Red’s All Natural Burritos and Quesadillas: A Tasty Review

The last review I did was on an aerial fitness class for Fit Bottomed Girls. It turned out to be a disaster of sorts (just because I get motion sickness) and was nothing that I wanted to repeat anytime soon. So when Jenn, the editor-in-chief calls and says, “Hey do you want to do another review?” my heart started pounding.
“Sure,” I replied with trepidation and waited for the bomb to drop. Turns out it was not nearly as intimidating as I expected. All I had to do was try a new product, Red’s All Natural Frozen Burritos and Quesadillas, and let the folks know my thoughts.
Whew, what a relief. No problem — I can do that!

Let’s Talk About Red’s

Named after their trusty dog Red (bonus points already!), Mike and Paige Adair had the genius idea to box their all-natural, minimally processed burritos and quesadillas for the kitchen-weary world to enjoy. Individually packaged and portioned at around $3.50 a serving, you will be hard-pressed to find another real food lunch or dinner at this price point.
But how do they taste?

Bring on the Burritos

Seven varieties of the burritos are available — everything from the conventional Chicken, Steak or Turkey Burrito, to a vegetarian offering of Beans and Rice and the Hot Pocket–sounding Chicken Teriyaki, Chicken Parm and BBQ Chicken. (Although I never found those last three.)
On the first go ’round I chose the red beans and rice and my willing partner, Bill, was looking forward to the chicken. We decided to bake them in the oven (the preferred cooking method) and were rewarded with two gigantic, beautifully browned burritos.

The tortilla shell was absolutely fabulous — light and flaky, not thick and bready like some burritos, but the filling was overly spicy for both of our wimpy palates. We could see big hunks of chicken and vegetables, but could not taste much except hot in the way of spices.
I felt like they needed a little doctoring up with salsa and sour cream, but we most definitely did not leave the table hungry. Each portion is big, weighing in at 11 ounces and a hearty 500 calories.

Onto the Quesadillas

This time I chose the chicken, and Bill picked steak. These needed no help from the condiment section — they could stand alone and were definitely restaurant quality. The cheese was the right amount, not too gloppy, and they had a much better flavor then the burritos. I could actually distinguish the green peppers, corn and tomatoes.

My Two Cents

Because of the high spicy heat factor, I would pass on the burritos in the future but would most definitely pick up a box of quesadillas for those “meal in a pinch” moments. They had enough protein (more than 20 grams!) to keep me satiated without a lot of saturated fat. I recommend giving Red’s a try; there is absolutely nothing to be nervous about!
Do you shop for frozen entrees to make meal planning easier? How often? —Karen