From Deseret News archives:

Stouffer's Bistro meals are a bust

Published: Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2005 1:46 p.m. MDT
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Would I buy the Corner Bistro version of the varieties that also come as Cafe Classics? Probably not, because I'm usually satisfied with the amount of food in a 200- to 300-calorie Lean Cuisine meal. But these 400- to 500-calorie Corner Bistro meals would be great for the many people who are not.

Emerald Glazed Chocolate Brownie Walnuts. 99 cents per 1.5-ounce single-serve tube, $2.69 per 4-ounce canister or $3.39 per 6-ounce foil pouch.

Bonnie: I prefer eating walnuts without artificial flavors. Still, these Chocolate Brownie Glazed walnuts are tastier than I thought they'd be. If they satisfy your hunger for a walnut-topped brownie, I'm all for them.

All walnuts provide a delicious source of omega-3 fatty acids. Supportive, but not conclusive, research suggests that 1.5 ounces of walnuts a day may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease when eaten as part of a heart-healthy diet. That's only if you don't increase the number of calories you eat. Since 1.5 ounces of walnuts provide 275 calories and 27 grams of fat, that means you'll probably have to give up eating something else to enjoy these.

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Carolyn: These are the best new sweetened nuts since Eagle's original honey. That's because the chocolate flavor goes so well with walnuts, as anyone who's ever had brownies with walnuts well knows. It's also because Emerald has not overdone the sweetness, as it did with its Apple Cinnamon and some of its other glazed nuts. The walnut remains the star. The chocolate powder just enhances it in a way that transforms the walnut from baking ingredient into snack.

Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Shaved Slow Roasted Roast Beef. $3.29 per 7-ounce package.

Bonnie: If you're used to buying packaged luncheon meat, then you might not mind this new deli-style, shaved roast beef from Oscar Mayer. It's packed in a reclosable package — just be sure to finish the four servings of meat within a week of opening it.

A 2-ounce, six-slice serving contains a modest 60 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, with 1 gram of saturated fat. But it also contains a whopping 520 milligrams sodium, which home-cooked usually does not. That high sodium content is from the curing solution (a k a salty water) Oscar Mayer uses to preserve the meat, a more common practice with ham. That's also why this tastes closer to ham than roast beef.

Since that's the case, you might prefer buying one of Oscar Mayer's more economical shaved hams (its packages of ham offer an additional 2 ounces for the same price as the roast beef).

Carolyn: Oscar Mayer's Deli Fresh Shaved Slow Roasted Roast Beef looks like roast beef and has the texture of it at its most tender, but it tastes like ham or chicken.

Call me Bonnie, but I think this might be just a tiny bit overprocessed.


Bonnie Tandy Leblang is a registered dietitian and professional speaker. Carolyn Wyman is a junk-food fanatic and author of "Better Than Homemade: Amazing Foods That Changed the Way We Eat (Quirk). Each week they critique three new food items.


© Universal Press Syndicate

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