Frozen Thursday

Anyone around here remember my Frozen Thursdays? It's been about a year since I posted one and even longer since I posted them regularly. (So if you do remember them, props to you!) Back then I used to each frozen meals quite a bit (I have cut back since them, which is part of the reason why they aren't here anymore), and would post reviews so I could remember which ones I wasn't a big fan of and which ones to buy again. When I started doing it the blogger disclosure policies hadn't really been in force. But all of them (including this one) were of my own doing and no one ever contacted me asked me to review their product or supplied one for free. With that said let's have a little flashback
Kashi Spicy Black Bean Enchilada
I was really excited to find since I believe I've had every other Kashi meal. I'm normally a little hesitant which enchiladas for fear they'll be too cheesy for me, but based on the picture on the box I figured I'd be safe. And thankfully, it wound up being the right decision.

To start with it definitely lives up to the spicy part of it's name. The pilaf was good, except that only thing I could really taste in it was the spice. The star of the meal was by far the actual enchilada. It honestly was really good. Inside the tortilla are black beans, roasted red peppers, roasted corn, spinach, and what I think made it all come together, red skinned potatoes.

It was really enjoyable and I would easily be willing to try this again. Although I think I'd enjoy it better if there were two enchiladas instead of the pilaf on the side.

Mayan Harvest Bake

Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake
I've spend months looking for this meal so I could try it. And last week I finally laid eyes on it. I was so excited that I was finally going to be able to buy one. So did it live up to expectations?

One thousand times yes! It was even better than I had hoped for. I knew it was going to turn out well when I could smell the dish cooking in the microwave. I mean microwavable food doesn't normally have incredible smells. The last step on the directions said to leave it in the microwave so it could finish cooking, which I did but was a bit torturous.

When I was finally able to take a bite, well... It had a nice sweetness to it at first, but after wards there was a nice kick from the "spicy ancho sauce." The sweet potatoes (which I sillily thought were carrots while eating) had the perfect texture, and there was a nice little crunch from the pumpkin seeds. Then there were the plantains, which were kind of the cherry on top.

I was a little afraid parts of it were going to be burnt. But the cooking directions were pretty spot on. The only think I would maybe change would be mixing it a little before I started eating. I was about half way through when I realized I had far more grains (pilaf, amaranth, & polenta from the packaging) than the sauce. But I mixed it up at that point, I it worked out fine. Now hopefully I can find this again so I can stock up several in my freezer.

This post is no way sponsored. I paid for the meal, and decided to write this point mainly on my own, mainly so I could remember what I liked and what to buy next time. Although if Kashi wants to send me a few off these let me know! Or I'd settles for stocking them at my local market!

~Shoshanah

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Kashi's Sweet & Sour Chicken
Anyone remember my Frozen Thursdays? Well, I won't say they're back, but they're at least here this week. I've actually had this meal in my freezer forever. Seriously, see how long ago I posted a Frozen Thursday? It's been there at least that long. I remembered trying this several years ago when these meals first came out, but that was before the blog so I had no review. I had a feeling I didn't really enjoy it, but I couldn't quite remember. So I bought this, but was a little reluctant to try it until tonight.

And now that I've tried it, I know where my hesitations come from. Mainly I wasn't a big fan of the sweet and sour sauce. Although now that I think about it, I'm not a huge fan of sweet and sour sauce in general. I guess it just wasn't meant to be for me.

Besides the sauce there were a few other let downs. The green beans, which in general are one of my favorites, I didn't really enjoy. Normally these meals always taste really fresh, but the green beans tasted distinctly frozen. Although that could have been partly due to the fact its been sitting in my freezer for around 6 months.

There was also only one mushroom in the entire dish. Interestingly enough, there's a single mushroom shown on the package.

Really for me, the only high point were the yellow and red peppers. Clearly not enough to make it an very enjoyable meal for me, or to justify buying it again. While I wasn't a fan, I'm sure if you love sweet and sour sauce you'd probably love this meal too.

And for the record, no one asked me to review this meal, or gave me any products for free. I just always liked these meals and thought this would be a fun way for me to keep track of my favorites.

~Shoshanah

Red Curry Chicken

Kashi's Red Curry Chicken
It feels like its been a while since I've had a Frozen Thursday where I've raved about what I ate, but I'm hear to end that. This dish was completely amazing. First the smell! Just smelling the curry in the microwave was divine. And the taste was just as awesome.

What were my favorites? All the vegetables were really good, but I do think my favorite was the sweet potatos. And do you see how big some of the sweet potatoes above were? I wouldn't have expected to see such large pieces, but they were there.

The chicken its was really good, which can be the low part of some of the Kashi frozen meals. But no complaints here, at least this time.

And have a talked about the "zesty Thai style red curry sauce?" Again, so good. It was a little spicy, but not too bad. Plus every few bites there was a nice sweetness to it.

This is easily now one of my favorite Kashi meals, and I really can't wait till I get to eat it again!

