Diet Food Reviews
Lean Cuisine Baja Style Chicken Quesadilla
By: | Oct 18, 2009
I spotted Lean Cuisine Baja-Style Chicken Quesadilla in Wal-Mart for $2.29 and decided that it would make for a quick lunch when placed atop a bed of crispy romaine. Better yet, who doesn't love trying a new product?! Lean Cuisine describes this as, "Grilled chicken strips, black beans and corn salsa with reduced fat mozzarella, monterey jack and cheddar cheeses in a flour tortilla."
A few days later, I decided to take it to work with me where I would have it for lunch. After folding the box in an origami manner, you simply place the stuffed tortilla on top of the "crisping panel" and microwave for 2 minutes. Well, being the genius that I am, I realized that the shiny silver crisping panel would only come in contact with one side of the tortilla; so I cleverly (or so I thought) flipped the quesadilla over after 1 minute. When the microwave told me that it was time for lunch, I swung open the microwave door to find lots of the gooey cheese seeping out onto the box. I would not describe the tortilla as crispy in the slightest.
I bit into it and found there was no shortage of robust, southwestern style filling with crunchy corn, smooth black beans and genuine tasting grilled chicken. Best of all, there is an abundance of oozing cheese that just can't be beat. The only turn-off was the slight toughness of the flour tortilla, especially around the edges. Overall, the filling was so good that I almost overlooked the subtle toughness of the tortilla.
Each Lean Cuisine Baja Style Chicken Quesadilla provides 280 calories from 8 grams of total fat, 3 grams of which is saturated fat (12% & 16% of the daily value), 690 mg of sodium (29% of the DV), 8 grams of protein and 34 grams of carbohydrates which includes 8 grams of fiber (32% of the DV) and 3 grams of sugar and 1. The ingredient list is really quite long, but actually quite understandable (there are a lot of components to this dish).
The somewhat tough, white flour tortilla is not my one true love, but the flavorful filling is enough to bring me back again. Still, this won't be a regular purchase because the nutrition facts could use some improvement - too much saturated fat and the sodium content is too high. Actually, I would like to see this delicious filling within the doughy base of the Lean Cuisine Flatbread Melts!
See more on: Frozen Meals
, frozen dinner
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How spicy is it?
This would be SO easy to do on your own, without the high price tag and nutritionals you don't want. I do it all the time: mix some beans (black or pinto) with some corn (canned or frozen), some salsa or tomatoes or whatever you have, leftover chicken and cheese and put it in a tortilla (corn is even better), cilantro and anything else you like. Brush the outside with a bit of oil and heat for a few minutes in a microwave or skillet. It could even be made and brought to work and kept in a fridge until necessary.
Kat- It's not very spicy at all...just seasoned well.
PJ- I agree...this is one convenience meal that could probably be made over in a flash at home.