In which I show you pictures of frozen meals, eat them, and tell you how they taste. (Disclaimer: I genuinely enjoy some frozen dinners, so please take that into account before attempting to consume anything I recommend.)

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16 hours ago    |   Tags: healthy choice diet frozen dinner meal food review pineapple chicken  
Healthy Choice Sweet Pineapple Chicken Product Description:  “Crispy fried chicken breast with rice, carrots, juicy pineapple and red peppers covered in a sweet pineapple glaze. Steamed for freshness, this new entrée delivers the delicious every time.”Calories: 390 Fat: 7 g Sodium: 190 mg WW Points Plus: 10First Impressions: Yay, another yellow-y meal. This one at least has some bright red peppers for a little visual contrast. Doesn’t really look much like the box art, though. Smells really nice, sweet, but you can smell the chicken, too.Gustatory Impressions:  First of all, their copy-writer apparently is confused and thinks that “crispy fried chicken” actually means “soggy bready balls of bleh”.  The chicken itself isn’t too bad once you get through the icky outer coating, but it’s not great, either. The carrots and peppers are both good. The pineapple bits taste great, definitely the best part of this meal. The rice seems a tad overcooked and a little gluey, but maybe that is because of the sticky sweet sauce. The sauce is really good, but it sure is sticky and sweet. Summary:  This one has a fantastic overall flavor, but the experience of eating it wasn’t very satisfying. When I’m eating 390 calories, I really like to enjoy them. If only the rice were cooked a little less, and the chicken coating was a little less gross, this would be a really, really nice meal. Rating: 3 out of 5 forks

Healthy Choice Sweet Pineapple Chicken

Product Description:  “Crispy fried chicken breast with rice, carrots, juicy pineapple and red peppers covered in a sweet pineapple glaze. Steamed for freshness, this new entrée delivers the delicious every time.”

Calories: 390


Fat: 7 g


Sodium: 190 mg


WW Points Plus: 10

First Impressions: Yay, another yellow-y meal. This one at least has some bright red peppers for a little visual contrast. Doesn’t really look much like the box art, though. Smells really nice, sweet, but you can smell the chicken, too.

Gustatory Impressions:  First of all, their copy-writer apparently is confused and thinks that “crispy fried chicken” actually means “soggy bready balls of bleh”.  The chicken itself isn’t too bad once you get through the icky outer coating, but it’s not great, either. The carrots and peppers are both good. The pineapple bits taste great, definitely the best part of this meal. The rice seems a tad overcooked and a little gluey, but maybe that is because of the sticky sweet sauce. The sauce is really good, but it sure is sticky and sweet.

Summary:  This one has a fantastic overall flavor, but the experience of eating it wasn’t very satisfying. When I’m eating 390 calories, I really like to enjoy them. If only the rice were cooked a little less, and the chicken coating was a little less gross, this would be a really, really nice meal.

Rating: 3 out of 5 forks

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1 day ago    |   Tags: healthy choice diet frozen meal dinner food review   |   Notes: 1
Healthy Choice Rosemary Chicken and Sweet Potatoes Product Description:  “Prepare to savor the flavor. Savory chicken breast tenderloins tossed in a rosemary garlic sauce, then blended with pearl onions, sweet potatoes, and yellow carrots just to delight your taste buds.”Calories: 180 Fat: 2.5 g Sodium: 500 mg WW Points Plus: 4First Impressions: It’s… really yellowish. I sort of like my food to have a variety of colors, so the monochromatic thing isn’t doing much for me. It smells pretty good, though, vaguely Thanksgiving-y.Gustatory Impressions:  Not too shabby. Let’s start with the chicken… quite tender, very nice. The sweet potatoes were a bit bland, unless I got a lot of the sauce on them. The yellow carrots didn’t taste… well, they didn’t really have a taste. Basically just filler, as far as I’m concerned. But the little pearl onions were delightful.  The sauce… and for once in one of these things, the food wasn’t absolutely drowning in it, which I found to be a pleasant surprise… was understated, but still flavorful. Summary:  I wasn’t sure if I could be fair to a diet frozen meal today, as I am a little under the weather, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I can’t believe this is only 180 calories. It definitely filled me up. And at this calorie count, you could probably afford to have two of them if it didn’t. Rating: 4 out of 5 forks

