Frozen Food Reviews

by Kat Kinsman
A recent AOL Food survey revealed that 85% of respondents are toting their lunch to work these days. We've certainly noticed an uptick in waiting time at our break room's microwaves -- as well as co-workers scrounging for snacks after their lunch failed to fill them up. Our editors road-tested a month's' worth of lunches so you won't waste another cent on sub-par frozen fare.

Rachel Been

Monday
Amy's Organic Ravioli Bowl

Buy it again: Without a doubt
Fills you up: Yes
Texture: Perfectly cooked pasta
Taste: If we got it in a restaurant, we'd be happy. The sauce was gorgeously seasoned, the generously, fluffily filled ravioli neither limp nor leaden and heck -- it's even organic.
Calories: 380
Total Fat: 12 g
Sodium: 680 mg

Casey Kelbaugh

Tuesday
Banquet Selects Classic Fried Chicken

Buy it again: No way
Fills you up: No
Texture: Like deep-fried particle board
Taste: The batter's seasoning wasn't so bad, but gnawing through it nearly undid years of orthodontia -- and for very little reward. The few shreds of meat within were stringy, gamey and overcooked, and the pool of grease in which the whole mess swam hardly added to the meal's appeal. The potatoes and corn are best left unmentioned -- and uneaten.
Calories: 440
Total Fat: 26 g
Sodium: 1140 mg

Casey Kelbaugh

Wednesday
Lean Pocket Applewood Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Breakfast Pocket

Buy it again: No
Fills you up: Yes
Texture: Gummy
Taste: We bit into what we thought was a potato cube, then checked the ingredient list. No potatoes. It would seem that the chewy, white blob was in fact the much-touted applewood bacon. It just got worse from there, with a creepy, over-processed filling.
Calories: 290
Total Fat: 8 g
Sodium: 480 mg

Casey Kelbaugh

Thursday
Southwest Style Grilled Chicken

Buy it again: Just the potatoes
Fills you up: Yes
Texture: Misleadingly good
Taste: If they'd just stuck with the taters, we'd be telling a different tale. Those spuds are fluffy, creamy and memorably savory. The chicken, however, was slathered in an inexplicably sweet and fruity goo that somehow lost direction on the way to the Southwest.
Calories: 430
Total Fat: 15 g
Sodium: 1510 mg

Casey Kelbaugh

Friday
Lean Pockets Whole Grain Turkey, Broccoli & Cheese Pocket

Buy it again: Only on sale
Fills you up: Yes
Texture: A bit doughy
Taste: It would hardly be our first choice, but in a serious pinch, we wouldn't turn up our noses at it. Let's get one thing clear, though -- while the whole-grain wrapper is a cute little stab at nutrition, you're still chomping down processed cheese and nuked broccoli. Health food, this is not.
Calories: 260
Total Fat: 7 g
Sodium: 390 mg

Casey Kelbaugh

Monday
Claim Jumper Chicken & Penne a la Vodka

Buy it again: Maybe
Fills you up: Yes
Texture: A bit soggy
Taste: We weren't immediately convinced and kept grabbing just one more forkful to figure out why. Wouldn't you know, we polished off the whole darned thing. It's not the most assertive sauce straight out of the box, but woke up with a dash of black pepper. Note -- while the prep notes call for a tablespoon of water on the broccoli, half that might have been a better idea to to avoid veggie sog.
Calories: 500
Total Fat: 20 g
Sodium: 1350 mg

Casey Kelbaugh

Tuesday
Kashi Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Buy it again: Happily
Fills you up: Yes
Texture: Fresh
Taste: If someone tried to pass this off as take-out from the health food place down the street, we'd take their word for it. Flavors popped, veggies crunched, chicken stayed moist, and our tastebuds rejoiced.
Calories: 330
Total Fat: 9 g
Sodium: 640 mg

Casey Kelbaugh

Wednesday
Stouffer's Pepperoni & Provolone Stromboli

Buy it again: Sure
Fills you up: Yes
Texture: Better that we'd expected
Taste: Holy stromboli! This is slightly dumbed-down pizza shop fare, but it's still a really solid surprise. While we'll nitpick that the bread could be a little better, the fillings proved hearty, meaty and overall pleasing. Keep a couple of 'em stashed in the freezer for lazy weeknight meals.
Calories: 430
Total Fat: 17 g
Sodium: 1110 mg

Casey Kelbaugh

Thursday
Lean Cuisine Cheddar Potatoes with Broccoli

Buy it again: No
Fills you up: We can't imagine trying to eat the whole thing
Texture: Mushy
Taste: It doesn't bode well for a dish when the tasters are having a hard time distinguishing potatoes from broccoli florets. The whole bowl was gummed together by a soggy, flavor-free mess that was advertised as cheddar sauce, but could just as easily have been wheat paste. Sure, this cuisine is lean, but it's 'cause no one can bear to eat more than a few bites.
Calories: 230
Total Fat: 5 g
Sodium: 640 mg

Casey Kelbaugh