It’s no secret that college students get really desperate when finding cheap and quick ways to have a halfway decent meal. You can find options ranging from dining hall hacks to microwavable meals (think homemade mac ‘n’ cheese, oatmeal, eggs or even dessert). But I’m going to take a wild guess that most college students don’t want to resort to prepackaged microwavable meals. Bleh.
When I think of microwavable meals I think of something overcooked, tasteless, and unhealthy. At least until I tried Blake’s All Natural meals.
Blake’s reached out to the Spoon team here at Northeastern with a chance to try some of their microwaveable products. And so we did (like we’d ever say no to free food). Here’s the rundown of some of their options:
Ravioli
Rating: 4/5
Photo by Alex Kaneshiro
We thought the ravioli was great because it tasted homemade without all the effort of going home for the weekend. It had plenty of extra sauce and felt fancy with the herbs on top. Because let’s be honest — we all want our food to look as good as it tastes.
Chicken Parm
Rating: 3/5
Photo by Alex Kaneshiro
Classic chicken parm is a tough dish to live up to. We didn’t love that the Blake’s chicken looked essentially like a chicken nugget, and the pasta was a little crunchy because the sauce wasn’t evenly distributed. That said, this dish had the most amount of protein of all the dishes we tried, so that’s a plus.
Lasagna
Rating: 2/5
Photo by Alex Kaneshiro
The lasagna wasn’t our favorite out of the bunch. It has a funky texture and not much flavor. The pasta got overcooked in the microwave, and it had chunks of cheese that were kind of grainy. It also had less sauce than the other dishes, which may have contributed to it being less flavorful.
Chicken Marsala
Rating: 4.5/5
Photo by Alex Kaneshiro
We really liked this dish. It was very flavorful without being overly saucy, and the chicken tasted great. We all decided it was a meal we’d definitely purchase because it was well-balanced.
Old Fashioned Mac & Cheese
Rating: 3/5
Photo by Alex Kaneshiro
This dish is definitely a step up from your average Kraft Easy Mac and tasted somewhat like Panera’s mac ‘n’ cheese. Some thought it could use some meat in it like bacon, sausage, or chicken, but it was also perfectly suitable as is, especially with the crunchy top.
Long story short — if you’re going to invest in a couple (or tons of quick meals, if cooking really isn’t your thing) Blake’s is a great option. These frozen meals probably taste so much better than others because they’re made in small batches with all organic ingredients (yes, you will recognize all the ingredients on the label).
These are great for anyone that needs a break from the dining hall, a reminder of home (all the recipes have been passed on for generations in the Blake family), or a quick meal that won’t break the bank. Thanks for the taste test Blake’s!