Since I’m about granola bar’d out, I thought I’d try something different. Some frozen lunch goodness, Lean Cuisine style.

Today’s subject is potstickers. Lean Cuisine Asian-Style Potstickers. Here, take a gander at the tempting box in which this arrived:

I opted to closely follow cooking directions and nuked it at 60% for 8 minutes and there were certainly no frozen or cold spots in the meal!

I tried a taste of the rice before mixing it all up and I do have to recommend trying to mix the rice in with some of the sauce. Just a little plain tasting without it. Not plain like one of the extras on Little House on the Prairie but lacking in taste nonetheless. Mixing it all up some makes a big difference.

Then come the stars of the show, the dumplings themselves. There’s a nice thin layer around the chicken and veggies and while it’s not a big chunk of meat inside, these are small and low-in-calorie meals so having four good-sized potstickers plus the rice, this is not a meal where you’ll be hungry 30 minutes later. I did find myself wishing there were a couple more of them in the meal, though. They’re really good. A taste you’ll be thinking of fondly throughout the day.

Just look at them:

Makes you want to run out to store now and buy ten boxen, doesn’t it?? Soo…what are you waiting for?! Go. Now!

3 1/2 out of 5 stars!

We see them every time we are in the grocery store or even a convenience store. Sitting there in their pretty little boxes, touting their healthy wares and tempting us with tasty flavors (mmm…chocolate.) Sometimes they’re in packs (in boxes). Sometimes they’re loners (single bars in a checkout lane.) Sometimes they leap off the shelves and into our carts, hoping we don’t notice and buy them along with the rest of our food items. And, in the rare and usually unreported cases, they swarm about us and beat us over the head with our bags of Fritos or boxes of Twinkies, berating us for our slovenly, non-healthy food-purchasing decisions.

What are these tasty, tempting, temperamental terrors? Food bars!

There are cereal bars, granola bars, breakfast bars, protein bars, cash bars, nudie bars (*THWAP* … Ouch! Ok, ok…I’ll get back on-topic.)

I thought it might be a good idea to see how these taste and just how healthy they are. Who knows, maybe they aren’t much better than a Twinkie! (pfffft…I wish!) I decided on the chocolate variety of each as that’s a good way to mix some sweetness in with the healthiness. Although, one item is not chocolate, it’s pumpkin. The chocolate version had some sprinkles of coconut on it and I am just not a fan of flake coconut. Perhaps I might be persuaded one day soon to try one but, uhhh, not right now. kthxbye.

First up will be the non-chocolate bar: Kashi Fruit & Grain bar, Pumpkin Pie flavor.

Verdict: Quite pumpkin-y but the “pie” layer on top tasted…gelatinous. A good mix of oats and nuts and it had the right mix of crunchy/chewy. Didn’t leave my mouth dry at all. A very good bar that could be excellent if the texture of the “pie” was perfected. 3 out of 5 stars. $4.99 for a box of six 1.1 oz bars at Kroger.

Now…bring on the chocolate!!

First up, an old fave of mine. The chcolate chip granolabar that got me through hours and hours and miles and miles of hiking in places like Yosemite National Park. That bar would be…Quaker Chewy Chcolate Chip!

Verdict: Sweet. Almost candy sweet. I have a very strong feeling this bar will stand out as not tasting like a healthy snack bar as opposed to a sweet-tooth type of snack. To Quaker’s credit, it’s not really advertised as a health food snack. This is more along the lines of something plopped in a child’s lunchbag instead of a bag of potato chips or some cookies. Consistency was good, nothing fell off in the process of devouring it and it certainly is not a dry bar leaving one begging for a glass of water. A little light on the chocolate chips and it’s also light in fiber (only 1g.) and low in calories but it’s also a small bar, weighing in at 0.84 oz. 3 out of 5 stars. $2.18/box of 10 at WalMart.

