Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers - Sesame Chicken - Delicious, but don't get burned!
Written: Oct 09 '09 (Updated Oct 14 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Sweet + Spicy = Delicious!
Cons: Not environmentally friendly.
The Bottom Line: It tastes great, and is not too bad on the diet. But it's a bit wasteful.
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| ladyconsumer's Full Review: Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Sesame Chicken |
I'm always looking for easy-to-prepare lunches that won't sabotage my diet, and that don't cost a fortune. It would be nice if they could taste good, too. Recently I bought some frozen meals from the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers line. Today's selection was the "Asian Inspired" Sweet Sesame Chicken.
The picture on the box enticed me, showing fairly large chunks of chicken, with carrots, mushrooms, and snow pea pods. This was all sitting atop a bed of white rice, and covered with some creamy-looking brown sauce, with sesame seeds.
I also found the cook-method interesting. There are two parts to the enclosed plastic bowl - the bottom part contains the sauce. And the top portion is actually a steamer basket, containing all of the food. The object is to place the entire contraption into the microwave and heat for 5 minutes. The sauce will become quite hot, causing steam to rise, which will heat the food above. It was simple! You don't even have to pull back, or puncture the plastic cover - it literally goes from the freezer to the microwave with no steps in between.
When it comes out, it's HOT. And now you have to do a little bit of work. Because now it's time to remove the plastic film, then lift out the steamer basket and pour its contents into the sauce. The problem is that everything is so darn hot that you risk a burn, separating the steamer basket from the bowl.
It's an interesting way to heat a frozen meal. But it seems a bit unfriendly to the environment, with so much plastic to toss since neither the basket nor the bowl are reclyclable, at least not where I live.
Once the ingredients are all mixed together, I have to say that the picture on the box matched the real thing pretty well. There were four fairly large pieces of chicken, a generous amount of carrots, and pea pods, and ample sauce to cover it all. They were a bit stingy on the mushrooms, however.
As far as taste goes, I would call this meal "delicious". It was a bit spicy, but in a good way. The sweet sesame flavor was just right. The chicken was juicy, tender and flavorful. The veggies seemed fresh, not overly soggy. I ate every last bite, and enjoyed it immensely.
The meal is 10.3 oz. which isn't horrible for a lunch. Especially if I follow it up with some fruit, or add a side salad. I doubt anyone could eat this for dinner and find it filling enough, though. As far as nutrition goes, there are 340 calories, 6g of fat, 330mg of sodium, and 3g of fiber.
As lunches-on-the-go go, this one works for me. It's delicious, and satisfying. As long as you're careful not to burn yourself on the hot steam, I recommend this meal. But I wish there were less material waste.
Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers - Grilled Chicken Marinara
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ladyconsumer
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