Cooking shortcuts. Worth the price?

Even as a busy working mother, I still want to be able to keep up my end of the domestic bargain and cook for my family. That's not to say it's a burden, I rather enjoy cooking actually. But after working and caring for E all day, some nights I would be just as happy ordering from the Chinese place down the street as whip up a culinary masterpiece featured on the food network not two nights previous.

Insert Time-Saver food option here. An organic salad pre-mix makes for a quick veggie. Shredded cheeses to sprinkle over pasta and sausage for a yummy casserole, Crock-pot meals that cook all day instead of me..etc.. I'm not above a short-cut or two.

But then shopping today I saw this...

"Original" refers to the flavor? What does THAT taste like?

Sorry... what? Cooking Creme? Do you mean Cream Cheese? or wait..is it Sour Cream? WTF??

First there is the package:. Even glazing over the pretentious name, (Making it sound French doesn't put it closer to the quality of Creme Fraiche, you douche.) the description reads: "The rich taste and versatility of Original Philly, but easier to melt and spoon." There are even multiple flavors such as Italian Cheese and Herb and Sante Fe Blend. Which I guess tastes like illegal aliens and sandstone dust.

Then there are the ingredients. Not surprisingly they are not solely dairy products. They include whey protein concentrate, tapioca starch, various gums, and even sugar. 

Then there are the recipes you make with it. A veritable "Top 20 Foods to Avoid List" posted outside a Cardiologist's office. Bacon Fettuccine, Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Pot Pie. Looks like the Naked Chef is gonna have to visit a few more southern US towns after this marketing campaign gets underway.

Then there are the people who "rave" about it including the woman (direct quote) "fixin' to make a sauce to go over a ribeye but not quite nowin' how to use the product. Too bad it didn't come with instructions." Do spices come with instructions? Do vegetables? Vegetables; You know those things you see decorating the plates in "fancier" restaurants like Sizzler that people like you never touch?

Has it gotten so bad that we have reduced even casual cooks down to the most simplistic and common denominator? Products like these have left me wondering exactly at what point we decided inserting extra fat and calories was the only way to add "taste" into a meal. Standards; where did they go?