We had the best dinner tonight…out of a BOX! Normally we do not do boxed meals under any circumstances. Not only are they loaded with preservatives and sodium, but 99% of the time they just do not taste good. We have started keeping a few in the pantry for those nights when we just don’t have anything thawed or aren’t into making a big production of dinner…we used to just go out to eat on these nights but with the budget issues that’s not a good plan anymore. So we occasionally compromise and give into the box temptation, but it’s not a regular thing!
If you shop at Lowe’s or WalMart, you’ve probably seen the Romano’s Macaroni Grill boxed meals. They may be available at Food Lion, too…I don’t normally shop there. (And if you’re outside Sanford, I’m sure they’re available at Kroger or Harris Teeter or wherever!) We have been seeing them for a while and thought it was wrth buying one to keep in the pantry for one of our off nights. We chose the chicken marsala with linguine, but didn’t have much hope. Tonight was one of those nights…we’re running low on food and don’t have the energy (or money!) to do a big grocery outing. I told my husband to bring home some chicken and we’d try out this box thing we had.
I am going to be brutally and embarassingly honest, here…I haven’t really cooked since I got pregnant. I can eat now, but preparing food sets off my nausea and it’s not a pretty scene. Luckily my husband is very adept in the kitchen and can make anything! So he prepared the dinner, along with a (bagged) salad and some garlic bread. It was super easy, especially from my perspective! 
I was surprised at how good it was…not salty or chemical-y tasting at all. And if you go to their website, you can print out a coupon.
And if you’re curious, the 2 year old liked it. The 5 year old was sent to the “little table” because he kept complaining. He is still there and refusing to eat because it “smells bad.” He’s notoriously picky (related to sensory integreation dysfunction) and it’s unlikely he will finish it. But if he tried it, he’d probably like it.
PaintingChef
September 26, 2008 at 8:55 am
We had the creamy basil one the other night and I thought it was REALLY delicious. I usually try and have a few things like that rattling around in the pantry for nights just like the one you’re describing. (With the added caveat of me not remembering to take anything out of the freezer… which is ludicrous because I have this insane stockpile of stuff from Dinner A’Fare). I’ll have to try the chicken marsala next time.