Favorite Store Bought Quick Meal in a Box

[reinhard1]

Well I don't have one.  Very seldom to I buy one.  Emergency basis only.  Yesterday while shopping I forgot my grocery list.  Have to have a list.  I have a good memory but it's short.  So there I was, meal all planned but could not remember all the stuff I needed.  Ok, plan b.  Had some boneless breasts ready to go at home so I was going to get two boxes of chicken helper .  Wait a minute let's get more quality here based on price.  Velveta had a chicken helper,  a broccoli rice concoction with their cheese packs in it.  Ok, good to go.  Got home and fried up the chicken breast chunks I cut up.  Put in some garlic and onions [didn't call for that but should help].  Then dumped in the water, rice, and seasoning packs [I knew I was in trouble when I saw those], maybe two tablespoons of seasoning  in each pack.  Then the two packs of dried broccoli.  Skimped on that also.  Got it done and what a bunch of slop.  I would have to add a lot of seasonings to make this meal work.  The rice was like mush [I always make my own in a rice cooker with quality rice].  So long story short, I think I could have done better with rice-a-roni.  Any you have a better brand for emergency meals in a bag or box?  good luck.

[lovebigbluegills]

Not much is coming to mind, but I do like rice-a-roni from time to time, but I like a few of the Zatarains (sp?) ones better. The dirty rice one is my favorite.

I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to hamburger and chicken helper.

Edited January 6, 2016 by lovebigbluegills

[Richj]

I bought some Banquet brand personal meals.........Dont do that.

[RebelSS]

Only one I do when it's absolutely an emergency is Hamburger Whelper  (ha!) Crunchy Taco, adding onions and Taco seasoning and shredded Mexican cheese on top......but it has to be a dire need. Only other one I DO like is Rice a roni Fried Rice, to which I add a chopped hard-boiled egg chunked up, smoked ham chunks, and onion strips...makes a great fried rice. That's it, no other boxed stuff in my house. 

Edited January 6, 2016 by RebelSS

[smurfy]

I kinda like the banquet chicken

[Richj]

3 minutes ago, smurfy said:

 kinda like the banquet chicken

The chick is good, and theres an asian something or other thats decent......But the stroganoff, beef mac and cheese, and a few others are some of the worst foods Ive had in my neck! LOL!!!

[leechlake]

scalloped potatoes or au gratin potatoes in a box are passable and I really like Banquet chicken.  I think if a veggy has to go in a box it's life is doomed.  

 

[MNHunter65]

I like Zatarains in either the Jambalaya or Dirty Rice. Throw in some meat/sausage and some extra veggies if you want and its a quick one pot meal. County Market has a store brand in the dollar isle that is as good or better than the Zatarains.

[ThunderLund78]

Zatarain's is pretty quality stuff, we do their sides somewhat often - we're doing their Spanish rice tonight with enchiladas. I normally do my own Spanish rice but this is a fine substitute good when the Mrs. has to cook

I hate to admit it, but in a pinch I still really enjoy Ramen noodles.  I think it's the same reason why my grandpa loved to eat dried white bread with a ton of butter and warm milk with canned peas mixed-in.  When he was a poor immigrant, that's pretty much all he had. It eventually became comfort food.  Like a lot of other kids, I scrounged through college on the cheap stuff.  I was off it for years, but a while ago we had an extra pack left over from some recipe and I cooked it up.  Forgot how good it was.

I don't cook it as soup, I boil the noodles and drain.  mix in about 1 TB of butter and only about 1/2 the seasoning packet and mix it in.  If i'm feeling REAL ambitions, I'll crush-up some cheeze-itz on top.  But that's a luxury, didn't always have cheeze-itz in college. That money went to the beer budget!

[RebelSS]

Be nice if we all had ALL that money we spent on beer!!!!! YOWZA!  

[lovebigbluegills]

11 minutes ago, RebelSS said:

Be nice if we all had ALL that money we spent on beer!!!!! YOWZA!  

Holy Schmidt, isn't that the truth!!!!

[leechlake]

my non cooking wife makes some asian salad with Ramen noodles.  It's outstanding.  

I should give you my neighbors phone number RH.  The gal only cooks packaged foods, freezer or box.  She probably could shed some light on this subject for us poor saps that make our own bacon, sausage, pellet smokers, minnow buckets, etc.  I'm sure one of us will try to make his own fishing line sooner or later.

 

[smurfy]

1 minute ago, leechlake said:

my non cooking wife makes some asian salad with Ramen noodles.  It's outstanding.  

I should give you my neighbors phone number RH.  The gal only cooks packaged foods, freezer or box.  She probably could shed some light on this subject for us poor saps that make our own bacon, sausage, pellet smokers, minnow buckets, etc.  I'm sure one of us will try to make his own fishing line sooner or later.

 

fishing line?????? I just use my wifes sewing thread or knitting yarn!!!!!!

[Richj]

1 minute ago, leechlake said:

my non cooking wife makes some asian salad with Ramen noodles.  It's outstanding.  

 

Mine too! Totally agree its very good!

[smurfy]

16 minutes ago, RebelSS said:

Be nice if we all had ALL that money we spent on beer!!!!! YOWZA!  

WRONG ANSWER!!!!!!!!!! 1 GET PAID 2 go to bank 3 go to liquor store 4 go to gas station 5 go to food store!!!!!!!

[RebelSS]

My ultra lazy neighbor and his lazier wife order ALL their food off the internet, from one of those outrageously priced companies that put the meal together for you and tell you how to quick cook it. I've seen UPS drop off cases of chips and dump food at their place. He said they go to the store only for milk,  pop, (for the lazy kid)  and booze. What a lazy slob. 32 yo and I've done more work in one week than he's done in his entire life. Too lazy to even mow or shovel snow. Too bad they can't order some get-up-and-go.

 

 

6 minutes ago, smurfy said:

WRONG ANSWER!!!!!!!!!! 1 GET PAID 2 go to bank 3 go to liquor store 4 go to gas station 5 go to food store!!!!!!!

You're just a silly little Smurf, aintcha? 

Edited January 6, 2016 by RebelSS

[leechlake]

I think your neighbor thinks his neighbor is Archie Bunker

 

[RebelSS]

2 minutes ago, leechlake said:

I think your neighbor thinks his neighbor is Archie Bunker

 

Haha, you funny guy. That's why he's over here all the time with broken stuff because he's too lazy to take care of anything.  Back to the topic!!! No thread stealing here!!!! 

Edited January 6, 2016 by RebelSS

[leechlake]

when he brings over "his" stuff and you figure out its the stuff you loaned to him last year then you're on to something.

Back to boxed food...

[highlife4me]

I'm not much of a boxed meal type of eater.  Boxed potatoes maybe once a month, otherwise its usually a good home cooked meal - meat, potatoes and a vegetable - maybe rice twice a month.  Closest thing to boxed food would be a frozen pizza occasionally but even a good one of those is hard to find!

[leechlake]

hopefully I bury this enough that nobody reads it.  I keep a box of potato buds at the cabin.  Sometimes if I'm alone I will make some "mashed" potatoes out of a box and have some banquet chicken with it.  They really aren't too bad.  

[bobbymalone]

instant mashed potatoes beat real mashed potatoes hands down.  

[lovebigbluegills]

Stove Top stuffing is pretty dang good!!! 

[leechlake]

smoked brownies too.

[Juneau4]

One bucket of ice cream of your choice if everything else is a failure.