Thursday, October 05, 2006
Lunch ladies: New pizza
Let us now relay the history of low-fat, single-serve frozen pizza. First there was French bread -- the long, narrow, heavy-on-the-bread pizzas. All the brands had 'em. It was a mystery why they chose this style over the traditional round type. Weight Watchers brand had round ones, but those had to be cooked in the oven. It was like the Dark Ages.
Then Lean Cuisine revolutionized the microwave pizza by introducing a Crispy Round one. The Lunch Ladies rejoiced. We abandoned our former favorite, the Healthy Choice French Bread Pepperoni, for Lean Cuisine's pies of perfection. But we were barely done celebrating when Lean Cuisine delighted us again with the new Deep Dish microwave pizza.
Now, Healthy Choice has finally come out with round pizzas, but those are so 20th-century. Lean Cuisine, ever the innovator, has once again trumped Healthy Choice with its new square Brick Oven style pizzas. For pizza lovers like the Lunch Ladies, this is pizza history.
Lean Cuisine BBQ-Recipe Chicken Pizza
White meat chicken, red onions, reduced-fat mozzarella, cheddar cheese and cilantro in barbecue sauce
Portion size: 6 oz.
Looks/smell: It smelled like it came from a restaurant's wood-fired oven. The square crust had scalloped edges -- how froufrou!
Texture/taste: Sweet barbecue sauce and just the right hint of cilantro. The crust was thin and extra crispy.
Gretchen: Whoever invented barbecue chicken pizza is a genius. Perhaps a little odd, like an eccentric aunt, but definitely brilliant.
Kimberly: If you need lunch on the fly, these pizzas are perfect. Stock a couple in the break room freezer, and on those days when you can't get away, pop one in the microwave and eat it at your desk. These pizzas taste good and will fill you up. Oh, and Gretchen's right: I'm not sure why, but barbecue chicken pizza tastes great.
PER SERVING: Cal 320 (70 calories from fat); Fat 8 g (Sat 2.5g; Trans Fat 0g); Chol 20 mg; Sodium 620 mg; Carb 45 g (Fiber 2 g; Sugar 10 g) ; Protein 19 g; Weight Watcher Winning Points 7
Lean Cuisine Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza
White meat chicken, roasted garlic, onions, and reduced-fat mozzarella in garlic sauce
Portion size: 6 oz.
Looks/smell: A co-worker walked by and said, "A little garlic for lunch?" The aroma had overpowered the lingering scents of all the other pizzas we'd already cooked.
Texture/taste: Overall, the chicken and the lack of sauce made this one a little dry. But the flavor of the garlic and onions was superb.
Gretchen: Yep, no doubt about it. The Lean Cuisine Brick Oven pizzas are going to be hard to find on the store shelves.
Kimberly: One of the things they really got right with these pizzas is that the crusts are crunchy, just like the pizza gods intended.
PER SERVING: Cal 290 (60 calories from fat); Fat 7 g (Sat 2 g; Trans Fat 0g); Chol 20 mg; Sodium 670 mg; Carb 38 g (Fiber 2 g; Sugar 3 g) ; Protein 20 g; Weight Watcher Winning Points 6
Lean Cuisine Gourmet Mushroom Pizza
Button, portabella and cremini mushrooms, reduced-fat mozzarella and parsley in a creamy mushroom sauce
Portion size: 6 oz.
Looks/smell: Looked good, but with the white cream sauce, it didn't look like any "pizza" as we know it.
Texture/taste: The crust was mushier than the other two. You must love mushrooms to love this pizza. Luckily, we do.
Gretchen: This pizza was deserving of the "gourmet" in its title. Lean Cuisine, you have mastered the art of pizza. Now I challenge you to create one with a whole-wheat crust.
Kimberly: Ohhhh, I like that idea. Whole wheat would ramp it up a bit.
PER SERVING: Cal 280 (70 calories from fat); Fat 7 g (Sat 3 g; Trans Fat 0g); Chol 5 mg; Sodium 660 mg; Carb 40 g (Fiber 2 g; Sugar 4 g) ; Protein 15 g; Weight Watcher Winning Points 6
Healthy Choice Italian Style Pepperoni Pizza
Pepperoni with Italian spices and mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses
Portion size: 6 oz.
Looks/smell: Round crust and round pepperoni. All around, it was slightly above average.
Texture/taste: Soft crust and flavorful toppings. If you're looking for a more traditional pizza, this is a good choice. Definitely better than the brand's French bread version.
Gretchen: If it had been crispier, I might have given it 5 lunch bags. This one was just as good as Lean Cuisine's round pizzas, but not nearly as good as the new brick oven style.
Kimberly: It's hard to get excited about the Healthy Choice versions after eating the brick oven style pizzas.
PER SERVING: Cal 370 (40 calories from fat); Fat 4.5 g (Sat 1.5 g; Trans Fat 0g); Chol 10 mg; Sodium 540 mg; Carb 58 g (Fiber 5 g; Sugar 7 g) ; Protein 24 g; Weight Watcher Winning Points 7
Healthy Choice Gourmet Supreme Pizza
Fire-roasted red, yellow and green bell peppers, onions, sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese blend and tomato sauce
Portion size: 6 oz.
Looks/smell: Heavy on the toppings.
Texture/taste: In this case, "gourmet" just meant "has more than three toppings."
Gretchen: Not bad, but not remarkable.
Kimberly: Boring, snoring.
PER SERVING: Cal 360 (40 calories from fat); Fat 4 g (Sat 1.5 g; Trans Fat 0g); Chol 5 mg; Sodium 460 mg; Carb 56 g (Fiber 5 g; Sugar 5 g) ; Protein 22 g; Weight Watcher Winning Points 7
Healthy Choice Four Cheese Pizza
Mozzarella, provolone, Romano and Parmesan cheeses
Portion size: 6 oz.
Looks/smell: It looked slightly green because of the enormous amount of oregano and parsley.
Texture/taste: The crust was gummy. Healthy Choice needs to work on the crisping process.
Gretchen: I suggest they infiltrate the Lean Cuisine labs and find out how they do things over there.
Kimberly: Yeah, I'll be happy to give them a ride.
PER SERVING: Cal 370 (30 calories from fat); Fat 3 g (Sat 1.5 g; Trans Fat 0g); Chol 5 mg; Sodium 470 mg; Carb 58 g (Fiber 4 g; Sugar 7 g) ; Protein 25 g; Weight Watcher Winning Points 7
Our next review: Panera Bread
