My four year old would not touch this with a ten foot pole, much less a fork. The majority of his kid approved meals consist of hot dogs, mac and cheese and cheerios. He used to be better, but sometime in the past year he learned about being purposely picky and it’s all gone down hill from there. A nightly battle.

So a lot of our meals lately have been, you guessed it: mac and cheese, hot dogs and similarly kid friendly food. My poor husband. I try to incorporate food that will excite him, too, without inducing a boycott / temper tantrum from the kiddie table. Sometimes this means just cooking two different meals – one for the kids and one for us. It’s not something I want to become a frequent habit, but more just an occasional treat. Occasionally MM gets to eat all the mac and cheese and hot dogs he wants – and his daddy isn’t forced to do the same.

We recently had the opportunity to try out some of those PF Changs Home Menu: Meals for Two dinners you may have seen in your freezer section. I hadn’t tried them yet, because frankly at nine dollars a package, the price was simply too steep to spend on something new that would only feed two people in our family. But having never been to PF Changs, I was intrigued by a chance to try out their menu from the comfort of my own home. And if you consider it a swap for going out to eat, then the price doesn’t seem quite as unreasonable for a little dinner date for two.

My Review:

So, the food. “Good or no?” is what I’m sure you are asking. Preparing the meal, first of all, couldn’t have been easier. Dump the contents of the bag into a skillet (preferably one with a lid), cover it up and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When it’s finished, you’ll have a nice, saucy asian meal waiting to be devoured.

I found the orange chicken to be a bit on the spicy side, but tasty. The shrimp in a garlic sauce (not photographed because we ate it too quickly) was delicious. The portions are reasonable but not as a standalone dish. I’d cook up some rice or noodles to go with it or you might be left wanting for more. Also the sauce mixes up very nicely with the rice of your choice – a great way to use up all that yumminess.

Bottom Line: I still think that for a typical frozen meal, the price tag is way too high. But reserving it as a special treat? I can see that – especially if you and your significant other are big fans of PF Changs. Speaking of which – I’ve got to get myself to one of their restaurants to experience the real thing!