Lean Cuisine: Cheese Lasagna with breaded chicken

One of Stouffers Comfort classics microwave meals. A serving of cheese lasagna with tomato sauce and a seperate compartment with thin slices of lightly breaded chicken scaloppini, also with tomato sauce. The lasagna came out pretty good, you could taste each of the ingredients, the tomato sauce was a little acidic, but not bad. I would have liked a little more ricotta cheese but there was an acceptable amount. The breading on the chicken actually had a little flavor, though it was soggy. The thinness of the chicken prevented the flavor from really showing through, but it was tender and fairly good. Another tv dinner with annoying directions (cook at 50% power for 9 to 12 minutes). Overally if you can live with the cook time, this is a pretty good meal. (280 calories; 8g fat; 34g carbs; 19g protein; 24% sodium; 6 weight watchers points)

Healthy Choice: Meat Loaf

Meat loaf with Brown gravy, Mashed potatoes, Green beans and an Apple Cranberry Crisp for desert. One of Healthy Choice's Complete selections. This microwave meal has a bit of everything, a nice slice of meatloaf smothered in gravy with mashed potatoes on the side. The meat loaf has reasonable amount of texture, and an ok flavor, the gravy really is needed to make it complete. The potatoes were smooth and had a nice flavor, but they did dry out a little in the microwave, mixing them with the gravy made them better. The green beans came out pretty good, they still had a little crunch and flavor, but as with many healthy choice vegetables they were flat and could use some seasoning. Overall, theis is a pretty good tv dinner and I will ad it to my eat regularly list. (300 calories; 8g fat; 40g carbs; 15g protein; 25% sodium; 6 weight watchers points)

Cheez-It Twisterz: Hot Wings & Cheesy Blue

Each little snack stick is made up of two pieces twisted together. Each piece is a different flavor. The stick itself is a crunchy cheese cracker, like cheez-its then there is a flavor coating on the outside. It is a little bit spicy and a little bit smooth and creamy, with lots of cheese flavor. These things are addictive, I sometimes avoid getting them because I can go through half a box without thinking. They are very good and are among my favorite snacks. Fat wise, they are better for you than potato chips, but are firmly in the snack food category, you can't even pretend they are healthy, so eat them in moderation. (140 calories; 6g fat; 19g carbs; 2g protein; 12% sodium per 17 crackers which is slightly over an ounce)

Lean Cuisine: Fiesta grilled chicken

One of Stouffer's Lean Cuisine Cafe classics. Seasoned and grilled chicken tenderloins with santa fe style rice and beans. There wasn't much chicken, but it was flavorful, with lots of spices on it. The chicken was slightly hard, but not unplesantly so. There are red and yellow bell pepers with the chicken and they came out a bit soggy.

The rice and beans were pretty basic, not many beans, lots of rice, with a little redness due to tomato, but not much flavor from that. There was a reasonable amount of cheese melted across the rice, which was a plus and some flavor, but I couldn't quite identify what it was.

The cooking instructions were disapointing, 50% power for 7.5 to 10 minutes. that is too large a range to consistently get right and the 50% power makes it take to long.

I was mildly disappointed in this, I was really hoping for it to be better and the presentation was good, but the taste, though not bad, just didn't hold up. I will probably get this again at some point, but it won't be high on my list. (250 calories; 7g fat; 27g carbs; 19g protein; 25% sodium; 5 weight watchers points)

Lean Cuisine: Fetteccini Alfredo

One of Stouffer's Lean Cuisine "One Dish Favorites". Thick Fettuccini noodles covered with lots of creamy cheese sauce, with little green flecks of parsley. The noodles came out good, thick and a little bit chewy without being hard or gummy. The sauce, as you might expect, is not like home-made, full of fat sauce, but it isn't bad, and it does have a decent flavor and is reasonably thick. There is lots of sauce, which is good since it contains most of the flavor of the dish. There is also a suprising amount of protein, and of course, lots of carbs from the noodles. Overall, this was tv dinner was better than I was expecting, a worthwhile lunch dish. (280 calories; 7g fat; 40g carbs; 14g protein; 28% sodium; 6 weight watchers points)

