Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites at Home Review and Giveaway

by Shannan on June 21, 2009

Dinner time around here is always a struggle. I spend all day long chasing kids, running my writing business, and working on projects for my community manager job. By the time my husband gets home at about 6:30, trying to get everyone fed and settled for the night is a pressing issue and let’s face it, I’m tired.

I’m always looking for a tasty and quick way to get dinner on the table, so when I was asked by BlogSpark to try out the new Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites at Home, I was more than happy to give them a shot.

I was sent a box of Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken to try out, and I was quite happy with the results. All it takes is a pound of boneless chicken and a couple of staple ingredients, like water and milk and you have a meal that is almost as tasty as any Italian chain restaurant, right in your kitchen.

Dinner was done within about 15-20 minutes, from start to finish, which is perfect for us on those nights where dinner gets started late. All you have to do is start your pasta, cut up your chicken, brown it in a pan, then add in the packets for the sauce and other ingredients. Simmer for a few minutes, mix in the pasta and dinner is done!

The Macaroni Grill meals come in four other flavors as well, including Chicken Marsala, Chicken Alfredo, Garlic and Herb Chicken Penne, and Chicken Piccata. We have already picked up the Chicken Marsala and Chicken Alfredo, both of which I found delicious. The Marsala comes with cooking wine, which gives the dish a very authentic flavor. We haven’t yet tried the other two flavors, but you can be sure that they’ll be making them into the rotation around here soon.

I have been given 3 gift packs from Macaroni Grill to give away. Winners will receive one box of Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken, a colander, a serving spoon, and a cheese grater to create their own restaurant style Italian meal at home. They will also receive coupons for 3 more boxes of Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites at Home, so you can give more of these great dinners a try.

All you need to do to enter is leave me a comment, telling me what your biggest dinner challenge is.

For Bonus Entries (main entry must be completed first)

Tweet about this giveaway (up to 3 times)
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Please leave a SEPARATE COMMENT for each entry. If you complete all of the entries, you will have 5 chances to win one of these three great gift baskets!

Contest ends on Monday, June 29th at 11:59pm. Winners will be contacted by email and will have 72 hrs to claim their prize or a new winner will be drawn.

Disclosure: Product was provided for this review.

{ 64 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Cheryl W June 21, 2009 at 4:17 pm: My biggest challange is finding something that everyone likes for dinner.
2 Carla Pullum June 22, 2009 at 9:32 am: My biggest challenge is having all the ingredients when I get ready to cook. I am always running back to the store to get that missing ingredient!
Carla
cpullum(at)yahoo(dot)com
3 Nikki June 22, 2009 at 4:52 pm: I struggle with two things actually. I have a hard time getting dinner started on time. I find that I spend a lot of time trying to throw something together last minute. My second struggle is on the nights when we have baseball, softball or football games. I need something relatively fast and not complicated. Getting all four kids out the door is a challenge in itself. I don’t need dinner adding to it!

Great giveaway and one I’m excited to enter!

guiltyparents AT gmail DOT com
4 Katie June 22, 2009 at 4:58 pm: My biggest issue is I’m terrible at planning things out. Then all of a sudden it’s dinner time and we’re all starving. Rather than make something it’s easier to go to a drive through. That hasn’t been good on the waistline. We’re trying to eat healthier and not resort to quick sandwiches everynight. Would love to try these as we like the restaurant and it sounds like they are easy to make with things we stock in the pantry or fridge. They’re quick enough to be on the table in about the same amount of time it takes to get in the car, go through the drive through, and get back home.
5 Nikki June 22, 2009 at 5:13 pm: LOL I tweeted the contest! Check me out!! http://twitter.com/Nikki_S/status/2284454306

guiltyparents AT gmail DOT com
6 Katie June 22, 2009 at 5:18 pm: Retweeted the tweet I heard about the giveaway through:
http://twitter.com/KTnestingspot/status/2284777456
7 Keonte' June 22, 2009 at 5:58 pm: My biggest dinner challenge is creating a meal that satisfies everyone. One person doesn’t like white sauce, the other may not like tomato sauce. It’s all about compromise in my house. Picky eaters make it so hard to cook. That’s why I don’t, lol.
8 Keonte' June 22, 2009 at 5:58 pm: I subscribe to your feed so I can keep up on all your great posts and giveaways. luvdamall at aol dot com
9 Keonte' June 22, 2009 at 6:00 pm: I tweeted http://twitter.com/IamKeonte/status/2285327356
10 ALLY in WA June 23, 2009 at 2:40 am: My biggest dinner challenge is getting everyone to be present at dinner as schedules and activities often conflict AND then having someone that everyone absolutely loves. Thanks for the chance to win this!
11 ALLY in WA June 23, 2009 at 2:41 am: I get your RSS feed to my google reader.
12 Terra Heck June 23, 2009 at 7:19 am: One of my biggest challenges is finding different, new meals to eat. It seems that, sometimes, I get stuck in the rut of making the same meals over and over.
13 Terra Heck June 23, 2009 at 7:20 am: email subscriber
14 Amber June 23, 2009 at 1:54 pm: My biggest dinner trouble is figuring out how much to make to feed everyone in my family! lol.

