Special Edition Green Giant Dill Pickle Seasoned Roated Potatoes

It's pickle season, boys! Usually the frozen veg section is immune to limited edition flavors and seasonals, but maybe the jolly green giant is looking to change that. As a veg-desirer, I am very open to the prospect, even if what we're starting with is dill (mid) potatoes (mid). I was so open to it that I paid full price for them, lest they be disappeared before my grocery return. Was it worth it? I mean, no. But that's no surprise. Unfortunately they were worse than even I anticipated - pretty dry, smelling a little like a bad chain restaurant (plasticy vinegary vinyl booth seat vibes), and not really even that pickle flavored (more like citric acid/vinegar/salt flavored). Good texture though, and they look pretty.

It also should be noted for the stats fiends that these have a ton of salt (1.4k mg), but a decent amount of fiber (6g).  

Overall
Cost: 4/10 [4$]
Taste: 5/10

Green Giant Restaurant Style Veggie Sides: Tri-Color Roasting Potatoes

Ah yes... restaurant style. As opposed to peasant home-chef style, I guess. Restaurant style seems here to mean "covered in butter and seasoning", which I guess I do like. Or maybe it's the tri-color of it all (aesthetically pleasing). Why did I buy this if I'm such a hater (and neutral on potato)? It was on sale, my friends. Also, I do like purple potatoes and also butter. The package recommends cooking in an air fryer, which I do not have, so I ovened it -- hardly restaurant style -- but the texture ended up just fine (vaguely crispy outside, smooshy innards). You can't really taste the butter though, which is sad - they're very dry. And the spice is only vaguely noticeable, feels like light pepper/rosemary/salt(?)/oregano(??). Anyway, I ended up resorting to ketchup as if they were a humble french fried potato, and that was better. Potatoes, man, they just aren't that good. No wonder I never got in to Lord of The Rings. 

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [3$ normally]
Taste: 6/10 

Green Giant Sauced Veggies Simply Steam Cheesy Riced Cauliflower

This is identical to the Green Giant Sauced Veggies Simply Steam Cheesy Riced Cauliflower with 3 Small Broccolis, except it's missing the 3 small broccolis. So it is strictly worse... but only 3 tiny broccolis worth worse. Otherwise it is still very tasty, very small, and overpriced. Wish I could bathe in this stuff. Although the cheese goo makes me feel psychologically bad, even if not physically. (The cheeseless cauli is twice the price, though it is also bigger, so maybe I should just get that if I'm splurging on riced cauli). 

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [3$!!]
Taste: 7/10 

Green Giant Simply Steam Cheesy Riced Cauliflower & Broccoli

Lol, I didn't realise this was riced cauliflower when I bought it (and not riced rice). That's actually an upgrade because it tastes better and is a bonus veg. But it's way fewer calories, which is actually bad because I'm so hungry all the time. It's also not very cost effective to eat 80 calos (both servings in the box) for like, 3 bucks. I was in a dark place when I bought this (the grocery store). Anyway, there's shockingly little cheese goo or brocco included (thus the 80 calos I guess), but it tasted way more balanced/better than it looked. A great product if you are rich. (Well, OK, maybe not rich. Slightly richer and/or different food priorities-er than me!)

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [2-3$]
Taste: 7/10  

Green Giant Riced Veggies - Cauliflower

Where Green Giant Riced Veggies go, I will follow. But I actually got this to put in a pear smoothie (which I agree, sounds gross), where it did what it was supposed to do, I think. Then I ate the leftovers as god intended (riced). So I had occasion to notice that the bag has a ziploc closure, which is nice since it isn't really a large portion. I also made the extra on the stove for the first time, which was fine. Maybe a bit less soggy, which is good, plus you can throw some fresh garlic in there. The taste is, of course, mild cauliflower, which is pleasant. Shockingly my main complaint is that this is too few calories (60)!