Lean Cuisine: Chicken Fried Rice

One of Stouffer's Lean Cuisine "Cafe classics bowl". rice and white chicken meat mixed with crispy vegetables and eggs in a sesame sauce. Sometimes it is amazing how poorly the description on the box matches what you get. "fried rice?" nope, white rice. "crispy vegetables?" Well, the carrots had a little crunch, but the peas weren't crisp at all, and I still don't know what the other little green bits were, scallionsperhaps?

You get a bowl with white rice, chicken, carrots and peas. part way through cooking, you stir it, and mix sesame sauce in, giving the rice a light brown color. The rice came out gummy, most of the chicken was a bit hard, in fact, crispier than the vegetables, which it isn't supposed to be. The flavor was light. Overall, not a very good example of fried rice. (280 calories; 6g fat; 29g carbs; 17g protein; 29% sodium; 6 weight watchers points)

Lean Cuisine: Shrimp and Angel Hair Pasta

A Stouffer's Lean Cuisine "Cafe Classics" microwave meal. Angel hair pasta and shrimp with a creamy seafood sauce. Lots of pasta, although it was more like thin spagetti, not angel hair. The sauce was creamy, with a bit seafood flavor. There were a smattering of carrots and red bell peppers mixed in. There weren't enough shrimp and I managed to overcook them even though I went with the lower end of the cooking instructions, so watch out for that. The picture on the box was suprisingly accurate, it shows mostly pasta with six shrimp, a few carrots and bell peppers, and bits of herb clinging to the pasta. That is exactly what I got, kudos for not exagerating. This meal turned out to be ok. It would have been better if I hadn't overcooked it, but it still wouldn' thave made my top 10. (240 calories; 4.5g fat; 35g carbs; 15g protien; 18% sodium; 5 weight watchers points)

Caribou Coffee: Northern Lite Chocolate Cooler

This is like a coffee/chocolate slurpee. The main flavor of this is sweet. very sweet. Next, you taste the milk, followed by coffee, then a little bit of chocolate flavor. To me, this was too sweet, the syrupy milk taste was decent, but not quite what I was looking for. On a hot day, I would take this over a hot coffee, and I will probably try some of the other flavors on different days just to be sure that it wasn't just that the person making it today added too much sugar. It is a sugary, slushy, icey coffee drink. (210 calories; 5g fat 45g carbs; 5g protein; 125mg sodium; per 16 oz serving)

Smart Ones: Chicken Santa Fe

A Weight Watchers "Smart Ones" Bistro selection. Chunks of grilled chicken with zucchini, bell peppers, onions, and black beans. With a tomato based sauce that has a hint of spiciness. The chicken is good, firm and textured and it still tastes like chicken. The vegetable mix is mostly small diced zucchini. The box claims a full serving of vegetables and I believe it, vegetables make up most of the meal. The main flavors are the tomato-y sauce and the zuchini, which dominates the other vegetables and was a bit over-cooked, The flavors all mingle together so don't expect to be able to taste the black beans or bell peppers. I liked the amount of protein compared to the amount of fat, but there really aren't enough calories for anyone to consider this lunch. There is also too much sodium, particularly given the number of calories. If you are looking for a microwave meal that has lots of vegetables (and vegetables besides corn) this one fits the bill, but overall, I don't think it was worth it. (140 calories; 2.5g fat; 11g carbs; 20g protein; 33% sodium; 2 weight watchers points)