Amber
Crystalclearbc@aol.com
15 3carnations June 23, 2009 at 3:21 pm: My biggest dinner challenge is getting something decent prepared in the small amount of time we have in the evenings, and still have some family time left to play.
16 hminnesota June 23, 2009 at 3:46 pm: finding balance between nutrition and taste. And also, balance between East and West. We are from India so we like Indian food daily, kids love pasta, pizza, noodles..you see the point.
17 hminnesota June 23, 2009 at 3:50 pm: http://twitter.com/hminnesota/status/2299367200
tweeted
18 HSB Suzanne June 23, 2009 at 4:49 pm: My biggest dinner challenge is figuring out something that everyone will be happy with that I can fix while I’m twittering. LOL

roseinthemorning [at] gmail [dot] com
19 This Military Mama June 23, 2009 at 4:50 pm: My biggest challenge is finding the time. My daughter clings to me like paper to glue. So cooking in the kitchen is impossible and not always safe for her. She loves to grab at things right now.

This giveaway rocks!
This Military Mama´s last blog ..More Of My Birth Mother Story
20 This Military Mama June 23, 2009 at 4:54 pm: I twittered it!!!

http://twitter.com/MilitaryMama/status/2300227070
This Military Mama´s last blog ..More Of My Birth Mother Story
21 Alayna June 23, 2009 at 5:09 pm: My biggest dinner time issue is planning ahead. When I actually take the time to plan a menu ahead of time and make my shopping list accordingly, things go pretty well.
But, that doesn’t happen very often. Usually, I realize it’s getting close to dinner time and I scramble to figure out what to have. If I’m REALLY disorganized, we end up going out or ordering pizza. Not something we can afford all the time.

Thanks for the giveaway!
22 Alayna June 23, 2009 at 5:10 pm: I tweeted
https://twitter.com/zadyball/status/2300455182
23 K. C. June 23, 2009 at 6:10 pm: My biggest difficulty is finding something everyone will like.
24 Beth June 23, 2009 at 8:00 pm: Our biggest challenge is planning dinners ahead of time and then doing what we took time to plan. After working a full day and trading off the kids with my husband, the last thing I often want to do when I get home from work is cook a full dinner for myself and the kids.
25 Lauren June 23, 2009 at 10:32 pm: My biggest dinner challenge lately has been getting my 4 year old to just try his vegetables!
26 Lauren June 23, 2009 at 10:34 pm: I’m an RSS subscriber
27 Elaina June 23, 2009 at 11:35 pm: My biggest dinner challenge is for my whole family to eat together. My husband doesn’t get home from work until well after 7:30. My 10 year old’s bathtime is 7:30 and my one year goes to be soon after that. I’d love for my husband to be able to be home sooner.

smalltownbeatnik at g mail
28 Elaina June 23, 2009 at 11:36 pm: I now subscribe to your RSS feed via Google Reader.

smalltownbeatnik at g mail
29 Elaina June 23, 2009 at 11:38 pm: tweet tweet!

