P.F. Chang's frozen entrees have more sodium than taste

P.F. Chang's Home Menu Meals for Two. Orange Chicken, Shanghai Style Beef, Sweet & Sour Chicken, General Chang's Chicken, Ginger Chicken & Broccoli, Beef With Broccoli, Shrimp in a Garlic Sauce and Shrimp Lo Mein. $9.99 per 22-ounce frozen package.

Bonnie: Chefs from P.F. Chang's China Bistro restaurant chain helped create this new line of eight Asian frozen entrees produced and sold by food-giant Unilever. Each flavor-packed meal for two includes chicken, beef or shrimp and veggies, such as edamame, green beans, carrots, broccoli, red peppers, water chestnuts, snap peas and bok choy.

These are even simpler to prepare than General Mills' Wanchai Ferry Complete Meals for Two that we recently reviewed. Instead of cooking the "meat" and removing it to cook the veggies, you just pour the P.F. Chang ingredients into a skillet, cover and cook for about 13 minutes as the frozen cubes of sauce melt to coat the food. P.F. Chang's new line also contains lots more veggies than Wanchai Ferry and costs a couple bucks more.

Nutritionally, both lines are loaded with sodium, just like their Chinese restaurant inspirations. Per serving, the Sweet & Sour Chicken contains the least sodium (780 milligrams) but the most sugars (42 grams, or almost a quarter cup). The Shrimp Lo Mein contains the most sodium, with 1,550 milligrams, although that's still 220 milligrams less than Wanchai Ferry's saltiest.

Carolyn: I don't really understand frozen food companies' love affair with skillet meals for two. Easy as they are (and P.F. Chang's are among the easiest), they still require more time and attention than individual frozen entrees. That's not to mention the rice you have to make (only the Shrimp Lo Mein has its own starch) and the after-dinner pan and utensil cleanup.

That might be OK if they were more interesting or better for you than TV dinners, but this is, sadly, usually not the case. Even the best-tasting Shrimp Lo Mein flavor is bland compared to Healthy Choice Asian Inspired Cafe Steamers' Five Spice Beef & Vegetables or Budget Gourmet Szechuan-Style Vegetables & White Chicken. And I'd hate to be the member of the couple who suggested the Shanghai Style Beef for dinner. It's fatty gristle, plain and simple.

Which reminds me of yet another advantage frozen entrees have over skillet meals for two: They don't require either dining partner to suffer for the poor taste or judgment of the other.

Chobani Champions Greek Yogurt for Kids. Honeynana, and Verryberry. $3.99 per package of four, 3.5-ounce cups.

Bonnie: Loving the thick, creamy texture of Greek yogurt, I looked forward to trying Champions, the first low-fat Greek yogurt for kids. I wasn't disappointed.