Ventera Ranch: Stuffed Chicken Breasts

These Chicken Breasts come stuffed with white and wild rice, carrots, red bell peppers, and shitake mushrooms. There is also a separate packet of a hawaiian glaze sauce. I think that the most suprising part of this was that the chicken breasts were so big. You sort of expect lots of stuffing and not much chicken, but just the opposite was true, there was lots of chicken and not a whole lot of the rice stuffing. The chicken was moist and tender and the glaze had a hint of sweet, but not much. The rice was the weakest part, it didn't have much flavor, and as I noted above, there wasn't much of it. There were also a few places on the chicken where I had to cut fat off. Over all, not a bad experience, especially one that takes less than ten minutes. (140 calories; 2g fat; 6g carbs; 23g protein; 20% sodium; per 5 oz serving).

This is my daughter 'Metallica'

People outside the U.S. give their kids stupid names too. A couple in Sweden are in court trying to name their baby girl 'Metallica' because according to her mother, Karolina Tomaro, 27, "It suites her". They have already won one round in the County Administrative Court in Goteborg which noted there was already someone in Sweden with Metallica as a middle name.

Names have to be registered with the Sedish National Tax Board, which rejected the application becuase it was associated with both the rock group and the word "metal".

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070403/ap_on_fe_st/baby_metal

Lean Cuisine: Chicken with basil cream sauce

One of Stouffer's Lean Cuisine Cafe Classics: Chicken with basil cream sauce; chicken breast with rib meat & angel hair pasta. This is a very good frozen meal. the sauce is creamy with a good flavor. The pasta came out well cooked, with good flavor due to the mixed in bits of veggies and herbs. The chicken slices were thin but moist, with bits of basil stuck to it. There is lots of protein, and not too much fat. Even the sodium is reasonable. This is going on my 'eat again' list. (280 calories; 7g fat; 35g carbs; 18g protein; 20% sodium; 6 weight watchers points)

Diet Rite Pure Zero Tangerine

The pure zero refers to 0 calories, 0 carbs, 0 caffeine, 0 sodium. It is made with Splenda. It is pretty good, sweet, but not too sweet, no aftertaste. It has an orangey-tangerine flavor. I generally stay a way from soda's without caffeine (what's the point? It is like cigarettes without nicotine.) But I wanted something sweet so I decided to try it. I was plesantly suprised and have had a couple of more. The only negative is that if I didn't know it was tangerine, I probably would have guessed it was orange flavored, when you get into the artificial flavors orange and tangerine taste very close.

Samuel Adams: Black Lager

Sam Adams makes good beer. Sure, a beer snob might look down on it, but I like it. It has a much fuller flavor than most beers, and I tend to like mine a bit dark, not the watery Bud or Rolling Rock. Given this, Black Lager seems custom made for me. It is much like regular Sam, but is darker, with a rich flavor and a bit more bite, but not harsh. I wouldn't say I like it better than regular Sam, but it is a nice change sometimes. (144 calories; 0g fat; 13g carbs; 1.2g protein; per 12 oz bottle)

Crossfire Grill: Burgers and fries

Start with the french fries: you can get them either plain or with garlic seasoning (I like the plain best) You can also get sweet potato fries which are a nice change of pace. The regular size is really big, probably two potatos worth,I have no idea how big the large is. The fries are good, they still have the skin on and are cooked in peanut oil.

Now for the burgers. I always get the hamburger, because there are so many french fries that I have trouble finishing them, so no need to get a more feature rich burger. You get your choice of toppings (all included in the price): mayo, katchup, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, pickle, relish, onion, green pepper, fried onion, sauteed mushroom, hot sauce, BBQ sauce. other burgers they have are the Bleu cheesburger, the bacon heeseburger, the double cheeseburger, and various combinations of the above. They also sell hot dogs which are good too. They also sell beer and wine by the bottle and soft drinks (free refills, but fairly expensive at $1.79) I have never been to "5 guys burgers and fries" but from what I have heard, it compares favorably, with some people giving the nod to crossfire, and others preferring 5-guys. Crossfire is located on Edgemoor LN, at Old Georgetown Rd, right next to Chipotle's in Bethesda, MD

Progresso: Tomato Rotini Soup

Mmm, tomato soup. I like a good tomato soup, and this is a good one. The rotini noodles are firm (how they keep noodles firm while sitting in a can of liquid I will never know) There are small chunks of tomato, and bits of spices. This thick soup is slightly acidic, but overall pleasant. Campbell's condensed tomato soup is still my favorite (it has less sodium, fat, carbs, calories, and protein) especially when made with milk, but if you want the un-condensed soup because it is easier to microwave, this is worth trying. (140 calories; 1g fat; 29g carbs; 4g protein; 40% sodium; per half-can serving)

Shaved, Shredded, or grated Parmesan cheese

Nothing beats freshly grated parmesan cheese, but it isn't always handy, and most of the time I seem to be in too much of a hurry to grate it on demand, so I use pre-cut cheese. That leads me to question, which kind to get? shaved, shredded, or grated? When fresh grated is best, it is airy and has lots of surface area so you get lots of aroma and flavor without using a huge amount. However, these same caracteristics make it loose flavor fast when bought pre-grated. The next contender is shaved. large, paper thin slices of cheese. I find that you usually get some really large ones, lots of flakes, then a bunch much like the grated. The big ones tend to be too big, and the small bits loose flavor just like the grated cheese. Finally, the winner, shredded. These are large enough to hold in the flavor while on the shelf, but small enough to give it up easily when you put it on food.

Trader Joes: Kosher Sandwich Pickles

These are pickles sliced lengthwise into thin slices, perfect for putting on you sandwiches, but I like just eating them straight. The are very crisp and bright. The pickle flavor really stands out. I think they are better than most of the sandwich slice pickles. They taste very salty, but looking at the ingredients, I can see they don't have any more salt than most pickles (yup thats alot I know). (5 calories; 0g fat; 1g carbs; 12% sodium; per two slices)

Annie's single serving Microwavable Mac & Cheese

Annie's foods are all natural, which is supposed to make them better for you. This one even has organic pasta. This box comes with 5 single-serving packets, all you do is put the pasta in a bowl with half a cup of water and nuke it for 3 minutes, then mix in the powdered cheese and let it sit for a minute. It is quick and easy and tastes pretty good too. The only downside I see is the amount of sodium, 24% of your daily allowance for a side dish, ouch. (230 calories; 4.5g fat; 9g protein; 40g carbs)