Almost Thanksgiving

It's no secret, I'm a big fan of Thanksgiving. It's a "meaningful" holiday and there is always a lot of food. I mean when else can you overindulge in turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pies (Yes PIES...there must be multiples), etc. So when I came across a meal consisting of turkey and dressing at the local dollar store I had to try it. It was actually $2 but still well below a lunch at most any restaurant or even fast food joint.

First impressions may be important but don't tell this meal that. After microwaving it for 1 minute and 30 seconds and letting it sit for 1 minute I peeled back the plastic cover only to be greeted by a strange, soupy concoction. Upon proding it with my spoon it was evident that the dressing was hidden beneath the turkey, both of which were originally part of some strange loaf like formation and were completely drowned in a brown gravy. A far cry from the photo on the label.

Undaunted by it's appearance (in complete fairness I've eaten scarier dishes) I dug in and was pleasantly surprised. Although fairly bland the gravy was completely palateable. Good thing because you get at least a little bit of it with every bite. The turkey and dressing followed suit as both were bland but had a strangely pleasant taste to them. My novice palate couldn't identify the flavorings but they came together nicely.

All in all, this "meal" made up for what it lacked in appearance by being both a filling and pleasant lunch. I could definitely see myself picking up one of these again. Maybe even keeping one in my desk in case of an emergency. I mean how many other meals can sit at room temperature for over a year and still be well within it's expiration date. Cheers Hormel!

Cheesy Made Easy!

Are there other flavors?  Today I tried out Kraft's "macaroni & cHeese cheesy made easy original flavor".  This packaging is extra special with it's typeface that can't decide if it's going with caps or lower case.  It also continues this blog's tradition (now two posts strong) of having products with especially long product descriptions!

Flavor:

Honestly, this little bowl of mac & cheese tastes like instant mac & cheese.  There's nothing special about it, but I was really in the mood for it.  The Frank's Red Hot that I added definitely kicked up the flavor though, making this lunch with added sauces more in the 3 to 4 spork range.

Cheapness:

Once again, this lunch comes in at $1.  One serving out of a whole box probably would have been cheaper, but it's in a microwave bowl and involves no cleanup.

Unhealthiness:

It's not too bad for you.  A little sat fat and cholesterol never killed anybody.  The sodium content is a little high but certainly less than a can of soup.  The carb content rolls in around 38g which is a little high for my lunch but pretty reasonable.

Stuffed:

I'm definitely not stuffed.  The little bowl left me a hair under full.  Nothing a glass or two of water won't fix, but if you're used to big lunches this definitely won't sate your appetite.

Convenience:

The prep is a little more complicated than ramen because you have to do a bit of stirring.  If you enjoy having cheese powder clumps then by all means you can count this as a 5 spork rating.

Hot & Spicy

Here in this inaugural post on Lunch 4 Less, I'm going to talk to you about this lovely Nissin Bowl Noodles Hot & Spicy Chicken Flavored lunch.  Surely if anything can make a product amazing, it's a hugenormous title.

This bowl is big on flavor and low on price.


Flavor:
 
Just the right amount of salt and spicy for me when using half of the soup packet and half the "soup booster" packet.

Cheapness:

It was $1 at the dollar store.  That's a pretty good premium over a normal packet of ramen noodles, but it makes up for it in flavor and convenience.

Unhealthiness:

It's pretty unhealthy.  Large amounts of saturated fat, sodium, and carbohydrates.  Of course if you cut out the packets you end up with less fat and sodium.  There's a total amount of 50 grams of carbs so if you're watching your carb intake, this is a fairly large investment.

Stuffed:

Just the right amount of food.  Definitely made me full without having that after lunch tiredness.  I probably could have gotten away with eating half of it and drinking the soup.  Throwing out $0.50 worth of noddles really shouldn't make me feel bad.

Convenience:

It's pretty easy.  Open top.  Put in soup and veggies packets.  Fill with water to the line.  Microwave uncovered for 3 minutes.  Let cool for 1 minute.  Add the "soup booster".

Additional Notes:
Pictured here is the "soup booster".  According to Nissin's website, the booster "...provides richer flavor that gives you a citrus twist."  To me it tastes like sesame oil.  I used a little bit of it and added a teaspoon of my own sesame chili oil.

I recommend not adding your own hot sauce unless you want to cry and sweat.

I know I've been putting "soup booster" in quotes but I can't in good conscience truthfully call it a booster for soups.  I definitely had a soup and I clearly added the contents of the packet.  However I can not say that said soup was boosted.  Maybe next time I will try the shrimp one and use all of my "soup booster".