Mediterranean-Style Chicken Bowl - Deal of the Day Review

An almost overwhelming mashup of intense flavors makes my latest Deal of the Day a tasty one.SMARTMADE Mediterranean-Style Chicken Bowl by Smart Ones is a loaded with flavor. 

And I have to give it up to my local 99c only Store for this tasty budget frozen bowl. And it's quick to microwave.

Frozen and Zapped

At first bite, you are hit with sour notes of white feta cheese nuggets. But tiny bland grain pearls of quinoa cut the feta cheese intensity. And the quinoa pearls are cooked just right -- I liked you could feel the pleasing texture.

There are a lot of veggies too, including dried tomato, red bell pepper, chickpeas, onion, and artichoke. Most of the veggies are a bit too pulverized, except for whole chickpeas.

The chickpeas are a welcome addition and I liked that they were large and not overcooked to mushiness. 

 I would have liked larger shreds of kale, slivers of red bell pepper, and chunks of artichoke. While hard to distinguish, those veggie pieces make a tasty blend.

A light sauce is flavored with tomato, it's intense due to fire-roasted tomato, but not overpowering.

Real strips of chicken breast are included, and I counted about 3 to 4 chunks. While not a generous portion, it was enough for a small meal. The chicken breast pieces were cooked just right, not too tough or overcooked.

I like meals by Smart Ones even if they are on the small size at 9 ounces, but they more than make that up for that shortcoming in deliciousness. It's still a great deal even if you have to pay full price at a regular grocery store.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Well, I think you can figure out how SMARTMADE Mediterranean-Style Chicken Bowl by Smart Ones rate on my Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best. While small in serving size this Deal of the Day is big on flavors, so it scores a perfect 9 !

Asian Style Rice Bowl - Deal of the Day Review

While not anything to write (email) home about, my latest Deal of the Day, Asian Style Rice Bowl by Banquet, is just okay. Banquet frozen meals are often more miss than hit. But this thawed entree has some tasty bits.

The cooked veggie pieces are a nice size, not chopped into pulp. And chopped broccoli, red bell pepper and sliced carrot retain a bit of crunch even after microwaving - often frozen veggies are mushy and flavorless.

frozen & zapped

They tasted like fresh frozen veggies you would get from the grocery cold case.

I was especially impressed with the white rice, not something I would usually comment on. The rice is cooked perfectly. The rice grains are fluffy without being a sticky lump or a soggy mash. The grains held up well to microwaving.

I liked the "Tangy Asian Inspired BBQ Sauce", although the "Tangy" part is mild, not spicy or acidic at all. BBQ sauce is is not too sweet, as is the case in manhy BBQ frozen entrees.

The BBQ sauce has a mild smokey undertaste and a dash of Worcestershire sauce flavor.


The cooked meat is a large lump, and fairly bland, but that's okay for precooked frozen ground meat. The ingredients say a combination of pork and chicken. For being white meat pork and chicken, the meat has an unnaturally dark brown hue.

The protein part of this frozen entree is good enough. The pork and chicken structure reminds me of a McDonald's McRib sandwich patty, but with a little more texture.

The meat is really  just a delivery device for the tasty sauce, veggies and rice,

It is light lunch - just over 7 ounces. The large loaf of meat and rice provide the heft to this cheap$kate deal.

Click on any photo to see larger.

The ingredient list is way too long, but I guess that's comes with frozen Banquet Meals in the cheap grocery section of your frozen deli case.

So on the 99 Cent Chef's Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give this Deal of the Day, Asian Style Rice Bowl by Banquet, a 5. It was an okay frozen meal, but I'm not sure I would get it again anytime soon. I think I will stick with my guilty pleasures of Turkey or Salisbury Steak Meals.

Larry The Cable Guy's Biscuits & Sausage Gravy - Deal of the Day

Except for the missing sausage part, Larry The Cable Guy Biscuits & Sausage Gravy frozen breakfast side is a decent Deal of the Day. I was ready to make joke that Larry should stick to comedy, but his cable reception for food is okay, at least for a blue collar breakfast.

The gravy part is creamy and flavorful, with a little black pepper heat. There is even a little bit of green bite from parsley. While the gravy is too salty, that's normal for most frozen fare, so I'm not that shocked.

The gravy had a nice cream consistency with a little bit of cooked sausage flavor. And they give you plenty of gravy to spoon over the biscuits.

As often the case, the box photo showed the gravy studded with sausage - well, not in this particular meal. I did detect a couple tiny scraps of sausage, but nothing near what the box illustrated. Hmmm, could just be my bad luck of the draw? Since I only got one meal, it's possible that others may have more sausage.

It is hard to review the sausage part of this meal when I could could not find enough to analyze. So I can't complain or praise something that is barely there.

I was pleasantly surprised how the biscuits microwaved. They held up quite well, still dry even floating in gravy, and tender too. I did have one small biscuit corner that was slightly tough - microwaving can cause hot spots.

While the biscuits were not flaky fresh they had some springiness left. It did not have that crisp shell top that fresh from the oven biscuits have.

Microwaving

We all have our favorite type of breakfast biscuit. These turned out somewhere in the middle, for me. The biscuit flavor was fine and mixed well with the creamy gravy.

The ingredients list is not too long either, which is a relief. Can't say the same with a lot of Deal of the Days I've tried.

Click on any photo to see larger.

So on my Cheap$kate Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give Larry The Cable Guy Biscuits & Sausage Gravy a 6 ! I had to take off a few points for lack of sausage and over-saltiness.

This Deal of the Day would compliment a regular plate of scramble or fried eggs quite nicely. It is always better to have fresh baked biscuits for breakfast, but Larry The Cable Guy Biscuits & Sausage Gravy is not a bad way to start the day.

Orange Chicken by Banquet - Deal of the Day

Banquet are up to their old tired tricks in my latest Deal of the Day, that features Orange Chicken. Even with "Natural" plastered all over the box, the chicken nuggets taste anything but.

The main attraction is a big fail. Nuggets are a good size, but it mainly breading and not much chopped pulpy white meat.

Starting with the breaded coating you are sucked in. The coating is seasoned well and, surprisingly, stays somewhat crunchy. It was a good start.

They might as well just used ground chicken, as the "chicken breast" is pulverized - no solid chicken that I could detect. The chicken meat could have been white or dark, as any meaty flavor is barely there.

If you are going through the trouble of using 100% Natural Chicken Breast with Rib Meat, then don't grind it into pulp - at least leave it somewhat flaky? The pieces looked nothing like the back label photo.

Click on any photo to see larger.

The Orange Sauce is more sweetness than orange flavor. The Orange Sauce around the chicken nuggets became a sticky puddle of syrup when heated through. It was okay, and mixed well into the rice.

The best part of this meal is the rice and veggies. Usually frozen dinner rice comes out soggy, but this was cooked almost perfectly - a firm texture, but still cooked through. The red bell pepper pieces were very thin, with a tiny amount of veggie flavor.

This latest cheap$kate Deal of the Day from Banquet on my Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, gets a lowly 3.

Any earned points are for the the rice part of the meal. With the "Natural" hype, my expectations were indeed dashed; so this meal gets deducted points in that regard. Truth in advertising should be paramount - I got suckered again.