The Healthy Choice Frozen Meal That Just Doesn't Get Anything Right

Healthy Choice frozen meals are the ultimate godsend when you don't want to fuss over dinner. All you have to do is microwave a dish for a few minutes before it's ready to serve. Its wide range of selection in meals makes the brand all the more appealing, and we had to try 20 Healthy Choice Frozen Meals to join in on the fun. And while we appreciated the ease of preparing each dish, we found that the flavor was compromised in some cases. This was particularly true for Healthy Choice's Balsamic Garlic Steak selection, which we consequently ranked last for more than just its poor flavor.

The biggest disappointment in this dish is the tediously tough texture of the steak, which feels like chewing on a thick band of leather. The balsamic sauce, which should enhance the dish, takes on a dominant role and over-seasons the steak so that all you taste is vinegar. The lack of flavor in the frozen mashed potatoes is best described by one customer as similar to "shaved ice." Additionally, the potato texture is so grainy that you might think there are bits of gum mixed in. That said, the green beans in this meal have the potential to save the dish, but are unfortunately smothered in the same unbearable sauce that detracts from the overall experience, leaving no silver lining to this frozen meal cloud.

We weren't the only ones left with a seemingly irredeemable Healthy Choice frozen meal, and if you find yourself in the same situation, don't throw out your Balsamic Garlic Steak just yet! You can try to rectify the watery texture of the mashed potatoes by adding some butter (be generous with it) or creamy additions like sour cream and cream cheese before reheating the dish. Continue to add more until the potatoes reach your desired level of creaminess. If you prefer not to use dairy, one Healthy Choice customer recommends adding a pinch of potato flakes to thicken the mashed potatoes.

As for the rest of the meal, you could attempt to rectify it by mixing the sour balsamic sauce with sweet elements like sugar, honey, or something more interesting like caramelized onions that add both sweetness and texture. Alternatively, something fatty like butter or cream can help to fix an overly sour dish by forming a layer on your tongue that distracts from the acidic flavor, while a pinch of baking soda would also work due to its alkalinity. That said, we can only hope that Healthy Choice makes the informed decision to separate the green beans from the steak and balsamic sauce, at the very least, so that future customers won't feel their purchase was a total waste of money.