Ickkkkk Hamburger Helper Lasagna

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jgnatca
jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
in Food and Nutrition
In the interests of domestic bliss, hubby got to pick dinner tonight. It's been consecutive nights of "clean eating" including a paleo apple Chicken slow cook last night. He said it was OK but could I skip the apple next time?

He picked the Lasagna. I followed the instructions to the letter, no hidden creative touches.

So I just took a taste; Ick. Pasta cardboard. Sauce sweetish plastic. I had to doctor my portion with a little Feta and sunflower seeds.

What is happening to me???? Am I condemned to clean eating hipsterhood forever?

This weekend we go back to scratch eating.....
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Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    LOL, hubster and I have given up on prepackaged food altogether, not out of any hipsterness but just because we're sick of being disappointed. There's a few packet things I used to LOVE and now they just taste so bland, or so artificial.
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,531 Member
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    He must miss the sodium in what you are cooking for him. The sodium on those HH boxes are off the charts. Try adding more fresh herbs & heat-type spices in the chicken instead of fruit. Guys like stuff like that. hth
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
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    Thou shalt not sully the good name that is Hamburger Helper!

    BURN THE WITCH!
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    I have never had Hamburger Helper. The only convenience food my mother ever bought was shells and cheese. Everything else was scratch cooked. I became a scratch cook by her example.

    Oh wait! We had the occasional tv dinner! I almost forgot about those. I think I blocked the memory.

    Glad to know I wasn't missing out on anything.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    @allaboutthecake good idea! I'll have to be sneaky though. My best stew uses one teaspoon curry and he's never caught on.

    If I use Ginger he asks if I am cooking with dish soap.

    Dislikes Au Gratin. Prefers I skip baked cheese. Did I have to use three garlic cloves?

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Ah yes the TV dinner. It includes a brownie for dessert.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    Ah yes the TV dinner. It includes a brownie for dessert.

    I vaguely remember another one with something with maybe blueberries in the middle? My memory is really foggy. It was sort of muffin like with this blob of blueberry filling in the middle

    I more clearly remember the scratch cooked stuff, obviously.

    At any rate, I took over cooking for the family when I was 14 and my mom went back to work. I scratch cooked everything.

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    Well, yeah! Homemade food is so much better! We never really ate Hamburger or tuna helpers, although in my omni days I made a kickin tuna noodle casserole. :) I always thought it was a huge treat to eat at a friends house whem the mom would serve Kraft dinner with cut up hotdogs in it. :) My mom always cooked 'boring' homemade things. ;) I was spoiled and I didn't even know it!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    Did you used to like hamburger helper?
    I've never been a fan of those kind of things and I am not all clean eating food snobbish. I just didn't grow up eating the stuff. I also hated boxed mac and cheese. They all taste like cardboard to me. Dh and dd would happily eat it though.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I followed my generation and started out all natural. Turns out my children craved the boxed stuff and KFC just like you, @Laurend224 . By the time they were teens I gave up and let them eat it all. I think they missed my cookies.

    Early on in my marriage I started out all creative too. Looking to find the balance that will keep hubby adventurous.

    Which brings back a memory. In an attempt to beat the big manufacturers at their own game, I would scour the ingredient list of Kraft Dinner and Cheez Whiz to find their secret. As a consequence my home made Mac and Cheese has a little powdered mustard for zip.
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,531 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    @allaboutthecake good idea! I'll have to be sneaky though. My best stew uses one teaspoon curry and he's never caught on.

    If I use Ginger he asks if I am cooking with dish soap.

    Dislikes Au Gratin. Prefers I skip baked cheese. Did I have to use three garlic cloves?

    Try herbs like Tarragon, Thyme, Spicey Oregano, etc. A little goes a long way, including 1 clove or less of garlic. I would have to take his side on the Ginger & Curry. Unless of course, it was Ginger Snap cookies lol

  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    peachyfuzzle wrote: »
    Thou shalt not sully the good name that is Hamburger Helper!

    BURN THE WITCH!

    Rolling at this
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I hope that is ROFL @girlviernes. I like all those spices too @allaboutthecake , but he seems to engineer Italian Night at the restaurant.

    Really! I'm a pretty good cook!

    Maybe I should pull out some old favourites for a while....
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    I followed my generation and started out all natural. Turns out my children craved the boxed stuff and KFC just like you, @Laurend224 . By the time they were teens I gave up and let them eat it all. I think they missed my cookies.

    Early on in my marriage I started out all creative too. Looking to find the balance that will keep hubby adventurous.

    Which brings back a memory. In an attempt to beat the big manufacturers at their own game, I would scour the ingredient list of Kraft Dinner and Cheez Whiz to find their secret. As a consequence my home made Mac and Cheese has a little powdered mustard for zip.

    I use dry mustard in my vegan mac and 'cheese' as well! I'm sure my poor kids are snarfing non vegan goodies when I'm not looking. The stories they will have to tell their children.... ;) Abuse by lentil loaf. Lol!

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    In our family the love and hate of rice/tapioca pudding skips generations. I love it's creamy goodness. Hubby too. Mom dad and daughter hate it. My grandmothers both sides used to make it all the time. Fine economical depression era dish.

    And my granddaughter hates raisins. I guess love of rice pudding dies with me.
  • pmg2000m
    pmg2000m Posts: 44 Member
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    I used to love Hamburger Helper when I was a kid. I liked the stroganoff one too. I grew up on so much processed food, it took me a long time as an adult to get used to the taste of fresh food. I used to love it, even frozen dinners like Salisbury steak! Now I can't handle the processed stuff anymore. I don't know if it's just the sodium or maybe the MSG, but I feel awful afterwards.
  • LovelyIvy466
    LovelyIvy466 Posts: 387 Member
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    Nope. Not alone. I loooved box Mac and cheese as a kid- especially the one with velveeta. Then I learned to make my own Mac and cheese (I use powdered mustard and whole grain mustard in mine. It is divine!) and I can't eat the box stuff anymore. It's just bland and yet salty at the same time.

    That said, I still have a place in my heart for shake and bake. Someone in my house keeps buying it, and I always give in and use it. I can't help it!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Home made Salisbury Steak is yummy.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    Ah yes the TV dinner. It includes a brownie for dessert.

    It was such a bummer when the "gravey " would bubble over onto the dessert.

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