Consumer Critique: Marie Callendar's

I recently received some of Marie Callendar's Home-Style Creations to try out and review. I loved the chance to try out some quick lunch products!

Home-Style Creations are shelf-stable meals. They come in six varieties: Traditional Stuffing & Turkey, Classic Stroganoff, Garlic Herb Chicken, Sweet Sesame Beef, Meatball Lasagna, and Creamy Parmesan Chicken. I tried the Garlic Herb Chicken and Stuffing & Turkey.

If you've ever tried Betty Crocker Bowl Appetit, these are the same idea - shelf stable, add water to the given line, cook. However, these have some extra features. The noodles, rice, or stuffing are cooked, and there's a strainer in the lid to drain away extra water. Then the sauce/meat is in the top part of the lid, which gets mixed in with the noodles.

No convenience meal can completely capture the at-home taste, I think, but these do a pretty good job. The chicken actually tasted like chicken, and was tender without being chewy or rubbery like some frozen meals. The stuffing ended up a little bit soggier than I like (I always like the crispy drier stuffing) but the sauce part was good. They cooked in minutes, and were a nice change from sandwiches for lunch. Even my toddler daughter liked the noodles, and she's normally very reluctant to try new foods.

I will definitely try the herb chicken again. Stuffing isn't my favorite, so I probably won't get that again, but I do really want to try the chicken parmesan for sure, and possibly the stroganoff. These meals can be found in the aisle with soups and pastas. If you're interested in finding a store near you, use the ConAgra Foods Store Locator.