It Never Hurts To Get A Little Color

This blog has really changed my shopping habits.  I am now going through freezer aisles and scouring them for potential new or weird vareties of mac n' cheese. Which is kind of weird because I normally completely skip the TV dinner aisle (except to grab the occasional emergency dinner frozen pizza).  One would think that you would run into the same brands over and over, which to an extent is true.  But i've been finding that all my local stores are carrying at least one or two brands that another store doesn't seem to have, or specific vareties of a brand that another doesn't have (for example, just for Amy's Kitchen i've found four vareties at three different stores of two competing grocery chains).

I'm also finding a number of brands that i've never heard of before which for the sake of this blog (and potentially for the mac n' cheese eating portin of the US) is a great thing.  Today's review was the first mac n' cheese meal that included other things with the meal (either mixed with the mac or that accompanied the mac) and was a brand i've never heard of before purchasing it for the sake of the blog.

The Review

Brand:
Helen's Kitchen Mac & Cheese made with organic broccoli & Durum wheat semolina pasta

11% more of what!?!  I'm not sure if I should be excited or scared.

Price:
$5.59 at Lucky's

Packaging Description:
(On Front)
*Contains 2 servings of vegetables & 22g of protein  11% more

(On Back)
Helen's Story
As every mother knows, it's not easy to get your family to eat wholesome meals, let alone that green stuff on their plate.  So I had to be creative in developing recipes that incorporated organic grains and veggies that not only tasted great, but were quick and nutritious for my active and busy family. These meals were such a hit with my family and friends that after graduating from college my son Stephen asked if he could share my recipes with the world. With my blessing, Stephen created Helen's Kitchen.

Helen's Mac & Cheese
My delectable, creamy Mac & Cheese has that real cheesy delicious flavor we all crave.  Following my simple health philsophy, I decided to improve those nostalgic flavors and make my wholesome pasta with a hearty serving of broccoli & a healthy protein boost from my GardenSteaks™.  I hope you'll love my blend of traditional cheddar & gourmet Asiago cheese melted over our playful miniature shell pasta.  I must admit, I love the whimsical yet sophisticated taste of my healthy Mac & Cheese

Preparation:
*Remove the tray from the box.

Look croutons GardenSteaks™!

*Cut a slit in the plastic wrap for ventilation.
*Cook for three to five minutes in the microwave (I split the difference and cooked it for four minutes).
*Let the meal cool for one to two minutes.

Shhhhh it's resting

*Remove the plastic wrap and mix together.

It's a little hard to see, but look in the lower right portion of the bowl.  That's excess water from the cooking/steaming.

*Commence with the nomming!

Taste:
The first thing I smelled after pulling this out of the microwave was broccoli.  That was to be expected as the mac had a few full on springs.  I noticed that after having removed the wrap that there was a good amount of water on the side where the broccoli was.  I mixed things up and dug in.  The noodles were a mixture of very undercooked (ones at the top) and cooked noodles.  The ones that were undercooked were even too undercooked for me which is saying something.  The cheese sauce felt more like a mixture of melted cheese than a real sauce.  That made it stringy and while the Asiago gave it some kick, the coverage was really lacking in parts, even after being mixed up.  Not being a broccoli fan, I was surprised that they weren't over cooked and had a bit of crunch to them (that could mean undercooked, but since I'm not a broccoli eater normally, I was fine with it).  Lastly the GardenSteaks™ nuggets were in my opinion the best part.  They had an interesting texture and a nice mild taste.  They mixed well with the mac n' cheese.

Final Score:
This really felt more like some of the mac n' cheese I made as a kid.  Cooked pasta placed into bowl, add shredded cheese, heat for a few seconds and eat.  Looking at the first prep picture at the top of the post, you can see the shredded cheese in the left corner.  The huge inconsistency with the undercooked noodles made for mediocre eats.  The excess of water in the tray watered down the cheese sauce hurting this meal even more.  I would have normally strained the water out, but I'm purposely making these to the letter of the directions.  The one interesting surprise was the nuggets.  I don't know what's in them as the box only mentions that there are GardenSteaks™ on the back once.  Nowhere else on the packaging does it even describe what they are, not even in the ingredients listing.  For a brand that prides itself on healthy and tasty meals Helen's Kitchen really fell short in my book.

Nutritional Information:
Serving Size 1 Entree (284g)  Servings Per Container 1

Calories 390   Calories From Fat 110
Total Fat 13g (20% Daily Value)
Saturated Fat 6g (30% DV)
Trans Fat 0g (0% DV)
Cholesterol 35mg (12% DV)
Sodium 600mg (25% DV)
Total Carbohydrates 47g (16% DV)
Dietary Fiber 5g (20% DV)
Sugar 4g
Protein 22g