). They were, in short, delicious. I would recommend slicing one open and topping it with whatever you fancy. These things would make your Jewish vegan grandma proud. Seriously. Eat up.

Price: $1.99
Serving: 1/2 container, 6 oz.
Calories: 260
Fat: 14%, 9g
Sodium: 25%, 590mg
Protein: 6g
Carbs: 13%, 39g
Fiber: 4%, 1g

Trader says: Trader Ming’s Noodle Boxes were inspired by the noodle cars on the streets of Bangkok, Thailand. In Bangkok, people enjoy all kinds of wonderful foods from street vendors. In a way, the streets are really just one big open air cafe. We have imported three great flavors from Thailand and now you have an easy way to eat these noodle dishes.

Abi says:This meal isn’t really a meal at all. It is some noodles in sauce. While this might sound appealing to some people, it is actually a really boring thing to eat. Sure, the Kung Po noodles fulfill the basic mission of anything labelled ‘Kung Pao/Po’. They are slightly sweet and a little spicy, more spicy than most prepared foods. Unfortunately, they are just a bunch of boring noodles in spicy sauce. Maybe you’re tired of eating exciting foods and you really need a break from all of those crazy vegetables and meats. Or maybe you are were feeling lazy, like me, and you wanted a meal that you didn’t even have to put in the freezer. I have to admit, the shelf-stable foods are kind of nice.

The next day:
I “made” steamed dumplings, springrolls, and rice for dinner last night. I didn’t feel like having plain white rice, so I made yellow rice instead. While saffron is a nice flavor and all, it didn’t really go well with the dumplings and gyoza sauce. These noodles would have made a more appropriate side dish, but I had unwittingly eaten them at lunch. Don’t make the same mistake I did: these are not a meal, they are a side dish.

Even if you enjoy consuming only noodles for a meal, you might want to enter our contest.