WeightWatchers Three Cheese Ziti Marinara

Pasta in tomato sauce is a stable of the frozen food genre. This particular meal is almost a line-up filler; nothing spectacular, just there to say they have one.

Tastiness - 2 Microwaves

This isn't a strong dish. There could have been more cheese, or more pasta, but the tendency is for the tomato sauce to dry out while microwaving. That definitely deducts some points.

Fillingness - 2 Microwaves

Well, it's pasta, with cheese. But no vegetables, no meats, and relatively small portion size means this dish is targeted squarely at the dieters, not at the daily lunch consumers.

Healthiness - 2 1/2 Microwaves

Well, it is Weight Watchers, but I think there's some better choices for the points (6 for those counting at home). This pretty small portion size comes in at 320 calories, 70 from fat. Salt content isn't horrible for the genre, 590g; sometimes I wonder just how bad these things would be without any. Not surprising for a pasta dish, 47g of carbs as well.

Overall - 2 Microwaves

My general opinion is there are more flavorful options than just pasta with sauce. But it will get you through to snack time, I suppose.

Stouffer's Salisbury Steak

Aah, the salisbury steak. The quintessential frozen food dinner. Nothing says cheap processed food like a piece of ground chuck gussied up as sirloin. I'm not sure which marketing genius came up with the idea of taking the leftovers and calling it "steak" but I doubt they were paid enough.

Stouffer's take on salisbury steak comes with a side of macaroni, and really, the side dishes are just about all that separates these from one another. The macaroni was decent though, with lots of some cheese-flavored sauce.

Tastiness - 2 1/2
I'm not sure the salisbury steak can be anything but middle of the road, and the macaroni just cements its position here.

Fillingness - 2 1/2
One thing Stouffer's doesn't have going for it without the diet schtick is portion sizes. This could have done with a bit more macaroni but who really wants more salisbury steak?

Healthiness - 1 1/2
Our first non-dietary review, here's what happens when a frozen food dinner goes bad. This little treat packs 410 calories, 200 calories from the 22g of fat. Sodium content crosses the Mendoza line of salt, 1 gram, and comes in at a none-too-shabby 1090 mg (46% of your daily recommended intake). On the plus side, a decent amount of protein at 23g.

Overall - 2
The Stouffer's line are pretty much the ramen of the frozen food line, and their salisbury steak doesn't deviate from that path. What you gain in a buck off the price of the meal, you lose in that stent they have to put in when you're 55. You win some, you lose some.

Lean Cuisine Swedish Meatballs

A stable in the generic frozen foods aisle, Lean Cuisine's swedish meatballs are much like other swedish meatballs: round salisbury steaks in noodles. But this dish acquits itself well, with a decent sized helping of meatballs in a tangy sauce.

Tastiness - 3 Microwaves
The meatballs can be somewhat of an acquired taste, as they are not as firm as one would like and have some tanginess. But the sauce and noodles are quite savory.

Fillingness - 3 1/2 Microwaves
One thing about this meal: for a Lean Cuisine meal this is filling. You won't lack for meatballs in this dish and the noodles round it out nicely.

Healthiness - 2 Microwaves
What you lose in this dish, though, is vegetables. As in, there are none. As always, sodium is up there (620 mg), with 8g of total fat and 300 calories. For you Weight Watchers out there, this is a 6 point meal.

Overall - 3 Microwaves
Another dish that I typically pick up when the Lean Cuisines are on sale, this is a staple of any regular Frozen Food eater and makes for a satisfying, if not spectacular, lunch.

Lean Cuisine Pasta Romano with Bacon

The pasta romano with bacon is a new dish from Lean Cuisine. It's primarily bow-tie pasta in a rich tomato sauce. Whenever you see "with .." in a title, you know it means meager sprinkles and this dish matches that pattern. The bacon was a light touch, adding more to the aroma than to the actual taste. What is in this dish, though, is a strong tomato sauce which produces a lot of taste for what is ultimately just pasta in sauce.

Tastiness: 3 1/2
What is there is very good, the tomato sauce has a lot of flavor and the bacon pieces, while small, lend a lot to the over-all feel of this dish.

Fillingness: 2 1/2 Microwaves
What there isn't a lot of is this dish. As are most of the healthier fares (Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, etc.) you should know going in that keeping the calories down is a focus, so portion sizes will be limited. In this case, the lack of a meat probably hurts the overall feeling of done-ness.

Healthiness: 3 1/2 Microwaves
Like nearly all frozen dinners, this dish is relatively high in salt (650 mg of Sodium) and potassium (880 mg). 280 calories place this on the low end, with 7g of total fat. For those on Weight Watchers, this dish is 5 points.

Overall: 3 1/2 Microwaves

I liked this dish. Strong taste and originality are always pluses in these dishes and this one met both. It could do with adding some chicken or sausage to really spice it up but given this is targeted at the dieting crowd it's a pretty strong competitor.

Greetings

I work in your average two story office building with no real convenient food options other than your neighborhood interstate McDonalds. I'm also lazy. The combination has meant a lot of frozen dinners at lunchtime as opposed to the brown bag.

This blog will be reviews of those frozen dinners, to help me remember which ones stand out and which ones should have stayed frozen. Enjoy!