Tyson Dinner Meats a hearty feast

Tyson Fully Cooked Heat 'N Eat Dinner Meats. Brisket in Fire Roasted Onion Sauce, Brisket in Mild Chili Sauce, Pork Loin in Sweet & Tangy BBQ Sauce, and Beef Steak Tips in Burgundy. $5.99 per 17-ounce refrigerated package.

Bonnie: Not to be sexist, but to me these fully cooked meats from Tyson are mostly for meat-and-potato men, the kind who prefer a hunk of meat and some potatoes without any "green stuff."

Nutritionally, both the Brisket in Mild Chili Sauce and Pork Loin in Sweet & Tangy BBQ Sauce are a bit high in sodium, with 770 and 810 milligrams, respectively, in a 5-ounce portion. Although these don't contain preservatives, the Brisket in Mild Chili Sauce does contain flavor enhancers (disodium inosinate, for example), which I prefer avoiding.

If flavor enhancers don't bother you, you might consider keeping the chili-flavored brisket or any of these on hand for the guys in your house to prepare for themselves, as it only requires microwaving for four minutes. If you really care about them, I'd also suggest leaving them a green salad or veggie.

Carolyn: If you're among those who still believe dinner means a big hunk of meat, you'll hardly find a quicker or easier way to get it on the table than these new Tyson Fully Cooked Heat 'N Eat Dinner Meats. Just peel off the lid, puncture a bag and microwave for four minutes to produce the type of hot entree that used to take all day to make.

Of these four new varieties, I liked the beef briskets the best, especially the one with onion sauce. The one with mild chili sauce is medium-spicy. Both are as close to from-scratch brisket as processed meat can be (i.e., the only "problem" is their telltale too-good-to-be-true homogeneity and perfectness).

I'd skip the Pork Loin, because it doesn't taste like pork, and the Beef Steak Tips in Burgundy sauce because of the sauce's excessive richness.

Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters. Roasted Cashew, Roasted Almond, Honey Roasted Peanut, and Nut Lovers. $3.79 per 5-ounce resealable bag.

Bonnie: This has certainly not been a good year for nut lovers. We started 2009 with the peanut/peanut butter recall, followed by one for pistachios, and now one for pecans that may be tainted with salmonella.