Friday, January 2, 2009

Friday Finds: Steamfresh Meals for Two (Sweet and Spicy Chicken)

A few weeks ago, I clipped out a coupon for $2 off Steamfresh's new Meals for Two. I'd seen them in the freezer section of our local Kroger's, and I had wanted to try them, but priced at $7.49, they were a little beyond my budget. Armed with my coupon, they became a little closer. Since they do not make any vegetarian options for E and I to share, I picked the most interesting sounding selection, and decided to go it alone.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken is described as "Tender roasted chicken, tomatoes, onions, black olives and plump raisins tossed with rigatoni pasta and topped with a sweet and spicy tomato sauce." The preparation is simple: take the bag out of the freezer, put it into the microwave, cook for 10 minutes, and eat! Thankfully, this meal stays true to its word, and it really is that simple. I ended up having to heat it a little longer due to cold spots, but the extra time didn't seem to sacrifice the ingredients' quality.

I did end up really enjoying this; a little different, the flavour is addictive after the first bite, waking up the taste buds. Although the sauce was a little watery, it had a much better consistency than I thought. The pasta was firm, and the chicken was moist. I don't think the chicken is necessary, and that the dish would've been just as good without it. The portion size is reasonable, and will definitely serve two, especially if paired with a salad.

As much as I enjoyed this, I probably won't buy it again. It irks me that there is no vegetarian option, especially considering there are 6 meal types on the market (4 with chicken, 2 with shrimp). Birds Eye could easily replace one of the chicken meals with a veg one, or release some of the meals sans meat. It would allow consumers the choice to add in the protein of their choice, possibly using up leftovers, and would probably cause the price to lower. Make no mistake - this is good, especially for a quick meal, but I have a hard time paying almost $8 for a convenience food my husband can't eat.

2 comments:

Lost In Splendor said...

I love olives in pasta dishes. Yum! It is very annoying that they don't make a vegetarian version and $8 is a pretty steep meal for two, esp when I know these leave no leftovers and really need a salad to create a real meal. They are very convenient, but I don't think they are really a value.

That said however Kasey and I do splurge on the Bertolli's from time to time because they are so tasty.

Meg said...

I was wondering about these Steamfresh meals. Thanks for writing about it. I usually avoid buying these because of sodium content!