Monday, August 3, 2009
Chicken by the Mediterranean Sea
Today's lunch feature was the Lean Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean entree. I must say that this just might be the best LC entree I have had in a while. LC describes this one as "Grilled chicken strips with diced and sun-dried tomatoes, olives and yellow peppers with garlic served over whole-wheat spaghetti." This description is pretty darn accurate with one exception-- the sun-dried tomatoes. They must be hidden because I didn't even know they were part of this afternoon by the sea until I consulted my trusty ingredient list. The chewy pits of tomato goodness that I love in so many dishes were not even appearant. The only other flaw of this meal al desko is that there was not a lot of chicken. Normally I would not have minded dealing with 4 mini bites of LC chicken but this clucker was better than any of the other types of LC chicken. It actually tasted like chicken and not like reformed rib meat. It was juicy and not at all dried out. I can only suspect that the chicken was par-cooked and finished cooking in the 5 minutes and 30 seconds it was in the microwave. Once I discovered that the entire entree was only 4 points, I conceded having only 4 pieces of chicken. The tomato sauce was light and herby and the zucchini maintain most of its crisp integrity. The 100% whole grain pasta helped me meet one of my WW good health guidelines for the day. Over all, I was quite pleased with today's lunch. And with only four points spent, I can have special treat after dinner—my new favorite Smart Ones dessert, Peanut Butter Cup Sundae. Its part of their new Signature Sundaes line and it is sooooo good!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Et Tu Carbonara?
Today I am writing and I eat. Just letting you know so the end of my post makes more sense.
Lean Cuisine’s Chicken Carbonara is like a used car you just acquired. Its not new, but it is new to me! LC Chicken Carbonara called to me from the freezer section; valiantly claiming to be roasted chicken tenderloins with bacon, mushrooms & linguine. (Pet Peeve #215: Don’t call it “roasted” if you did not roast it.)
Moving on… I was so excited about the bacon in this entrée that I almost leap for joy on aisle #17. I love bacon! A big girl who loves bacon; what are the chances, you say? The picture on the box appears as though this pasta, chicken and ‘shroom mélange is studded with bacon nestled into every future bite! Upon further investigation and consumption, I realized that my bacon studs are minced red bell peppers. Where does it say bell peppers on the box??? Obviously—it is listed on the side of the box in the ingredient list. Red peppers are listed BEFORE bacon and after Roasted Red Pepper Puree. The bacon bits are too small to be bits as they are more like pixie dust. However, that has not stopped LC from dowsing this mess with smoke flavor. Also, the sodium (680 mg) is just a little too high for my liking. Normally, I am not a sodium milligram counter but I know it is high when I can taste the saltiness.
(1 minute after finishin) I must be starving or crazy because I just had the thought that I would eat this again. I mean, I know I am crazy but hunger has driven me to consume some oddities. Now (4 mintues after finishing) after munching on mixed veggies I brought from home, I can conclusively say that I would not eat this again. Stay tuned for today’s desert. I picked up a pack of WW by Whitman’s NougieNuttyChews!
Peas out!
Lean Cuisine’s Chicken Carbonara is like a used car you just acquired. Its not new, but it is new to me! LC Chicken Carbonara called to me from the freezer section; valiantly claiming to be roasted chicken tenderloins with bacon, mushrooms & linguine. (Pet Peeve #215: Don’t call it “roasted” if you did not roast it.)
Moving on… I was so excited about the bacon in this entrée that I almost leap for joy on aisle #17. I love bacon! A big girl who loves bacon; what are the chances, you say? The picture on the box appears as though this pasta, chicken and ‘shroom mélange is studded with bacon nestled into every future bite! Upon further investigation and consumption, I realized that my bacon studs are minced red bell peppers. Where does it say bell peppers on the box??? Obviously—it is listed on the side of the box in the ingredient list. Red peppers are listed BEFORE bacon and after Roasted Red Pepper Puree. The bacon bits are too small to be bits as they are more like pixie dust. However, that has not stopped LC from dowsing this mess with smoke flavor. Also, the sodium (680 mg) is just a little too high for my liking. Normally, I am not a sodium milligram counter but I know it is high when I can taste the saltiness.
(1 minute after finishin) I must be starving or crazy because I just had the thought that I would eat this again. I mean, I know I am crazy but hunger has driven me to consume some oddities. Now (4 mintues after finishing) after munching on mixed veggies I brought from home, I can conclusively say that I would not eat this again. Stay tuned for today’s desert. I picked up a pack of WW by Whitman’s NougieNuttyChews!
Peas out!
Monday, June 22, 2009
What I'm Eating Lately...
Full posts on all the items I've been eating lately are coming! Here's a preview of what's been yummy:
CranBran Vita Tops
WW Recipe: Turkey and Mango Picadillo
LC Asian-Style Pot Stickers
Smart Food Popcorn Clusters- Honey Multigrain
LC Cheddar Potatoes with Broccoli
Taqueria Del Sol's Salsa Trio
That's it for now. Peas out!
