Deal of the Day - Taco Bell Fiesta Steak Bowlz

Yummy and runny is how I would describe Taco Bell's grocery shelf Fiesta Steak Bowlz. My first impression, upon peeling back the plastic cover to reveal a brown mushy mess was: "I hope it tastes better than it looks!"

But don't be deceived by this Deal of the Day's unappealing appearance. An immediate plus was that this monochromatic meal in a bowl is ready to eat (not frozen); so it microwaves to hot in a little over a minute, with no biting into cold spots (a typical problem of microwaved frozen fare).

As for the ingredients, the cover shows a lot of red and green bell pepper slices - mine had just a few slivers but that was enough; this is one pungent vegetable that can easily overpower any dish. I especially liked the Mexican-style tomato and salsa rice, made more intense with garlic and onion. But the refried beans were too mushy and mashed; I would have liked a few larger pieces to recognize what I am eating.

The beef steak strips were tender and flavorful, very well done. I liked the chile sauce that binds it all together. There was even a slight chile burn that lingered on my tongue after the meal.

It's a light entree, just 300 calories, at 9 ounces. This rice, bean and beef bowl won't satisfy a hearty appetite, but it's good enough for a light lunch. On a scale of 1-9, 9 being best, I give Taco Bell's Fiesta Steak Bowlz an 8 ! I would definitely try it again, especially for 99.99 cents. I got mine at this 99c only Store.