~Shoshanah

Caribbean Carnival

Kashi's Caribbean Carnival Pizza
I want to know who the person at Kashi was who thought to themselves, "You know what would make a great pizza? Mangoes, plantains and kale on top of mozzarella!" Yeah, not the most normal of combinations. But surprisingly good!

I think my favorite part of the pizza was the plantains. Which could be seen as a little surprising since I'm not a big banana fan. The mangoes were a close second though. Its funny because you wouldn't necessary think fruit would work on the pizza, but it was by far my favorite part. Although, come to think of it, I'm a fan of pineapple on my pizza. So I guess adding fruit isn't the oddest of idea.

Instead of having a tomato sauce the pizza had a "sweet and spicy guava-infused jerk seasoned sauce." Sounds amazing right? Except I couldn't really taste the sauce. Actually, the parts of the pizza that didn't have the fruit on it tasted like a normal cheese pizza.

I would say this isn't necessarily a pizza I'd want to eat all the time. But every once it a while, it would be a fun change of pace.

~Shoshanah

Ranchero Beans

Kashi's Ranchero Beans
Part of me remembered not liking this the first time I tried it. So I was a little reluctant to buy it, and once I did buy it, it sat in the freezer for a while. But I hadn't ever blogged about it, so tonight I went for it.

Surprisingly, I liked it! (I think maybe just the name is what I remember disliking. Even now I feel a little silly admitting I enjoyed eating ranchero beans.) I thought my favorite part was going to be the red pepper because in general its one of my favorites. But it wasn't. The red pepper was still really good. I just liked the pinto beans more. They were the perfect soft texture, which is impressive considering its a microwaved beans and beans don't always reheat very well.

The overall verdict, I'd probably buy it again. Although maybe Kashi would let me change the actual name on the box?

~Shoshanah

Garden Vegetable Pasta

Kashi's Garden Vegetable Pasta
I've said it before that I'm not a big fan of broccoli. I know I had tried the before (pre-Frozen Thursday posts and probably even pre-blog), but really didn't like it. Mainly due to the fact that there was broccoli in it. This time I picked out the florets when it was still half frozen, but was afraid that it would still taste all broccoli-like.

Lucky for me the most overwhelming flavor was the sauce. According to the box its a "Roasted Red Pepper, Garlic & Four Herb Sauce." According to me it pretty much amazing, and completely masked any of the leftover broccoli flavor.

I don't really have a lot to say about the other non-broccoli vegetables. I don't think I can say anything negative or positive about the squash. It was just kind of there. In general the white beans were good, although a few of them were a little too hard.

Overall, I might have this one again. Assuming of course I pick out the broccoli again. I will say the broccoli probably would have livened the picture up a little, but I guess I'm not willing to sacrifice my meal for a good picture.

~Shoshanah

Lemongrass Coconut Chicken

Kashi's Lemongrass Coconut Chicken
Yes, this is a little late, but better late than never right? So to start off with, here's the official Kashi description taken off their website.

"Chicken with broccoli florets, carrots, and sugar snap peas are all served over our Kashi Seven Whole Grains and Sesame® with red quinoa pilaf. It’s then topped with a lemongrass coconut sauce and coconut flakes."

First off, I'm not a big broccoli fan, I'm just not found of the taste. I did my best to pick out the pieces of broccoli when it was still half frozen. But since they were such small pieces you can tell I missed a few pieces.

Now the good part. I love the lemongrass coconut sauce! Its honestly one of my favorite flavors. I used to even buy a coconut lemongrass soup until I stopped being able to find them. So basically its one of my favorite flavors. The chicken was in good condition. That's really my only overall complaint about the Kashi products, that sometimes the chicken is a little fatty. But this time it wasn't. The other vegetables, besides the broccoli, were really good. I think I say last week I really like sugar snap peas. I can be picky about carrots, but these were cooked perfectly.

Overall, I would say this could have potential to be a favorite, except for the broccoli, which unfortunately keeps it at the bottom of the list for me. But, if you like broccoli you should love this!

~Shoshanah

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Kashi's Lemon Rosemary Chicken
First why don't we start off with a quick description off the box.

"Grilled Chicken Breast with Sugar Snap Peas and Baby Portobello Mushrooms
Kashi 7 Whole Grains & Sesame Pilaf
Lemon Rosemary & White Wine Sauce"

I have to say what draws me most to this meal is the snap peas. I really love them. And the lemon rosemary sauce is really really good. I made sure to soak it all up with my pieces of chicken. Honestly, there's nothing I don't like about this one. But even so, there's just something missing. It's good, and compared to non-Kashi frozen meals off the chart. But it still can't come close to some of my other Kashi favs (I'm talking about you, Kashi Tuscan Veggie Bake) there's just something not quite there.

~Shoshanah

Chicken Pasta Pomodoro

Kashi's Chicken Pasta Pomodoro
The is the second Kashi meal I ever tried (the first being their Mango Black Bean). I think for that reason I have a bit of a soft spot for it. Also its because its a pasta dish, and I'm pretty much obsessed with pasta. My favorite part is all the cheese that must be mixed in with the sauce. I can never tell its there till I get to the end. But there's also cheese stuck to the bottom of the tray, which I'm able to scrap of and enjoy.

