Smart Ones Round Up: New Anytime Selections and Coupon

I'm always on the look-out for something that will give me the experience of eating something 'naughty' while still staying within a reasonable caloric or Points range.  While cruising the frozen dinners this week at the store, I found a couple new Anytime Selections by Smart Ones: Chicken Ranchero Mini Wraps and  Mini Cheeseburgers, each marked 4 Points each.

Yesterday, I was starving but not quite ready to start dinner yet, so I decided to crack open the Chicken Ranchero Wraps.  Now, for some reason, I thought they were fried, like a taquito or whatever, but in hindsight that wouldn't make too much sense. It's wrapped in a soft wheat flour tortilla and you get 2 decent-sized wraps per 4 Point serving.  Couple minutes in the microwave and I had a tasty little snack.  The chicken texture wasn't rubbery, the ranchero sauce is spicy, but not too much.  In fact, it tastes almost identical to the Smart Ones Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla, so if you like those, you'll like these.  But you get 2 of the wraps for the same 4 Points of one of the quesadillas.  More bang for the buck, if you ask me.

I do think that they make a fine snack, but if you threw in some fruit or a salad, it would make a perfectly filling lunch, too.

I'd buy these again, though probably on sale. I think I could make something similar at home with leftover chicken, salsa and a Smart & Delicious tortilla.

Today, while making some strawberry bread for a recipe renovation (more on that tomorrow), I realized I better eat something.  I opened the freezer and out jumped the Smart Ones Mini Cheeseburgers. No, really, they actually fell out and landed on my foot. I decided it was sign and busted open the box. 

These... well, I'm not a big fan.  :45 seconds in the microwave, per burger and you have instant sliders. Or, should I say slider, singular, because one serving is one weensy burger. One! It's about 2 inches in diameter and one serving is 4 Points. For some reason, I thought it was 2 mini burgers for 4 Points, like the mini-wraps, so I ate them both with some grapes... and then I read the box.  Good thing I didn't have chips because that pretty weak lunch cost me 9 points! (8 for the cheeseburgers, 1 for the grapes)   But one would never fill you up. Hell, two barely filled me up!  I realize that they're supposed to be 'snacks', but I don't really see it that way -- I don't know anyone who grabs just one tiny slider as a 'snack'. 

The flavor wasn't bad, but it was kind of reminiscent of am/pm gas station hamburgers.  Do you know what I mean? It wasn't like, awful, but not something you go out of your way for.  For 8 Points, I'd rather grill up my own sirloin or turkey burger on a Sandwich Thin with some swiss cheese and loads of fresh toppings like thick sliced tomato and red onion.  This definitely is not something I would purchase again, sale or not. It's just not worth the Points 'price tag'... or the actual price tag, for that matter.

So, in a nutshell, Smart Ones Chicken Ranchero Mini-Wraps = thumbs up, but likely just on sale.  Smart Ones Mini Cheeseburgers = thumbs down, even on sale.  I'm going to give them both an average of 3 donuts... right down the middle. One good, one "meh".

That said, if you'd like to try these or any other Smart Ones frozen goodies, you can print out of a coupon on the Smart Ones website for $4 off the purchase of 10 Smart Ones products.  If your grocer is having one of those 5/$10 or 2/$5 sales or whatever, you could save some scratch. :)

I give this 3 donuts.