by Marianne Plunkert
Overall rating: 5 out of 5
Meal Description and Cooking Instructions
The Chicken Cordon Bleu dinner on Day 4 was my favorite eDiets meal thus far—and that’s saying something since most of them have been very good. The meal was presented in a 3-compartment plastic tray, with a fist-sized chicken cordon bleu patty in one section, mashed red-skin potatoes in a second section, and a mixture of peas and diced carrots in the third.
The heating instructions indicated to heat the meal on high for 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Based on past experience, I heated mine for 2 minutes and 15 seconds, which turned out to be the perfect amount of time.
The meal plan called for the dieter to supply a fruit and a non-fat dairy item. Low-fat cheese is on the list of suggestions for the latter category, so I added red grapes and a 1-ounce wedge of low-fat cheese.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
My General Impressions
The meal looked very appealing when I arranged it on my plate. The cordon bleu patty was nicely browned, and the various foods provided a colorful display. I didn’t have my hopes up regarding how it would taste, however.
For one thing, the Chicken Cordon Bleu patty was described as “breaded ground chicken breast stuffed with ham and cheese” on the front of the plastic container in which it came. I’ve had Chicken Cordon Bleu many times before, but it was made with a whole chicken breast, not ground meat, and I wasn’t sure I’d like the texture.
As it happened, I wasn’t even able to discern that the patty had been formed from ground chicken, and it tasted incredibly delicious. It was nicely seasoned, and the filling was nothing short of luscious, with bits of ham in a sumptuous amount of creamy melted cheese.
The mashed red potato side contained bits of nutritious potato skin and was equally delectable. The dish had a smooth texture that delighted my tongue and a delicate flavor that stimulated my taste buds.
Even the peas in the peas and carrots side were properly cooked this time around, and the mixture had a nice flavor. The only negative was that the peas were a little dimpled and looked a tad overcooked.
Nutritional Content
This meal does have a little bit higher fat content than most of the other eDiets meals I’ve consumed thus far. One-third of its calories—90 of the total 270—are from fat. It offers healthy amounts of protein and dietary fiber, however: 25 grams and 5 grams respectively. Total carbs are lower than what I would have expected: 22 grams, with 4 grams of sugar.
The entrée supplies 25% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin A, 8% of Vitamin C, 15% of calcium, and 10% of iron. When you consider the grapes and cheese I contributed to the meal, it contains an item from each of the food groups on the food pyramid: starch (mashed potatoes and breading on the patty), protein (chicken and ham), dairy (cheeses), fruit (grapes), vegetables (peas and carrots), and fat (canola, soybean, and olive oils).
Food Rating/Quality
If I could give this meal a “6” on a scale of 1 to 5, I would. The chicken cordon bleu and mashed red potatoes were as good as I’ve had at any restaurant—and better than I’ve had at some. They were moist and flavorful and tasted as if they had been freshly prepared. The only negative about the meal was that the peas were dimpled and appeared a tad overcooked—although they didn’t taste overdone. Even so, I could not justify giving this meal anything short of a perfect “5.”
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