Healthy Choice Rosemary Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

Product Description:  “Prepare to savor the flavor. Savory chicken breast tenderloins tossed in a rosemary garlic sauce, then blended with pearl onions, sweet potatoes, and yellow carrots just to delight your taste buds.”

Calories: 180


Fat: 2.5 g


Sodium: 500 mg


WW Points Plus: 4

First Impressions: It’s… really yellowish. I sort of like my food to have a variety of colors, so the monochromatic thing isn’t doing much for me. It smells pretty good, though, vaguely Thanksgiving-y.

Gustatory Impressions:  Not too shabby. Let’s start with the chicken… quite tender, very nice. The sweet potatoes were a bit bland, unless I got a lot of the sauce on them. The yellow carrots didn’t taste… well, they didn’t really have a taste. Basically just filler, as far as I’m concerned. But the little pearl onions were delightful.  The sauce… and for once in one of these things, the food wasn’t absolutely drowning in it, which I found to be a pleasant surprise… was understated, but still flavorful.

Summary:  I wasn’t sure if I could be fair to a diet frozen meal today, as I am a little under the weather, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I can’t believe this is only 180 calories. It definitely filled me up. And at this calorie count, you could probably afford to have two of them if it didn’t.

Rating: 4 out of 5 forks

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3 days ago   
Healthy Choice Beef Merlot Product Description:  “Get ready for a dish with taste and class. Tender cuts of beef and rosemary red potatoes tossed with a mouthwatering merlot wine sauce. It’s a tempting meal you can feel good giving in to.”Calories: 220 Fat: 6 g Sodium: 550 mg WW Points Plus: 5First Impressions: This is a “Cafe Steamer” meal, which means it cooks the food by heating the sauce below. Looks like a lot of food before you dump the solids into the liquid, then it doesn’t seem all that substantial. Otherwise it looks pretty darn good, though. Bright veggies and a savory-smelling sauce with a few bits of beef mixed in.  Gustatory Impressions:  The beef doesn’t look great, and I kept expecting to hit a bit of gristle or something, but it tasted absolutely fine. The potatoes could have been cooked a little more to my taste. The carrots ranged from a little too crisp to a little too mushy, usually depending on their size. I wish they’d been a bit more even. The green beans were lovely and crisp, tasting quite fresh. There were a very few little bits of onion in there as well. The sauce was less salty than other frozen dinner meals I’ve had, but still quite flavorful and a nice compliment to the beef and vegetables. Summary: Not a bad meal for 220 calories. The only major flaw is the variable done-ness of the vegetables. And there is not a whole lot of beef in here, sorry to disappoint any meat-lovers. I would probably eat this one again, but with a nice side salad to fill me up a little more. Rating: 4 out of 5 forks

Healthy Choice Beef Merlot

Product Description:  “Get ready for a dish with taste and class. Tender cuts of beef and rosemary red potatoes tossed with a mouthwatering merlot wine sauce. It’s a tempting meal you can feel good giving in to.”

Calories: 220


Fat: 6 g


Sodium: 550 mg


WW Points Plus: 5

First Impressions: This is a “Cafe Steamer” meal, which means it cooks the food by heating the sauce below. Looks like a lot of food before you dump the solids into the liquid, then it doesn’t seem all that substantial. Otherwise it looks pretty darn good, though. Bright veggies and a savory-smelling sauce with a few bits of beef mixed in. 

