Zappin' Cheese

I appreciate companies that try (even Amy's Kitchen) and put out multiple kinds of mac n' cheese.  One would think that 'A' kind is more than enough, but you know that one is really never enough.  Variety is the spice of life and Michelina's sure likes to dabble with the best spice (cheese).  They've done Wheels and they've done a combination of cheeses.  Now they take on the 'classic' of classics, the Kraft style stove top. 

The Review

Brand:
Michelina's Zap 'ems Gourmet: Homestyle Macaroni & Cheese

If homestyle means a frozen version of the Kraft blue box then we're onto something.

Michelina's new packaging, or another new variety?  Picture taken at a local Target.  I didn't notice this until after I put the pictures of both packages together, that this one is different.  I'll head back and do a ingredient/calorie check to see how different it is and will do an additional review if there are changes beyond the noodles. 

**additional note** Since I took this pic just over a month ago, I've only found this in Target locations, twice. I broke down and bought one.  A review will be forthcoming. 

The Wheels In The Sky Keep On Turning

I don't have too many rules that I've set in place for Mac N' Steve.  Try all the kinds I can find (even the scary ones I would never eat normally) and don't review the kinds that the only difference is the pasta shape.  We're in for the whole experience and a elbow vs a straight noodle really isn't going to change the dynamic of the meal.  Today's meal was my first conundrum that I wasn't sure what I should do.  I decided to allow it because in the end, it was different calorie wise compared to the standard mac they produce (while the weight stayed the same).  If this is the biggest problem I have in writing this blog (other than the whole eating macaroni n' cheese all the time) I think I'm doing O.K..



The Review

Brand:
Michelina's Zap'ems Gourmet: Wheels & Cheese (bought June 2012 and reviewed)
OR
Michelina's Authentico Wheels & Cheese (new branding found 7/29/12)

Zap 'ems, I hardly knew ye.  Less than a month old and you're already changing your clothes.  Was it me?  Wast it something I said about your four cheese brother?  I can do better! I can buy more (well if there are more flavors that is).

Hamburgular Stole My Mac

When at the store this last week buying fruit for the office, I did my now regular jaunt through the pasta and frozen aisles looking to see what I still need to buy and if there is anything new to the shelves.  I stumbled into a pair of mac n' cheeses I hadn't seen on the shelves before and they were both macs with meat.  I was pretty excited to try them because everyone seems to just do the standard fare mac n' cheese and there seems to be no experimentation with add-ins.

Another when I first planned on this blog two years ago moment, when trying the numerous macs I had bought, I would toss chicken strips into the toaster oven and crisp them up before adding them to the mac.  It was quite tasty and seeing a few add-in variety mac's has raised my hopes up that I'll find one worth having regularly.

The Review

Brand:
Michelina's Cheeseburger Mac

Bring on the TV tray!

Pre-made meals or "TV dinners" are a multi-billion dollar a year industry in the US.  Fast, and easy to cook you can just pop your meal into a microwave and have a hot and semi tasty meal ready in minutes.  Many of them are even better if cooked in the oven, though that can take a half hour or more for them to be ready.  These meals are so popular that grocery stores now devote multiple aisles to them and thanks to microwaves becoming main stream and the crazy advancements in food preservatives and preservation we can buy pre-made frozen almost anything.  Cookie dough?  Check.  Breakfast sandwiches?  Check.  Pizza, curries, steamed vegetables?  Check, check and check.

Many of the most popular meals are ones that take a bunch of time or a bunch of effort to prepare on your own, or are just good old comfort foods.  Mac n cheese ranks right up there as something that every brand has at least one or two varieties of on the shelf. 

TV dinners of the past were often known for not being very healthy.  Something like mac n' cheese isn't known for being super healthy in the first place so this doesn't bode well for someone like me deciding it's smart to eat dozens of kinds of macaroni and cheese.  Thankfully some strides have been made with these frozen meals though they include mostly cheeses (or I dearly hope they do) and starches, when eaten in moderation won't pickle a liver like eating McDonald's did to Morgan Spurlock in Super Size Me.

So I begin my trip down the frozen rabbit hole with what has to be the cheapest complete frozen meal I've ever seen.

The Review

Brand:
Michelina's Zap 'ems Gourmet Macaroni & Cheese with Cheddar and Romano