Slim Pickings

Smart Made frozen entrees
Smart Made frozen entrees

WHAT: Smart Made frozen entrees

STATS: Vary by flavor. The Grilled Sesame Beef & Broccoli entree contains 220 calories and 5 fat, 31 carbohydrate, 5 fiber, 10 sugar and 14 protein grams. More information at smartmademeals.com. We found them at Wal-Mart Supercenter, 19301 Cantrell Road, Little Rock.

THE SKINNY: A company that calls its new line of meals Smart Made (instead of the more correct Smartly Made) isn't so smart. (Isn't that right, Bernadette "Watch Your Language" Kinlaw? I consulted her for a second opinion.)

But let's move past the English to the eats.

Smart Made (ack! It's just so wrong!) is a new line from Weight Watchers Smart Ones featuring "delicious meals made like you make it because we use ingredients and cooking techniques that you would use at home," according to the website.

The two I tried -- Grilled Sesame Beef & Broccoli (with anemic florets and little beef) and Chicken Spinach Fettuccine (with a ricotta and white bean puree sauce more watery than creamy) -- were not as dreary as frozen diet entrees eaten at a desk tend to be. But they weren't delicious, either.

Other varieties, all with fewer than 300 calories, are Roasted Turkey & Vegetables, Mexican-Style Chicken Bowl, Mediterranean-Style Chicken Bowl, Mexican-Style Pulled Pork Bowl and Orange Sesame Chicken Bowl.

They'd be even "Smarter Made" (ack! It's just so wrong!) if they contained less sodium.

-- Jennifer Christman

Slim Pickings is a weekly review of light foods. Email:

jchristman@arkansasonline.com

ActiveStyle on 01/16/2017

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