Archive for the ‘Carrots’ Category

Healthy Choice Asian Potstickers, Revisited

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Ever since reader Dena Struchtemeyer sent in her review of Healthy Choice’s Asian Potstickers, I had wanted to try some myself to see how closely my exerience would mirror hers. I hope to do this with other reader reviews in the future, so let me know how I’m doing.

Healthy Choice Sweet Asian Potstickers - Ad

Dena’s potstickers:

Healthy Choice Sweet Asian Potstickers

My potstickers:

Healthy Choice Sweet Asian Potstickers

Looks: Not as vibrant or as fresh as the box depicts, but much moreso than Dena’s. The portion sizes are accurate though. 3.5 out of 5

Taste: The potstickers were chewy (the way I like them), but the filling was mostly tasteless – tofu is not known for its flavor. On the other hand, the rice surrounding the potstickers was terrible; gritty and dry, completely unpalatable. I’d eat the potstickers again if I was able to get them for free, but I’d still throw the rice away. 2 out of 5

Lean Cuisine Chicken in Peanut Sauce

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Lean Cuisine Chicken in Peanut Sauce - Ad

Lean Cuisine Chicken in Peanut Sauce

Looks: The only difference from box to bowl is that the sauce is thicker in real life, and this gives the entire dish less of a “shiny” appearance and more of a “mucky” appearance, to use a technical term. 4.5 out of 5

Taste: Have you ever made a bowl of chicken, noodles, and vegetables, and then just for the heck of it, mixed in a few tablespoons of peanut butter? No? Because that would taste weird? Yeah, it would taste weird, wouldn’t it. If this meal came without the peanut sauce, it would probably rate a 3.5, but the thick peanut sauce was just too much like peanut butter. 2 out of 5

Healthy Choice Five-Spice Beef & Vegetables Cafe Steamer

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Healthy Choice Five-Spice Beef & Vegetables Cafe Steamer - Ad

Healthy Choice Five-Spice Beef & Vegetables Cafe Steamer

Looks: Everything’s on the up-and-up, except for the usual problem that the directions instruct you to stir the meal, but the meal on the box is obviously not stirred. Come on! 4.5 out of 5

Taste: When I saw “five-spice” on the box, I expected something spicy. (Five-spicy, to be exact.) But the sauce had no spice, only sweetness – it tasted and smelled like gingerbread cookies. Also, the beef was dry, as most microwave beef is, and the rest of the ingredients had no taste except for the overwhelming sauce. (Note: the ingredients list does not list “beef”; it lists “cooked beef and binder product.” Take that for what you will.) 2.5 out of 5

Lean Cuisine Sweet & Sour Chicken

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Lean Cuisine Sweet & Sour Chicken - Ad

Lean Cuisine Sweet & Sour Chicken

Looks: The chicken pieces aren’t as large or as plentiful as pictured, and the sauce is much more prominent. The vegetables and overall portion size are close enough. 4 out of 5

Taste: I liked this one a lot – the rice was cooked just so, and the chicken was juicy. The vegetables were just the right amount of crunchy, but he sauce was maybe a little too sweet. (Although, in all my years, I’ve never tasted the “sour” of “sweet and sour” chicken. Is there something wrong with me?) 4.5 out of 5