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [3$]
Taste: 6/10

Green Giant Riced Veggies - Cauliflower & Broccoli

This is no 'risotto' flavor riced veggie, but it's a little milder than the pure brocco one, so it's pleasant. Good with fresh garlic. Moderately filling, generally healthful, not very economical but a nice treat in the veggie sphere. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [3.33$ish]
Taste: 6/10

Green Giant Riced Veggies - Cauliflower Risotto Medley

Is this risotto? No, it is cauliflower with little bits of asparagus and mushroom in. But I can still like that thing for what it is (veg). I had this with some chicken and tomatoes and it was just fine. The asparagus bits are very starchy, which many reviewers complained about. And they are right to complain. But I didn't really mind it: textural difference makes it more interesting to consume! Because it's unseasoned, it's a great vessel for any sauce, seasoning, veggie, or fat you want to mix in. If these were a dollar I would eat them for every meal. Riced cauliflower is better than riced brocco, also.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [sadly, 3$]
Taste: 6/10

Green Giant - Nibblers Corn-on-the-Cob

Some of my best friends are nibblers! These were on sale for like 3 dollars, which made me suspicious, but these are definitely worth 3 dollars. One "nibbler" is not very filling (thus the name, I guess), but it's juicy and tasty like corn is. It does have a weird chemical taste also, especially if you suckle too deeply, but that's OK -- I can roleplay I'm in an institutional context.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [3$, but usually 12$]
Taste: 7/10

Green Giant Restaurant Style Roasted Root Vegetables with Garlic & Thyme

I made this in the microwave, even though they suggest skillet, 'cause I'm lazy and didn't want to add more oil. The texture was still OK in my opinion, and kind of a fun mix of things. Turns out I really don't love carrots, though, and they're the majority here. The strong seasoning also made me a little allergy-panicky even though they're top-8 free. It was fine and quite filling, plus decently healthy, but the taste and fear make it not my favorite frozen veggie choice (go brussels sporouts!)

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Green Giant Riced Veggies - Broccoli

I'm not sure what I thought would happen, but it turns out riced brocco is literally just brocco cut into little pieces. That is, there's no difference between diced brocco and riced brocco. So the infamous poem I wrote in college (rice me/ice me/dice me) is a little bit redundant. That said, this little bag was super easy to heat up, it makes a ton (like a full, full plate), and is only 60 cals! Plus, I like brocco! So this could very easily replace rice for me, even though it is literally not rice, but just little broccos. Sadly it was on sale for 1 dollar, so I am guessing it is about to not exist anymore (or at least not at my store). The main reason I get rice rice is because it's cheap, so if this costs 2$ or more, it's not really doing the job of rice, even though it's much healthier and easier to make. Sigh, woe, alas. I added peppers (cooked in oil/seasonings) to this and it was fine. Interesting product. 

Overall
Cost: 7/10 (on sale for 1$)
Taste: 6/10

Green Giant Baby Brussels Sprouts & Butter Sauce

A weird thing about my dad is that he really hates Brussels sprouts but he likes cole slaw (aka cabbage). To me they are very similar tasting veg! Perhaps my dad has only had bad b.sprouts in the past. Well, these aren't great, but I wouldn't call them bad either. The price is right, the size is decent, and the butter sauce is kinda sus but ultimately tastes OK. I'd rather have a porky fat instead of a butter sauce, but for a frozen veg side, it's OK.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Green Giant Steamers - Teriyaki Vegetables

Maybe I'm just in a mood, but these were bad. Cooking is quick and easy, and I mixed them in with some rice. It's a good amount of veg/sauce for that. But the taste of the sauce is way too sweet or artificial or weird. It made me feel a little queasy, not in an allergy way, just in a human way. They don't smell good. I like soy sauce, but I guess it's the corn syrup and onion powder mixed with it that I really didn't dig. Also, way too many carrots, not enough of the other veg. The brocs were mostly leaves and thin offshoot stalk pieces, too, which is bad. Better to just use fresh broc!



Overall
Cost: 6/10 (1$)
Taste: 4/10

Green Giant Steamers - Cheesy Rice & Broccoli

So this was fine. But the ingredients list is so long! And one of the ingredients is....blue cheese. Like what!? I hate blue cheese so that really weirded me out. But if I didn't read that I wouldn't know. The taste was good. It tasted like regular yellow cheese goo. The texture was good, it cooked fine and wasn't mushy or crunchy. It made a decent amount and isn't crazy unhealthy for cheesy rice. I think I liked it, so what am I so afraid of?





Overall
Cost: 8/10 (on sale for 1$)
Taste: 6/10

Green Giant Super Sweet Yellow and White Corn

 This is my #1 favorite corn! (Second only to perhaps baby-corns or on-the-cob corn). It's sweet and crisp and buttery, but not overly so or overly salty or watery. Plus it goes great with everything from pasta to meat to other veggies. Yum!

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 8/10