Now, why on earth would someone who is just about 3 weeks into a weight management project have anything other than utter hatred and contempt for fast food?  Because I love McGriddles, that’s why.  This morning I had to drop the dog off for a grooming and there is a McD’s right next door, and I was hungry and they were still having breakfast, and well, you can guess the rest. :)

Fast food has it’s place.  There are few in our society that are really able to live at a slow pace – I can only think of two groups – the retired and the unemployed.  And fast food even has it’s place for those folks, too.  You’re out running errands, you get hungry, you’re nowhere near home – why not stop in and get a snack?  That’s exactly where I was this morning.

Sure, a McGriddle isn’t exactly what you’d call a “healthy” breakfast.  It has 420 calories.  But for crying out loud, it’s sausage and pancakes and syrup all together in a wonderful little sandwich!!!!!!  How could it be MORE perfect??!??  Only if they sold it all day!  (Did I mention I REALLY love these little fat grenades?)

But let’s stop and take a look at how often I have them.  Not very often.  Honestly, it’s probably been about 6 months since I had one.  And it will probably be another 6 months before I have another one.  How often do I have fast food in general?  Maybe every couple of weeks.  It’s not a staple of my diet.

I think the fast food industry has been unfairly demonized because consumers *choose* to make their food a staple of their diets.  The last time I checked, McD’s didn’t have people standing out in parking lots dragging people into their stores and forcing them to buy Big Macs.  Little Wendy isn’t knocking on people’s doors begging them to buy chili and a Frosty, lest she end up homeless.  Chihuahuas don’t end up in the animal shelter because you didn’t buy enough tacos and bean burritos.

Fast food does have it’s place.  Grab a Happy Meal every now and again if you like.  But don’t blame the industry for your food choices.

Convenience foods get a bad rap a lot of the time, and a goodly amount of it is justified.  Costs more than homemade, nutritionally dubious value, etc, etc.

But, there is also something to be said for being able to pop something out of the freezer and into the toaster oven for 10 minutes and have a quick snack.  And some are just downright crack-in-a-box.  I absolutely LOVE Stouffer’s French Bread pizzas, always have.  I will admit an everlasting fondness for La Choy’s frozen “egg rolls” – which bear no resemblance to any egg roll I’ve ever gotten from a Chinese restaurant, but I love them anyway, and they bring back nice memories from when my Mom made them when I was a kid.

Additionally, these products can give you some more insight as to HOW to make them on your own, with better ingredients, lower cost and that satisfaction that comes with conquering a new dish.

Which all brings us to today’s convenience food that I should probably feel guilty for buying, but I don’t.  El Monterey Chicken & Cheese Flour Taquitos.

I’ll admit – it was an impulse purchase – they were on sale, I made the mistake of not eating before I went to the market, and my reaction when I saw them was, “Ooooooooooo!  Taquitos!!!!”  And they’re not too bad – defrost a couple in the microwave and pop them in the toaster oven for 12 minutes, add some sour cream and taco sauce and you’ve got a good snack.

The only other time I get taquitos is at the local Tex-Mex place, and if you asked me to recreate them, I’d be stuck.  But having these here in the house, where I can take a look at the ingredients, really look at how they’re put together, I actually have a fighting chance at recreating something along these lines.

So, when this box is done, I’ll likely be making up a big batch of homemade ones and freezing them and having my own taquitos.  (I should also give homemade French Bread Pizzas a whirl sometime, too.)

The next time you feel guilty for buying a frozen quick snack food, don’t.  Think of it as a starting point to making your own version that’s even better.  Take the time to look at them, how they’re made, and see if you can’t make a big batch of your own to freeze for those days when you want something quick.

When I spied these in the market, I had to try them.

In my mind, my reasons for giving them a go were quite sound.

– I love yakisoba.
– We don’t exactly have a plethora of Japanese restaurants in the area.
– It’s a traditional Japanese food made by a Japanese company, so in theory they should be able to get it right.

Couldn’t be quicker or easier.  Add the veggie pack and a cup of water.  Microwave for 4 minutes, let it sit for another minute.  Add the flavor pack, mix up and it’s done.

The verdict?  I am horribly torn.  It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but it just wasn’t really right, either.  The cabbage in the veggie pack does make it smell like you’d expect it to (if you like yakisoba, then it will be a familiar aroma), but the flavor packet is kind of weird.  There isn’t much water left after microwaving, so it sticks to the noodles.  Perhaps it’s by design, but it doesn’t seem to dissolve as well as it should.  The noodles do have that familiar ever so slightly oily mouth feel to them (it’s hard to describe), but overall, something is either missing or overdone, but I just can’t say for sure what it is.

Maybe my expectations were too high, having eaten a decent amount of yakisoba when we were stationed in Japan.

However, everyone’s tastes are different and I’d say it’s worth buying one and giving it a shot to see if you like it, it’s not at all expensive and won’t take up half your day to prepare it.  Myself, I doubt I’ll buy it again, though.

I think it will be worth my while to get hold of some real soba noodles and hunt down a good seasoning recipe, even if it does take longer.  (But doesn’t it always seem to work out that way?)