I’ve been checking out the recent “skillet dinners” that some of the organic food brands have been coming out with lately. I used to eat them a lot, stuff like ‘Hamburger Helper’, but as I grew up, they started to make me feel a bit ill when I ate them, probably the result of some ingredient in the flavor packet like MSG or something, so now I am looking for good “organic” alternatives. It has taken a while for them to hit the market, but I’m starting to see them here and there. And while at the grocery store the other day, I decided to buy Annie’s “Cheesy Taco” skillet dinner. I’m familiar with Annie’s, definitely one of those brands you see constantly at health conscious grocery stores a lot, they seem to have a lot of “mac and cheese” products, as well as some other random stuff like barbecue sauces and what not. I find most of their products are hit or miss. Annie’s “Cheesy Taco” is made with “100% real cheese”, organic pasta, it has no artificial flavors, no synthetic colors or preservatives, and it uses cheese that is from ”…cows not treated with rBST.” And I bought it on sale at my local Co-op Grocery for $3.00. I tried this stuff the other night, and I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I recently tried another organic skillet dinner, Mrs. Leeper’s “Beef Stroganoff”, and was really disappointed with the flavor, so I wasn’t feeling very confident that this one would be any better. I decided to first try it without the cheese packet, just the cooked noodles and meat with the taco seasoning, and I’ve got to say….. it was really good. It seems like a decent “taco-flavored” version of ‘Hamburger Helper’, only better. And I felt that eating it this way, without the cheese packet, was a healthier alternative than with the cheese packet. However, if you have kids, I think you know you pretty much will have to add the cheese packet if they’re going to eat it. But I tried it with the cheese on there too, and it was really good, a lot heavier though…… (Insert picture of bowl with noodles in it) (Caption: I think this is the one without the cheese….)

I must say having this organic “skillet dinner” turn out good was a pleasant surprise, especially after recently having one that was not so good. I’m not sure if I would really eat it all the time, and I’m not gonna say this is exactly a “healthy” meal if you have the cheese on there, but it sure tastes good…

Annie’s “Cheesy Taco” Skillet Dinner-7/10 stars