http://twitter.com/missanomaly/status/2305291312

smalltownbeatnik at g mail
30 Meredith June 24, 2009 at 4:33 pm: My biggest dinner challenge is combating our desire to go out to eat. We don’t need to but sometimes it is so tempting.
31 Sylvia June 24, 2009 at 7:55 pm: My biggest challenge is having enough energy at the end of the day
32 Tawnda June 25, 2009 at 10:56 am: My biggest struggle is deciding early enough what to get out of my freezer… it’s always the same old thing… *sigh*
33 Tawnda June 25, 2009 at 11:00 am: new rss subscriber
34 ChristieC June 25, 2009 at 1:20 pm: My biggest challenge is time! It has to be something quick
35 Tina June 25, 2009 at 2:31 pm: A challenge for me is finding something that everyone likes.
36 Katie June 25, 2009 at 2:59 pm: I have a terrible time coming up with ideas for what to make!
Katie´s last blog ..Random Thought… What day is it again?
37 Michelle Rosborough June 25, 2009 at 4:18 pm: Geting everyone together
38 Rita Moghadam June 25, 2009 at 8:07 pm: I always have trouble finding something that we all like that is quick to make. Everyone seems to want things that take way too much time and I’m beat after working all day.
39 Tomi June 26, 2009 at 11:38 am: My biggest dinner challenge is finding something all 3 kids will eat. It’s gotta be tasty to them & nutritious for me.
40 Liz June 26, 2009 at 12:43 pm: Sometimes, it’s just finding the motivation for one of us to cook!
41 Jo ann Anderson June 26, 2009 at 8:33 pm: My biggest challenge is to make something out of nothing,being also economicall & tasting good. I Love cooking & expierment alot & 99 percent of the time it turns out superb.
42 Jennifer Daneault June 27, 2009 at 1:59 pm: My biggest dinner challenge is cooking something everyone will eat that doesn’t take a long time. It’s myself my husband and our 2 children and boy is it hard to find a dinner to please everyone. I love the look of these have yet to try one yet but it looks like something everyone can enjoy!
43 Jennifer Daneault June 27, 2009 at 2:07 pm: Tweeted,
Subscribed,
Posted to my blog
44 Amanda R. June 28, 2009 at 3:11 pm: I love to use allrecipes.com to cook, but my biggest challenge is having all of the ingredients on hand. Also, I work 2nd shift, so eating at a reasonable hour is difficult too.
45 Marie R June 28, 2009 at 5:23 pm: My son is learning to eat table foods now and my biggest challenge is trying to feed him new things. He just wants to eat mac and cheese and pizza all day.
46 Cori Westphal June 29, 2009 at 10:10 am: My biggest challenge is finding something we all like to eat. Also, staying on budget. Food prices are getting so ridiculous and it’s getting harder to plan meals around what’s on sale!
Cori Westphal´s last blog ..Win EA Sports Active for Wii! ENDS 06/26/09
47 Cori Westphal June 29, 2009 at 10:11 am: Tweet #1: http://twitter.com/coriwestphal/statuses/2387785041
48 Cori Westphal June 29, 2009 at 10:14 am: I’ve subscribed via google reader.
Cori Westphal´s last blog ..Win EA Sports Active for Wii! ENDS 06/26/09
49 Melissa Multitasking Mama June 29, 2009 at 10:51 am: My biggest dinner challenge is my energy level- with MS sometimes I am up to it and sometimes not.
50 Amanda G June 29, 2009 at 6:25 pm: My biggest dinner challenge is finding something everyone in the family likes.
51 Amanda G June 29, 2009 at 6:27 pm: I subscribe via Yahoo!
52 Amanda G June 29, 2009 at 6:30 pm: I tweeted at http://twitter.com/agafford/statuses/2394529963.
53 amy June 29, 2009 at 6:30 pm: My biggest dinner challenge is finding a time that everyone can sit and eat together.
54 amy June 29, 2009 at 6:31 pm: I’m subscribing.
55 Carolsue June 29, 2009 at 10:36 pm: My biggest challenge is always finding something that everyone will eat. And finding a time when everyone is there to EAT it!
digicat{AT}sbcglobal{DOT}net
Carolsue´s last blog ..
56 Carolsue June 29, 2009 at 10:37 pm: Subscribed via e-mail
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Carolsue´s last blog ..
57 icefairy June 29, 2009 at 11:29 pm: My biggest challenge is to ensure variety and nutrition at the same time. Thanks for the giveaway!
icefairy´s last blog ..Avon Winner & National Geographic Giveaway
58 icefairy June 29, 2009 at 11:33 pm: Subscribe via email.
icefairy´s last blog ..Avon Winner & National Geographic Giveaway
59 icefairy June 29, 2009 at 11:47 pm: Tweet #1
http://twitter.com/luckytoddler/status/2398550181
icefairy´s last blog ..Avon Winner & National Geographic Giveaway
60 icefairy June 29, 2009 at 11:48 pm: Tweet #2
http://twitter.com/luckytoddler/status/2398555668
icefairy´s last blog ..Avon Winner & National Geographic Giveaway
61 icefairy June 29, 2009 at 11:48 pm: Tweet #3
http://twitter.com/luckytoddler/status/2398556940
icefairy´s last blog ..Avon Winner & National Geographic Giveaway
62 Courtney July 3, 2009 at 9:56 pm: I try to come up with new things to make for supper because my kids are really picky right now about what they eat.
63 Courtney July 3, 2009 at 9:56 pm: Tweet! http://twitter.com/quixiotic/status/2463362139
64 Courtney July 3, 2009 at 9:56 pm: I subscribe via email.