Michelina's Lean Gourmet: Chicken Alfredo Florentine

Fettuccine with creamy alfredo sauce, white chicken and spinach. The alfredo sauce is creamy with a light flavor. It tastes like it has more fat than it has. The noodles came out good, a little firmness, and not all stuck together. The chicken was ok, a little hard and too salty, and not enough of it. The spinach added a decorative touch, but there wasn't enough of it to have any impact in the flavor. This is another one of those budget tv dinners that you can get on sale very cheap and when you look at it that way, it comes out pretty well. I like having some of these in the freezer for when I need a little extra food, but it doesn't make a good full meal. (270 calories; 6g fat; 38g carbs; 14g protein; 30% sodium; 6 weight watchers points)

Banquet: turkey meal

Mostly white meat turkey and gravy with dressing mashed potatoes and peas. I don't usually eat banquet meals because the amount of fat and lack of vegetables, but this one is an exception, it actually has green vegetables and more protein then fat. (Yes the little things excite me.) And it was on sale at a very cheap price. This has a three segment dish, Peas in one, mashed potatoes in another, and in the largest, slices of turkey with gravy and croutons. The peas were standard peas, nothing special, but nothing bad about them either. They had some flavor and were firm, not mushy at all. The potatoes were smooth and creamy. I expected them to be dry and only edible when mixed with the gravy, but that was not the case. (of course, they were better when mixed with the gravy.) The turkey had been chopped and formed into circles, like lunch meat turkey, then sliced and the slices then cut in half. I got two half slices that were light meat and one that was dark meat, thus fulfilling the "mostly white meat" prophecy. The gravy was tasty but salty. They say it comes with dressing (or stuffing), but really they were just plain croutons. The turkey was not all that flavorful and tasted like lunch meat. For the price it was pretty good, and probably better than most banquet microwave meals, but it wasn't a standout dish. (200 calories; 8g fat; 27g carbs; 14g protein; 42% sodium)

Michelina's Lean Gourmet: Penne Primavera

Whole wheat pasta with vegetables in a light alfredo sauce. This is a basic dish, mostly pasta, with some veggies (mostly brocoli and squash) with cream sauce. It is fairly plain and uninspired with lots of carbs. It does have redemming qualities, first, like it says, it is fairly lean, 240 calories, with only 7g fat. I don't think it has enough protein though. Second, it is pretty cheap. I think I got it on sale for a dollar, making this Penne Primavera less then half the price of most lean cuisine or healthy choice microwave meals. Although it is plain, it is pretty decent, so factoring cost, this turns out to be a pretty good meal. Since I often end up eating two microwave entrees for lunch if they don't have many calories, this makes a great second dish, cheap and reasonably tasty. (240 calories; 7g fat; 35g carbs; 9g protein; 22% sodium; 5 weight watchers points) (Michelina's web site listed different nutrition information from what was on my package)

Lean Cuisine: Rosemary chicken

Roasted chicken tenderloins in a garlic-rosemary sauce, with spinach and brown rice. One of Stouffer's Lean Cuisine Spa Cuisine Classics, made with whole grain Rice. The chicken is decent, tender with a subtle flavor. The sauce is good, although it doesn't have much of a rosemary flavor. The rice has a rough texture and you can taste the vegetables in it, however the flavor is disconnected, and overally the rice comes out flat. You really need to mix the sauce in with the rice for it to taste good. As usual, it is a bit light on the calories, lots of protein and not much fat. Not their best microwave meal, but not bad either, I will probably get it again. (210 calories; 4g fat; 27g carbs; 17g protein; 24% sodium 4 weight watchers points)

Lean Cuisine: Roasted garlic chicken

Chicken tenderloins in a roasted garlic sauce with spinach in a creamy parmesan sauce. One of Stouffer's Lean Cuisine Cafe Classics. This microwave entree only has 180 calories, which isn't enough, but when you eat it you would think it has more. There is a good amount of chicken and lots of sauce. The sauce is good and accents the chicken well. I think the highlight of the dish is the spinach. The sauce is creamy, the spinach doesn't taste like most frozen spinach does, and there are carrots in it! They add a nice color and makes it more distinctive than your standard creamed spinach. This is easily one of my favorite lean cuisines. If it had enough calories to make it a full lunch it would be perfect. (180 calories; 7g fat; 9g carbs; 21g protein; 28% sodium; 4 weight watchers points)