Stepping into the batter’s box now is the Cascadian Farms “fiber right” Dark Chocolate Almond

Verdict: Are you a fan of black coffee? Don’t mind munching unsweetened chocolate chips? If so, this bar is right up your alley but it isn’t up mine….oh wait…that didn’t sound so good. ha! I had high hopes for this as when I first pulled it out of its wrapper, the aroma of chocolate was very strong. And it looked really gooey in a caramel sorta way. But bite after bite brought me a sense of eating something that wasn’t complete. Disappointment. Another strike against this bar? The box only contains *5* bars, not the usual 6 and the price was still the same. A premium for that? blah. 2 out of 5 stars. $3.99 for a box of five 1.2 oz bars at Whole Foods.

Ok, I’m still looking for that winning punch so next up is the Clif Kid Organic Z Bar - Chocolate Brownie.

Wow! Snazzy wrapper!

Verdict: Yum! Ok, easily my favorite of the bunch so far. Not so sure most kids will enjoy it (being as this is apparently marketed toward youngsters.) It tastes really good and chocolate-y and not dry like a cake donut and not like cardboard like a non-fat brownie. The oats sprinkled about inside might cause more than a few twisted faces and frowns and arms outstretched handing the bar back to mom or dad. But *I* liked it! Even if it was the highest in sodium and carbs. Chewy goodness. 4 out of 5 stars. $3.99 for a box of six 1.27 oz bars at Whole Foods.

Down to the final two and based on the coin flip, Special K Chocolatey Drizzle.

Verdict: Blech. Seriously. I found no redeeming qualities in this bar. It wasn’t as crunchy as Special K (strawberry) bars I have had in the past but it was like eating a Rice Krispies treat that had been sitting out for a while. And the Chocolatey Drizzle? All it did was add an aroma and taste reminiscent of the Cascadian Dark Chocolate Almond. This was almost acrid…bitter. The box and wrapper tout it as a 90 calorie bar but that’s because it is small. The smallest of all of these reviewed at 0.80 oz. I did not like this at all and would never consider purchasing another box. 1 out of 5 stars (1 star simply because I didn’t vomit after having eaten it.) $2.50 for a box of 6 at WalMart.

Excuse me a moment while I cleanse my palate with some Tyrells Mature Cheddar and Chive potato chips. Oh, these bad boys (and their brethren: Sweet Chili and Red Pepper) definitely need an mmmm review!

…

Aahhh…better.

Et finalement I bring you the Cascadian Farms Chocolate Chip.

Verdict: Oh yeah. I’ve been eating the hell out of these the last couple of months so it bringing up the end of the commmmparo seemed only fitting. I was kind of expecting this to win hands down but then the Clif Z Bar found its way into my mouth with its delectable chocolate brownie self! Still, this one is right up there in the realm of the elite in snack bars. A definite must-buy. 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. $2.44 for a box of six 1.2 oz bars at WalMart. Yes…these hunks of chocolate goodness can be found for half the price at WalMart vs. what Kroger charges!

Nutritional Info recap:

Kashi Pumpkin Pie; Quaker Chocolate Chip; Cascadian Farms Dark Chocolate Almond

Clif Kid Z Bar Chocolate Brownie; Special K Chocolatey Drizzle; Cascadian Farms Chocolate Chip

Yes, folks. I just devoured 740 calories worth of food bars, some of which just weren’t that good. It was also half of my recommended daily fiber intake not too mention a lot of sugar/carbs. I think I need a nap. haha!

EDIT: Jan. 26, 2010 - I do have to point out that it seems the Cascadian Farms bars (at least the Choc. Chip one) has changed a bit in its texture. More often than not there’s a lot of gooeyness to them and they stick to the wrapper as I open it up and I end up having to wash my hands sometimes to clean them of said gooeyness. They still taste good, though.

A challenge I have of late when my daughter is with me is how to fix a nice meal without spending at least an hour in the kitchen. Wandering about the aisles at Kroger recently I found myself in the frozen food section gazing various meals-in-a-bag options. My eyes spotted something that triggered my drooling gene (luckily I was able to control it enough to keep from embarrassing myself there in the aisle). It was Bertolli’s Chicken Parmigiana & Penne. I love pasta and so does my daughter. I love chicken parmigiana and so does my daughter. Add in the Tomato Mozzarella Sauce and we have all the ingredients for a winning combination.