Gustatory Impressions:  The beef doesn’t look great, and I kept expecting to hit a bit of gristle or something, but it tasted absolutely fine. The potatoes could have been cooked a little more to my taste. The carrots ranged from a little too crisp to a little too mushy, usually depending on their size. I wish they’d been a bit more even. The green beans were lovely and crisp, tasting quite fresh. There were a very few little bits of onion in there as well. The sauce was less salty than other frozen dinner meals I’ve had, but still quite flavorful and a nice compliment to the beef and vegetables.

Summary: Not a bad meal for 220 calories. The only major flaw is the variable done-ness of the vegetables. And there is not a whole lot of beef in here, sorry to disappoint any meat-lovers. I would probably eat this one again, but with a nice side salad to fill me up a little more.

Rating: 4 out of 5 forks

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6 days ago   
Healthy Choice Asian Potstickers Product Description:  “This delectable vegetarian dish is served on a healthy bed of whole-grain rice and covered with a sweet Asian-style sauce.”Calories: 360 Fat: 5 g Sodium: 530 mg WW Points Plus: 9First Impressions: Smells ok. When peeling off the film on top, the first thing I notice is a rapidly congealing puddle of orange-ish sauce which seems to want to go everywhere, including my fingers, which are now sticky. The instructions say to “stir” after cooking, but that’s sort of hard to do unless you take the potstickers out first. But I attempted it. The potstickers look pretty big. Might need a knife as well as a fork. And they have weird little white spots on them, as if they didn’t cook properly. Gustatory Impressions:  The filling of the potstickers is quite good, very flavorful. However, it is wrapped in too much doughy outer coating. The potsticker skin is rubbery and doesn’t have much taste other that what comes from the sauce. The orange goo-like sauce is very sweet and mildly spicy. It has a bit of an odd consistency to it. Sort of like a stickier, thicker duck sauce in texture. The rice the dumplings sit on is nutty and would probably be tasty if it wasn’t overdone and glue-y. The red peppers are fine, but the carrots are underdone. Summary: I can’t believe I wasted 360 calories on this ooey, gooey mess. Maybe there was something wrong with mine… I can’t believe anything in this meal was supposed to taste like this.  Oh well, next time I will just get this instead. Rating: 2.5 out of 5 forks

Healthy Choice Asian Potstickers

Product Description:  “This delectable vegetarian dish is served on a healthy bed of whole-grain rice and covered with a sweet Asian-style sauce.”

Calories: 360


Fat: 5 g


Sodium: 530 mg


WW Points Plus: 9

First Impressions: Smells ok. When peeling off the film on top, the first thing I notice is a rapidly congealing puddle of orange-ish sauce which seems to want to go everywhere, including my fingers, which are now sticky. The instructions say to “stir” after cooking, but that’s sort of hard to do unless you take the potstickers out first. But I attempted it. The potstickers look pretty big. Might need a knife as well as a fork. And they have weird little white spots on them, as if they didn’t cook properly.

Gustatory Impressions:  The filling of the potstickers is quite good, very flavorful. However, it is wrapped in too much doughy outer coating. The potsticker skin is rubbery and doesn’t have much taste other that what comes from the sauce. The orange goo-like sauce is very sweet and mildly spicy. It has a bit of an odd consistency to it. Sort of like a stickier, thicker duck sauce in texture. The rice the dumplings sit on is nutty and would probably be tasty if it wasn’t overdone and glue-y. The red peppers are fine, but the carrots are underdone.

Summary: I can’t believe I wasted 360 calories on this ooey, gooey mess. Maybe there was something wrong with mine… I can’t believe anything in this meal was supposed to taste like this.  Oh well, next time I will just get this instead.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 forks

Ratings Review

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1 week ago   

Since I’m not eating a frozen meal for lunch today, here is a recap of everything I’ve reviewed so far, from yummiest to most disgusting.
                

Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli                                     5
Lean Cuisine Mushroom Tortelloni                                           5
Lean Cuisine Roasted Turkey & Vegetables                             5
Lean Cuisine Chicken Alfredo                                                    4.5
Lean Cuisine Chicken Poblano                                                  4.5
Lean Cuisine Grilled Chicken & Penne Pasta                          4.5
Lean Cuisine Spinach & Mushroom Pizza- Deep Dish          4.5
Lean Cuisine Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom Panini             4.5
Healthy Choice Portabella Marsala Pasta                               4.5
Lean Cuisine Alfredo Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli              4
Lean Cuisine Asiago Cheese Tortelloni                                     4
Lean Cuisine Cheese Ravioli                                                        4
Lean Cuisine Chicken Pot Stickers                                              4
Lean Cuisine Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce                         4
Lean Cuisine Classic Five Cheese Lasagna                                4
Lean Cuisine Garlic Chicken                                                        4
Lean Cuisine Lemon Chicken                                                      4
Lean Cuisine Macaroni and Cheese                                           4
Lean Cuisine Meatloaf and Whipped Potatoes                       4
Lean Cuisine Parmesan Crusted Fish                                         4
Lean Cuisine Ranchero Braised Beef                                         4
Lean Cuisine Roasted Turkey Breast                                         4
Lean Cuisine Salisbury Steak                                                       4
Lean Cuisine Salisbury Steak                                                       4
Lean Cuisine Salmon with Basil                                                  4
Lean Cuisine Thai Style Chicken                                                 4
Lean Cuisine Pepperoni French Bread Pizza                            4
Lean Cuisine Steak, Cheddar & Mushroom Panini                 4
Healthy Choice Honey Balsamic Chicken                                  4
Healthy Choice Roasted Chicken and Potatoes                       4
Lean Cuisine Beef Pot Roast                                                      3.5
Lean Cuisine Chicken Makhani                                                 3.5
Lean Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean                                      3.5
Lean Cuisine Chile Lime Chicken                                              3.5
Lean Cuisine Five Cheese Rigatoni                                           3.5
Lean Cuisine Glazed Chicken                                                     3.5
Lean Cuisine Lasagna with Meat Sauce                                   3.5
Lean Cuisine Mushroom Mezzaluna Ravioli                           3.5
Lean Cuisine Sesame Chicken                                                   3.5
Lean Cuisine Shrimp Scampi                                                     3.5
Lean Cuisine Steak Tips Portabello                                          3.5
Lean Cuisine Swedish Meatballs with Pasta                           3.5
Lean Cuisine Three Cheese Stuffed Rigatoni                          3.5
Lean Cuisine Tortilla Crusted Fish                                            3.5
Lean Cuisine Vegetable Eggroll                                                 3.5
Lean Cuisine BBQ recipe Chicken Pizza-Wood Fire Styl       3.5
Lean Cuisine Chicken Club Panini                                             3.5
Lean Cuisine Chicken Ranch Club Flatbread Melts               3.5
Lean Cuisine Apple Cranberry Chicken                                     3
Lean Cuisine Chicken Enchilada Suiza                                       3
Lean Cuisine Chicken Pecan                                                        3
Lean Cuisine Fettuccini Alfredo                                                  3
Lean Cuisine Ginger Garlic Stir Fry with Chicken                     3
Lean Cuisine Orange Peel Chicken                                             3
Lean Cuisine Rosemary Chicken                                                 3
Lean Cuisine Margherita Pizza-Wood Fire Style                      3
Healthy Choice Tortellini Primavera Parmesan                       3
Lean Cuisine BBQ Chicken Quesadilla                                     2.5
Lean Cuisine Chicken Carbonara                                              2.5
Lean Cuisine Chicken Marsala                                                   2.5
Lean Cuisine Shanghai Style Shrimp                                        2.5
Lean Cuisine Sweet and Sour Chicken                                     2.5
Healthy Choice Pumpkin Squash Ravioli                                 2.5
Lean Cuisine Santa Fe-Style Rice & Beans                                2
Lean Cuisine Grilled Chicken Primavera                                   1
Lean Cuisine Chicken Parmesan                                                 0