Trader Joe's: Spanakopita

Fillo dough triangles filled with spinach, ricotta and Feta cheese. A tray of 12 frozen spanakopita's ready to be cooked in the oven for 20 minutes. It was pretty good, the the fillo dough was thin and flakey, the filling very spinachy. The filling didn't have enough cheese in it, it tasted like just spinach. I like the TJ's spinach pie better, even though it takes much longer to cook. These would make good appetizers though.

Amy's Roasted Vegetable Pizza

This no-cheese pizza has organic shitake mushrooms, sweet onions, and roasted red peppers. I have a bit of trouble considering something without cheese to be pizza, but this is a very good dish. The onions are the best part, they are toasted and marinated and very flavorful. The artichoke hearts also are a positive addition to this Amy's pizza. Cooking time is 8-11 minutes in a 425 degree oven (410 calories; 14g fat; 11g protein; 62g carbs; 33% sodium; per pizza)

Trader Joe's: Spinach and Feta Pita Pizza

A pita crust pizza with spinach, feta cheese, and red onions. This is pretty tasty, The spinach isn't too watery like sometimes spinach pizza is, an dthe feta cheese flavor comes through well. However, there isn't much to it, for some reason it seemed like it wouldn't make a full meal, this is despite having 440 calories (lots of bread in this pizza. Beware, the serving size is only half a pizza, who are they trying to kid. Cooking time is 12-15 minutes in a 400 degree oven. (220 calories; 6g fat; 32g carbs; 9g protein; 24% sodium; per half package)

Cedarlane: Three layer Enchilada Pie

Vegitarian enchilada pie made with organic beans, tomatoes and tortillas. Cheesy and tomatoey. The tortillas, are not suprissingly, not crisp. And they are fairly thick. They absorb most of the juices in the container. There are lots of black olives mixed in, that seems to be the primary non-cheese non-tortilla ingredient. There is just a hint of spiciness to it, it really could use a little more spice. There are two servings per package but I don't see anyone eating just half of this. I was most of the way through the dinner before I realized that, so consider it as having 430 calories. Other than that it is pretty tasty and a nice change of pace from what I usually eat. I have seen other people comment that theirs didn't have many olives at all, so I guess it is a bit hit or miss. (215 calories; 7g fat; 27g carbs; 13g protein; 25% sodium; per half package)

Healthy choice: salisbury steak

Salisbury Steak with mushroom gravy, seasoned red skin potatoes, a vegetable medley and Caramel apple crisp dessert. the vegetable medley came out pretty decent, not the tastless mass that some of their vegetables are. The Salisbury steak was average, it could have used a bit more texture and flavor. The mushroom gravy did help the steak alot. The potatoes were, likewise average and helped alot by the gravy. They were a bit chewy with a slightly more chewy crust on them. (360 calories; 9g fat; 46g carbs; 20g protien; 25% sodium)

TGI Friday's Microwaveable Spinach, Cheese, and Artichoke Dip

Not T.G.I. Fridays the restaurant, but the frozen food you buy in the store. This dip has spinach and artichoke hearts in a creamy alfredo sauce with roasted garlic. It is easy to cook, only taking 3 or four minutes. The spinach tasted like frozen spinach, nothing great there. There was lots of small artichoke pieces, it would have been nice if they were larger. The sauce they were in was a bit thin. Matter of fact, I'm not used to spinach artichoke dip having a sauce, usually it is thick, and creamy, but not really liquid at all. That is probably why I was disappointed in this appetizer and wouldn't get it again. (45 calories 3.5g fat; 2g carbs; 2g protein; 5% sodium; per 2 tablespoon serving)