Description: Battered, white meat chicken “fritters” coated in a smoky molasses glaze. About 15 pieces per box.

Preparation summary: Bake frozen fritters on lightly oiled baking sheet in a 375-degree, preheated oven for seven minutes. Turn chicken over and bake an additional seven minutes. Or microwave on a plastic or glass plate on high for three minutes.

Highpoints: They pop in your mouth like candy, probably because that’s what they taste like.

Lowpoints: Too much saccharine and not enough smoke flavor. Monotony strikes the tongue after the third piece.

Average retail price: $3.99

Availability: Major grocery stores

Description: Fresh ravioli by Monterey Pasta Company filled with roasted red and yellow peppers and Fontina and Mozzarella cheeses.

Preparation summary: Separate refrigerated ravioli and place into two to three quarts boiling water. (If frozen, thaw before separating.) Drain and serve with your favorite sauce.

Highpoints: Unlike other commercial ravioli, these are wider and a little plumper, and give you a few extra grams of fiber from the whole-wheat pasta casings. The roasted peppers merge nicely with the tangy cheese filling and the flavor combination is enhanced when you dress the ravioli in olive oil instead of red sauce.

Lowpoints: Nearly five bucks for only nine ravioli? This and other products by the Monterey Pasta Company are geared for hard-core yuppies, I feel.

Average retail price: $4.29

Availability: Major grocery stores

Description: Eight bread rounds brushed with olive oil and layered with pesto, mozzarella and tomatoes.

Preparation summary: Place bread rounds on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated, 350-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Highpoints: Robustly flavored and neatly contained. The back of the box provides the phonetic spelling of bruschetta to set the record straight on its confusing and often bastardized pronunciation.

Lowpoints: Tomatoes lose some of their juice and vibrancy from the baking process, which gives away the fact that you didn’t make this recipe if you’re trying to trick dinner guests.

Average retail price: $3.49

Availability: Trader Joe’s

Description: Lighter-crunch Grape-Nuts by Post, also contains raisins, almonds and natural sweeteners.

Preparation summary: Eat plain or with milk.

Highpoints: No more risk of chipping your teeth on those impenetrable, pebble-like Grape-Nuts that came before these softer, more toasted granules. Brown sugar, molasses and honey in the mix make the healthy nuggets go down even easier.

Lowpoints: Though touted from the company’s line of “healthy classics,” it borderlines what most nutritionists would call a “sugar cereal” given the fact you’ll ingest 10 grams of sugar per half-cup serving.

Average retail price: $4.29

Availability: Major grocery stores