MCW: 2004 Lasagna with Meat Sauce

[SentientTootsieRoll]

Let's go to the MRE closet and see what we can find for lunch today.

I dug this out, a 2004 Lasagna w/ Meat Sauce MCW. I saw that this one hadn't been reviewed yet so I decided to take it upon myself to get it documented. Let's take a look!

One thing you will note is that the bag design is still the same one used in the current production MCWs as of this writing.

Upon opening:

All contents laid out, front and back respectively:

Here's the list of contents:
- Freeze dried Lasagna
- Toaster pastry
- Nut raisin mix
- Mocha cappuccino
- Shortbread cookies
- Accessory packet

Now, let's open the accessory packet.

The acessory packet contains:
- Iced tea drink mix
- Taster's Choice coffee
- Non-dairy creamer
- Domino sugar
- Gum
- Tabasco sauce
- Moist towelette
- Matches
- Toilet paper

Looks like a pretty exciting selection of items! Let's open up the cookies.

And last but not least, here's everything laid out and ready to eat!

When preparing the lasagna, I don't think I added enough water. I was almost there, but not quite. One thing that hasn't changed in the MCWs over the years is the sheer amount of food they give you. Honestly, I can just eat the main out of these and be satisfied for the day. They generally range from around 500-700 calories each. That's quite a bit, especially considering the other carb heavy items they give you.

The lasagna was still very tasty. The tomato sauce was a bit tangy but not too full of flavor. It was just right, but you could add a small bit of Tabasco sauce to bring it alive. Toward the end, that's what I did. You could also see bits of cheese in it. The noodles were nice and chewy, provably closer to al dente which is how I prefer noodles. Pretty impressive for a freeze dried meal. Although it's unfortunate they stopped including this meal in the current lineup of MCWs, Oregon Freeze Dry does still produce it. I had some out of a #10 can not too long ago and it was just as good.

The nut mix had a bit of a sour flavor, but nothing too extreme. The raisins were also a bit drier than usual, but it was still a good way to make up for the protein. The toaster pastry was also a bit on the dry side and also lacked a bit of flavor but I'm assuming that's due to age more than anything else. The shortbread cookies held up very well. I couldn't tell too much difference between the ones in this ration and some freshly off the store shelf. The mocha was also a nice addition for anyone out in cold weather environments. It was creamy and had the perfect amount of "chocolateliness" to it.

The only thing I'd say was missing from this ration is a cold drink such as some fruit punch or something. Ingesting all those carbs can make one pretty thirsty so it would certainly be welcomed.

[Conrad]

That's a serious lunch and a great review.

[SentientTootsieRoll]

Thanks. Shortly after this, I definitely felt like I had eaten too much. Maybe because I did. For about six months, I've been cutting carbs out and eating high protein and high fat items instead. I feel great, but when I revert back to rations, I pay for it. They're still fun to eat and document once and a while.