Will Frozen Breakfast In A Bowl Satisfy?

Ever want something more than a "grab and go" breakfast but realize you don't want to operate anything more demanding than a microwave? That put you in gray area, at least until the last few years.

Following the meal-in-a-bowl trend that swept lunch and dinner frozen entrees a few years back, frozen breakfast makers have jumped on the bandwagon. Add to that the usual frozen pancakes/french toast/scrambled eggs with a side of meat that have been around for years and you've got quite a spread of options.

For this article, we got out the knife and fork and tackled frozen breakfasts that you'll have to take some time to eat, rather than pounding them down while driving to work.

All of these were prepared by the microwave-cooking instructions. Some of them might have benefited from use of the oven instead, but to be fair all were cooked with the same method. The accuracy of those preparation instructions also factored into the rating. If the package says it will be ready in three minutes, but it actually takes five to be ready, that's not a good thing.

All grades take into account taste, appearance and overall impression, as well as the preparation evaluation.

Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls (bacon): 520 calories, 33 grams fat, 395 mg cholesterol, 1490 mg sodium, 21 grams carbs.

This one's pretty much your prototypical breakfast bowl, with the meat, eggs and potatoes mixed and topped with cheese. The bacon was very good, with some actual meat to it. The eggs, however, were rubbery and the potatoes somewhat watery. The cheese had some good flavor, and melted very nicely over the mixture. The preparation instructions were spot-on. Final grade: B-.

Aunt Jemima Scrambled Eggs and Sausage with Hash Browns: 360 calories, 26 grams fat, 385 mg cholesterol, 940 mg sodium, 15 grams carbs.

Aunt Jemima is better known for pancakes, and this breakfast proved why. The eggs were flat and watery, with a consistency that evoked the powdered eggs served in some finer healthcare institutions. The sausage, which partially welded itself to the tray during cooking, was salty and greasy, without much other character. The hash browns were the saving grace, with a nicely crispy exterior and tender middle. The preparation instructions worked fine. Final grade: C.

Nancy's Quiche Lorraine: 490 calories, 26 grams fat, 195 mg cholesterol, 740 mg sodium, 43 grams carbs.

This one, more than any other entry, suffered from the restriction to microwave preparation. The crust came out of the microwave somewhat rubbery and slightly greasy, although still tasty. The filling was excellent, with mellow Swiss cheese and a nice onion bite mixed into fluffy eggs. Final grade: B+.

Aunt Jemima Sausage & Egg Scramble: 300 calories, 18 grams fat, 200 mg cholesterol, 890 mg sodium, 21 grams carbs.

The second Aunt Jemima entry does the best job of the "meal in a bowl" group. The potatoes have a great crispy texture with good seasoning, and the sausage and eggs are passable. The onions and peppers mentioned on the box don't make much of an impression, though. The cooking instructions were adequate, although the finished product could have been a touch hotter. Final grade: A-

Jimmy Dean D-Lights with Turkey Sausage: 230 calories, 7 grams fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 730 mg cholesterol, 19 grams carbs.

This is intended as a lighter version of the standard breakfast bowl, but it misses the mark somewhat. Rather than add other ingredients to enhance the flavor, this bowl uses turkey sausage and egg whites in place of the more fatty options in a one-for-one swap. The result is very bland, with potatoes that are watery and sausage that has precious little flavor. It's edible, and a fair choice if you're dieting, but worthy only of a final grade of D.

Smart Ones Breakfast Quesadilla: 220 calories, 6 grams fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 710 mg sodium, 28 grams carbs.

The other "light" offering in this set really gets it right. This Weight Watchers-driven option uses egg whites and turkey bacon, but adds onions, peppers and seasonings to make something that's not just good if you're dieting, but tastes better than anything else in the test. While the other breakfasts offer eggs, meat and potatoes to varying degrees, the quesadilla tastes very much like something you'd find on a breakfast menu at a good restaurant. The preparation instructions are also spot-on. Final grade: A+.

Breakfast, at least in the U.S., is one of the most fat-laden meals of the day. We eat bacon, sausage, eggs and other high-impact foods and start our days well behind the dietary 8-ball. Thus, it was a refreshing surprise to find that a "diet" entry was the clear winner in the test.

As far as best buy, however, the Aunt Jemima bowls take the prize, coming in at roughly half the price of the Smart Ones and not too far off in flavor and overall satisfaction.