HEB Classic - Spicy Szechuan Chicken (6.5/10)

Summary

• Price: ~$3.00
• Overall: 6.5/10.   A slightly above average, but not great, meal.  If you're craving a step above the mall food court or Panda Express, then you have a winner here.
• Healthfulness: 6/10.  It does have a decent protein portion, but that's about the only thing going for it.  Compared with a Amy's or Central Market meal, this meal doesn't cut the mustard. 
• Portion Size/Filling:  7/10.  On the small end of frozen entrees (280 calories), but a decent portion size for a large snack or light meal.
• Flavor: 7/10 (Spiciness: 3/10).   At first I didn't like it.  The sweet, orange sauce reminded me of the food court Chinese food at the mall.  But it grew on me after a while as the spiciness kicked in.  The addition of sesame seeds was a nice touch. 
• Texture: 6/10.  The most abundant item in the dish was the noodles and they were a let down.  They had a kind of jelly texture which again was very food court-ish.  On the plus side, the chicken was decent quality and the snap peas were somewhat crisp.

Beer Pairing - Bud Light, Coors Light

Numbers

• Calories: 280
• Fat: 5g (0g Trans Fat)
• Carbs: 42g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 15g
• Sodium: 820mg

Details

Healthfulness:  The HEB store brand is usually the mid-tier or low-tier compared to the Central Market generic brand.  This is no exception.  Although the protein content is good, the carbs are too high, the fat content is too low and there is basically no fiber.  The ingredient list reads like a bottle of Coke and the dish is full of sodium, presumably from the artificial flavoring.  This is not the worst I've seen, so still gets a 6 out of 10.  (6 out of 10)

Portion Size/Filling:  The portion is average for the smaller frozen entrees (280 calories;  about the same as a 6" Subway turkey sandwich).  Due to the lack of fat and fiber, though, the full feeling doesn't last more than 2 hours.  In fact, the high carb content can lead to sleepiness after 2 hours if you're not actively burning off all those sugars.  Not a good choice if you're planning on going into a long, boring meeting within a couple of hours.  High carbs are ok if you're planning to work out an hour later.  (7 out of 10, more like a large, healthy snack than a meal)

Flavor:  The flavor was a sweet and sour flavor, kind of like what all the orange-sauced dishes taste like at the mall food court.  After the mild spiciness kicked in, my taste buds were sufficiently numbed to not taste the sweetness.  I did like the sesame seeds, a minor positive.  This meal was not inedible by any means, just not equivalent to a decent Chinese restaurant.  (7 out of 10 for overall flavor. 3 out of 10 for spiciness.)

Texture:  The texture was a let down.  The dish was mainly noodles, so if they don't get that right, then it's all downhill from there.  The noodles were a little too gooey and gelatinous for my taste, maybe because of the viscous orange sauce.  The chicken and snap peas were the bright spots.  The other vegetables were only mainly for show.  (6 out of 10)

Kashi - Southwest Style Chicken (7/10)

Summary

• Price: ~$3.00
• Overall: 7/10.   Cheap, mostly healthy, low calorie way to stay full for 4-5 hours.  However, the full feeling comes from the brown rice which is a little dry and can feel like a lead ball in your stomach. Borderline bland, keep a bottle of hot sauce or other flavoring nearby. 
• Healthfulness: 8/10.  Great protein (16g) and fiber (6g), but a little too high in carbs (49g).  Not good if you're on a low carb/sugar diet.
• Portion Size/Filling:  9/10.  Despite the small portion size and calorie count (310), this meal will give you that lump in your stomach feeling for 4-5 hours, because of the high fiber, heavy grains.
• Flavor: 5/10 (Spiciness: 0/10).  Very mild flavors, borderline bland.  Although it is difficult to strongly flavor brown rice.
• Texture: 6/10. Not bad for brown rice, but there are better options such as Amy's.

Beer Pairing - Blue Moon, Corona


Numbers

• Calories: 310
• Fat: 5g (0g Trans Fat)
• Carbs: 49g
• Fiber: 6g
• Protein: 16g
• Sodium: 680mg

Details
Healthfulness:  Kashi frozen meals are a decent option for healthy frozen food eaters, but even if you like brown rice, this version is a little too dry and can feel like lead in your stomach. Rare for frozen meals, the dish is loaded with protein (16g) and fiber (6g), although a little high in carbs (49g) and low in fat (5g) for my preference.  I'd prefer to feel full from healthy fats versus heavy, high fiber grains.  The good people at Kashi don't agree.  It is a good option for a mid-day meal followed by some serious web surfing or a light dinner followed by a TV marathon.  Not a good option if you're limiting carbs and sugars.   (8 out of 10, almost perfect balance including fiber)
Portion Size/Filling:  Despite the small portion size and calorie count (310 calories; slightly higher than a 6" turkey sandwich from subway), this meal keeps you "full" for 4-5 hours.  This "full" is the lump-in-the-bottom-of-your-stomach type of full that you get from eating heavy, high fiber grains. It probably won't supply you with enough calories for your daily spinning class though.  (9 out of 10, small portion but long-lasting full feeling)
Flavor:  The intensity of flavor is below mild. The rice is covered in brown sauce which looks as though it is abundant with flavor, but the sauce barely pushes the flavor level above bland. This may be because it is naturally difficult to flavor healthy ingredients such as brown rice and barley. I imagine this is what tex-mex would taste like in England. (5 out of 10, not bland but definitely not licking my lips.  0 out of 10 for spiciness.)
Texture:  Similar texture to brown rice, bulgar wheat, quinoa, barley, etc. I'm not sure if those are the actual ingredients, but the texture is similar. These textures overpower the chicken and definitely the barely noticable vegetables (black beans, corn and green and red bell peppers). The chicken is slightly tough, which is normal for all frozen meals, and the quality is very good. The chicken seems like all white meat with little to no fat, cartlidge, etc.  The beans, corn and bell peppers add very little to the overall texture. Similar feel as the Kashi cereals and granola bars. (6 out of 10 because I like brown rice)