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1 week ago    |   Tags: healthy choice frozen diet meal dinner food review honey balsamic chicken   |   Notes: 2
Healthy Choice honey Balsamic Chicken Product Description:  “Chicken breast tenderloins, red potatoes, firm asparagus, and juicy cherry tomatoes are paired with a delightful honey and balsamic vinegar glaze to serve up a winning flavor combination.”Calories: 210 Fat: 3 g Sodium: 460 mg WW Points Plus: 5First Impressions: This one smells FANTASTIC. It’s the kind of thing that’s going to make your coworkers hungry when they walk past the kitchen. It looks pretty tasty, too. It’s nowhere near as colorful as the package art, but otherwise it’s pretty close. The “balsamic glaze” looks more like a thin sauce than a glaze, even after stirring. But it’s still the kind of frozen dinner that would look quite appetizing on a real plate, if you have the time/energy/dishes for that sort of thing.Gustatory Impressions:  The chicken is above average for a frozen meal. The potatoes could have been cooked just a tiny bit more, but were still very good. The “glaze” went very nicely with both of the above. The asparagus was a little flavorless, but the texture was good, not too soggy or too underdone. The tomatoes… well, I highly dislike cooked cherry tomatoes, so I only took a tiny bite of one, and it just made me remember why I hate cooked cherry tomatoes.  Bleh. But there were only a few of them, so it didn’t bother me much. If you like mushy tiny tomatoes, you might actually enjoy them. Summary: Altogether a rather pleasant meal. And at only 3 grams of fat and 210 calories, it seems like a lot of food. And it really does smell great, better than 95% of the microwave dinners I’ve tried (and we all know I’ve tried a whole bunch of microwave dinners). I think this one is a safe recommendation. Rating: 4 out of 5 forks

Healthy Choice honey Balsamic Chicken

Product Description:  “Chicken breast tenderloins, red potatoes, firm asparagus, and juicy cherry tomatoes are paired with a delightful honey and balsamic vinegar glaze to serve up a winning flavor combination.”

Calories: 210


Fat: 3 g


Sodium: 460 mg


WW Points Plus: 5

First Impressions: This one smells FANTASTIC. It’s the kind of thing that’s going to make your coworkers hungry when they walk past the kitchen. It looks pretty tasty, too. It’s nowhere near as colorful as the package art, but otherwise it’s pretty close. The “balsamic glaze” looks more like a thin sauce than a glaze, even after stirring. But it’s still the kind of frozen dinner that would look quite appetizing on a real plate, if you have the time/energy/dishes for that sort of thing.

Gustatory Impressions:  The chicken is above average for a frozen meal. The potatoes could have been cooked just a tiny bit more, but were still very good. The “glaze” went very nicely with both of the above. The asparagus was a little flavorless, but the texture was good, not too soggy or too underdone. The tomatoes… well, I highly dislike cooked cherry tomatoes, so I only took a tiny bite of one, and it just made me remember why I hate cooked cherry tomatoes.  Bleh. But there were only a few of them, so it didn’t bother me much. If you like mushy tiny tomatoes, you might actually enjoy them.

Summary: Altogether a rather pleasant meal. And at only 3 grams of fat and 210 calories, it seems like a lot of food. And it really does smell great, better than 95% of the microwave dinners I’ve tried (and we all know I’ve tried a whole bunch of microwave dinners). I think this one is a safe recommendation.