In spite of the fact I will buy this whenever I am stocking up on my frozen meals, this is the only Kashi meal I've ever had problem's with. Not exactly a problem, but sometimes the chicken isn't the best quality. Almost a little fatty. It's hard to describe, and it didn't happen tonight. But it has happened more than once. Even with that, this one will probably stay as one of my Kashi favs!

~Shoshanah

Frozen Thursday

Is a alluded earlier, I have officially decided to name these Thursday night posts Frozen Thursdays. Because, A it is Thursday (duh). And B it is the day I allow myself to indulge in my favorite frozen meals. Normally Kashi or Amy's but if anyone has any suggestions I am open to try.

Kashi Pesto Primavera
First all of the Kashi pasta dishes are my favorite, and the pesto is my favorite of those. Partly because I love pesto. But also I love the vegetables that come with this one. I love peas and love red peppers. I can be picky about carrots, but I even love the carrots that come with this.


And for dessert Molten Chocolate Cake
Again one of the Betty Crocker Warm Delights. I think this is actually my favorite flavor of those too. (I'm kind of caramel obsessed.) It's hard to tell, but this is actually a mini. So only 150 calories. It's funny I don't need the bigger size, or even want to eat the 2nd one after finishing this (They come in a double pack). However, I like the bigger ones better because they are more gooey-er in the middle. I guess I could probably get that effect by heating it up longer. Maybe I'll try next time.

~Shoshanah

P.S. If someone ever ruined my engagement surprise like the Chief did to Meredith on Grey's tonight I would be SO f-ing mad. OMFG.

I Heart Thursday

I really do. I love Thursdays. I think a lot of it is due to the fact that it's a day before Friday. But a lot of it is that I really let myself indulge Thursday Night.

So tonight for dinner I had a Kashi Tuscan Veggie Bake. It's one of their newest ones. It's funny I've started eating these back when I started grad school 2 and a half years ago. And back then there were only 6 varieties. Now that are 12. (Ohh they have a Mayan Harvest Bake now... I bet that's good too!) Looking at the list though, they actually got rid of one of the original types. The Lime Cilantro Shrimp. I never actually tried it though. I was a little sketched out about eating shrimp in a frozen meal, and it looks like there must have been a lot of people who felt that way. But back to tonight


There it is. My Tuscan Veggie Bake. One of my favorites. It had a different and longer heating time than any of the other types. Which makes sense, because I hate eating frozen lasagna or pot pies where the outside is still hot but the middle is still frozen. But the cooking time worked perfectly. It was warm all the way through, and there was just a little bit on the outside that was a little overcooked. Overall, it tasted like a vegetarian lasagna (and I love lasagna). It was actually pretty filling. Much more than the Kashi meals normally are. I didn't even feel like I needed dessert...

But come, like I said it's Thursday!

My Betty Crocker Warm Delight Fudge Brownie. Yum. My favorite of these is the caramel one. But I am addicted to caramel. When you think about it though, it's kind of like a glorified easy bake oven creation. Which I always wanted but never had.

My other favs about Thursdays are my shows. I watched Survivor (and of course flipped over to American Idol during commercials to see who went on). Grey's was a repeat tonight, but I hadn't seen the newest episode of Real Housewives of New York so I watched that instead. Pretty much makes for a great Thursday night!

~Shoshanah

Thursday Night Special

I'm so excited to have my Thursday night back! At the old apartment Thursday nights were the one night the Boy didn't come home till nighttime, not that I don't love spending time with him. I just really value my time alone. And now he's home late every night of course, but moving on...

Every Thursday like clockwork I would watch Survivor and Grey's and eat a frozen Kashi diner and a Betty Crocker Warm Delight. Now Survivor is not on tonight, however the 2-hour Grey's cross over episode is on! I'm not actually planning on eating a Kashi meal, but instead an Amy's meal. But I do have a Warm Delight (chocolate fudge flavor I think, I am SO excited for this).

This is my first night having this since the old apartment, so since July. But really July doesn't count since my TV shows weren't on then.

I still do have an hour till Grey's starts, but I so can't wait!

Microwave-able

Turns out my favorite plates aren't microwave safe. I was heating up my dinner (aka a Kashi frozen bread pocket sandwich), and started to smell something smokey. I figured that was just my food. It must have a smokey flavor. Umm... not so much. See my plates are square and they don't really rotate. So the same part of the plate was sitting in front of the heat the whole time. And that part of the plate, kind of melted. There were like litte bubbles and flakes of pastic all over the plate. I ate the sandwhich anyway. If you don't hear back from me, I might have died.

The door to the mircowave is currently open, so hopefully it will air out before I make my Betty Crocker Warm Delight.

~Shoshanah

P.S. I actually worked out today! You should be proud