Atkins meals?

ndvoice

I love to cook - homemade fresh & organic as much as possible. I do batch cooking to help with busy weeks.
But there has always been a diet pitfall for me, when my son has a medical emergency. Once or twice a year we are in "emergency status". I have to take a leave from work and drive hours daily to and from the hospital. Plus keeping up with the docs from the hospital, plus the personal ones means lots of time fielding phone calls. I try to make the best choices I can at the hospital cafeteria. But shopping, cooking, prep, does not happen at home. Working out doesn't happen & very little sleep happens. This usually lasts a week or two, until he comes home. By then, my diet it trashed & I'm too drained to care.

SO, I want to plan for these times, just in case I don't have a fridge full of chicken ready to eat. (What if it's my cooking day?) So I was looking at Atkins meals in the grocery freezer. There's a couple that are meat / veggie. The ingredients don't look too scary lol. I was thinking that having a few in the freezer may be good in a pinch?

Have any of you used Atkins meals in the past? Were they helpful? Did they derail your success? Are there other options you would consider?

Thanks!

LisaAnn642015

I really like most of the Atkins frozen meals their my "go to meals" in a pinch when I absolutely have no time to cook or don't want to eat what my family is eating ( spaghetti is one of my biggest downfalls, So I don't touch it lol!) But they've actually helped me to stay on track but I'd say be mindful of their calorie content ( I slipped up and had a busy day and didn't have time to track calories until dinner time and found i only had 300 cal left so luckily I saw that before I fixed dinner and opted for lettuce wraps with philadelphia cream cheese bacon flavor and ham still yummy but was planning on chicken lol!) But I would say yes they can be very helpful when crunched for time and even on the website Atkins plan meals they include their frozen meals and treats. Hope that helps

Sunny_Bunny_

I'm not familiar with the meals but they sound totally reasonable. I know you can also buy those little containers with kids to make your own frozen meals too. I've considered doing this and making a bunch of zucchini lasagne or pizza casseroles. I figure they would reheat well. Also just broccoli with Alfredo sauce and add some butter for extra fat should microwave well too and you wouldn't even have to cook it first to make the frozen meal. Just throw the frozen broccoli, sauce and butter in and stick it back in the freezer.
When I've had to stay at the hospital or travel all day for appointments with my dad, I just get fast food or cafeteria food that just fits the plan. Salad always works with full fat dressing and any sandwich without the bread is good usually. If I don't actually need a meal I will get beef jerky and nuts or pumpkin seeds at the gas station as we travel.

deksgrl

I have not used them, but I don't see why they couldn't be used short term in those emergencies.

ambergem1969

I think those types of emergencies make it really difficult so I'd take pressure off and use whatever tactics you need to keep your carbs low, but not worry about calories. Those Atkins meals sound like an excellent idea along with stocking your freezer with homemade single servings ala @Sunny_Bunny_.

ndvoice

Thanks guys! You all make a lot of sense. Think I'll try freezing some homemade stuff & keep a few Atkins on hand. Better be safe than sorry!

phxteach

I have tried several of theirs. None are wonderful nor horrible. They're passable and the best one I believe is the Mexican chicken. It has a lot of red and green peppers in it. Also decent was their Beef Merlot. I am surprised at the calorie count compared to items you could make at home, however. The Atkins seem higher. If you had time to make your own and put it in those small containers, it'd be better quality and you could control your flavors more. I made some caramelized onions, red peppers, topped with ground Italian sausage mixed in a low carb pasta sauce topped with Parmesan cheese. It froze well and reheated just as good as the original. Also consider some crustless quiche combos. They would freeze/reheat well too. Good luck in finding what works in those trying times.

KarlaYP

I love all of the ideas here! I am entering a new chapter in life, returning to work after ten years! I've been unable to work due to chronic pain (fibromyalgia) that's now better! Anyway, these ideas will work for taking lunches too! Thanks guys! You all rock!