Rating: 4 out of 5 forks

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1 week ago    |   Tags: healthy choice diet frozen dinner meal food review tortellini   |   Notes: 1
Healthy Choice Tortellini Primavera Parmesan “This four-cheese-stuffed tortellini features whole-grain pasta, julienne carrots, and red pepper strips. We’ve tossed in Chardonnay wine and extra virgin olive oil, and finished it off with Parmesan cheese to bring out the flavor that’s sure to please any palate.”Calories: 230 Fat: 5 g Sodium: 490 mg WW Points Plus: 6First Impressions: Smells very tomato-y. I don’t see any evidence of Parmesan, and the sauce is really thin, sort of soupy. Once stirred, it does look like a lot of tortellini in with the veggies. But I don’t have high hopes for this one.Gustatory Impressions:  The sauce is, indeed, runny. But it is pretty flavorful, a sweet and slightly savory mixture. The veggies are all passable… the zucchini is just a tad overdone, the carrots a tiny bit under, and the red pepper a little bit soggy, but none of it is inedible.  And they all go quite nicely with the sauce. The tortellini are plentiful but a little disappointing. There is not quite enough filling, the pasta is a bit doughy, and they barely appear to be seasoned at all. And while there are teensy, tiny bits of Parmesan floating about at great intervals, it doesn’t really affect the taste much. Summary: This is a pretty average meal. It is fairly filling, so it’s got that going for it. But what you’re being filled with is pretty forgettable. I personally probably won’t buy it again if there are other options available.  Rating: 3 out of 5 forks

Healthy Choice Tortellini Primavera Parmesan

“This four-cheese-stuffed tortellini features whole-grain pasta, julienne carrots, and red pepper strips. We’ve tossed in Chardonnay wine and extra virgin olive oil, and finished it off with Parmesan cheese to bring out the flavor that’s sure to please any palate.”

Calories: 230


Fat: 5 g


Sodium: 490 mg


WW Points Plus: 6

First Impressions: Smells very tomato-y. I don’t see any evidence of Parmesan, and the sauce is really thin, sort of soupy. Once stirred, it does look like a lot of tortellini in with the veggies. But I don’t have high hopes for this one.

Gustatory Impressions:  The sauce is, indeed, runny. But it is pretty flavorful, a sweet and slightly savory mixture. The veggies are all passable… the zucchini is just a tad overdone, the carrots a tiny bit under, and the red pepper a little bit soggy, but none of it is inedible.  And they all go quite nicely with the sauce. The tortellini are plentiful but a little disappointing. There is not quite enough filling, the pasta is a bit doughy, and they barely appear to be seasoned at all. And while there are teensy, tiny bits of Parmesan floating about at great intervals, it doesn’t really affect the taste much.

Summary: This is a pretty average meal. It is fairly filling, so it’s got that going for it. But what you’re being filled with is pretty forgettable. I personally probably won’t buy it again if there are other options available. 

Rating: 3 out of 5 forks

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1 week ago    |   Tags: healthy choice portabella marsala pasta diet frozen dinner meal food review yum   |   Notes: 2
Healthy Choice Portabella Marsala Pasta “Prepare your taste buds for 9-grain Mafalda pasta and rich crimini mushrooms, tossed with a savory Marsala wine sauce and topped with rich fontina cheese.”Calories: 250 Fat: 6 g Sodium: 500 mg WW Points Plus: 6First Impressions: Looks remarkably like the package art. Smells great. Looks like quite a bit of food, too. There is not quite as much cheese on top as I would like, but then, there is no such thing as enough cheese as far as I’m concerned.Gustatory Impressions:  The ruffly little “9 grain pasta” noodles don’t taste grainy at all, or like cardboard, which is normally what I would expect from something of that name. This is some of the best frozen pasta I’ve had. This type of pasta, mafalde, is like lasagne noodles with the big flat bit mostly cut out. The mushrooms are juicy and flavorful. The sauce doesn’t taste much like marsala to me, but it’s tasty enough. It is a little peppery, though, and while it’s not apparent as you begin to eat, by the end of the meal you might really start to feel it. The cheese on top is barely worth mentioning as there’s so little of it, but what there is, is quite good. Summary: This is probably the best Healthy Choice meal I’ve had so far. It’s filling, and has a lot of flavor.  I highly recommend it, unless you don’t like mushrooms, in which case you should probably try it anyway because mushrooms are delicious, you big silly. Rating: 4.5 out of 5 forks

Healthy Choice Portabella Marsala Pasta

“Prepare your taste buds for 9-grain Mafalda pasta and rich crimini mushrooms, tossed with a savory Marsala wine sauce and topped with rich fontina cheese.”