CranBran Vita Tops
WW Recipe: Turkey and Mango Picadillo
LC Asian-Style Pot Stickers
Smart Food Popcorn Clusters- Honey Multigrain
LC Cheddar Potatoes with Broccoli
Taqueria Del Sol's Salsa Trio
That's it for now. Peas out!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Lean Cuisine Beef Chow NOT Fun
How did I ever think that the combination of American food processing plant workers and their European parent company would equal delicious Cantonese food? I have been fooled before by Lean Cuisine. I love the LC Chicken Fried Rice Café Classics Bowl and the Sesame Chicken with noodles and veggies. The “new” moniker on the LC box drew me in and I was a goner. Now I am here at Starbuck’s trying to resuscitate my taste buds with the afternoon pairing of a latte, iced of course—its 94° outside peeps—and a wedge of reduced-fat cinnamon coffee cake. I know this is not exactly point-friendly but my lunch was awful.
AL knows I love Asian noodles of all sorts. I love Ramen, Pho, Bun, Pad Thai, Pad See Yew, Lo Mein and Chow Fun. Noodles are fun! I also love Asian dumplings of all kinds as they are so closely related to my noodles. Dumplings deserve their own post. (Stay tuned because LC now has an Asian dumpling entrée!)
Beef Chow Fun is defined by Wikipedia as “a staple Cantonese dish , made from stir-frying beef, hefen (wide rice noodles) and bean sprouts and is commonly found in Chinese yum cha restaurants.” I am not sure what yum cha means but the dish sound pretty simple. The last time I had Chow Fun before today was a Penang, a Thai-Malaysian restaurant on Buford Hwy. Their menu description: flat noodles in a special sauce with scallion and bean sprouts. LC describes their Chow Fun as Tender strips of beef over bed of flat noodles with snap peas, red peppers and water chestnuts tossed in a sweet and spicy Asian-style sauce. Let’s start with what we know: were are the bean sprouts??? Moving on…
I have to admit I was concerned as soon as I vented the plastic film. The beef was akin to something you would find at Arby’s. Upon inspection of the ingredient list, I realized the beef was “seasoned cooked meat product.” Clearly, this type of beef does not occur in nature. It was scary and absolutely nothing like the picture on the box. After this morning’s coup d’état in the breakfast sandwich world, I had high expectations for lunch. I was gravely disappointed. Everything tasted so watered down. I hate to use that expression because its so colloquial. That is what it was. Beyond the horrific taste, the texture was grotesque—the beef was mealy, the red peppers and snap peas were mushy. The noodles were the only light at the end of the tunnel, possessing a nice al dente quality. I am not sure what LC descriptionist thought the sauce was “spicy.” Please.
Asians everywhere should be ashamed. However, Italians everywhere should be proud because my husband, the Great Langini, has just made the most wonderful vegetable ragu for pasta. I hear the dinner bell—peas out!
AL knows I love Asian noodles of all sorts. I love Ramen, Pho, Bun, Pad Thai, Pad See Yew, Lo Mein and Chow Fun. Noodles are fun! I also love Asian dumplings of all kinds as they are so closely related to my noodles. Dumplings deserve their own post. (Stay tuned because LC now has an Asian dumpling entrée!)
Beef Chow Fun is defined by Wikipedia as “a staple Cantonese dish , made from stir-frying beef, hefen (wide rice noodles) and bean sprouts and is commonly found in Chinese yum cha restaurants.” I am not sure what yum cha means but the dish sound pretty simple. The last time I had Chow Fun before today was a Penang, a Thai-Malaysian restaurant on Buford Hwy. Their menu description: flat noodles in a special sauce with scallion and bean sprouts. LC describes their Chow Fun as Tender strips of beef over bed of flat noodles with snap peas, red peppers and water chestnuts tossed in a sweet and spicy Asian-style sauce. Let’s start with what we know: were are the bean sprouts??? Moving on…
I have to admit I was concerned as soon as I vented the plastic film. The beef was akin to something you would find at Arby’s. Upon inspection of the ingredient list, I realized the beef was “seasoned cooked meat product.” Clearly, this type of beef does not occur in nature. It was scary and absolutely nothing like the picture on the box. After this morning’s coup d’état in the breakfast sandwich world, I had high expectations for lunch. I was gravely disappointed. Everything tasted so watered down. I hate to use that expression because its so colloquial. That is what it was. Beyond the horrific taste, the texture was grotesque—the beef was mealy, the red peppers and snap peas were mushy. The noodles were the only light at the end of the tunnel, possessing a nice al dente quality. I am not sure what LC descriptionist thought the sauce was “spicy.” Please.
Asians everywhere should be ashamed. However, Italians everywhere should be proud because my husband, the Great Langini, has just made the most wonderful vegetable ragu for pasta. I hear the dinner bell—peas out!
