You know how some people sleep on flights? Others play on their laptops or read a book. I do magazines. Food magazines. Lots and lots of food magazines.

That’s most often where I get inspiration for the things on this blog. I look at that food and I wonder what I could do to make it healthier/lower cal/more WLS-friendly.

Anyhoo, it was in a food magazine (I think Food Network Magazine) that I read about today’s review subject: Oscar Meyer Sandwich Combos. I was on my way to Michigan to see Pam (yes, I will be referencing that visit for a time to come, thankyouverymuch) and I saw the ad and thought they looked pretty nifty. Got to Michigan and mentioned them to Pam. We tried but could not find them in the local grocery stores there.

When I came home, I was in the store with the kiddos who were begging for Lunchables. When I went to the section where they are stored, I saw them! Of course I wanted to review them, but I know that many of us aren’t inclined toward sandwiches and, even if we are, can scarcely complete everything in this lunch kit. So I wanted to approach this from the standpoint of being a better choice for the whole fam.

So naturally, I had to swindle the divas into trying them with me.

First, let’s go over the basics. There are two types of Sandwich Combos (that I’ve seen): turkey/cheddar and ham/Swiss. Both appear to come with the following: 2 oz. of meat, 1 oz. slice of cheese, a whole-wheat sandwich thin, a packet of mustard (Grey Poupon no less), a 1 oz. bag of Wheat Thins and a 4 oz. chocolate Jell-O Mousse Temptations cup. The front of the box tells me it’s 390 calories (in the “real” world those are damn good stats for lunch) and the back tells me there is 19g of protein (I’ll forgive them that since I’m not officially reviewing it for us).

For me, this is almost the perfect-sized lunch. For you, maybe not so much. So let’s move on to what the divas thought.

First off, they were pretty jazzed about this experiment. Usually their engagement in my blog experiments has them trying veggies they either don’t like or are downright afraid of, so this one was a welcome treat.

Each of the sandwich components are individually wrapped and were easy to open (this is especially important to La Petite Diva, who always has trouble opening packaging for some reason). The amount of meat seemed generous, although I did actually measure it on my handy-dandy portable food scale (doesn’t everyone have one?) and it is, in fact, 2 oz. of meat.

It was all very fresh smelling and tasting. I’d never thought to put Grey Poupon on my sandwich before (I usually don’t buy it because I am the cheapest person alive). It was pretty tasty. (Mental note: pick up some Grey Poupon) I did eat the whole thing. That was a mistake. Although I COULD eat the whole thing, there is a difference between could and should and I KNOW you know what I mean.

S’anyway. The divas also munched theirs down. I was particularly interested in whether this kit satisfied them. They, like me, are hearty eaters. They both reported feeling satisfied by the kit. Their only feedback was that they wished there was something to drink.

“You know what woulda been perfect mom?” La Grande Diva offered up. “If there was a bottled water and a Crystal Light stick in there.” Indeed! For us post-ops, the absence of water actually makes it a perfect little kit, but like I said it’s a bit much for us. It was even a bit much for me. I ate mine at noon and didn’t eat again until 5, even after about 40 oz. of liquid later in the afternoon. The kit also satisfied the divas for quite a good while.

The other addition I’d make, if the world were perfect, would be to have some fresh fruit in there. Some apple slices, a cutie Clementine, something. But to me that’s easy to insert into a child’s lunch if you want it in there. And the price of this thing isn’t outrageously more than the unit price of a lunch I’d pack for them (keeping in mind that I’m sort of a food snob with regards to my children).

School is out for the summer, but I definitely think these are a good thing to check out in general, especially if you ever find yourself on the go and hear the ominous, “Moooooooom (how do kids manage to make that one word seventeen syllables?) I’m hunnnnngry!!!!”

Yeah. For the STFU value alone it’s worth every penny. Just sayin’.

Verdict: Diva says Divine!