Calories: 250


Fat: 6 g


Sodium: 500 mg


WW Points Plus: 6

First Impressions: Looks remarkably like the package art. Smells great. Looks like quite a bit of food, too. There is not quite as much cheese on top as I would like, but then, there is no such thing as enough cheese as far as I’m concerned.

Gustatory Impressions:  The ruffly little “9 grain pasta” noodles don’t taste grainy at all, or like cardboard, which is normally what I would expect from something of that name. This is some of the best frozen pasta I’ve had. This type of pasta, mafalde, is like lasagne noodles with the big flat bit mostly cut out. The mushrooms are juicy and flavorful. The sauce doesn’t taste much like marsala to me, but it’s tasty enough. It is a little peppery, though, and while it’s not apparent as you begin to eat, by the end of the meal you might really start to feel it. The cheese on top is barely worth mentioning as there’s so little of it, but what there is, is quite good.

Summary: This is probably the best Healthy Choice meal I’ve had so far. It’s filling, and has a lot of flavor.  I highly recommend it, unless you don’t like mushrooms, in which case you should probably try it anyway because mushrooms are delicious, you big silly.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 forks

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1 week ago    |   Tags: healthy choice frozen diet meal food review roasted chicken potatoes   |   Notes: 1
Healthy Choice Roasted Chicken and Potatoes “Savory slices of chicken breast with redskin potatoes, crisp carrots, and tender pearl onions in a light chicken and herb sauce. ”Calories: 180 Fat: 3.5 g Sodium: 560 mg WW Points Plus: 4First Impressions: Looks a lot like the picture on the box. Smells great right out of the microwave, savory and somehow comforting. Oddly, the package comes with a warning printed on it that says “FOR SINGLE USE ONLY” and “DO NOT REUSE” which makes me think someone found a bunch of these in a hoarder’s house one time, because who else would try to reuse a microwave dinner tray?Gustatory Impressions:  The chicken in this seems of higher quality than in most frozen meals. The taste and texture was good and I didn’t chance upon any gross or gristle-y bits. The carrots could have been just a bit more tender. I cooked the meal for the longest time suggested on the box, and they still didn’t get quite done, still a bit too crunchy. The potatoes came out great, though, and they were my favorite part of the meal. The pearl onions were a fun addition too. They tasted crisp and fresh and a bit spicy.  The sauce tasted a little too salty to me. You can taste the herbs, but mostly it’s just salty. But all in all, pretty tasty. Summary: This would be a great meal for a rainy cold day. Even on a bright beautiful spring day, it does the trick. You get what appears to be a good amount of food for only 180 calories. It might be a little pedestrian as far as frozen dinners go, but at least it’s tasty and filling. Would eat again. Rating: 4 out of 5 forks

Healthy Choice Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

“Savory slices of chicken breast with redskin potatoes, crisp carrots, and tender pearl onions in a light chicken and herb sauce. ”

Calories: 180


Fat: 3.5 g


Sodium: 560 mg


WW Points Plus: 4

First Impressions: Looks a lot like the picture on the box. Smells great right out of the microwave, savory and somehow comforting. Oddly, the package comes with a warning printed on it that says “FOR SINGLE USE ONLY” and “DO NOT REUSE” which makes me think someone found a bunch of these in a hoarder’s house one time, because who else would try to reuse a microwave dinner tray?

