Posts filed under 'Lean Cuisine'
(grilled chicken tenderloins in red pepper sauce with basil, coconut milk, soy & ginger, served with rice)
Directions: Cook on high 4-6 minutes, let stand in microwave 1-2 minutes
Ohmigod this meal from the Spa Cuisine Classic collection smelled so GOOD while cooking that it was torture for me to wait long enough to photograph. The scent may be a bit much for your coworkers if you’re lunching at work - I probably would not eat this at my desk, if possible. I’m also digging the radioactive color it has going. I enjoy red pepper-based sauces, just not chunks on their own. I’m weird that way.
I love the fact that the chicken pieces aren’t all the same size. I hate the factory-cut look. I have 5 pieces here with grill-lines on them; the large one is slightly smaller than my palm and the smaller ones are finger tip sized. The chicken is soft, and there’s a slight peppery taste to the red sauce that stays on the tongue after you swallow.
The rice against the edge of the tray is dry and gummy but the rest of the rice has a sweet milky taste to it - I would have liked the tray to have 2 compartments so that the red sauce didn’t get mixed into the rice. I also wouldn’t try using chopsticks like the box pictures because the sauce made everything wet. Unless you’re a whiz with chopsticks. I am not. I also only have an hour for lunch.
And while it’s not real Thai from your local place, I found it tray-licking good and a very nice meal for the 220 calories. (My steamed broccoli with a dash of garlic powder makes a great side, too. And you can’t miss with Jello.)
(4g fat, 220 cal, 4 POINTS)
May 20th, 2008
(tender macaroni in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce)
(and no red peppers!)
Directions: Microwave on HIGH 3 minutes, stir, microwave for 1:30 - 2:00 extra
I don’t remember how old I was when I first was fed Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, but it rocked my world. As I got older and more sophisticated, my standard was raised to Kraft Velveeta Shells & Cheese (Velveeta being a sign of prosperity in my blue-collar upbringing) and Martha Stewart’s recipe if I had money and time to make it myself.
So I loves me my macaroni and cheese dishes. Even though Lean Cuisine (oh please, God, let there be another brand on sale next week, for I want a different color box in my freezer) calls it a “One Dish Favorite” I call it my comfort classic.
I needed a meat-free dish today (self-flagellation for having lots of chocolate cake last night) and I’m feeling a bit blue, so out came the mac&cheese.
I nuked it, I ate it slowly and I savored. It has the comforting electric yellow color I associate with cheese product, and this even has real cheese! Both cheddar and “cheddar club” cheese are listed in the ingredients. I wonder if cheddar club is like the government cheese I ate as a kid? The noodles are a bit soggy and the cheese was a bit more watery than I’d have liked though. To its credit, the tray filled me up very nicely…so nicely that I don’t need the salad or jello that I have scheduled for sides. I’ll eat the salad anyway because it looks absolutely divine and I’m striving for more fresh veggies in my life.
Quite a good meal. But to be fair, I’ve yet to try the current incarnations of Smart Ones and Healthy Choice so I’ll refrain from saying it’s the best ever!
7g fat, 290 cal, 6 POINTS
May 19th, 2008
(with tomatoes, onions, garlic & basil)
There’s a reason this, a part of the “One Dish Favorites” collection, is the last frozen meal left in my freezer this workweek. Microwaved pasta is just horrible. Mushier than mush. The gravy (that’s what I call spaghetti sauce) is flavorless and watery. And there are no chunks of meat to count.
Also, this is NOT angel hair pasta. It is regular spaghetti.
But there are no red pepper chunks, so I should stop being angry that this 240 cal meal didn’t fill me and left my mouth sad, right?
4g fat, 260 cal, 5 POINTS
May 16th, 2008
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