Product: Kroger Beer Battered Tilapia

Description: Twelve ounces of frozen tilapia fish “tenders” battered in wheat flour, eggs and beer

Preparation summary: Bake on cookie sheet in 400-degree oven for 14-16 minutes. Instructions are also provided for cooking in a skillet or deep fryer.

High points: You can actually taste beer in the batter! The tenders turn out fairly moist and take on a crispy golden crust when cooked at their maximum time allotment.

Low points: In a perfect world, there’d be a few packets of tartar sauce in the box and we wouldn’t have to make our own.

Average Retail Price: $7.78

Availability: Ralph’s

Product: Pringles Extreme Kickin’ Cheddar

Description: Potato “crisps” dusted in cheddar cheese and jalapeno extracts, contained in a 15-ounce canister

Preparation summary: Ready to serve

High points: The artificial seasonings are so extreme, they completely mask the processed, rice-flour flavor of the chips, which have inexplicably made Pringles famous.

Low points: If you’re counting on a cheesy snack, move on. Despite the bright orange dusting given to these stacked-up chips, only a fake-tasting jalapeno sting emerges.

Average Retail Price: $2.99

Availability: Major grocery stores

Product: Crystal Light Immunity on the Go (Cherry-Pomegranate)

Description: Box of 10 individual powder packets that each make a two-cup serving of sugar-free fruit drink. The mix is fortified with Vitamins A, C and E.

Preparation summary: Empty a single powder packet into a 16.9-ounce of cold, bottled water, or stir into a glass filled with two cups of water.

High points: Finally, a Crystal Light flavor that doesn’t taste too artificially sweetened. The so-called pomegranate in the mix tempers the cherry flavoring and prevents it from tasting too flamboyant – and there’s only five calories per serving.

Low points: “Immunity on the Go” is a far-flung title for a product that contains per serving only 20 percent daily values of the three vitamins it contains. And as with all Crystal Light products, gulping gets expensive.

Average Retail Price: $4.69

Availability: Major grocery stores

Product: Green Giant Simply Steam Garden Vegetable Medley

Description: Eight-ounce serving of snap peas, red peppers and roasted potatoes with “garden herbs,” contained in a microwave-friendly steam bag

Preparation summary: Microwave on high for 3 to 4 ? minutes.

High points: Product provides you with a fast and easy track to eating vegetables.

Low points: Convenience outweighs quality. The “herbal seasonings” amount to nothing more than garlic powder and dried parsley – and the snap peas don’t snap; the red peppers are mushy; and the potatoes are dense and chewy.

Average Retail Price: $1.79

Availability: Major grocery stores