Gustatory Impressions:  The chicken in this seems of higher quality than in most frozen meals. The taste and texture was good and I didn’t chance upon any gross or gristle-y bits. The carrots could have been just a bit more tender. I cooked the meal for the longest time suggested on the box, and they still didn’t get quite done, still a bit too crunchy. The potatoes came out great, though, and they were my favorite part of the meal. The pearl onions were a fun addition too. They tasted crisp and fresh and a bit spicy.  The sauce tasted a little too salty to me. You can taste the herbs, but mostly it’s just salty. But all in all, pretty tasty.

Summary: This would be a great meal for a rainy cold day. Even on a bright beautiful spring day, it does the trick. You get what appears to be a good amount of food for only 180 calories. It might be a little pedestrian as far as frozen dinners go, but at least it’s tasty and filling. Would eat again.

Rating: 4 out of 5 forks

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2 weeks ago    |   Tags: Healthy choice diet frozen dinner meal pumpkin ravioli  
Healthy Choice Pumpkin Squash Ravioli “Tender pumpkin-stuffed ravioli with crisp asparagus, sweet butternut squash, and juicy Granny Smith apples, all topped with a tasty butter-sage sauce. ”Calories: 300 Fat: 6 g Sodium: 540 mg WW Points Plus: 8First Impressions: Looks relatively appealing. What are those orange bits? i didn’t read the box very well. Smells really… sweet.Gustatory Impressions:  Let’s take the ingredients one a a time first.  The asparagus was cooked nicely, good taste and texture.  The orange bits are butternut squash, and those varied wildly in taste and texture. Some were almost tasteless, some were firm, some were almost mush. There were about three tiny bits of apple in there, and they were firm and tart on their own. The ravioli were pretty good, if much sweeter & more cinnamon-y than I had expected. They had a nice mouth feel. The sauce was utterly forgettable. I JUST ate it and I couldn’t thing of a single thing to describe it as except “yellow”.  That’s a description of all the parts of the meal, and by themselves, all except the squah were adequate. However, they just don’t seem to go together at all. The blah sauce with the sweet pumpkin-pie ravioli and the underwhelming veggies just don’t do it for me. Summary: I’m baffled by this one. If it were just the ravioli and sauce, I might eat it again. The extra squash just ruins the whole meal for me. The strange mix of sweet and… not savory, it didn’t have enough flavor to be called savory, but something like it… has left my taste buds confused. Rating: 2.5 out of 5 forks

Healthy Choice Pumpkin Squash Ravioli

“Tender pumpkin-stuffed ravioli with crisp asparagus, sweet butternut squash, and juicy Granny Smith apples, all topped with a tasty butter-sage sauce. ”

Calories: 300


Fat: 6 g


Sodium: 540 mg


WW Points Plus: 8

First Impressions: Looks relatively appealing. What are those orange bits? i didn’t read the box very well. Smells really… sweet.

Gustatory Impressions:  Let’s take the ingredients one a a time first.  The asparagus was cooked nicely, good taste and texture.  The orange bits are butternut squash, and those varied wildly in taste and texture. Some were almost tasteless, some were firm, some were almost mush. There were about three tiny bits of apple in there, and they were firm and tart on their own. The ravioli were pretty good, if much sweeter & more cinnamon-y than I had expected. They had a nice mouth feel. The sauce was utterly forgettable. I JUST ate it and I couldn’t thing of a single thing to describe it as except “yellow”.  That’s a description of all the parts of the meal, and by themselves, all except the squah were adequate. However, they just don’t seem to go together at all. The blah sauce with the sweet pumpkin-pie ravioli and the underwhelming veggies just don’t do it for me.

Summary: I’m baffled by this one. If it were just the ravioli and sauce, I might eat it again. The extra squash just ruins the whole meal for me. The strange mix of sweet and… not savory, it didn’t have enough flavor to be called savory, but something like it… has left my taste buds confused.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 forks