Lean Cuisine Protein Kick Supreme Pizza

First Impressions: How am I going to eat this? That's right, after I put this bad boy in the microwave at the office, I realized that I didn't have silverware or any way to cut it.

Taste: This is a perfectly fine pizza. It tastes better than, say, a Totinos, and there are plenty of toppings - a surprising amount of pepperoni and sausage and lots o' veggies. The outer crust has a decent crisp to it. If you're watching your calories and craving pizza, this will satisfy your craving.

Cooking: Turn the box into a little platform, place your pizza on the silver square, and cook 2:15.

Filling Level: 4.5? Decently filling, and satisfying!

Nutrition: 350 calories, 8g fat, 17g protein, 590 mg

05/17/2023: Impossible Bowls Spicy Enchilada Bowl

First Impressions: This smells pretty good.

Taste: It tastes good.

This is my first experience with Impossible Chicken (big fan of the Impossible Burger) and it is just fine. Texture is great and so is the flavor of this dish. It could use a few more vegetables, perhaps - there are just a few green and red peppers and maybe some onions throughout. Some tortilla strips do add a little bit of that enchilada flavor, although the texture is odd - who wants soggy tortilla chips?

As a Spice Girl, I wouldn't categorize this as spicy but it does have a nice little bit of heat. Overall it is very flavorful, and I do really like it and would eat it again but holy cannoli I just found out it has 1360 mg of sodium and that is just insane.

Cooking: 1-inch slit, cook 3 minutes, stir, cook 1 minute.

Filling Level: I'd give it a solid 4, maybe even 4.5.

Nutrition: 340 calories, 12g fat, 11g protein, 1360 mg sodium JESUS CHRIST

11/10/2022: Healthy Choice Power Bowls Italian Chicken Sausage & Peppers

First Impressions: Holy crap, this is HOT. No, seriously, packaging so hot I almost dropped it. Taste: This promises an arrabbiata sauce and THIS SAUCE DELIVERS. I'm legitimately surprised that the box does not say "spicy" arrabbiata sauce (just because it's implied in the name for me doesn't mean it is for everyone) because this sauce is ACTUALLY SPICY! This bowl is packed with brown and red rice, quinoa, barley, leafy greens, and (not enough) chicken sausage. There is a decent amount, I just always want more, and this sausage is GOOD. This whole bowl is damn good. Cooking: Microwave 4 1/2 minutes. CAUTION: Contents will be frigging hot. Filling Level: 4.5/5, as good as it's going to get with this type of meal. The power is from all the protein, see? Nutrition: 270 calories, 8g fat, 16g protein, 600 mg sodium

10/14/2022: Sweet Earth Pad Thai

First Impressions: Wait, is that tofu?

This is what the box says the meal will look like!

Taste: So, yes, that's fried tofu. And there is a decent amount of it - which I can't often say with proteins in these dishes. Now, granted, I don't eat a lot of tofu, fried or otherwise. The texture is? Meh? Very squeaky> And the flavor is? Nonexistent, which I guess it the entire point of tofu, the idea being that it will pick up the flavor of whatever you're cooking it in. The flavor of this dish is what I would call "Generic Asian-esque Sauce Flavored." It's nothing exciting, but it is also not bad, and I will take that any day when it comes to a frozen meal. There are some mushrooms, and carrots, and one snap pea, and some red onion including ONE REALLY BIG STRIP OF RED ONION!, and the noodles are really good. Also, the tofu kinda - kinda grows on you by the end.

Cooking: Slit film, microwave 2 1/2 minutes, stir, microwave 2 minutes.

Filling Level: 3.75/5 Nutrition: 390 calories, 15g fat, 11g protein, 580 mg sodium (full nutrition specs here)

I can't get a picture of what the meal looked like to upload, but rest assured that it looked almost nothing like the meal on the box.
Overall: Decently filling, fairly tasty, I can't really fault it that much, but I also didn't love it. Perhaps those tofu enthusiasts (tofusiasts?) out there would love it. Grade: C+

Addendum: After 30-45 minutes and lots of water and multiple pieces of spearmint gum, there is still some kind of funky, not necessarily GROSS but definitely-don't-still-want-it-in-my-mouth-this-long-after-eating aftertaste. For that reason alone I wouldn't purchase this meal again.

03/31/2021: Healthy Choice Simply Steamers Meatball Marinara

 First Impressions: This smells good.

This is what the box says the meal will look like!

Taste: It's fine! You won't be wowed by any of the flavors, but it's not flavorless. The meatballs are a little bland on their own, so make sure to sauce them up (there's plenty, but not an oppressive amount). There's a lot of spinach for bright flavor and a little bit of texture. 

Cooking: Microwave 4 1/2-5 minutes, no need to vent film. Are there any sweeter words in the English language than "no need to vent film"?

Filling Level: 3.5/5

Nutrition: 280 calories, 6g fat, 18g protein, 490 mg sodium (full nutrition specs here)

This is what the meal actually looks like!

Overall: There are much tastier pasta dishes out there (see yesterday's lasagna). This one was just a little lacking, and I don't know if I'd get it again on purpose, but if I bought it again by accident I wouldn't be mad?

Grade: B-

03/30/2021: Smart Ones Traditional Lasagna with Meat Sauce

 First Impressions: I wish I had some garlic bread to sop up all this sauce.

This is what the box says the meal will look like!

Taste: This is a pretty tasty lasagna. Definitely more flavorful than a lasagna your grandmother would make, unless your grandmother is Italian. Is there as much ricotta as shown in the picture? Thankfully, no, but there is quite a bit, and it is very saucy. The only meat is a sprinkling on the top and I'd prefer less cheese and more meat, but frozen meal beggars can't be choosers, can they?

Cooking: Puncture holes in the plastic with a fork and microwave 9 minutes 15 seconds in a 700 watt microwave, which I can confirm feels like forever. 

Filling Level: 4/5 - this is a pretty decent serving.

Nutrition: 330 calories, 12 g fat, 16 g protein, 650 mg sodium - get the full nutrition label here.

This is what the meal actually looks like!

Overall: For a frozen lasagna for people on diets, this is really good and will definitely help quench a lasagna craving if you're having one. I'll be getting this again (but I'll make sure I have bread next time for all that sauce!). 

Grade: A-

On a personal note, I just completed a Diet Bet, the third I've attempted and the first I've "won," coming in 0.2 pounds under my goal this morning and down 7 pounds in the past 30 days. 

12/14/2015: Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Chicken & Vegetable Stir Fry

First Impressions: Saucy.

This is what the box says the meal will look like!

Taste: The sauce is good;  flavorful. Veggies are include broccoli, carrots, edamame, red peppers, and onions. My issue, as always, is with the suspect chicken texture. There's a lot of chicken here, but I left 95% of it behind because it wasn't good. I am beginning to wonder why I get frozen meals with meat in them at all. (I will say that the chicken in Healthy Choice meals is typically better than most - so perhaps this was just a bad batch.)

Cooking: Microwave 4 to 4 1/2 minutes. Stir meal into sauce. Eat.

Filling level: 2.5/5, but I did not eat much of the chicken at all.

Nutrition: 190 calories, 4 g fat, 4 g fiber, 22 g protein (if you can stomach it), 500 mg sodium - full specs are here. 

This is what the meal actually looks like!

Overall: Nothing about this was good enough to make me want to eat it again.

Grade: D+