The package recommends preparing on the stove instead of the microwave. I assume that pasta in a microwave just doesn’t come out as well as on the stove. I was looking for the easy-tear perforation as I’m a lazy slob and also didn’t feel like pulling the bag apart at the top only to have it explode, scattering the insides all over the kitchen floor and becoming instant dog food (or food for the birds and moles and squirrels and other small, woodland creatures that scamper about.) I tore it down the side, carefully, using the nicely serrated edge on top (like on a ketchup packet).

The gas burner had the skillet nice and hot so in went the contents. The smell from the sizzle instantly filled my head with thoughts of chomping on that yumminess. Did I mention that my daughter loves tomatoes? Well, she does. I’m surprised her skin isn’t solid red from all the tomatoes she eats. So, to this mixture I added a can of stewed tomatoes. I figured it wouldn’t alter the taste of the “default” ingredients enough to make that much of a difference.

After about 15 minutes on a low to medium flame, it was time to dig in!

A nice coating of Parmesan and Romano cheese on top I took my first bite and…mmm…couldn’t chew fast enough to get another one down. This stuff is GOOD. The Parmesan set it off just perfectly. The penne was good. Maybe not quite like that at Macaroni Grill but way better than any microwavable frozen meal. The chicken parmigiana was absorbing the sauce into the breading making it its own little taste island. Despite its great quality chicken and very good breading, the chicken was the downside because there just wasn’t enough of it! There were only two large portions and a third small piece (about the size of a chicken nugget). Where’s the beef?

I knew I was enjoying the meal and from what I could tell so was my daughter. This was confirmed when she asked, oh so politely (what was up with that? haha) if she could have seconds. Seconds? SECONDS?! My daughter wanted seconds? Wow. That’s better than the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval right there, folks!

She got her seconds and I scraped the last bits left onto my plate and, thus, the meal was over and not a bit left. Aaahhhhhh….

I have to give this a solid 4 out of 5 stars. If there was a third larger piece of chicken in there, I eek out another 1/2 star (but, yeah, don’t forget the Parmesan…really sets it all off.) Considering this meal has a rather high sodium content, I think adding the additional stewed tomatoes and adding the Parmesan helped counter the salty flavor.

Total cost for this Bertolli goodness? $4.89 (on sale at Kroger.) Definitely worth a fiver!!

Wooo! The inaugural mmmm food review entry and what do we have for you? Ortega Yellow Corn Taco Shells? Why you ask? Ummm…because I just ate a few of them, that’s why? Got a problem with that, contact the complaint dept and they’ll be sure to dispatch a personal review counselor to your door in 30 min or your next review is free.

And just who is this “we” of which I speak? It’s me, Butters, and my partner in all things tasty (or not-so-tasty…who knows what we’ll come across), Fletch.

Well, let’s start with what the box looks like. It looks like this:

What great graphics, eh? Sorry, lost my digital camera in Disneyland a couple months ago and haven’t been able to replace it yet so cell phone pics it is for now. Besides, once a new digital camera is obtained, we can proudly tout a New and Improved mmmm!!

After opening the box, you’ll pull out the Freshness Pack which looks like this:

Looks a lot like the plastic trays of nachos you get at the ballpark or the movie theater, minus the divider for the wonderful pool of melted cheese.

So, how were these taco shells?

They didn’t taste stale. They didn’t get soggy on the bottom from juice from the seasoned chicken or from the salsa. They weren’t salty and their thickness was just about right for my tastes. They also didn’t crumble into eleventy pieces when taking a bite.

I know that’s not a glowing review but, come on, they’re just taco shells. I would rate them, oh, 3…maybe 4 stars out of 5?  (which reminds me, need to add a rating system to the reviews still. Yet another thing to add to the New and Improved mmmm.  haha)

Nutritional info: