Plenty of zero-calorie flavored waters now line shelves at convenience stores and super markets, and they make meeting that daily 64-ounce quota much more palatable. But flavored waters don't have to be sweet at all.

Starbucks, a Lunch Ladies favorite, has introduced even more healthy lunch offerings. As expected, the java joint didn't disappoint with its to-go containers packed with salads, pasta and other fresh offerings.

We checked out the Garden Fare menu at the Olive Garden where they know their way around a plate of pasta. We ordered the classics and of course their famous minestrone soup. This installment of Lunch Ladies is not only tasty, but poignant — it's Gretchen's final one (for now!).

Let’s face it. Not only are there days when you eat lunch at your desk, sometimes you eat breakfast ala cubicle. On those days it might be a good idea to have a few breakfast items stashed in the refrigerator like Jimmy Dean D-Lights breakfast sandwiches.

Sometimes even vegetarians crave "junk food." At least that's what we've gathered from the company that makes vegetarian chicken nuggets, buffalo wings and corn dogs. Overall these items tasted and looked impressively like their meat counterparts, making it easy for the "starter vegetarian" to ease into this kind of diet. You can also try using these products in the inventive recipes that Morningstar lists on their Web site.

Lean Cuisine is the king of the light frozen meal (and Amy's is the queen, of course). Now the illustrious ruler of the Land of Lunch has granted us five new Spa Cuisine Classics entrees that have twice the veggies of an average frozen meal.

We were browsing the frozen foods at Central Market when we found Tabatchnick soups. We picked them up to discover wholesome ingredients and low calories. They have more than three dozen varieties, including six Kosher recipes.

The South Beach Diet is hanging in there, and Kraft continues to introduce new products associated with the diet. Frozen pizzas, cereal, snack bars, salad dressings – the turquoise South Beach logo is all over the grocery store. The frozen wraps are some of the line's newer varieties. Each box has just two wraps, and they take about 2 minutes to cook in the microwave.

Odwalla's marketing campaign could say their product is fruit juice on steroids. Of course that may conflict with the company's froufrou names for their drinks, such as AntioxiDance, but would sync with the company's vitamin-infused beverages. In any case, the Lunch Ladies decided to try a handful of Odwalla's many offerings.

Back to the freezer for the Lunch Ladies. We are very busy these days and don't have time to leave the building to grab takeout. We stocked up on some organic vegetarian meals from Moosewood and discovered they are quite pleasing for a meal in a box.

On The Border was recently bashed for encouraging "extreme eating." The Center for Science in the Public Interest scorned the restaurant's Double-Stacked Club Quesadillas So we set out to find the lesser of the evils.

Roast beef and mashed potatoes sitting on the store shelves next to the canned goods? How bizarre. But there they were, Hormel Microwave Trays in a variety of options: chicken and rice, spaghetti with meat sauce, turkey and dressing, and many more.

There are so many yogurt choices these days that the Lunch Ladies decided to sample some that were new to us. Names such as Brown Cow, Wallaby and Lucky Layla Farms winked at us from the shelves.

Not all milk comes from the same place. While peanut milk never measured up to its butter cousin, the popularity of soy and rice milk has soared. We decided to check out some vanilla-flavored versions that came off the dry goods aisle and the refrigerator shelf – regular, light, unsweetened or infused with extra vitamins.

Dining out at a home-style restaurant that serves mouth-watering chicken fried steak, pork chops and meat loaf can be a challenge if you're trying to stick to a heart-healthy diet. That's why the Lunch Ladies were super-impressed with The String Bean restaurant's heart-healthy entrees featuring steamed veggies and grilled lean protein.

The charm of the frozen burrito comes in its tightly compact package that's easy to heat, simple to eat and light on the pocket book. These burritos take up little space in the freezer and can make a tasty, quick meal. The Lunch Ladies tried three brands that we found at Whole Foods: Matthew's, P.J.'s Organics and Amy's.

We saw a variety of noodle bowls on the store shelf, but most were two or more servings. We know what we'd do: eat the whole thing and feel like a big bowl of bloated noodles afterward. That's why we loved Thai Kitchen Noodle Cart's tasty single-serving kits. The downside was that the preparation was a little tedious with all the straining and mixing, and we feared burning ourselves handling the flimsy trays. Sure they come with a fork, but they should come with hot pads!

People often write the Lunch Ladies saying we must have the best job, eating all this great food. But we got to tell you, it ain't easy. Some of the things we try are – to put it nicely – bad. Oh, let's not put it nicely. We tried some gross, nasty, should-be-ashamed-to-call-itself-food food. Luckily there were a lot of winners this year, too. Here's our lists of the best and worst.

It's that holiday time of year when the turkey's cuisine status is elevated to the highest of pecking orders. Even though we will probably get more than our fill of the holiday bird at grandmother's house and the requisite soirees, the Lunch Ladies often crave a well-made turkey sandwich. Turkey meat is low in calories, after all, and full of nutrients and taste.

Burgers, dogs and fries don't usually top our list of light lunch options. But a reader turned us on to Topz – a healthier alternative to traditional fast food.

It’s been a long day at work and you’ve barely gotten up from your desk. Take a 10-minute mental break over a cup of hot tea. Ahhhhh, sanity returns. The Lunch Ladies have been there. We know. So we tried some hot tea for you, gravitating toward those with interesting names.