I’m not really one to stick to the world’s healthiest diet, but I at least try to make good choices when it comes to microwave meals. If I’m going to go for something quick, I figure the least I can do is make it sensible. Go ahead, call me crazy, I don’t care.

Anyway, I usually pick up a few diet meals when I’m at the grocery store for when I’m dining alone. Most of them are adequate, but either don’t taste quite as good as the stuff that’s bad for you or don’t fill you up. But I recently tried some of Lean Cuisine’s microwave panini sandwiches, and was pleasantly surprised.

When I first saw them, I was puzzled as to why someone would want to buy something like that. After all, I can slap a sandwich together quickly on my own, and even grill it in just a few minutes. But I decided to try the Southwest-Style Chicken variety, and now I’m glad I did.

They come with a little round metallic thingy that you put on top of the empty box and place the open sandwich on top of to cook. I was rather skeptical as to how a grilled sandwich would turn out in the microwave, but it worked out quite nicely. It didn’t really brown the bread much, but it was nice and crispy. And the flavor was awesome! The chicken, cheese, tomatoes, onions and green peppers made a great combination.

I liked that one so well, I decided to try the Chicken Tuscan Panini. It has peppers, olives, and tomatoes with a margherita-style sauce on herbed bread. It was fantastic as well. Both varieties were surprisingly filling, although as great as they tasted, I must admit that I probably would have eaten two if I had them. Guess it’s a good thing I only bought one at a time.

If you’re looking for a nice, quick lunch, these are ideal. I’m looking forward to trying the other varieties, as I’m sure they will be awesome as well!