Taste Above...Olive Garden

I was at Grocery Outlet the other day and came across Taste Above's Tuscan Marinara Sauce with Veggie Chicken and Penne Pasta. It's a frozen dinner product and I had never seen the brand before. As I always seem to do, I didn't think to check the nutrition facts, which are high in fat (19grams) and calories (320). But there is 26 grams of protein (holy assload of protein, Batman!) and 20% of your suggested daily iron. I did do my usual ingredient check to verify that it was vegan and it passed inspection. They use Gardein for the veggie chicken, a product I had only read about. 

So the taste: It grew on me, but it's not knock-out delicious and it take me eating half of it before the growing on me started. As always in a frozen dinner, the pasta is a bit on the mushy side. The "meat" had an odd mouthfeel and has a bit of a strange flavor. The sauce was watery. But with all that negative-sounding stuff, I will say that I liked it. 

The brand suggested retail price is $5.99, which wtf? I would never pay for such a small portion. Granted the calories and fat are so high you wouldn't want a bigger size. I paid only $2.49, because Grocery Outlet is the shiz. 

So, really, if you're needing protein, try it out, if you're on a diet, skip. If you're me, if I'm desperate...