Food In Real Life

Lean Cuisine Baja-Style Chicken Quesadilla

Looks: I don’t know what kind of cutting and dividing they did for the box picture, but there’s only one quesadilla in the box. Its filling is pretty close to what you see on the package, but the cheese kind of overwhelms the other stuff as it melts, much like a volcano taking out Los Angeles with its lava. (Side note: the cheese filling is like lava in another way, in that it will melt your mouth if you eat it too soon after heating.) 4 out of 5

Taste: They should really call this a corn quesadilla, because all you taste is corn and cheese. It was still ok, but I wouldn’t have known there was chicken in it if I hadn’t seen it on the box. So if you like corn and you like cheese, you’ll love this meal. (If you don’t like corn or cheese, why did you buy a quesadilla that clearly contains both? Weirdo.) 3 out of 5

Special K Blueberry Fruit Crisps

Looks: Except for their slightly washed-out appearance (which I assure you is not just a side-effect of the photography), these “crisps” exist as depicted on the box. 4.5 out of 5

Taste: You may recall that I have an “appreciation” for blueberry Pop-Tarts. These crisps are basically mini blueberry Pop-tarts, but even better, because it’s socially acceptable to eat them at all hours of the day. No more yearning for Pop-Tarts at 3pm but withholding out of shame – I’ll be enjoying some variety of sugar-frosted blueberry cracker snack 24/7. 5 out of 5

Lean Cuisine Macaroni & Cheese

Looks: Hallelujah, it’s the same as the meal on the box! Well, it’s a little more watery, but that’s it. 4.5 out of 5

Taste: I really like – wait, let me start over. I love macaroni and cheese. It’s possibly my favorite food. So when I saw that this macaroni and cheese looked quite appetizing after cooking, I got excited. I may have danced a little in my kitchen in anticipation. However, my glee was short-lived. Although it looks good, it has only slight cheese flavor, and the noodles themselves are somehow watery. (As in they squish out water when you bite into them.) Don’t make the same mistake I did – don’t get excited over this macaroni. 2.5 out of 5

Healthy Choice Chicken Margherita Cafe Steamer

Reader Sydney Hamilton has stepped up to ensure that you don’t have to go another day without a FoodIRL post:

Looks: It doesn’t look terrible, but it doesn’t look great. The chicken looks so dry in comparison to the pictured ones. The sauce is wayyy thicker than shown and the tomatoes in the picture are much more vibrant than the ones in the actual dish. It’s not too far off though. 3.5 out of 5

Taste: This is the worst thing I have ever eaten. The “angel hair” pasta is basically thicker than linguine, and they are so overcooked and mushy. The tomatoes are so hard and crispy, I thought they were peppers until I realized they weren’t. The chicken is dry and the sauce is way too thick and super bland. 1.5 out of 5

Personally, if something was the worst thing I had ever eaten, it would be lucky to get 0 out of 5, much less 1.5 out of 5.

If you want to see your food on the Internet, send it to food@foodirl.com.