Jimmy Dean D-Light Turkey Sausage Un-McMuffin
In our WW meeting on Monday, leader Trisha challenged us to try a new breakfast this week. Al and I eat Cheerios with soy milk and fruit almost every morning, so I decided the breakfast I would try should be hot. Since we don't have a microwave at home, I brought my "new" breakfast into work this morning. After fumbling with the defrost and power settings, I was enjoying my sandwich after just 3 1/2 minutes.
The Jimmy Dean D-Lights product line has been available since mid-summer 2008 but I am not an early adaptor by any means. I was skeptical about the “conversion” of Jimmy Dean to the light side. Was it going to be as good as their full-fat products? Was the microwave going to make my muffin tough? A tough muffin is never good!
I finally decided to give Jimmy a whirl due to Trisha’s challenge. I purchased the 4-pack Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage D-Lights for $5.99 at Super Target. The price caused me to have frozen food sticker shock, leaving me anticipating a life-changing breakfast sandwich! The Turkey Sausage D-Light is comprised of a turkey sausage patty, an egg white “disk,” a slice of American cheese encompassed in a whole grain English muffin.
I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the entire sandwich. The frozen components, especially the egg white “disk” had me worried. I found the whole experience to be quite “d-light-ful.” The muffin was relatively tender with the exception of the dead center. You know, the microwave does strange things to bread products. The sausage possessed an enjoyable savory quality. The egg white “disk” almost went unnoticed. However, I think the eggy quality is a critical part of any breakfast sandwich. The cheese melted nicely in an effort to hold everyone together. Speaking of holding everyone together, I suggest creating a “holder” by wrapping your sandwich in a paper towel or waxed paper before consuming. This was key to the success of my sandwich consuming experience!
Would I eat the Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage D-Light again? Of course, since there are 3 left in the box! Would I purchase another box of these delicious sammys? Probably. The only hesitation I have is the sticker shock. The other component here is my internal struggle with processed foods vs. organic foods. I will leave that subject for another post… I doubt an organic b-fast sammy could manage to be only 5 points!
Have a d-light-ful morning!
The Jimmy Dean D-Lights product line has been available since mid-summer 2008 but I am not an early adaptor by any means. I was skeptical about the “conversion” of Jimmy Dean to the light side. Was it going to be as good as their full-fat products? Was the microwave going to make my muffin tough? A tough muffin is never good!
I finally decided to give Jimmy a whirl due to Trisha’s challenge. I purchased the 4-pack Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage D-Lights for $5.99 at Super Target. The price caused me to have frozen food sticker shock, leaving me anticipating a life-changing breakfast sandwich! The Turkey Sausage D-Light is comprised of a turkey sausage patty, an egg white “disk,” a slice of American cheese encompassed in a whole grain English muffin.
I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the entire sandwich. The frozen components, especially the egg white “disk” had me worried. I found the whole experience to be quite “d-light-ful.” The muffin was relatively tender with the exception of the dead center. You know, the microwave does strange things to bread products. The sausage possessed an enjoyable savory quality. The egg white “disk” almost went unnoticed. However, I think the eggy quality is a critical part of any breakfast sandwich. The cheese melted nicely in an effort to hold everyone together. Speaking of holding everyone together, I suggest creating a “holder” by wrapping your sandwich in a paper towel or waxed paper before consuming. This was key to the success of my sandwich consuming experience!
Would I eat the Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage D-Light again? Of course, since there are 3 left in the box! Would I purchase another box of these delicious sammys? Probably. The only hesitation I have is the sticker shock. The other component here is my internal struggle with processed foods vs. organic foods. I will leave that subject for another post… I doubt an organic b-fast sammy could manage to be only 5 points!
Have a d-light-ful morning!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Welcome to Katie & AL Eat Everything!
I’ve decided to start a blog about our adventures in eating. I am a foodie. I went to culinary school, I cooked professionally for 6 years and I have a passion for food. One of my favorite shows on television, Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie, declares “some of us grow, some of us cook, all of us eat. We are called foodies and the food world is where we live.” Although I am no longer cooking professionally, I still love and live in the food world.
I am foodie and a fattie, too. We both need to trim down. Sometimes, we love food a little too much… Long story short—we need to eat healthier food but do not want to sacrifice flavor. This blog will document the new foods we’re am eating, craving and cooking. My husband, AL will be featured as my chief taste-tester and biggest cheerleader. I seek inspiration everywhere and now I am seeking healthy inspiration. I hope you enjoy this journey bite by bite with AL and I. Peas out!
I am foodie and a fattie, too. We both need to trim down. Sometimes, we love food a little too much… Long story short—we need to eat healthier food but do not want to sacrifice flavor. This blog will document the new foods we’re am eating, craving and cooking. My husband, AL will be featured as my chief taste-tester and biggest cheerleader. I seek inspiration everywhere and now I am seeking healthy inspiration. I hope you enjoy this journey bite by bite with AL and I. Peas out!
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